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Looking for people to practice community life ideas with, in Internet discussions

Jim

Nets of Wonder
NOTE: This is in a non-debate forum.

If you have any ideas that you’ve been trying to practice in Internet discussions, for a healthy, happy, loving community life, I’d like to discuss how we might practice together. The ideas that I’ve been practicing revolve around what the Baha’i Universal House of Justice has been promoting, but it doesn’t have to be about that.
 

MNoBody

Well-Known Member
start a community garden together is a greeat way to begin
gets your hands in the soil [society of inner light]
produces produce
requires commitment and weeds out the tourists
gains you experience which may even turn into wisdom
 

Sirona

Hindu Wannabe
If you have any ideas that you’ve been trying to practice in Internet discussions, for a healthy, happy, loving community life, I’d like to discuss how we might practice together. The ideas that I’ve been practicing revolve around what the Baha’i Universal House of Justice has been promoting, but it doesn’t have to be about that.

Since you've been asking the very same question over and over and over again, I started to wonder what happened to the other threads that you gave them up and started yet another one.

I'd politely suggest that you define what you actually expect from such threads, as often you have been redefining your goals during a thread, and it's a bit hard to see into your mind and figure out what kind of content actually suits you.

  • How about ... .responses from Bahai's only?
  • content related to Baha'i issues only?
  • only happy talk from what I perceive as a religious bubble?
  • opportunities for "teaching" your faith to others?
  • Something else I didn't come up with?

Like others do, I also appreciate honest answers. So don't hesitate to specify what you expect from this thread to make it easier for all of us to decide whether we should contribute or not.
 

Sirona

Hindu Wannabe
To make one thing clear, of course I would participate in “community life”, “interfaith”, whatever, if it was honest.

This thread should not have the headline “Looking for people to practice community life ideas with, in Internet discussions”

but “Looking for people who are idealistic and probably a bit clueless to use their ideals in order to spoon-feed them my religion without giving them an opportunity to respond 'because it’s a non-debate forum‘“.

I tell them that their gods are mere humans, or that my religion has superseded theirs, and this is “interfaith” because I say so. This is nothing but a cheap trick and I think people should know about it.

Please move this to a debate forum if necessary.

The last thing I want to say is that every community needs a common ideal. If this ideal is the Bahai faith, just fine. But it should be said honestly, so that one can see what one is actually dealing with.
 

TransmutingSoul

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I tell them that their gods are mere humans, or that my religion has superseded theirs, and this is “interfaith” because I say so. This is nothing but a cheap trick and I think people should know about it.

Would not part of discussing a future where humanity matures to accept we are a great diversity of thought, but one people and that all people deserve to be treated with Love, Justice, Respect and Dignity, also include discussions that reflect that maturity?

A path to this, is by embracing Science and Faith side by side and only in this way can our childish adolescent ways pass to become a more mature thought.

Part of our maturity is being able to accept that we need to step up above disunity built upon our petty predudices. How else can we do it?

Regards Tony
 

Sirona

Hindu Wannabe
A great diversity of thought is fine. Authentic respect for a large range of religious diversity is even better. Authentic respect means not to tell people they should renounce their religions because "mine" is the best, or combining all religions into one, regardless of what it is labelled. You know, Bahai's are not the inventors of "religion stew". Authentic respect also means revealing the rules under which a community project is supposed to happen, instead of repeated nebulous appeals to people's religious or idealistic vein. Appealing to emotions while revealing the rules only later is a strategy used by many, you know, cults.
 

TransmutingSoul

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Authentic respect means not to tell people they should renounce their religions because "mine" is the best, or combining all religions into one

I see the result of showing mutual love and respect will by default show we are one people. I see all are capable of showing Love and compassion and to remove all predudices.

Regards Tony
 

MNoBody

Well-Known Member
monocultures have never been observed to be wise or beneficial in agriculture, diversity is a better principle, but has lots of aspects which have to be considered....and humanity is still struggling to figure out what is actually correct which we can all agree on as being common sense and obvious...
so charity begins at home.... how can we take the mote out of someone else's eye if one still can't see straight themselves
 

TransmutingSoul

Veteran Member
Premium Member
monocultures have never been observed to be wise or beneficial in agriculture, diversity is a better principle, but has lots of aspects which have to be considered....and humanity is still struggling to figure out what is actually correct which we can all agree on as being common sense and obvious...
so charity begins at home.... how can we take the mote out of someone else's eye if one still can't see straight themselves

It may take thinks like Covid-19 to show how we must work together as a global community and have the contingencies in place to help the world cope at such times.

Regards Tony
 

MNoBody

Well-Known Member
a may we not get collectively fooled yet again.....after over half a century and reading way too much history.....it seems like charlie brown and Lucy with her damned football again
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
I’ll repeat what I said in the OP. If you have any ideas that you’ve been trying to practice in Internet discussions, for a healthy, happy, loving community life, I’d like to discuss how we might practice together.

@MNoBody @Tony Bristow-Stagg @Sirona

Do you have any ideas that you have been trying to practice in Internet discussions, for a healthy, happy, loving community life? If you have been trying to practice some ideas for a healthy, happy, loving community life, in where and what you post, and how you post, in Interest discussions, I might want to try to practice your ideas with you.
 

MNoBody

Well-Known Member
ah, i think i see what you are looking for now, wasn't too clear at first.
myself, i have been offline for several years and have just dived back in this month into forum community,
thought it the pragmatic thing to do.....I'll have to get back to you on that...mull it over....since most of the ideas I had this winter are pretty much not very feasible given current circumstances.... so at a loss right now as to bright ideas in that regard...
and as far as intentional communities well in half a century i have had a lot of adventures looking, but never found it, and comminity spirit and solidarity seem pretty much eroded away in this present time, so
i stand looking for something to help inspire some optimism...signs of collaborative life would be great.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
NOTE: This is in a non-debate forum.

If you have any ideas that you’ve been trying to practice in Internet discussions, for a healthy, happy, loving community life, I’d like to discuss how we might practice together. The ideas that I’ve been practicing revolve around what the Baha’i Universal House of Justice has been promoting, but it doesn’t have to be about that.
I would go for a virtual tea and coffee house.

There's something about hot beverages and community conversation.
 

Sirona

Hindu Wannabe
As a general observation, on the issue of "politeness", religious doorknockers tend to be very polite, and well-dressed, and friendly, and usually have very polite conversations with potential converts, because they want to be liked. That's what it's all about. First you like the people, and then this positive image is attributed to the religion. "If the members are sooo nice, then the religion can't be bad". The most common variety of religious doorknockers usually want to talk to you about catastrophes in the world, but that doesn't mean that other strategies of religious doorknocking are not possible. I used to think that, in search of seekers and idealists, asking the same type of question over and over and over again was a very "dumb thing to do", but as it's being done persistently, I think it might be part of a strategy. As the most important rule in this discussion is politeness, I think we can have very polite conversations about flowers. Dear Bahai's, we can talk extensively about flowers, or is there something else you want to talk about? Generally speaking, I think asking for "community life", "interfaith", "friendships across the widest religious divides" and the like is the Bahai equivalent of religious doorknocking, but the thing is, I can't prove it because I don't think Bahai's would be willing to really show their cards even if asked really politely. Caveat emptor.
 
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Jim

Nets of Wonder
To clarify what I was asking for in the OP, I’ll give some examples. For example, a person might say they start threads in the jokes forum, to help make the forums more fun for everyone. They might say that they try to understand what people are thinking and help them explain it to others. They might say that they try to remember not to post until they can do it with friendly feelings towards everyone. They might say that they post friendly comments to people sometimes when they might be feeling unwelcome. They might say that they help welcome newcomers. They might say that they’re trying to learn better ways to explain their ideas, to make them easier to understand. They might say that they’re trying to learn better ways to avoid spreading misunderstandings and misinformation and to help counteract them. They might say that they try to find interesting and fun things for people to discuss.
 
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Sirona

Hindu Wannabe
@Jim , sorry if I got a little harsh, of course nobody is unwelcomed here. But questions like "How do you walk your talk?" may be perceived as a little assertive as well. Not everybody has the desire to blather about their religion and about how virtuous they are as often as they can. I wouldn't dare to make "friendships across the widest religious divides" while possibly lacking knowledge or experience of a religion. I wouldn't even start putting people in religious boxes in the first place. If I want clarity, I'd properly state my goals and expectations instead of largely appealing to emotions, or else people may get the impression they're being manipulated. I also think making some posts on a forum is in no way comparable to participating in or leading a real group. A group which doesn't allow criticism and requires one to repeat the party line is a "dead" group in my eyes, and aspiring for such a group atmosphere on a forum or in real life doesn't seem very wise or desirable to me. But maybe different people have different needs. Take care.
 
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TransmutingSoul

Veteran Member
Premium Member
To clarify what I was asking for in the OP, I’ll give some examples. For example, a person might say they start threads in the jokes forum, to help make the forums more fun for everyone. They might say that they try to understand what people are thinking and help them explain it to others. They might say that they try to remember not to post until they can do it with friendly feelings towards everyone. They might say that they post friendly comments to people sometimes when they might be feeling unwelcome. They might say that they help welcome newcomers. They might say that they’re trying to learn better ways to explain their ideas, to make them easier to understand. They might say that they’re trying to learn better ways to avoid spreading misunderstandings and misinformation and to help counteract them. They might say that they try to find interesting and fun things for people to discuss.

It may be that many people always attempt those things, but do not need to say it, as in the end, it is the actions that will show if it was practiced.

As such they learn to be wiser from trying to practice those things, but not always getting it right, to which, in the end, that is a bounty for both parties, as in every exchange, each person has the chance to practice all virtues.

Regards Tony
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Maybe people could post examples of what they’ve seen other people doing to help make Internet discussions more friendly and fun for everyone, and more fruitful and beneficial.
 
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