Who influences you...?

Just thought this might be interesting. Basically, who influences and/or inspires you in your religion/spiritual path/etc. Could be anyone at all...the founder of that religion, an author, a family member etc. Who influences you the most?

Philip Newell has had the biggest impact so far.
Spong and Badshah Khan next.
Looking forward I think Tolstoy is going to impact me deeply.

Ethan Allan, John Locke, Thomas Paine, Carl Sagan, Michael Shermer, Stephen Hawking and Orson Scott Card. (Yes, I know, Card is a Mormon)

The Dalai Lama :namaste

TheBotanicalDolly said:

Just thought this might be interesting. Basically, who influences and/or inspires you in your religion/spiritual path/etc. Could be anyone at all...the founder of that religion, an author, a family member etc. Who influences you the most?

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My single biggest influence is my father, a deist with Taoist leanings.

Rather than indoctrinate me with any given path, he taught me to think for myself and question everything.

I think he was a bit startled by the results!

Everyone influences me.

Who influenced me the most - my uncle.

I like to think that everybody influences me in different ways. And, sadly not always by good.

There is a vicar I met a couple of times, who has done wonders in his Parish since he has been there, and he inspires me to try to do the best I can and help others in creative, new ways.

Many, many figures. Too many to name, but I'll give it a try. Rev. Tamara Siuda, our Nisut. Guatama Buddha, Lao Tzu, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Thomas Paine, Gospel of Thomas, to name a few.

Friends & ordinary people who love to explore philosophy....no one you'd know.

Alan Richardson, Jim Steinman, Alan Watts, Joseph Campbell, Meg, most of the folks here on Religious Forums, my Self, and countless others.

I have many too, but I'll name some; Guru Nanak, Gotama Buddha, the Dalai Lama, the authors of the Bhagavad Gita, Guru Granth Sahib and it's authors, Gandhi, Obi Wan Kenobi, and the Hypnotoad. Those are only a few people, though.

Seung Sahn, Ajahn Chah, Bertrand Russell, Rudolf Flesch, Ryu Cope, my former priest, Brad Warner, Richard Halliburton, Natalie Goldberg, Harvey Fierstein, Chögyam Trungpa, George Fox, Elias Hicks, Lao Tzu, Kallistos Ware, Ignatius Branchaninov, the author of The Way of a Pilgrim, Julian of Norwich, Richard Dawkins, Steven Runciman, Marilynne Robinson, Theophan the Recluse, Rebecca West, Edith Durham, Melissa Etheridge, Pär Lagerkvist.

Especially the first seven.

Lately, the music of Blackmore's Night has been inspiring me.

Francis Bacon
Gauntlet Lotter
My family and friends.

OK, I'll list some famous influences: Ayn Rand, Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller, Frank Herbert, Thomas Jefferson, Milton Friedman, Noam Chomsky, Stephen Hawking, Matt Groening, Joseph Shigley.

For me the main person would be Susun Weed.

TheBotanicalDolly said:

For me the main person would be Susun Weed.

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I'm going to have to research her more...I've been getting back into herbalism.

Carl Sagan(and scientists in general), my freshman science teacher, my moms BF, and buddhism/hinduism.

TheBotanicalDolly said:

Just thought this might be interesting. Basically, who influences and/or inspires you in your religion/spiritual path/etc. Could be anyone at all...the founder of that religion, an author, a family member etc. Who influences you the most?

Click to expand...

people who commit their lives to helping others , (eg mother theressa) people who help humanity with their work research (einstein) people who bring their beuty (sorry for my bad english ) to our lives like the great composers ,( bach ) people who dare to stand for whatr they believe even if the whole world is against them .(marthin luther king )

Well influence might be a strong word, but there are people that I study and appreciate their experience.

Richard Francis Burton for his outstanding exploration of the near Orient and Islam, for his hand in bringing Oriental sexuality to Western attention, whether by his hand in bringing the Kama Sutra to the English readers, or for 1001 Arabian Nights (the adult version).

Noam Chomsky, already when I was a soldier in the Israeli army I was reading his material, while if Chomsky would post on RF we would probably be at odds with each other, I highly value his criticism of American policies, and the policies of my nation. obviously I don't see eye to eye with him on all details, but I appreciate the fact that his information pushes for much needed transparency.

Aleister Crowley, for his exotic exploration of magic and sexuality in the late Victorian puritanical society, for his great influence on later movements from neo-paganism to Satanism, whether you love or hate him, Crowley was impossible to ignore, I have much criticism of his persona, but anyone who gets to be called 'The Wickedest Man in the World' during his time is worth my study, his material gives an insight into the psychology of religion in the Victorian era, to the inner politics of the Spiritual Orders of the time, and to the religious sentiments of society.

Jalaluddin Rumi, 13th century Persian poet, although technically a Muslim, I believe his words bring justice to the universal spirit of the 3 most influential faiths, the Abrahamic family of religions.

Frank Herbert, for his wonderful series of books and his understanding of the importance of middle eastern affairs and world politics. his amazing and detailed religious systems and political structures provide a source of an amazing wealth of intelligence. Dune perhaps more than others remains the most influential narrative in my life. it relates to my personal life in the middle east, and I completely relate to the complicated religious and political structures in the Dune world.

I guess I can think of a few more, but that's 5 for now.