IndigoChild5559
Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
I wasn't sure where to put this thread. I wanted it to be interfaith, and comparative religion just doesn't get the volume of traffic. Is this an okay section, even though it really is more share than debate?
Even if your faith is more one of God working in your life via grace, we all cooperate with God, right? We make choices that bring growth or that stagnate us in our spiritual growth. The idea is to become people of virtue, beings that are close to God, righteous people, the enlightened -- each religion has a different way to say it, but it essentially means the same thing when the rubber meets the road. It means being more than passive. It means being active players in our own development as spiritual men and women. In fact, even atheists self-actuate and can participate in this thread.
So what kind of answers am I looking for? Well for example, I have some dear Catholic friends that are involved in a group known as Cursillo. Cursillo has taught them to nurture three main areas of their lives: piety, study, and action. (Cursillistas, forgive me if I get this less than perfect and please feel free to correct me and elaborate.) Piety means keeping the practices and traditions of the church such as prayer and eucharist. Study refers to the study of scripture and other religious topic books. Action refers to their faith in real life, such as helping the poor, the sick, the oppressed, keeping the commandments...
So that's what I'm looking for. What PRACTICAL things do you do that will help you become a better person, a person of virtue, a more enlighten being, closer to God?
Let me begin by sharing my own walk.
This has always been a very important thing to me. I made a pact with God in my twenties that I wanted to become His 100%, nothing held back, and that I would be willing to go through whatever lessons I needed to learn to do this, however hard that might be, and that I would do whatever homework I needed to do. I think God has always held me to this -- that it seems to have the weight of a vow. It seems to be that God holds me accountable not just to avoid sin, but also to do good, and to go the extra mile. In some ways, it has been easier for me, as I am a naturally introspective person, given to truly examining my soul and trying to become a better person, and asking the hard questions of life.
But in other ways it has been more difficult, as asking these questions has made me religiously unstable, that has been tearfully painful for me and my family as well.
I have to say, I do not regret the incredible religious journey my life has been. It has been a lot like The Hobbit -- I left the Shire, experienced many adventures, found the Arkenstone, and returned to the Shire along with great treasure. But like Bilbo, the danger of those adventures was very very real. I have to say I cannot recommend this sort of journeying for people in general -- most would end up in dire straights. That I have done okay I think is simply that the angels were for some reason looking out for me. Today, I am no longer journeying. I am content in Judaism, my Shire. But I do still cultivate.
Yes, spiritual growth is lifelong. So what do I do today?
1. Every Friday night I attend Shabbat services, and often to Torah services on Shabbat morning as well. Worship is important. Prayer with the community is important. Sure I can pray alone any time I want. But there is something special about being in the midst of a group and reciting or singing the psalms together. To hear the sermon, to listen to the readings from the Torah Scrolls... it feeds my soul. Does God need my worship? I don't think so. But my soul needs to worship He who is greater than myself.
2. On Saturday mornings I go to a Torah study. It is amazing, but even at age 60 I am still learning new things from Torah, even though the first time I went through it was at age seven, when my mother read it to me. There are just things I don't notice, until it seems someone points it out to me, and then I'm, WOW. Torah is, for me as a Jew, the perfect sounding board to bounce life's lessons off of. Rabbi Hillel once said to a convert, "What is hateful to you, don't do to others. That is the whole Torah. Now go and study." Study helps us parse out how to love our neighbor where the rubber meets the road.
3. On Thursdays I attend a short class in Talmud. This is my weakest area as a Jew, and even with this class, I don't think at this rate I would finish the Talmud by the end of my life LOL. It never ceases to amaze me the wisdom of the rabbis. The thing I appreciate most about Judaism, is that because it has lasted so long, it has a kind of distilled wisdom that only comes with time. This class probably makes me thing more than any of my others, which is enriching and a blessing.
4. On Shabbat afternoons, I zoom with an interfaith group that is interested in spiritual growth. We begin our two hours with five minutes of silence in which we can pray, meditate, or simply listen to the birds sing. Our topics usually draw from a variety of different religious and philosophical texts, eastern and western. What is good is that it is a highly practical class -- it doesn't focus on what we believe or who is "right." It focuses on what we can DO to become more virtuous people. I find it very humbling to be around people who are, basically, very very good people. I hope that I can become more like them. And it is also nice to be with kindred spirits who value the same sorts of things, and who see past the deceits of life like money, sex, and power.
5. I pray a lot. A Jew is to bless God 100 times a day. Baruch Hashem! (Blessed be the Name!) I try to start off every day with prayer. I thank God for making me who I am. But its not just the standard prayers. I also just go into improvised prayers thanking God for the birds singing outside my window, for the sunshine, for the fact that I have a pillow (hey if you've ever spent the night in jail and not had a pillow, you'll understand!). My whole life, I have had battles with depression, so appreciation of the little joys is so precious to me. And honestly, the very choice to give thanks for such small things I think helps stave off depression to a certain degree.
6. My participation on these forums mans something. I read more than I write. And even when I debate, I consider what the other person has written. I am one of those people who think that out of the debate process we learn. So I am not just here to share, my friends. I am also here to be shared with. I am very demanding of the quality of post I accept. And I expect others to be demanding of me. But that's because I want quality of thought, quality of learning. And if I ever cross the line from frankness into rudeness, please do bring it to my attention and I will quickly apologize -- there is no excuse for it.
7. All this would be worthless if I didn't do good works. I have been studying Isaiah lately, and Isaiah 1 has really stuck in my mind. This is the chapter where the people of Israel seem to be doing all the right things. We are keeping kosher and observing the Shabbat and doing all the holy days and new moons and sacrifices. Yet God is furious with us. Why? Because we were not taking care of the poor. In Judaism, "charity" is not something you do out of the goodness of your heart. It is a commandment that we are obligated to. Tzedakah is better translated as social justice. All our money belongs to God, and some of it is entrusted to us on behalf of the poor, and our JOB is to get it to them. Because Israel was not doing this, God was saying "I don't want your stinking sacrifices!"
It's been both easier and harder to find charitable works to do with covid. A lot of opportunities such as soup kitchens have dried up. Others, like drive by food hand outs, have come into being. But it is also good to remember that IN ADDITION to being involved in regular ongoing charities, I should always make giving way of life. How awful it would be if someone at a gas station asked me for a dollar and I said no. Sure I know some are asking for money that they will spend on alcohol. But I do remember the day it was me that needed gas. Who am I to question what they need the money for. Tzedakah comes in many forms.
8. And of course, going the "extra mile" doesn't mean I get to skip the first mile. There is always the basics of being a good decent person. Taking care of my aging mom who has dementia. Caring for my adult children when they need it without interfering in their autonomy as adults. Being a good neighbor on my street. Not gossiping about others. Not ripping people off or lifting small objects from other people's homes. Keeping my libido under control so that I'm a human rather than a hamster LOL. Basically, loving my neighbor as myself.
9. And then, there are the specific ways that Jews cultivate -- the 613 laws. We take the ordinary things of life and sanctify them. For example, every time I eat, it becomes a sacred ritual via making sure it is kosher and by blessing God for it.
These nine things are not in any particular order. The first is not the most important, and the ninth is not th least. They all work together in a wholistic manner.
Even if your faith is more one of God working in your life via grace, we all cooperate with God, right? We make choices that bring growth or that stagnate us in our spiritual growth. The idea is to become people of virtue, beings that are close to God, righteous people, the enlightened -- each religion has a different way to say it, but it essentially means the same thing when the rubber meets the road. It means being more than passive. It means being active players in our own development as spiritual men and women. In fact, even atheists self-actuate and can participate in this thread.
So what kind of answers am I looking for? Well for example, I have some dear Catholic friends that are involved in a group known as Cursillo. Cursillo has taught them to nurture three main areas of their lives: piety, study, and action. (Cursillistas, forgive me if I get this less than perfect and please feel free to correct me and elaborate.) Piety means keeping the practices and traditions of the church such as prayer and eucharist. Study refers to the study of scripture and other religious topic books. Action refers to their faith in real life, such as helping the poor, the sick, the oppressed, keeping the commandments...
So that's what I'm looking for. What PRACTICAL things do you do that will help you become a better person, a person of virtue, a more enlighten being, closer to God?
Let me begin by sharing my own walk.
This has always been a very important thing to me. I made a pact with God in my twenties that I wanted to become His 100%, nothing held back, and that I would be willing to go through whatever lessons I needed to learn to do this, however hard that might be, and that I would do whatever homework I needed to do. I think God has always held me to this -- that it seems to have the weight of a vow. It seems to be that God holds me accountable not just to avoid sin, but also to do good, and to go the extra mile. In some ways, it has been easier for me, as I am a naturally introspective person, given to truly examining my soul and trying to become a better person, and asking the hard questions of life.
But in other ways it has been more difficult, as asking these questions has made me religiously unstable, that has been tearfully painful for me and my family as well.
I have to say, I do not regret the incredible religious journey my life has been. It has been a lot like The Hobbit -- I left the Shire, experienced many adventures, found the Arkenstone, and returned to the Shire along with great treasure. But like Bilbo, the danger of those adventures was very very real. I have to say I cannot recommend this sort of journeying for people in general -- most would end up in dire straights. That I have done okay I think is simply that the angels were for some reason looking out for me. Today, I am no longer journeying. I am content in Judaism, my Shire. But I do still cultivate.
Yes, spiritual growth is lifelong. So what do I do today?
1. Every Friday night I attend Shabbat services, and often to Torah services on Shabbat morning as well. Worship is important. Prayer with the community is important. Sure I can pray alone any time I want. But there is something special about being in the midst of a group and reciting or singing the psalms together. To hear the sermon, to listen to the readings from the Torah Scrolls... it feeds my soul. Does God need my worship? I don't think so. But my soul needs to worship He who is greater than myself.
2. On Saturday mornings I go to a Torah study. It is amazing, but even at age 60 I am still learning new things from Torah, even though the first time I went through it was at age seven, when my mother read it to me. There are just things I don't notice, until it seems someone points it out to me, and then I'm, WOW. Torah is, for me as a Jew, the perfect sounding board to bounce life's lessons off of. Rabbi Hillel once said to a convert, "What is hateful to you, don't do to others. That is the whole Torah. Now go and study." Study helps us parse out how to love our neighbor where the rubber meets the road.
3. On Thursdays I attend a short class in Talmud. This is my weakest area as a Jew, and even with this class, I don't think at this rate I would finish the Talmud by the end of my life LOL. It never ceases to amaze me the wisdom of the rabbis. The thing I appreciate most about Judaism, is that because it has lasted so long, it has a kind of distilled wisdom that only comes with time. This class probably makes me thing more than any of my others, which is enriching and a blessing.
4. On Shabbat afternoons, I zoom with an interfaith group that is interested in spiritual growth. We begin our two hours with five minutes of silence in which we can pray, meditate, or simply listen to the birds sing. Our topics usually draw from a variety of different religious and philosophical texts, eastern and western. What is good is that it is a highly practical class -- it doesn't focus on what we believe or who is "right." It focuses on what we can DO to become more virtuous people. I find it very humbling to be around people who are, basically, very very good people. I hope that I can become more like them. And it is also nice to be with kindred spirits who value the same sorts of things, and who see past the deceits of life like money, sex, and power.
5. I pray a lot. A Jew is to bless God 100 times a day. Baruch Hashem! (Blessed be the Name!) I try to start off every day with prayer. I thank God for making me who I am. But its not just the standard prayers. I also just go into improvised prayers thanking God for the birds singing outside my window, for the sunshine, for the fact that I have a pillow (hey if you've ever spent the night in jail and not had a pillow, you'll understand!). My whole life, I have had battles with depression, so appreciation of the little joys is so precious to me. And honestly, the very choice to give thanks for such small things I think helps stave off depression to a certain degree.
6. My participation on these forums mans something. I read more than I write. And even when I debate, I consider what the other person has written. I am one of those people who think that out of the debate process we learn. So I am not just here to share, my friends. I am also here to be shared with. I am very demanding of the quality of post I accept. And I expect others to be demanding of me. But that's because I want quality of thought, quality of learning. And if I ever cross the line from frankness into rudeness, please do bring it to my attention and I will quickly apologize -- there is no excuse for it.
7. All this would be worthless if I didn't do good works. I have been studying Isaiah lately, and Isaiah 1 has really stuck in my mind. This is the chapter where the people of Israel seem to be doing all the right things. We are keeping kosher and observing the Shabbat and doing all the holy days and new moons and sacrifices. Yet God is furious with us. Why? Because we were not taking care of the poor. In Judaism, "charity" is not something you do out of the goodness of your heart. It is a commandment that we are obligated to. Tzedakah is better translated as social justice. All our money belongs to God, and some of it is entrusted to us on behalf of the poor, and our JOB is to get it to them. Because Israel was not doing this, God was saying "I don't want your stinking sacrifices!"
It's been both easier and harder to find charitable works to do with covid. A lot of opportunities such as soup kitchens have dried up. Others, like drive by food hand outs, have come into being. But it is also good to remember that IN ADDITION to being involved in regular ongoing charities, I should always make giving way of life. How awful it would be if someone at a gas station asked me for a dollar and I said no. Sure I know some are asking for money that they will spend on alcohol. But I do remember the day it was me that needed gas. Who am I to question what they need the money for. Tzedakah comes in many forms.
8. And of course, going the "extra mile" doesn't mean I get to skip the first mile. There is always the basics of being a good decent person. Taking care of my aging mom who has dementia. Caring for my adult children when they need it without interfering in their autonomy as adults. Being a good neighbor on my street. Not gossiping about others. Not ripping people off or lifting small objects from other people's homes. Keeping my libido under control so that I'm a human rather than a hamster LOL. Basically, loving my neighbor as myself.
9. And then, there are the specific ways that Jews cultivate -- the 613 laws. We take the ordinary things of life and sanctify them. For example, every time I eat, it becomes a sacred ritual via making sure it is kosher and by blessing God for it.
These nine things are not in any particular order. The first is not the most important, and the ninth is not th least. They all work together in a wholistic manner.
