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  1. cfer

    Fave Star Wars character?

  2. cfer

    Emotion

    Are there any religions out there that try to helps a person to master his/her emotions? Sort of like the Vulcans on Star Trek but not to that extreme? (Yes, I know that that is a fictional product, but something along those lines). Would Buddhism do that? Taoist? Or some other religion I'm...
  3. cfer

    Christianity -- The easier to learn religion?

    I feel that way, too. But it's like I keep fighting it for fear of what those around me and close to me will say. Plus, I don't really understand a lot of the concepts, either, so it's hard to explain to people how and what I truly feel and believe without mangling it and getting everyone...
  4. cfer

    Christianity -- The easier to learn religion?

    Well, technically you are -- The Old Testament and the New Testament. Have you ever noticed how different they are? One has the jealous, vindictive God (I wouldn't go so far as to call him hateful, but I could agree to calling him very strict and/or uncompromising) and the other has the loving...
  5. cfer

    Christianity -- The easier to learn religion?

    No. I think that makes a lot of sense. Thank you for putting it like that. That makes a world of difference for me. So, even though eastern thought isn't focused so much on goals, they still have them, correct? They just focus more on the journey towards the goals, and they will eventually...
  6. cfer

    Favorite Mystic?

    Yoda! :biglaugh: He was so in tune with The Force. That little green guy could do anything! And wise! Man, was he wise!! And compassionate and aggressive when the situations called for it. Okay. Enough joking. What is the defining characteristics of a mystic? What makes one a mystic?
  7. cfer

    Christianity -- The easier to learn religion?

    Could you give an example or two of the western bias are you talking about? And can you be a little more specific on the eastern point of view with which to approach the study of Taoism? I know there is a difference between Eastern and Western thought, but I don't really know how to...
  8. cfer

    Christianity -- The easier to learn religion?

    I think you're both right. A lot of churches have turned into a business more than a place to secure your soul. And that's too bad. As for churches pushing out the same stuff over and over, that's true, too. When I worked as an acolyte at our church, I got to see the schedule they had posted...
  9. cfer

    Christianity -- The easier to learn religion?

    Okay, first off, I'm not saying Christianity is a lesser religion, or that its followers are simpletons. I'm just asking if it's easier to learn. Think about how fast Christianity spread throughout history. Could that be because the basic concepts are more straightforward and easier to follow...
  10. cfer

    The Left Behind series

    I was raised Lutheran as well, and I had never heard of the rapture of the church, either. It was my wife -- who was Catholic but switched to Lutheran -- that told me about it. So I chalked it up to another one of the differences between Catholics and other Christians. Am I wrong in that...
  11. cfer

    The Left Behind series

    I've read the whole series. I was fortunate, too. My wife (then my fiance) had almost the whole series. This was before the 10th and 11th books had been written and released, though. I got to read them, one right after the other, for a summer. It basically took me 2 weeks. It was a killer...
  12. cfer

    No Mind

    Okay. That clears things up immensely. Thank you! Now if I can only quiet my monkey mind.... :bonk:
  13. cfer

    No Mind

    Thanks for the informative post. However, I'm still a little confused. So, in practical terms it means what? That it's a calmed mind? An unthinking mind (not consciously dwelling on anything)? Why, in your opinion, is Zen mediation superior to Taoist meditation?
  14. cfer

    Are certain religions more spiritual or religious than others?

    I would agree with this. The extent to which a person is or is not religious is totally individual. I've known some very spiritual Christians, Native Americans, pagans, etc. AND some very non-spiritual ones as well. It comes down to the individual and their preferences.
  15. cfer

    No Mind

    Is there something like a concept of "no mind" in Buddhism? Is that similar to the idea of monkey mind? What is the concept of no mind? I almost hate to say this, but I got the idea from the movie "The Last Samurai". Yes, I know it's a fictional work, but I also thought the did a pretty...
  16. cfer

    Study

    Thanks for the link! I didn't have much time to look at it, yet, but I'm looking forward to checking it out in more depth this weekend.
  17. cfer

    Study

    I guess I'm just full of questions, but not until I get really indepth and focus on a subject. The problem is, I wonder if I'm confusing the need for a mentor/leader for wanting to be told how to actually live and what to believe. I am very interested in Taoism, but no one around where I...
  18. cfer

    Study

    How can one study? I try reading, but I feel like I get more and more confused and have even less understanding after all the different readings. I'm used to a Chrisitan upbringing. They have ministers, pastors, reverends, etc. all over the place, so the teaching/mentoring is always readily...
  19. cfer

    What do Masons do?

    Thanks for the reminder. It's been a while since I've attended lodge that I'd almost forgotten that. :)
  20. cfer

    Fastest growing religion?

    I understand that in terms of cruelty to animals, but does that go for killing an animal on purpose for food as well?
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