Do people

[Spirit of Light]

Do spiritual/religious people investigate them selves or the religious teaching deep enought? Or could it be that many (not all) just follows the mainstream views and belief within their choses faith?

What if faith believers picked apart every aspect of their faith, and looked at every P.O.V they could find?

Would it be more easy to face the critiques then?

Any thought?

 

[Rival]

Mine is hardly mainstream, even in the Pagan world I have certainly given religion a lot of thought

 

[ChristineM]

I'm not in the least spiritual but know (and know of) an awful lot of spiritual/religious people. Most of whom simply accept what they have been told to accept of their religion and take it on faith.

If those i know personally only one tests her faith all the time which she maintains only makes her faith stronger. And yes, we have had some ding dong "discussions" about it

Another who was not religious but spiritual in his belief in ghosts had that faith shattered by the reality of a situation he found himself in.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Mine is hardly mainstream, even in the Pagan world I have certainly given religion a lot of thought

That might be the reason you are seldom put in place or corrected when you speak, you know and understand your own inner path to you faith.

 

[Spirit of Light]

I'm not in the least spiritual but know (and know of) an awful lot of spiritual/religious people. Most of whom simply accept what they have been told to accept of their religion and take it on faith.

If those i know personally only one tests her faith all the time which she maintains only makes her faith stronger. And yes, we have had some ding dong "discussions" about it

Another who was not religious but spiritual in his belief in ghosts had that faith shattered by the reality of a situation he found himself in.

I have met some people like that my self too.
And i may have been blinded my self too to the "follow what others tell me must be the truth"

 

[Rival]

That might be the reason you are seldom put in place or corrected when you speak, you know and understand your own inner path to you faith.

I have been put in my place several times Accepting one's wrongness is a good path to truth. I buy lots of books though and try being on top of stuff

 

[Spirit of Light]

I have been put in my place several times Accepting one's wrongness is a good path to truth. I buy lots of books though and try being on top of stuff

In my talk with my psycologist, i had the moment of "Ohhh crap" when i looked at my inner being, looked at how i used to be and saw that my "spiritual wisdom" was never a wisdom in the first place.

So yes, being well read is truly important, and being able to look at an issue from different P.O.V

 

[Rival]

In my talk with my psycologist, i had the moment of "Ohhh crap" when i looked at my inner being, looked at how i used to be and saw that my "spiritual wisdom" was never a wisdom in the first place.

So yes, being well read is truly important, and being able to look at an issue from different P.O.V

Some Ancient Egyptian wisdom

Man does not have the sole answer;
The Lord of Life confounds him.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Some Ancient Egyptian wisdom

Man does not have the sole answer;
The Lord of Life confounds him.

Its wisdom within those words for sure

 

[osgart]

If everyone picked apart their faith more closely I bet they would find more human aspects then divine ones. I think everything is subject to interpretation. It's probably very difficult to get correct interpretations in the context that is meant without understanding the background of the author's times and living.

I think many people tend to interpret things the way they are told, or only in terms of what it may mean to them personally, or just how it strikes them in general.

Some people romanticize better meanings then what may be intended. Thus all the inspirational art that comes out of their faith.

 

[Viker]

My continuing questioning and testing placed me on this path, it helps me to stay here as long as I wish. I left the mainstream behind long ago. That's often what I mean by the Left Hand Path....a path not so beaten, rarely taken and intriguing. A path that can be cut by one's own hand (with a little advice by others like minded). That takes examination of where I am or going and careful thinking along the way.


Introspection combined with a little objectivity is healthy for one's self, regardless of the religion or spirituality.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Do spiritual/religious people investigate them selves or the religious teaching deep enought? Or could it be that many (not all) just follows the mainstream views and belief within their choses faith?

What if faith believers picked apart every aspect of their faith, and looked at every P.O.V they could find?

Would it be more easy to face the critiques then?

Any thought?

I just live it rather than think it.

There's something about thought vs action where the former creates its own set of issues like creating unrealistic scenarios, and the latter involves the issues forthright and presents a clear picture to work on.

 

[Secret Chief]

Do spiritual/religious people investigate them selves or the religious teaching deep enought? Or could it be that many (not all) just follows the mainstream views and belief within their choses faith?

What if faith believers picked apart every aspect of their faith, and looked at every P.O.V they could find?

Would it be more easy to face the critiques then?

Any thought?

I don't know as I've "picked apart" but I've certainly had personal cause to migrate over time from atheism to Mahayana to Soto to secular zen. In the end, it's about the living, not the book learnin.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Do spiritual/religious people investigate them selves or the religious teaching deep enought? Or could it be that many (not all) just follows the mainstream views and belief within their choses faith?

What if faith believers picked apart every aspect of their faith, and looked at every P.O.V they could find?

Would it be more easy to face the critiques then?

Any thought?

I picked my lifelong beliefs as a Christian apart after I decided to renounce my faith. But before that, I believed in God and believed the Bible was infallible and inerrant because that's what I had been indoctrinated to believe. I was taught when I was a child to never question God or question the authority of the Bible, and it was a sin to doubt God. So, I learned to keep my questions about God and the Bible to myself after I was criticized by other Christians for expressing my doubts, and this mentality stayed with me during the thirty years I was a Christian. About a year and a half ago, I decided that I could no longer ignore the nagging feelings I had about my belief in God and how it was incompatible with the reality of my miserable life. Long story short, it was very difficult for me to walk away from the Christian beliefs that I had held onto since I was a child, but I felt I had to if I ever wanted to fully heal and recover from the trauma I endured from my childhood. Honestly, letting go of my faith was literally a life-changing experience, and I don't regret it.

 

[Spirit of Light]

I picked my lifelong beliefs as a Christian apart after I decided to renounce my faith. But before that, I believed in God and believed the Bible was infallible and inerrant because that's what I had been indoctrinated to believe. I was taught when I was a child to never question God or question the authority of the Bible, and it was a sin to doubt God. So, I learned to keep my questions about God and the Bible to myself after I was criticized whenever I expressed my doubts to other Christians, and this mentality stayed with me during the thirty years I was a Christian. About a year and a half ago, I decided that I could no longer ignore the nagging feelings I had about my belief in God and how it was incompatible with the reality of my miserable life. Long story short, it was very difficult for me to walk away from the Christian beliefs that I had held onto since I was a child, but I felt I had to if I ever wanted to fully heal and recover from the trauma I endured from my childhood. Honestly, letting go of my faith was literally a life-changing experience, and I don't regret it.

Walking away from the safety of what we "know to be true" is truly difficult, and many will never question autority..