I would rather be dead.

[TransmutingSoul]

At the office you work at, over some time, two different colleagues buy fancy new cars. One guy comes in and announces it, offering rides to everyone, telling all about it. He's proud of it. He gets annoying.

The other guy, well it takes a couple of weeks (or not at all) for someone to notice, "I see you got a new car."

Some people are the first guy. Others are the second guy.

Great, thanks for the thoughts and we can use that thought to think in other ways, as to what is faith?

Your given analogy is that Faith is a possession, to be proud of and shown off.

I do not see it in the way you offered, as I see it is not in any way about being proud of a worldly possession and wanting to show it off. Faith can never have that foundation, as Faith is a gift, it is not a possession. I see it more like a free will obligation one has accepted with relish.

As with all analogies, they are limited, but along the line you have used, I see it more like this;

Thus it may be the boss brought a new bus knowing in a lot of different ways, that all employees had a hard time getting home and asked 2 of the employees who would volunteer to drive people home in their own time. One accepts the offer as they wish to help all and one does not as it did not pay.

Thus the volunteer can and only offers the ride and does so free of obligation. The boss has set rules given to the volunteer, only ever offer, never compel anybody to take the ride.

What may be annoying, is that all know that the offer will always be there, even if they never want to take the ride and prefer getting home in their own way.

Regards Tony

 

[Trailblazer]

At the office you work at, over some time, two different colleagues buy fancy new cars. One guy comes in and announces it, offering rides to everyone, telling all about it. He's proud of it. He gets annoying.

The other guy, well it takes a couple of weeks (or not at all) for someone to notice, "I see you got a new car."

Some people are the first guy. Others are the second guy.

I am the second guy, because I rarely ever talk to anyone at work.

The first guy is also the loud and boisterous guy who is always talking to everyone. That guy always comes by my workstation and he would like to talk to me so I try to look really busy and luckily I am always very busy.

 

[YoursTrue]

What I would like to discuss here is the sharing of your Faith.

How would you feel if you could not talk about your Faith?

How do you feel when you can not have in depth discussions about your Faith?

My answer to those 2 questions is the OP, it is also the same answer if an attempt was made to force one to change their Faith.

I know many here are passionate about faith, but hold back on deep discussion. I find that as soul destroying.

....Regards Tony

As far as deep discussion, there are some things that are not only deep, but hard to understand. And sometimes even the greatest of researchers and faithful men may differ in their viewpoint. I generally don't like to go into deep waters far away from shore, although I can swim. So I tend to try to keep things simple, and down to the point I understand. I do, however, like to share (talk about) my faith.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

As far as deep discussion, there are some things that are not only deep, but hard to understand. And sometimes even the greatest of researchers and faithful men may differ in their viewpoint. I generally don't like to go into deep waters far away from shore, although I can swim. So I tend to try to keep things simple, and down to the point I understand. I do, however, like to share (talk about) my faith.

There was a time not long ago that I stayed away from deep water with Faith, I myself saw it as pure fantasies.

More recently my journey has found that this world is really the illusion, a matrix to gain spiritual sight and limbs. Thus that opens a door to concepts and scientific discoveries we are yet to even begin to consider and shows us that we still know very little and what we know is still within a very narrow frame of reference.

Regards Tony

 

[YoursTrue]

There was a time not long ago that I stayed away from deep water with Faith, I myself saw it as pure fantasies.

More recently my journey has found that this world is really the illusion, a matrix to gain spiritual sight and limbs. Thus that opens a door to concepts and scientific discoveries we are yet to even begin to consider and shows us that we still know very little and what we know is still within a very narrow frame of reference.

Regards Tony

I have faith in that which I have come to understand and accept, namely, the Son of God and his power and teachings. If I examine something with a microscope and see what I could not see without a microscope, i have belief (faith) in what I saw. I did not see Jesus perform miracles, I only read about them. But I have faith that the accounts are true.

 

[Jim]

What I would like to discuss here is the sharing of your Faith.

How would you feel if you could not talk about your Faith?

How do you feel when you can not have in depth discussions about your Faith?

My answer to those 2 questions is the OP, it is also the same answer if an attempt was made to force one to change their Faith.

I know many here are passionate about faith, but hold back on deep discussion. I find that as soul destroying.

Personally I would long for death if I could not have conversations about Faith and I actually feel dead if I can not. One saving grace is one can live Faith, which in silence feeds the soul.

Who else would like to talk about Faith, without the threat of proselytizing?

Here we can discuss, if you wish, the deeper aspects of faith.

All one has to do is say, This is the way I see that aspect of Faith and it is supported by (insert quote)

Regards Tony

How many people to discuss your faith with, would be enough for you?

 

[Jim]

Who else would like to talk about Faith

My faith is in learning to love, trust and follow Bahá’u’lláh. I think that’s the best thing that can happen to anyone, and part of what the world and all its people need most of all, for all good purposes.

Another part of what I think the world needs, most urgently, to help alleviate the unprecedented massive worldwide death and destruction looming ahead of us, is for people to stop thinking of people’s religions as a way of knowing what they believe, and stop thinking of people’s beliefs as a way of knowing something about their personality and character.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

How many people to discuss your faith with, would be enough for you?

Jim, who am I to out a limit on it, or to even have one to speak to? But I would say the more the merrier, that way differing opinions may open other doors of understanding. I know they have in the past.

To be fair, I do already have my wonderful wife and a good friend via the phone that share thoughts daily, so maybe I am being greedy.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

My faith is in learning to love, trust and follow Bahá’u’lláh. I think that’s the best thing that can happen to anyone, and part of what the world and all its people need most of all, for all good purposes.

Another part of what I think the world needs, most urgently, to help alleviate the unprecedented massive worldwide death and destruction looming ahead of us, is for people to stop thinking of people’s religions as a way of knowing what they believe, and stop thinking of people’s beliefs as a way of knowing something about their personality and character.

There is a lot of deep discussion in all those thoughts

I see a great barrrier to our unity is our limited ability to communicate effectively with each other.

Regards Tony

 

[Jim]

Jim, who am I to out a limit on it, or to even have one to speak to? But I would say the more the merrier, that way differing opinions may open other doors of understanding. I know they have in the past.

To be fair, I do already have my wonderful wife and a good friend via the phone that share thoughts daily, so maybe I am being greedy.

Regards Tony

I meant, how many people in these forums would you need to be able to talk to about your beliefs, to not want to die? Would one be enough, or would you need more than that, to not want to die? Also, what would you need to be able to tell them?

 

[TransmutingSoul]

I meant, how many people in these forums would you need to be able to talk to about your beliefs, to not want to die? Would one be enough, or would you need more than that, to not want to die? Also, what would you need to be able to tell them?

Much the same answer as supplied above Jim.

I can not prompt what others may choose to see is worthy religious dialogue.

Life can be the dead buring the dead.

Regards Tony

 

[Nakosis]

Depends on the nature of the faith.

Ok, possibly. Most religions have a set of rules which require the believer to adhere to. Some form of the golden rule or similar.

 

[Quintessence]

I don't describe my religion as a "faith" because it is not faith-based, but there's an interesting thing that happens with this question when it is asked of someone like me. My religion is indistinguishable from who I am and my way of life. This would require my death. It certainly isn't that I would rather be dead.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

I don't describe my religion as a "faith" because it is not faith-based, but there's an interesting thing that happens with this question when it is asked of someone like me. My religion is indistinguishable from who I am and my way of life. This would require my death. It certainly isn't that I would rather be dead.

Which to me raises a question, that you may if you wish, consider to answer.

If you were 100% sure in your self, that the way of life you have chosen is the only complete answer the world needs to survive and progess, how would you feel if you could not share it?

Regards Tony

 

[YoursTrue]

Ok, possibly. Most religions have a set of rules which require the believer to adhere to. Some form of the golden rule or similar.

The problem I see with that, even if many religions do believe in the golden rule, is how is it applied, why, and how.

 

[Quintessence]

If you were 100% sure in your self, that the way of life you have chosen is the only complete answer the world needs to survive and progess, how would you feel if you could not share it?

I don't think that way, so it's not a question I would ask. I am simply not capable of the extreme hubris required to believe I - or anyone - knows the "only complete answer the world needs to survive and progress." I vehemently reject "One True Wayism" and find its existence extremely troubling, to put it mildly.

 

[Vinayaka]

I don't think that way, so it's not a question I would ask.

I think most people don't think that way. I also most certainly don't.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

I don't think that way, so it's not a question I would ask. I am simply not capable of the extreme hubris required to believe I - or anyone - knows the "only complete answer the world needs to survive and progress." I vehemently reject "One True Wayism" and find its existence extremely troubling, to put it mildly.

Then with your view, how will the future produce the required unity of the human race?

It is more than obvious that disunity does not work.

Regards Tony

 

[YoursTrue]

I don't think that way, so it's not a question I would ask. I am simply not capable of the extreme hubris required to believe I - or anyone - knows the "only complete answer the world needs to survive and progress." I vehemently reject "One True Wayism" and find its existence extremely troubling, to put it mildly.

Either God will solve mankind's problems or He will not. Either He has a way, or He does not.

 

[YoursTrue]

Then with your view, how will the future produce the required unity of the human race?

It is more than obvious that disunity does not work.

Regards Tony

Some people realize that. But again, the question: how will the future produce the required unity of the human race? It only takes a few to tango, i.e., ruin things (per Adam and Eve). So how then will the future produce what the 'required' unity of the human race? Obviously now it's not so united.