Pleasing religious and mythic concepts

[Galateasdream]

There's many religious concepts and mythologies that I find emotionally, morally or aesthetically satisfying.

One is the idea of the suffering divine.

I find the idea of the kenotic self-abasement of an Omni-max deity into a rather grim human frame and experience very beautiful and morally uplifting, because I cannot see how virtues such as love, sacrifice, humility, fortitude, courage etc can exist without genuine suffering. The story of the crucified God therefore makes artistic and ethical sense to me, which is one of the reasons I am a Christian rather than a bare or general theist.

Which stories and concepts speak to your heart?

 

[Native]

There's many religious concepts and mythologies that I find emotionally, morally or aesthetically satisfying.

Sure enough

I find the idea of the kenotic self-abasement of an Omni-max deity into a rather grim human frame and experience very beautiful and morally uplifting, because I cannot see how virtues such as love, sacrifice, humility, fortitude, courage etc can exist without genuine suffering.

I wouldn´t say "genuine suffering" but rather a "genuine offering" i.e. not thinking of one self before others.

Which stories and concepts speak to your heart?

As an add to your initial sentence: I even find the cultural religious concept of creation as a real cosmological and satisfying explanation.

If interpreting the multiple cultural Stories of Creation into the Milky Way concept, these stories contains much more logics than most of the modern cosmology.

 

[Ayjaydee]

There's many religious concepts and mythologies that I find emotionally, morally or aesthetically satisfying.

One is the idea of the suffering divine.

I find the idea of the kenotic self-abasement of an Omni-max deity into a rather grim human frame and experience very beautiful and morally uplifting, because I cannot see how virtues such as love, sacrifice, humility, fortitude, courage etc can exist without genuine suffering. The story of the crucified God therefore makes artistic and ethical sense to me, which is one of the reasons I am a Christian rather than a bare or general theist.

Which stories and concepts speak to your heart?

Nibbana

 

[Aupmanyav]

There's many religious concepts and mythologies that I find emotionally, morally or aesthetically satisfying.

And for these stories would you embrace falsehood?

 

[Galateasdream]

And for these stories would you embrace falsehood?

You mean would I be willing to believe something as factual that isn't? No.

 

[syo]

Which stories and concepts speak to your heart?

The story of the bleeding woman and Jesus. Her faith was so strong, that she simply touched the clothe of Jesus. And Jesus was caring at her. If humanity had the love of Jesus and the faith of the woman, the world would be paradise.

 

[sun rise]

Which stories and concepts speak to your heart?

Nisargadatta Maharaj — 'Wisdom is knowing I am nothing. Love is knowing I am everything,and between the two my life moves.'

 

[Jainarayan]

Which stories and concepts speak to your heart?

• Take 2 steps towards God, he'll take 10 steps towards you.
• Forget the rituals, the religions, the seeking, and "just dump it on Me; I gotcher six". Bhagavad Gita 18.66 (well, he could have phrased it that way ).

From the Mahābhārata (Story: Krishna Only Accepts Love And Affection – Krishna’s visit to palace of Duryodana and house of Vidura | Bhagavatam-katha with some liberties in retelling ):

Duryodhana was very wealthy, so he served preparations of delicious foodstuffs in golden dishes, and water in golden cups. Then he requested Krishna, “Please come and take Your meal with Me.” Krishna objected, “I can’t eat anything, because I have no appetite. I only eat anything where there is love and affection, I can never eat with you, because you have no love and affection for Me! I came to Hastinapura to ask you to make peace with Arjuna and his brothers [to try to avert the Kurukshetra war], but you have not complied [no surprise... Duryodhana was an arrogant putz]. How can I take My meal with you? I’m not a beggar, and I’m not hungry.”

Shortly after rejecting Duryodhana’s opulent feast, Krishna went to Vidura’s house. Vidura was Krishna’s devotee, and was also very affectionate to Arjuna and his four brothers. In fact, on several occasions he had saved them from great danger. Because of this, Krishna was very fond of Vidura. When Krishna got to Vidura’s house, Vidura was not there, so Krishna pleaded with his wife Vidurani, “Oh, Vidurani Maiya, I am so hungry! Please give Me something to eat.” Vidurani was very affectionate to Krishna, and she was anxious to serve Him.

She began to offer Him bananas, but in her confusion, she threw away the fruit and gave Him the peels. Krishna affectionately accepted the peels, and relished them joyfully. They tasted sweeter to Him than all the preparations and offerings made in Dvaraka by his chief queens Rukmini and Satyabhama. While Krishna was completely absorbed in accepting Vidurani’s offering of banana peels, Vidura came in. He was astonished at what he saw, and exclaimed, “Oh, Vidurani! What are you doing?” Krishna tried to caution him, “Don’t speak to her. She is not in her external senses. She is fully absorbed in transcendental love and affection.”

Vidurani, however, came back to external consciousness when she heard her husband speak, and soon realized what was happening.
She then gave Krishna the fruit of the bananas and threw away the peels. Krishna was a little disappointed. “Oh! This fruit is not as tasty
as the peels were.”

Spiritual lesson:
From this pastime, we can see that Krishna never becomes hungry. He doesn’t want to taste banana, or sweets, or milk or anything.
He just wants to take the essence of all the fruits. What is that essence? It is simply love and affection, the mood of bhakti [loving devotion] in the offering. Krishna will never accept anything from someone who has no deep love and affection for Him.

In Bhagavad Gita Krishna says:
patram pushpam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahritam
asnami prayatatmanah

"If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it." 9.26