26 Jul 07
All this shouting pro and con towards Christianity is making me think is there anything new out there that might actually make sense ? Forget Christianity for a moment and look around
the world you live and see if anything new has arrived. I look all the time, and only find one scam after the other, but I don't give up hope. Christianity has repelled me with it's savage views on the nature of God. The Hindhus let me down in that I can find even one Enlightened man. You would think somebody could make it. I like the Buddhest but even they seem to be off base in some areas. Who Knows ?
26 Jul 07
Originally posted by buckkyThe New Testament.
All this shouting pro and con towards Christianity is making me think is there anything new out there that might actually make sense ? Forget Christianity for a moment and look around
the world you live and see if anything new has arrived. I look all the time, and only find one scam after the other, but I don't give up hope. Christianity has repelled me w ...[text shortened]... ould make it. I like the Buddhest but even they seem to be off base in some areas. Who Knows ?
The New Covenant.
The New Jerusalem.
The new and living way.
God is always fresh and new. He never has grown old. He is like the evergreen tree.
Without Him all is worn. Resurrection life in Jesus is new.
God's mercies are new and fresh every morning.
He is ancient but He is not old.
I tell you the Triune God is ever fresh and new.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are always new.
There is nothing old about Him.
www.godseconomy.org
- Joined
- 08 Dec 04
- Moves
- 100919
26 Jul 07
Originally posted by buckkyAnd it is only going to get worse as we approach the end....
All this shouting pro and con towards Christianity is making me think is there anything new out there that might actually make sense ? Forget Christianity for a moment and look around
the world you live and see if anything new has arrived. I look all the time, and only find one scam after the other, but I don't give up hope. Christianity has repelled me w ...[text shortened]... ould make it. I like the Buddhest but even they seem to be off base in some areas. Who Knows ?
2 Tim 3:13
13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
(NKJ)
But the Son of God is the way the truth and life.
27 Jul 07
Originally posted by buckkyIf you are serious about looking for a new thing, check out the Baha'i Faith.
All this shouting pro and con towards Christianity is making me think is there anything new out there that might actually make sense ? Forget Christianity for a moment and look around
the world you live and see if anything new has arrived. I look all the time, and only find one scam after the other, but I don't give up hope. Christianity has repelled me w ...[text shortened]... ould make it. I like the Buddhest but even they seem to be off base in some areas. Who Knows ?
http://www.bahai.org/
But give it a chance. Read with an open mind, please. Remember:
...man can never hope to attain unto the knowledge of the All-Glorious, can never quaff from the stream of divine knowledge and wisdom, can never enter the abode of immortality, nor partake of the cup of divine nearness and favour, unless and until he ceases to regard the words and deeds of mortal men as a standard for the true understanding and recognition of God and His Prophets.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. i)
27 Jul 07
Originally posted by NemesioFounded a century and a half ago, the Bahá’í Faith is today among the fastest-growing of the world’s religions. With more than five million followers, who reside in virtually every nation on earth, it is the second-most widespread faith, surpassing every religion but Christianity in its geographic reach. Bahá’ís reside in more than 100,000 localities around the world, an expansion that reflects their dedication to the ideal of world citizenship.
If you are a practicer of Baha'i, why don't you give us a brief overview of what such a belief entails?
I think that would be a most welcome addition to this forum.
Nemesio
THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH’S global scope is mirrored in the composition of its membership. Representing a cross section of humanity, Bahá’ís come from virtually every nation, ethnic group, culture, profession, and social or economic class. More than 2,100 different ethnic and tribal groups are represented.
Since it also forms a single community, free of schism or factions, the Bahá’í Faith comprises what is very likely the most diverse and widespread organized body of people on earth.
People of virtually every background, in every nation, have become Bahá’ís. Shown here is a gathering of Bahá’ís from the Cochabamba region in Bolivia. Many are members of the Aymara and Quechua indigenous groups.
The Faith’s Founder was Bahá’u’lláh, a Persian nobleman from Tehran who, in the mid-nineteenth century, left a life of princely comfort and security and, in the face of intense persecution and deprivation, brought to humanity a stirring new message of peace and unity.
Bahá’u’lláh claimed to be nothing less than a new and independent Messenger from God. His life, work, and influence parallel that of Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Christ, and Muhammad. Bahá’ís view Bahá’u’lláh as the most recent in this succession of divine Messengers.
The essential message of Bahá’u’lláh is that of unity. He taught that there is only one God, that there is only one human race, and that all the world’s religions represent stages in the revelation of God’s will and purpose for humanity. In this day, Bahá’u’lláh said, humanity has collectively come of age. As foretold in all of the world’s scriptures, the time has arrived for the uniting of all peoples into a peaceful and integrated global society. “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens,” He wrote.
The youngest of the world’s independent religions, the Faith founded by Bahá’u’lláh stands out from other religions in a number of ways. It has a unique system of global administration, with freely elected governing councils in nearly 10,000 localities.
It takes a distinctive approach to contemporary social problems. The Faith’s scriptures and the multifarious activities of its membership address virtually every important trend in the world today, from new thinking about cultural diversity and environmental conservation to the decentralization of decision making; from a renewed commitment to family life and moral values to the call for social and economic justice in a world that is rapidly becoming a global neighborhood.
The Faith’s most distinctive accomplishment by far, however, is its unity. Unlike every other religion — not to mention most social and political movements — the Bahá’í community has successfully resisted the perennial impulse to divide into sects and subgroups. It has maintained its unity despite a history as turbulent as that of any religion of antiquity.
In the years since Bahá’u’lláh lived, the process of global unification for which He called has become well-advanced. Through historical processes, the traditional barriers of race, class, creed, and nation have steadily broken down. The forces at work, Bahá’u’lláh predicted, will eventually give birth to a universal civilization. The principal challenge facing the peoples of the earth is to accept the fact of their oneness and assist in the creation of this new world.
For a global society to flourish, Bahá’u’lláh said, it must be based on certain fundamental principles. They include the elimination of all forms of prejudice; full equality between the sexes; recognition of the essential oneness of the world’s great religions; the elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth; universal education; the harmony of science and religion; a sustainable balance between nature and technology; and the establishment of a world federal system, based on collective security and the oneness of humanity.
Bahá’ís around the world express their commitment to these principles chiefly through individual and community transformation, including the large number of small-scale, grassroots-based social and economic development projects that Bahá’í communities have launched in recent years.
In building a unified network of local, national, and international governing councils, Bahá’u’lláh’s followers have created a far-flung and diverse worldwide community — marked by a distinctive pattern of life and activity — which offers an encouraging model of cooperation, harmony, and social action. In a world so divided in its loyalties, this is in itself a singular achievement.
27 Jul 07
Originally posted by VarqaIt sounds very interesting and everything, but there are some questions about its commitment to equality - as witnessed by the inability of women to serve at the highest ranks.
Founded a century and a half ago, the Bahá’í Faith is today among the fastest-growing of the world’s religions. With more than five million followers, who reside in virtually every nation on earth, it is the second-most widespread faith, surpassing every religion but Christianity in its geographic reach. Bahá’ís reside in more than 100,000 localities around th ...[text shortened]... social action. In a world so divided in its loyalties, this is in itself a singular achievement.
27 Jul 07
Originally posted by amannionName the twelve principles of the Baha'i Faith and I will respond to your question.
It sounds very interesting and everything, but there are some questions about its commitment to equality - as witnessed by the inability of women to serve at the highest ranks.
If you want to discuss the Baha'i Faith, let's look at it as a whole. On the other hand, if you want to look for an excuse to reject it, it sounds like you have already found it.
27 Jul 07
3 edits
Originally posted by buckkyWhy not make one up? Lets see, what kind of god would be the most palatable for you? Perhaps one that is not all powerfull or all knowing or even sinless but just hangs around from time to time. That way how can you ever blame him for anything? He hates suffering but hey, what can he do about it?. He will let you do what you want when you want and has no qualms with it. Then when you die we all will wind up in paradise no matter the roads you have taken in life. He does not want your praise or your money or even the time of day. Also, he is a god in which you can understand everything about. There are, in fact, no mysteries about him. What you see is what you get. In fact, he is somewhat of a simpleton. Come to think of it, why not just make yourself this god?
All this shouting pro and con towards Christianity is making me think is there anything new out there that might actually make sense ? Forget Christianity for a moment and look around
the world you live and see if anything new has arrived. I look all the time, and only find one scam after the other, but I don't give up hope. Christianity has repelled me w ould make it. I like the Buddhest but even they seem to be off base in some areas. Who Knows ?
27 Jul 07
Originally posted by whodeySounds like a good idea. I'll will start my own Religion and I will be God. Actually it sounds like a bad idea. I need direction. Not my own reflection.
Why not make one up? Lets see, what kind of god would be the most palatable for you? Perhaps one that is not all powerfull or all knowing or even sinless but just hangs around from time to time. That way how can you ever blame him for anything? He hates suffering but hey, what can he do about it?. He will let you do what you want when you want and has no ...[text shortened]... fact, he is somewhat of a simpleton. Come to think of it, why not just make yourself this god?
27 Jul 07
1 edit
Originally posted by VarqaThe same essential claim and teaching was also espoused by a man called, Meher Baba, in India. Have you ever heard of him?
Founded a century and a half ago, the Bahá’í Faith is today among the fastest-growing of the world’s religions. With more than five million followers, who reside in virtually every nation on earth, it is the second-most widespread faith, surpassing every religion but Christianity in its geographic reach. Bahá’ís reside in more than 100,000 localities around th ...[text shortened]... social action. In a world so divided in its loyalties, this is in itself a singular achievement.
27 Jul 07
Originally posted by VarqaWhat question?
Name the twelve principles of the Baha'i Faith and I will respond to your question.
If you want to discuss the Baha'i Faith, let's look at it as a whole. On the other hand, if you want to look for an excuse to reject it, it sounds like you have already found it.
I didn't ask one, but simply pointed out that it wasn't all love and beauty and wonder and all that.
I don't know that much about Baha'i, but I do know that like much religion - in fact, like much of what humans do - it has flaws. Nothing wrong with that, but it's worth pointing these things out to people who don't know.
28 Jul 07
1 edit
Originally posted by buckkyThis is a very astute observation my friend. Therefore, don't get suckered into these beliefs in which they teach you that the answers are found within. We both know that is a lie.
Sounds like a good idea. I'll will start my own Religion and I will be God. Actually it sounds like a bad idea. I need direction. Not my own reflection.
Just out of curiosity, what is your beef with Christianity? When I ask this I am asking specifically what is your beef with the teachings of Christ? I mean, I know of no one who can find a bad word to say about him. Even the Muslims seem to like the guy. LOL.
28 Jul 07
2 edits
Originally posted by whodeySitting in the library all day
This is a very astute observation my friend. Therefore, don't get suckered into these beliefs in which they teach you that the answers are found within. We both know that is a lie.
Just out of curiosity, what is your beef with Christianity? When I ask this I am asking specifically what is your beef with the teachings of Christ? I mean, I know of no one who can find a bad word to say about him. Even the Muslims seem to like the guy. LOL.
read books and books about books,
or in the cloistered study hall
talk about talking talk, all talk—
one would think the world is made of words!
Or thinking thought after thought
about other thoughts, and thoughts thought by others—
You call that seeking the ultimate truth?
What you’re looking for looks both ways
through the needle’s eye of your own mind—
How then will you “find” it anywhere...?
______________________________________
There is only one reality, and you are not separate from it. There is one whole, of which you are. Look only inside yourself, and you miss the rest; look only outside yourself, and you miss—you.
Thinking about it is just that: thinking about. And reading about it, and talking about it. When you read, you are reading someone else’s thoughts. When you listen, you are hearing someone else’s thoughts; and when you talk, you are giving them your thoughts. All thoughts. About and about. Thinking, reading, talking—all you will find are thoughts. But the thoughts are not the thing.
Reality is prior to thinking about it. It is prior to concepts, beliefs, ideas. These are all things that we make up about reality, about our perceptions of it. And we can become lost in the Land of About, a land of images and thoughts in our head. Projecting these “abouts” on reality, we see—at best—an appearance that is distorted by our projections; at worst—nothing but the projections themselves. We can always find folks who share our projections.
And then we quarrel with one another about which projections are “the truth.”
Thinking about reality is not really seeking it at all. That is a delusion, though it may be a comforting one, one that allows us to feel safe in our own made-up Land of About—or one that we have acquired from someone else: culture, religion, gurus or books.
So how is one to go about finding the ultimate truth—about oneself and the world. How is one to search? Where should one look?
Stop looking. Give up the search. Don’t look inside, don’t look outside. Just—stop.
Trying to look for the ultimate reality is like trying to shine the beam from a flashlight on itself. Point it this way and that, it cannot be done.
Take a break from all the thinking, seeking, making. Sit quietly. Allow your mind to become quiet, a quiet emptiness, empty of all the busy-ness “about.” Be only aware. Do not try to shut out sensations—sights, sounds, smells, the feel of your own body, your own breathing. Let them touch you, let them go. Allow your focus to be open. If thoughts arise, let them touch you, let them go. Allow your focus to become open again. Don’t try to empty your mind. Relax. Let go. Be only—aware.
Do not try to find anything. Allow realization to find you. You will know it when it does. It will not have any words (or visions, or the like). It will simply be—only aware. And you will be included.
_______________________________________
There is no need to believe what I say. I am offering a testable proposition. Take it on, or not. Afterwards, you can embrace whatever particular religious expression that you wish (or not), whatever seems best.