Religion is the poison of Spirituality

[oildrops]

Take the witches apple and go your own way?

[thelerner]

I think religion is a hard thing to avoid. Some hard core atheists seem pretty close to fundamentalists to me. And if you really succeed in spirituality, connect to something and want to share it with someone else, then whoops, you're on a path to a new religion. I get the feeling more then one major faith was started accidentally.

 

The bad things about religion can just as easily be laid at the feet of nationalism. Religion has no monopoly on closed minded bigotry. I don't know if religious people are necessarily any better or moral then non believers, but they should be.

Edited November 29, 2012 by thelerner

[Aaron]

I think religion is a hard thing to avoid. Some hard core atheists seem pretty close to fundamentalists to me. And if you really succeed in spirituality, connect to something and want to share it with someone else, then whoops, you're on a path to a new religion. I get the feeling more then one major faith was started accidentally.

 

The bad things about religion can just as easily be laid at the feet of nationalism. Religion has no monopoly on closed minded bigotry. I don't know if religious people are necessarily any better or moral then non believers, but they should be.

 

why do you call atheists non believers? They believe, just not what other people do. in reality, morality is part of the problem. men should do what's right not because its moral, but because it is within the heart to do that. This is one of the reasons why religion is the poison of spirituality.

Edited November 29, 2012 by Aaron

[Aaron]

Take the witches apple and go your own way?

 

Or rather than have someone else feed you, you could look for an apple for yourself? Again, don't take the easy way out, the benefit of achieving spiritual awareness comes from the work you put into it. You never know what's in the apple someone else gives you, nor the apple you find in the tree, there may be a worm or two, the difference is that you've searched for it and know where it came from. The apple you've plucked for yourself tastes much better, because you were the one who climbed the tree to pick it.

 

Aaron

[Aaron]

Dude, get over yourself.

 

Peace in the heart and mind will show themselves in the way you treat others. If someone upsets you to the point you can't be civil, then oftentimes it's best to just say nothing.

 

Aaron

[Aetherous]

I see no difference between religion and spirituality. People suck at both. hahaha

[et-thoughts]

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Edited December 11, 2012 by et-thoughts

[et-thoughts]

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Edited December 11, 2012 by et-thoughts

[et-thoughts]

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Edited December 11, 2012 by et-thoughts

[oildrops]

Or rather than have someone else feed you, you could look for an apple for yourself? Again, don't take the easy way out, the benefit of achieving spiritual awareness comes from the work you put into it. You never know what's in the apple someone else gives you, nor the apple you find in the tree, there may be a worm or two, the difference is that you've searched for it and know where it came from. The apple you've plucked for yourself tastes much better, because you were the one who climbed the tree to pick it.

 

Aaron

 

Eat around the worms.

Chew well and taste for impurities.

Say thank you if it nourishes you for a few hours of searching for your path.

Take the seeds and plant your own apple tree.

Don't rely on the old woman/witches apples.

Learn something new if she makes you sick.

[gatito]

can't anyone make the leap?

 

i think gatito's rumi post leaped way over it

 

I just redistributed one of zerostao's previous posts from the best thread that I've come acrooss on TTB (to date).

 

http://thetaobums.com/topic/17110-rumi/

 

I'm still reading it and, so far, there's not a single post that I haven't "Liked" (and I'll be very suprised if I find one there).

[zerostao]

I see no difference between religion and spirituality

 

i guess it depends on an individuals own definition on what is religion and what is spirituality.

my view they are entirely 2 different things.

we are all going to have our own very personal views about these and very different definitions.

if someone has frequent and direct experience/contact with spirit world, i dont call that religion.

i call that spiritual.and i look at religion as having alot of dogma. i am sure others have a different definition.

i do agree with aaron, in that it is ideal if everyone can plant their own apple seeds.

[Marblehead]

Until this point in time I have done an excellent job at keeping out of this thread mainly because, even though I am an Atheist, I really don't like to bash religions, in general. However, I think I will go to the opening post and read all the responses to see if I need say anything. The main reason for this is the fact that I believe that spirituality and religion are two concepts that stand on their own even though they do at time overlap.

 

I'll be back. (Maybe.)

[gatito]

Careful

[Marblehead]

Careful

Indeed. It is difficult sometimes to be totally honest with our understandings without sounding like some kind of wierdo.

[Marblehead]

Okay. Except for this: Religion is the poison of spirituality.

 

I agree with the opening post. I say this because I differentiate between "religion" and the "institutions" that grow out of organizing a religion.

 

Religion is nothing more than a guide for one by which to live their life. Generally there is a "higher essence" (being) within the belief system but I see no problem with this at the surface.

 

As stated, I believe that 'religion' and 'spirituality' are two separate concepts, sometime over-lapping and sometimes not. I have known religious people who had no inner spirituality and I have known spiritual people who held to no religion.

 

But I absolutely agree that we should be skeptics. We should ask questions. And when we get answers we should test the answers for truth. We should even try to find our own answers by living the answers we have discovered on our own. If our answers prove to be false we should discard them, not try to falsly justify them.

[Marblehead]

The funny thing is all religion comes from Spirituality/Mysticism........Jesus, Muhammad, The Buddha, Lao Tzu....etc

 

-My 2 cents, Peace

Yes. And we can even create our own religion if we choose to do so. We don't have to "follow" anyone.

[Marblehead]

I think John Chang puts it best when he said that "religion is like a walking stick. When you are young, you need

help from your parents to walk. When you are old, you need a cane. When you are a healthy adult, you have no need for a cane; if you try to run, it will only hinder you."

And, when we get old many of us need that walking stick again.

[Marblehead]

otherwise i might be inclined to delude myself into thinking i was a great sage and could figure out the truth all on my own

Hehehe. Go ahead. Give it a try. You might be pleased with the thoughts you have all on your own!

[Marblehead]

I see no difference between religion and spirituality. People suck at both. hahaha

This was funny but it's not true, you know.

[et-thoughts]

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Edited December 11, 2012 by et-thoughts

[Marblehead]

Hehehe. I saw where you replaced my word "our" with the word "the". I would not have expected anything less. But then, I have rarely claimed to know "the" truth but rather to know "my" truth. My truth and soneone else's truth may differ.

[zerostao]

some folks see the world in a grain of sand , some folks say damn sand gets into everything

some folks see heaven in a single wild flower, some folks see useless weeds

[三江源]

According to spirituality, there is no such thing as poison: such a thing, ultimately, could only appear that way to the as yet ignorant.

 

Later on, what was "poison" would be recognised as a helper along the way out of ignorance.

[skydog]

Sometimes I agree with the initial post, sometimes I think fair play religion has its use, sometimes I think religion is ok but they need more awareness, less dogma, more unity, sometimes I think all of these are true, sometimes I think I should watch all these thoughts like clouds, sometimes I dont, sometimes I think feel good then think something good, if you feel the energy of appreciation likely these thoughts would not appear to you, sometimes I think the negative moods also help growth, sometimes Sometimes I blaspheme the blasphemer out of blaspheming ahhhhh peace