Protestantism

» pink101 - An Unspoken Rule

In response to An Unspoken Rule posted by Migisi:
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Yup.
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Do you give any thoughts to that in connection with the warning Jesus gives to those that will not suffer the little children to come unto him--those that force their interpretations on the children?
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I wonder how many people think the main characteristic of the child is that it is so impressionable. So, if we are "like little children" doesn't that mean that we would be impressionable. Should we, then, allow ourselves to be hornschwaggled into some denominational set of standards or another?

-- posted by pink101

» Brother_Jones - Hip Shots

In response to Hip Shots posted by Migisi:

IMO, your spirituality is myopic. There IS a bigger spiritual picture - which even your Jesus offered to you, but you refuse to see it.

Could you elaborate on this? What am I refusing to see that (your) Jesus offered?

i am the Lord's oldtimer.

-- posted by Brother_Jones

» Migisi - An Unspoken Rule

In response to An Unspoken Rule posted by pink101:

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Do you give any thoughts to that in connection with the warning Jesus gives to those that will not suffer the little children to come unto him--those that force their interpretations on the children?
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Actually, I quoted Jesus' warning to a priest a few years back. The priest had refused to give my young nephew the Eucharist because he hadn't taken the 'official church training course' which precedes one's 'First Holy Communion'. The boy DESIRED the Eucharist with all his heart, and he knew more about his faith than most kids did in high school Sunday school (Catholics call it CCD). The priest gave him the Eucharist at the next Mass. I think the verse hit him in the heart.
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So, if we are "like little children" doesn't that mean that we would be impressionable.
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Sure. But what does 'impressionable' mean in a spiritual sense - which is what I think Jesus meant in his prayer of praise.
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Should we, then, allow ourselves to be hornschwaggled into some denominational set of standards or another?
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Nobody I know would intentionally allow themselves to be hornswoggled into believing or doing anything. We just are, in our ignorance. And don't we feel foolish, and angry when we discover we've been duped. Far worse it would be if we knew we were bamboozled into something, but we weren't courageous enough to change what needed changing in our lives.

-- posted by Migisi

» Migisi - Hip Shots

In response to Hip Shots posted by Brother_Jones:

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Could you elaborate on this? What am I refusing to see that (your) Jesus offered?
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Yes, I will, but later. I've got a family thing in a little while. Gotta go make the taco salad. I'll be back.

-- posted by Migisi

» pink101 - An Unspoken Rule

In response to An Unspoken Rule posted by Migisi:

Have you thought about the words of Jesus in this respect?
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He said that unless a person is like a little child they cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
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He said the Kingdom of God was at hand; which connotes within reach.
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He said, suffer the little children to come unto him for of such is the Kingdom of God.
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He also said that if someone were to harm a little one it would have been better for them had they not been born.
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YOU could be like a little child.
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People who mess over you in attempts to force you to accept their interpretations of who and what Jesus was and is could be guilty of harming you.
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Have you ever thought of that when you have come into contact with some zealot who tells you what you must believe in order to be accepted by God?
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-- posted by pink101

» Migisi - An Unspoken Rule

In response to An Unspoken Rule posted by pink101:

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YOU could be like a little child...
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I often am, when I'm playing with my grandkids.
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People who mess over you in attempts to force you to accept their interpretations of who and what Jesus was and is could be guilty of harming you.
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Jesus qualified his warning with 'little ones who believe in me' (Mat 18:6). So, if I didn't believe in Jesus, people could mess with me all day long and get no millstone necklace. And Jesus said they'd have to ~cause~ me to sin... to commit a morally bad act. Good luck with that. (wink)
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Have you ever thought of that when you have come into contact with some zealot who tells you what you must believe in order to be accepted by God?
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Not really. Since I'm already more than acceptable as I am to ONE, why would I need to change to be accepted again?

-- posted by Migisi

» pink101 - The Little Ones

In response to An Unspoken Rule posted by Migisi:
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O.K.
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Here's the scenario with you the way I see it.
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You're saying that you don't "believe in Jesus" whatever that means to you.
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What don't you believe about Jesus? Is it his gospel? Or, is it that he might be the fiction of some control freak(s)? Or is it some other facet that we are shown?
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But, in the final analysis, it really can't be about how you respond to people who would direct your spiritual life for you; because you are a well informed and mature adult. No one fools you too often or for too long. Right?
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The question goes to the little ones, doesn't it? It's what about a person who is as gullible as a child that falls into the clutches of some zealous Evangelical or, maybe, just some nut like some we see on some one of the cable networks.
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History is marked by the works of zealots that have done terrible things in the name of their god, be it Christian, Muslim, or Jewish.
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Should we concern ourselves with the little ones who are led to their spiritual slaughter?
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-- posted by pink101

» Migisi - The Little Ones

In response to The Little Ones posted by pink101:
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Should we concern ourselves with the little ones who are led to their spiritual slaughter?
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What are you suggesting needs to be done? Should children be off limits to all religious influence and instruction? Should we pass laws prohibiting televangelism, preaching on street corners or in parks, passing out literature, talking about God to a minor?

-- posted by Migisi

» pink101 - The Little Ones

In response to The Little Ones posted by Migisi:
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Should children be off limits to all religious influence and instruction? Should we pass laws prohibiting televangelism, preaching on street corners or in parks, passing out literature, talking about God to a minor?
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The system of justice in the United States prohibits us from passing laws that establish any form of worship and or speech except where some immediate or emanating danger may proceed. You know the example about shouting fire in a crowded theater. Certain kinds of speech CAN be legislated against. It's true that where the health and well being of a child is endangered that certain speech and certain actions can be prohibited. We are righteous to be careful about what gets authorized in our schools where we TEACH our youngsters. The idea that Religionists are currently PUSHING HARD to make inroads in our public educational system should be carefully monitored. Very carefully.
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But, the idea of prohibited religious speech and freedom to worship is almost unheard in our society.
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What [am I] suggesting needs to be done?
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I think--during these trying times where Religionism is gaining such a strong hand in our culture--the only thing we CAN do is to talk about it. Talking about any subject makes us familiar with what there is to know about it. Some of the areas where talk might be given great support has to do with HOW we make up the foundations of the ideologies that guide us through our public life--how the brain works.
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-- posted by pink101

» Migisi - Hip Shots

In response to Hip Shots posted by Brother_Jones:
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Hello, Jones. I didn't forget about your questions. I'm going to rely on this author to explain.
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God Is for Everyone
Inspired by Paramhansa Yogananda
As Taught to and Understood by his Disciple,
Swami Kriyananda
http://www.godisforeveryone.com/chapter1...
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I wrote: "There IS a bigger spiritual picture..."
You asked: "Could you elaborate on this?"
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"Differences of belief among the world's religions are inevitable. Indeed, they are desirable. For God's expressions are ever unique. No two snowflakes are ever exactly alike: no two eyes, no two voices, no two thumbprints. The amazing variety in the universe should inspire people to a deeper appreciation for one another, without judging anyone. Only egotists want mirror images of themselves placed all around them-like Rameses II and his ubiquitous, self-laudatory statues. What a world it would be, were it not for life's infinite variety! What a world, indeed, if everyone wanted, let us say, to be a streetcar conductor! Religious differences, once it is recognized that divine aspiration exists everywhere, ought to increase people's appreciation for truth in all its manifestations. For those manifestations are like the facets of a diamond: displaying brilliance and beauty from whatever angle the stone is viewed. If God and truth are one [Migisi's 'ONE'], a sincere desire for understanding cannot but lead to an awareness of that oneness, and to an appreciation also for its endlessly varied manifestations."
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What am I refusing to see that (your) Jesus offered?
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"What Jesus Christ taught was not a contradiction of the Mosaic Law but, as he himself stated, its fulfillment. He stressed the supreme importance of loving God. Western emphasis on group consciousness, however, soon changed what was an essentially Eastern approach to truth, bringing his teachings under the control of a central organization. In exercising this control, the church diluted Christ's message, developing an essentially outward focus. Herein lay its own special misunderstanding of the truth. Christianity, too, needs to balance its understanding of truth: to bring organizational control into harmony with ~individual~ conscience."
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"...The noble plant, truth, will never flourish except in the soil of spiritual love. In desert wastes of dogmatism and sectarian rivalries it can only, as history demonstrates, wither and die. When the plant is nourished by "living waters" of selfless love-to paraphrase the words of Jesus Christ-it will suffice for every human need."
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(Jesus' 'seeds' parable)
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Other quotes from the site:
"Every human being must discover what is, for him personally, most deeply meaningful. The more self-honestly he can address this question, the sooner he will find the way out of his dark cave of delusion into the clear light of understanding.'
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(Here's where 'some very intense soul searching' comes into play.)
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"Happiness springs from within the self. It doesn't depend on outer conditions. Nothing outside ourselves, therefore, can define or qualify our happiness except as we allow it to do so. Once this unalterable truth is realized, happiness become our permanent possession."
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"Chaitanya's very exhortation to chant the name of God had also a deeper meaning. It was suggested by his own frequent states of breathless ecstasy, in which all mental activity, including mental chanting and prayer, ceases. Silent communion ensues then, and God's actual name is heard: AUM, the vibratory sound of all creation. This saving name cannot be uttered by human lips."
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(The Jews refer to their God's name as the 'Unutterable Name'. Compare the Bible God's name "I AM' (told to Moses) to the vibratory sound of God's name 'AUM' -which can't be uttered either. Interesting, no? Just thought I'd throw this in the mix.)

-- posted by Migisi