by purplesofa 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Wow, purps. That is the loaded question of the day.
Kinda like asking which came first the chicken or the egg?
Volumes could and have been written on that - I don't have time tonight. [Little Joke.]
I have no idea. I don't trust religion much now.
Jeff
I don't think true religion was ever in place on Earth. I could be wrong.
Indeed. What is true religion anyway?
Dear Purps,
There is no bad news here.
What religion promises is peace and wholeness; yet it can not give it to you because, because in reality what you seek is too close, too pure and beautiful, too vast and everlasting for religion to ever hope to contain, comprehend, or own.
The peace and wholeness: It's you Purps. Silently, pristinely, and truly, truly you.
Slip past all words and thoughts, everything you ever believed the universe and your "self" to be, and gently submerge into the cool-warm depths of your own vibrant and intimate conscious-being, and see.
The ache you feel, is it calling you. Calling you to awaken from the dream of broken isolation.
j
JT,
The ache you feel, is it calling you. Calling you to awaken from the dream of broken isolation.
I think you get to a point of no return, otherwise you are no longer true to yourself.
purps
Well, I'm not an expert and since two weeks agoI would have loved the opportunity to kick the almight in his kiester (reevaluating that since it may not have been him that lied to me and all), but from where I stand now, I think those with true religion don't tell others about it and may not even know they have it themselves. I think it's how you live your life and I think just being who you are is probably one of the first big steps.
Probably not what you were looking for, but then I find most xjws are justifiably skeptical about religion....
"True religion is the basis of divine civilization. Material civilization is like unto the body; divine civilization is like unto the spirit. A body without the spirit is dead, although it may be clothed in the utmost beauty and comeliness.
In short, by religion we mean those necessary bonds which have power to unify. This has ever been the essence of the religion of God. This is the eternal bestowal of God! This is the object of divine teachings and laws! This is the light of the everlasting life! Alas! A thousand times alas! that this solid foundation is abandoned and forgotten and the leaders of religions have fabricated a set of superstitions and rituals which are at complete variance with the underlying thought. As these man-made ideas differ from each other they cause dissension which breeds strife and ends in war and bloodshed; the blood of innocent people is spilled, their possessions are pillaged and their children become captives and orphans.
Thus religion which was destined to become the cause of friendship has become the cause of enmity. Religion, which was meant to be sweet honey, is changed into bitter poison. Religion, the function of which was to illumine humanity, has become the factor of obscuration and gloom. Religion, which was to confer the consciousness of everlasting life, has become the fiendish instrument of death. As long as these superstitions are in the hands and these nets of dissimulation and hypocrisy in the fingers, religion will be the most harmful agency on this planet. These superannuated traditions, which are inherited unto the present day, must be abandoned, and thus free from past superstitions we must investigate the original intention. The basis on which they have fabricated the superstructures will be seen to be one, and that one, absolute reality; and as reality is indivisible, complete unity and amity will be instituted and the true religion of God will become unveiled in all its beauty and sublimity in the assemblage of the world."b
(Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 160)
True religion is the basis of divine civilization
When put this way, to me it has never been achieved.........We have never seen a time when civilization was like this, unless you want to say the time before Adam and Eve sinned, and at that time, there was no need for religion.
purps
Thank you for your post Carmel.
I think those with true religion don't tell others about it and may not even know they have it themselves.
Abandoned...................I think you are right. And thank-you for your post.
purps
I think most religion is about control over people, in order for a religion to survive, it has to have things that lure you in and once in to keep you there. They use such terms as salvation, god's wrath, sinner, free gift, everlasting life, everlasting torment, as control devices so that the religion can survive, gain wealth.
Religion is putting your faith in the founders of that religion, trusting that they know what they are talking about.
A religion that doesn't try to control people will not get very far for very long.
Spirituality in my estimation is the turning inward, (I don't think of it as outwardly manifested by following a path written by some ancient holly book of some vengefull god like jehovah.) We all do it to some degree or other, regulated to some degree by our previous religous indoctrination.
I see religion also as capitalizing on man's need to know. Man before modern science, put gods everywhere, god is in the thunder, the hale, the sea, the sun, the moon(the bible is no exception). They had no idea the earth was round, then came the teliscope and things start to change.
Quite naturally we invented answers to our questions we have been doing this ever since we have been thinking with words, we are still doing it. Today's truth may be tomorrows myth.
Thank you franklespeaking,
That has been in my brain, but I just could not get it completely into words.
thanks again,
purps
