Supermarket Spirituality Is Two Edged

by metatron 9 Replies latest jw friends

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  metatron

  I met a 40-ish lady who is into some New Age stuff. We talked about religion and it turns out she comes from a strict Southern Baptist family AND is an Ordained Preacher therein.

  I didn't press the issue (wanting to be polite) but I did mention "Supermarket Spirituality" - as her Hindu dances, channeling, and more private stuff is way off the map for a fundie. She didn't seem bothered by this as she reasoned that 'Jesus is still Lord somehow and God is still the Creator somehow". I gave up with logic after that.

  Anyhow, this pick and choose attitude about religion is two edged. Sure, you can erode traditional religion -and the 'truth' with it, but the people involved may be defiantly irrational about it and still support repressive religious organizations, anyway.

  I suppose you could argue that outcomes would be different if the rest of the family wasn't applying peer pressure. I also think in the case of the Watchtower, the effect of these incompatible practices could push people away from donating and real meaningful support of this cult. More Witness fake-attude.

  So, bring on the Yoga and whack-a-do healing and thinly disguised shamanism. Eventually, it helps....

  metatron
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  Satanus

  Yah, it's amazing how some people can keep conflicting systems in one brain. Reminds me of aguest.

  S
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  agonus

  Jesus was a Zoroastrian yogi
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  trueblue

  
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  Markfromcali

  Sure, but that's also a relatively superficial way to look at it. Whatever someone like this is doing, clearly they get something out of it - if you can find out what that is then it may be telling about what's going on in their mind. In the case of yoga (hatha I assume) it clearly has something to do with the body. Aside from forms you got maybe a little bit of breathwork at the end then hollaring OM a few times, but that is about it. People go for the health benefits, you're not going to see very many of them studying the yoga sutras or anything.

  But my point is there may be something deeper going on. On some level maybe they're just not satisfied, and even though they're not really getting what they want out of this kind of a la carte approach it may serve to exhaust things, and at some point they may come to realize it's not about any of it. Or one of those things may be interesting enough that they make enough of an effort and it loosens up the foundation structure enough for things to start really happening, that's basically what happened with me. Even without sticking closely to a program (or because of it?) being in a largely silent environment (meditation retreat) for a month opened things up quite a bit, and I didn't become a Buddhist.
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  ProdigalSon

  
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  LisaRose

  I've seen Hindus that are just as extremist and controlling as any other religion. In this country we usually see the more moderate end of the spectrum, so you think it's all like that. I read an article about meditation that said unless you were doing it in a certain way (their way) x many hours a day, is this certain particular way, it was all for nothing. Which is absurd, as there are as many ways to practice meditation as there are people who practice it, and if you getting a benefit from it obviously it's working for you.

  I don't see a problem with people adopting some "new age" practices while staying a Babtist. It might be a transitional thing, and she will someday give up one or the other. On the other hand she may have found something that works for her.
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  kurtbethel

  

  Putting a Shatnerologist in a room full of ordinary people
  is like putting a velociraptor in a room full of wiener dogs.
  
  T!pau Jones, UberShamen of the First Church of Shatnerology

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFx7uDWt-UY&feature=player_embedded
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  metatron

  As you say, it might be just a transition - and it isn't all that foolish to absorb whatever works for you, regardless of consistency.

  metatron
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  Nathan Natas

  A great thread title, Metatron.

  It is as if in a figurative or "psychic" sense their corpus callosum was severed, allowing the rational side of their brain to balance the checkbbok or design a bridge while their irrational left brain was twirling like a Dervish.

  I look forward to the arrival of the Vulcans on the evening of April 5, 2063.