Posts by poppers

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3502938 woman in spain paints over 100 year old jesus fresco - ruins it all - the world is laughing.

poppers

LOL! Yup, it's had me laughing out loud!

36

Favorite LAST episode to the ending of series drama or sitcom?

by dreamgolfer in

1) mine, newhart show #2 - when "bob" wakes up and and said he had a dream he was running an inn in new hampshire.

and it is suzzane pleshette next to him.

still can't get it outta my little noggin.

poppers

For me it has to be Newhart since it is still so memorable and was so unexpected. Another unexpected ending was St. Elsewhere - can't say it was my favorite, however.

55

Which apple do you like the most?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

.

You are amazing! :)

by poppers in

jw
friends

watch this and see if you don't smile, and then make someone else smile.

there's no telling what the impact of that might be.. .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbk980jv7ao.

poppers

Watch this and see if you don't smile, and then make someone else smile. There's no telling what the impact of that might be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao

68

spirituality and religion - what are the differences?

by soft+gentle in

trying to understand the differences.

started this topic on the xjwsforchrist forum as well and would like to ask jwn posters the same question.

poppers

I actually believe I am a very spiritual person in that sense but it is impossible to use the word without it being misunderstood as showing agreement with the super-shallow "spirituality = love christ" platitude. IMO that is the antithesis of spirituality.

I agree that the word carries a lot of baggage because of religion, and it's a word I prefer not to use because of that. Perhaps a better way of saying it is to live an authentic life, a life that is free from the contaminating influence of others' ideas.

68

spirituality and religion - what are the differences?

by soft+gentle in

trying to understand the differences.

started this topic on the xjwsforchrist forum as well and would like to ask jwn posters the same question.

poppers

poppers - I understand you don't like religion but I still have no idea how you are defining spirituality
I have utter contempt for all things supernatural - is it still possible I am spiritual?

Of course.

My view of spirituality has nothing to do with the supernatural. It has to do with acting and perceiving from the core of your being rather than from the viewpoint of thinking and belief, things that religions and philosophies cater to. I know that sounds "airy fairy", so let me try to put it this way. When you say the word "I" or "me" you are referencing that core. Beneath the ideas you have about who or what you are there is a very tangible sense that you exist, and those words point to that sense of existence. Just stop a moment and get in touch with that. You are here right now existing, right? You can sense that, right? There's noting supernatural about that, is there? When you stop everything else and simply get in touch with that what do you find? A deep sense of peace and unity. Being "spiritual" is acting and perceiving from that sense of existence, and when you do that the walls of separation that have been constructed in the mind begin to become dismantled.

Everyone else has that exact same sense of existence, and when that is seen for yourself your world becomes more inclusive of others. Then you can see for yourself how ideas and beliefs are what keep people separated from one another. One very large player in the field of ideas and beliefs is the religious one, and that's why my view of religion is a dim one, because it can be so divisive, and because it rarely leads people to that core of existence that lies within. Instead, it tends to keep you locked into a set of ideas about the world and the people in it since it keeps you in the thinking mind.

Beliefs are such a powerful thing, but they get in the way of seeing and experiencing the world as it truly is. Living life without the constrictions of religious beliefs is a huge step in living a spiritual life. Then you are free to dive more deeply into yourself and find that sense of existence, and let that be the guiding force of your life - that is the beginning of living a spiritual life.

68

spirituality and religion - what are the differences?

by soft+gentle in

trying to understand the differences.

started this topic on the xjwsforchrist forum as well and would like to ask jwn posters the same question.

poppers

Poppers has provided a classic illustration...
"Spirituality comes from within and is a natural flowering forth of one's inner essence into the world around you."
In what way does this statement, which Loz endorsed, have any actual meaning in the real world?

It means that your world has become more inclusive of others in a natural way because you see and realize that others are an extension of yourself. This is because a spiritual person's perception of the world comes from deep within themselves and is not clouded by the distortions that religious blinders induce. Those distortions are often the source of strife between people, the kind of strife that can lead to families being torn apart or nations to going to war. Think of the disfellowshipping practices of the WT and the Middle East - is that real world enough for you?

In other words, through spirituality you learn to see the world as it is rather than how you are taught to believe it is via religion. It means that spirtuality helps to remove the walls that keep people apart, the walls that religions tend to construct - the walls that say "your religion isn't the right one, and if you want to be saved or go to heaven then you should believe as I do." I would say a spiritual person doesn't want to convert anyone to anything, but would prefer that others learn to see clearly for themselves instead of being fed someone else's ideas, ideas that keep walls in place.

68

spirituality and religion - what are the differences?

by soft+gentle in

trying to understand the differences.

started this topic on the xjwsforchrist forum as well and would like to ask jwn posters the same question.

poppers

Religion is imposed upon you by others and is directed by rules, dogma, and superstition. Spirituality comes from within and is a natural flowering forth of one's inner essence into the world around you. Religion doesn't necessarily foster spirituality, and in fact often suppresses it. Spirituality doesn't require religion, but it can be the inspiration for it.