An interesting article:
Introspection
JoinedPosts by Introspection
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Rethinking the Meaning of Prayer
by Introspection inan interesting article:.
http://www.noetic.org/ions/publications/51_spong.htm
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Psychology of prayer
by Introspection init seems there has been much talk on prayer lately, and i thought it would be helpful for us to discuss the psychological nuts and bolts, without getting into the realm of religious belief.
regardless of whether the source of change is human or divine mind, i think we can agree that the mind is a powerful thing, capable of affecting real change.. my guess is most of us don't pray for money or material things, but those of us who do basically ask for two things: direction and strength, or you might say knowledge and power.
i recall that as jws, we were taught to be specific in our prayers.
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Introspection
Hi Prisca,
Yes, I think sometimes prayer is a lot like meditation in that regard. I guess the difference is most forms of meditation is about acceptance, whereas prayer is more directed and often focused on making things happen. I think there should be a balance between the two. When I was on this meditation retreat, I really felt like playing because I didn't have any big issues to deal with, whereas many others were dealing with serious emotional turmoil, cancer and the like. Finally one of the teachers I interviewed with asked me to consider what I want to do, not in the grasping, clinging sense but there is a matter of one's personal life direction. Well, I didn't come to very specific conclusions but I think I have achieved some clarity, got my bearings. But as Stephen points out, in a sense I've had that direction all along.
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Atheists/Agnostics/Prayer
by patio34 inon the subject of prayer: this is addressed to the more atheistic or agnostic ones amongst us.. now, all those years i prayed really hard when times were tough, and then things worked out.
i now believe it was my own hard work that gave the solutions.
prayer was helpful in that i felt i had help.
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Introspection
Hi Ken,
The thought I had in reading your message is that life is to be lived, not to be held on to tightly. It seems there's a certain freedom that comes with accepting our mortality, regarding each breath as your last. At age 28 I am fully prepared to die. This may sound morbid, but I do feel it is very liberating. It's about making each moment count.
Mark
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Atheists/Agnostics/Prayer
by patio34 inon the subject of prayer: this is addressed to the more atheistic or agnostic ones amongst us.. now, all those years i prayed really hard when times were tough, and then things worked out.
i now believe it was my own hard work that gave the solutions.
prayer was helpful in that i felt i had help.
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Introspection
Jan, I wanted to say I appreciated your words below. However, I'd like to ask all a question which is perhaps off topic, but I think is very relevant, and that is do you really think that information processing on the cognitive level is the "final frontier"? Because I have to admit, in talking to those who are just leaving or those who seem stuck in the old way of thinking I am often hesitant about laying all the cards on the table. I think you're right in that there's probably some dishonesty (likely in the form of denial) and/or "cowardice", (certainly we can appreciate the fear they have) but I just don't see that as being the most effective means to help people open up, certainly not for everyone. My hope is that we can develop some kind of sensitivity to the emotional issues as well as the intellectual ones, because if nothing else, I think for many the cognitive processing, while integral to the overall process, will be secondary.
I think it is somewhat intellectually dishonest, or at least a form of cowardice, to reject the WTS beliefs because you find evidence lacking, and yet not dare to expose Christianity, the Bible and other belief systems to the same scrutiny.
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Is Singleness a Blessing? Sometimes
by wasasister inthis post is rather personal, but it may help those who lurk, so if you will all please bear with me?.
not long ago, i visited the town where i grew up, got baptized and married, gave birth to both my daughters.
its a smallish town and among the witness population, everyone knows everyone.
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Introspection
Excellent post Sis, thanks for sharing that. It seems to me we sometimes treat relationships like something it's not, a thing we "get" as if there's a relationship store out there or something. We have a relationship with everyone, it's just all unique. Sometimes I look at how people get into romantic relationships and it seems like it's little more than kids deciding they're going to be boyfriend-girlfriend. Of course, given our JW background perhaps we're used to arbitrary relationships rather than ones that develop naturally, relationships based on .. relating! Thanks again, it's obvious many appreciated this.
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Introspection
YES !!!!
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Still preaching?
by Introspection init seems to me that many who have left the hive seem to want to do a sort of "anti-preaching", to proclaim the evils of the society, religion, whatever.
i agree that certain issues need to be made known to the public, but my question is about how we do it.
if we're preachy about it, how effective are we likely to be?
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Introspection
Thanks Joel. I must say that those on this site have been pretty good in this regard compared to some others and public chats, and I just have to remember that everyone is just at a different stage. I hope the open exchange continues to help all who are breaking free.
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Caravan of Love
by Introspection inby the rippingtons, from the brave new world cd is a nice upbeat song.
i guess they're considered contemporary jazz.
when you get a chance why not check out sound clips from sites like cdnow...
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Introspection
By The Rippingtons, from the Brave New World CD is a nice upbeat song. I guess they're considered contemporary jazz. When you get a chance why not check out sound clips from sites like CDNOW...
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Egocentric support?
by Introspection ini thought this would be a good topic as many who are still sorting through the jw experience do not seem to see that their newly adopted worldview is just that, their own.
while i can understand how some would want to just "vent", i fail to see how such behavior helps anyone.
we all know that as jws we went along with what others told us to believe, yet it seems to me that beneath many posts of self expression, there's a subtle tendancy to be pushy, even preachy.
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Introspection
Thanks everybody, I needed to see the other side of the coin on this. I guess I myself am a little too attached in a way with all these heart breaking stories, but really what the individual does with the info is up to them.
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Non-dual quote
by Introspection inthis quote is from an interview with eckhart tolle:.
.. you cannot fulfill the commandments unless you are egoless--and there are very few who are--as all the people who have tried to practice the teachings of christ have found out.
"love your neighbor as yourself" is one of the main teachings of jesus, and you cannot fulfill that commandment, no matter how hard you try, if you don't know who you are at the deepest level.
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Introspection
This quote is from an interview with Eckhart Tolle:
.. you cannot fulfill the commandments unless you are egoless--and there are very few who are--as all the people who have tried to practice the teachings of Christ have found out. "Love your neighbor as yourself" is one of the main teachings of Jesus, and you cannot fulfill that commandment, no matter how hard you try, if you don't know who you are at the deepest level. Love your neighbor as yourself means your neighbor is yourself, and that recognition of oneness is love.