For followers of "less popular" spiritual path's

Mello Nello · Post by **Mello Nello** » Thu May 17, 2007 4:18 am

I actually agree with buttrfly, schnausermom and Luvg. This isnt a christian thread.
I have nothing to say about this thread, and nothing to offer.. Just wanted to make a point, that christian threads get hijacked all the time. Maybe not on purpose, but its done..
Please enjoy your thread Beatanxiety:) Nelly:)

BookOfPsalms · Post by **BookOfPsalms** » Thu May 17, 2007 4:23 am

BEATANXIETY07

I really wish I had the authority to delete irrelevant posts in a thread that I created. To everyone:

Lets discuss what those who follow "less popular" spiritual paths follow.

I really like some of those Totltec ideas and I think they help with anxiety. Does anyone have anything else to add? How about some good Buddhist teachings etc... Please add something that is helpful and insightful, not something that is targeted at attacking a different belief; such as Christianity.

Beat, sounds as if you are targeting me and Craw. As you have stated sooooooooo many times here....people should be intitled to an opinion. My opinion was if this was a non-christian thread and one were to post their views (christian), it would turn into a debate opposed to a discussion. I have been on this site long enough to know how these roll. So with that said, I will like to add that I have made lots of friends here (christian) that I like and respect. I would like to keep it that way.

So, I will not contribute any further, as I see the direction it's going. I have come to value my friendships more then these discussions.

A little FYI for you in closing. When you start a thread, it does not make it "YOURS".

You are not in control. You seem to think it's all about you. I have watched you go tit for tat with butterfly and Nelly for wks now in the wicca thread. You seem to know it all.

I will add that I like your message (in the wicca thread), but doesn't mean I have to like the messenger.

So go now and disect my post. :p

PS and BTW...you should make that deal with Nelly and stay off christians threads that do not pertain to YOU!!

Regardless of our beliefs...GOD IS GOOD!!

Christine

BTTRFLY · Post by **BTTRFLY** » Thu May 17, 2007 4:31 am

I'm not sure the point here is to "shut anyone up". This whole forum is dedicated to Sprituality, and within it are numerous threads on numerous topics, a lot of them Christian. Why not post on those threads, rather than purposely pick a thread that specifies it is about "non-Christian" beliefs?

It just seems like nothing will come of throwing out beliefs that are not what the thread is about, other than arguments. And I feel that I am a Christian, but this thread is not about that, and I'm reading it to learn about other beliefs and how they help people deal with anxiety. When I want to read and post about Christianity I look for a thread in here that encompasses that. Luv, Craw, Nelly, and others here have also made these points, and in particular I like Luv's point about valuing friends more than debates

Just my 2 cents. I am really interested in these different beliefs/customs/faiths/religions...

David** · Post by David** » Thu May 17, 2007 4:45 am

This is one reason I've never talked about my beliefs on either chat or this forum and from here out won't. I'll build a website then give the one's who want to know more the link and the ones who aren't interested don't have to visit it.

As far as this statement from above:

"You can't shut a believer up"

You are correct, people like you scream it from the streetcorners to the mountaintops but I don't have to listen/read do I? I just jump over your posts as if they weren't even here. Simple isn't it.

Nah I'll make it simple on my part because there is more in this world than sitting here arguing who is right, who's gonna go to heaven, who is going to hell and all that.

I'm here to whip anxiety not decide what religion/belief or non-belief each of you must have. Mine is mine and belongs to no one else.

One question...can anyone here verify there "is" a heaven or hell? Have you been there and seen it? I'm just curious. I've seen the spirits of my forefathers, have you?

Good luck John with this thread. When I get my site done I'll PM the link to you but that may be a few weeks out.

"Edited cause the machine-gun poster made a huge grammar error".

I forgot to add this, I believe in reincarnation fully and totally but that is my belief..maybe not yours. I've been here before and I'll be here again just my name won't be David nor will my body be the same.

tdj7000 · Post by **tdj7000** » Thu May 17, 2007 5:03 am

One question...can anyone here verify there "is" a heaven or hell? Have you been there and seen it? I'm just curious. I've seen the spirits of my forefathers, have you?

Actually, many have described heaven or hell in their near death experiences. I am sure you have probably read or heard of these. I have never seen my brain but I am sure it is their. How about you? I am also just curious. What did the spirits of your forefathers look like? I really am curious.

Take care,
Tina

David** · Post by David** » Thu May 17, 2007 5:45 am

I love this board, type out a 6 paragraphs, get a phone call, click post now and realize the damm posting part timed out..again.

Busy with work now so I'll get back to you Tina.

BeatAnxiety07 · Post by **BeatAnxiety07** » Thu May 17, 2007 6:52 am

Originally posted by tdj7000:
Actually, many have described heaven or hell in their near death experiences. I am sure you have probably read or heard of these. I have never seen my brain but I am sure it is their. How about you? I am also just curious. What did the spirits of your forefathers look like? I really am curious.

Take care,
Tina

A skeptics take on NDE's:

<A HREF="http://youtube.com/watch?v=714AS39CQ_I" TARGET=_blank>http://youtube.com/watch?v=714AS39CQ_I</A>

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Wholegrain,

I to find Taoist teachings to be beneficial. The Tao Te Ching has a lot of good teachings in it. I especially like the phrase "The spoken Tao is not the true Tao."

To me that is a reminder that I should not take anything preachers say as the truth. No one knows all the answers and the things we speak, preach and belief is not the truth. You also can not say the last statement is the truth. The Tao Te Ching says: "The wise say nothing." "They are like an idiot their minds are so empty."

It brings relief to my anxiety to realize I should just relax and simply be. The constant struggle to be separate and free from the rest of the world, or rather to belief that we are different from everything else in the universe which causes this struggle, is a sensless stuggle since it is only our consciousness that makes us feel we are separate.

Another Philosophy that I really like is Advaita:

Here you can find an animated video that represents our struggle to become, again, one with the Tao or what some call "heaven"

<A HREF="http://youtube.com/watch?v=hwyuQbIb0Xs" TARGET=_blank>http://youtube.com/watch?v=hwyuQbIb0Xs</A>

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To Nelly and LUVG:

No, I do not hijack Christian threads. Find one that I have and send me a link because I do not!

Glass · Post by **Glass** » Thu May 17, 2007 7:58 am

I was always scared to look into the Buddhist point of view, but the Bible does say to prove all things, and it says that the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, gentleness, long suffering, kindness, and such things, and there is no law against the fruits of the spirit.

I just don't add to or take anything away from the Bible. I believe that the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ, but I want a open mind to prove all things and to study the Buddhist point of view because it does seem to help me.
I believe that the Buddhist point of view has a lot of good teachings that are in harmony with the Bible. I am not Christion or am I from any religious group, I only study the Bible with my own point of view. I do look into a lot of studies from others, and accept what I prove is true in my eyes. I believe that there are many false teachers, I am not one, because I am not a teacher, I only claim to be a student on this Earth trying to understand this whole thing about why I am even here.
I believe in God and Jesus Christ and all of the Ten Commandments, and everything that will help me to live in better harmony with my creator. I don't worship Buddha, I only try to learn from there teachings when it is in harmony with the Bible.

I suppose that what I want to say is that I have looked into differnt things to prove them with a open mind, and have found a lot of comfort in some of there teachings, but I also believe the bible.

My opionions about heaven and hell are not the same as Christions. I believe that Christ is returning to Earth to set up a Kingdom here and no one is going to hell to be tormented at all, let alone for ever.

Everyone that ever lived will have a choice for salvation if not in this lifetime in another lifetime after Christ returns and after a thousdand year melllennium.

Please excuse me for my harsh words about being a Jesus freek in another post, I apolgize.

Glen

BeatAnxiety07 · Post by **BeatAnxiety07** » Thu May 17, 2007 8:43 am

Originally posted by Glass:
I just don't add to or take anything away from the Bible. I believe that the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ, but I want a open mind to prove all things and to study the Buddhist point of view because it does seem to help me.

"I believe that the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ."

^ This is essentially what a Christian must believe in order to consider themselves Christian. You are Christian.

Originally posted by Glass:
I believe that the Buddhist point of view has a lot of good teachings that are in harmony with the Bible. I am not Christion or am I from any religious group, I only study the Bible with my own point of view. I do look into a lot of studies from others, and accept what I prove is true in my eyes. I believe that there are many false teachers, I am not one, because I am not a teacher, I only claim to be a student on this Earth trying to understand this whole thing about why I am even here.
I believe in God and Jesus Christ and all of the Ten Commandments, and everything that will help me to live in better harmony with my creator. I don't worship Buddha, I only try to learn from there teachings when it is in harmony with the Bible.

Buddhists don't worship buddha either. There is a fundamental difference between the beliefs of Christians and Muslims than those of Eastern and many other "less popular" beliefs. The difference is that they do not revolve around God or worshipping a God but rather involve understanding the Universe and our place in it. Christians often express there ignorance of other spiritual paths with satements such as these. I once had a Christian minister respond to this question: "Well what do those Buddhists believe?" Oh who knows they think some fat guy is going to come down and save them.

Here lies the ignorance. Christians feel a need to be saved, feel a need to worship something etc.. When looking at other religions they have a certain bias when going in. With this bias they interpret other religions as if they are trying to do the same thing Christianity does. The purpose of many "less popular" spiritual paths does not serve the same purpose as Christianity or Islam.
Statues of Buddah are often placed in Buddhist homes in order to show respect for the "enlightened one", not for worship. Buddha also would not have been a little fat man but would have been a very skinny man considering all the fasting he did. The fat man is a symbol of Buddha finding enlightenment and the happiness and relief he has felt as a result.

These beliefs are essentially methods and philosophical ideas that help people overcome the stresses of life and better understand life.

Buddha wanted to escape the constant struggle of being re-born again and again. The four noble truths of Buddhism are a description of life being all pain and suffering and the only way to escape this pain is to reach enlightenment.

These ideas can help us with anxiety by allowing us to simply be and realize there is no need for worry; worry is merely an emotion experienced as the result of our perception of something happening in our life. If we can silence our minds, shutdown our perception of the world for a momment, and be one with everything then our anxiety will disipate.

Glass · Post by **Glass** » Thu May 17, 2007 1:27 pm

BeatAnxiety07

Thank you. You explained that well. I am finding this subject very interesting. I have been meditating and trying to reach enlightenment. This is good.

Glen