MizMyColi:
^^^ May you get more sense.

Xcapist:


Hehehe, scylla abi? Have you had an "encanta"?

Uhn uhn.

Not Him

Xcapist:
I have Muskeeto, macof, Scyllapatron, (remaining wiegraf, mazaje, pastorAIO) all in one place....On my thread people who's pictures are framed and hanging on my wall. Does it get any better than this? Today is indeed the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it!! Can I get a hallelujah somebody?!

MizMyColi:




Uhn uhn.

Not Him

macof:


Ase! My daily prayer to my father Orunmila

basille:
Spirituality outside religion lead me to pantheism, was once a staunch atheist, previously a faithful christian.

MizMyColi:
^^^ Your head dey dia

*visits wikipedia to search pantheism*

Xcapist:


I share in your pantheistic viewpoint. But why the change?

And how is your life better now?

With every seconds that goes by, life is always better (generalizing), the ability to look past the trivia obstacles is what's missing most times.
According to Rosicrucian teachings, life is always moving forward positively irrespective of occurrences, and if you think of it logically, it's correct. We human classify the ability to move forward as an achievement right? and life (time) is always on the move, no matter what happens to us, we are always moving forward, even death (an inevitable constant) is considered a step forward, because it's a new experience i.e moving forward. Just like absolute value in mathematics, the numerical value of a number without regards to its sign is always positive

I'm still new to pantheism (and also mysticism), but everyday i seem to be getting answers to questions, so i guess it's all better now.

How have you found meaning?

What's your story?

basille:
Spirituality outside religion lead me to pantheism, was once a staunch atheist, previously a faithful christian.

I have Muskeeto, macof, Scyllapatron, (remaining wiegraf, mazaje, pastorAIO) all in one place....On my thread people who's pictures are framed and hanging on my wall. Does it get any better than this? Today is indeed the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it!! Can I get a hallelujah somebody?!

PastorAIO:
Thanks for the mention. Now I'm here, my difficulty with contributing lies in understanding what the terms Spirituality and Religion mean to the OP. I consider myself to be religious. Very religious.

But then I understand religion as a practice undertaken to reconnect oneself to Spirit, and to one's environment. So for me Spiritual development is very much a part of religion.

By spirituality I just believe that we are already spiritual beings and so someone cannot 'become more spiritual' any more than someone can become more human.

I suspect that what the OP is resisting against is the Practice of Religion within a CULT. There are pros and cons to practicing religion within a cult. This cult as a religious organisation has plenty of deleterious effects on religious development.

macof:


Wat is religious development? Practising more of the dogmas of a religion Or better understanding of a religion??

macof:

And you can become more spiritual as humans aren't spiritual beings we are physical beings trying to connect with our spiritual self (which isn't human), this which you probably can't fully achieve in one life time
our humanity is a challenge, to overcome several hurdles to building up a better spiritual self

urcutecrush:
............................instead of using spirituality I prefer using MY SPIRIT.
After religion i still have my spirit to do with as I please.

ratatis:


As you unfold further, you'll awaken to the realization that you are not a body that has a spirit.; rather, you are Soul that is encased in a physical body.

At any rate, one has to start from somewhere.

PastorAIO:


The continued practise of certain disciplines in order to bring about a state of being connected to the world and to oneself.

The idea of practising a dogma is oxymoronic. A dogma is accepted intellectually or rejected. A dogma isn't practised.

Religious development is not better understanding of a religion. Maybe that would be sociology or anthropology.




Excuse me, what were you saying about Dogma?

We are not spiritual beings but we have a spiritual self?? (which isn't human? explain this to me, please.)

It take it that you believe your physical self (your body) is the only real you.

Also of interest.... Why do you think you cannot connect with your spiritual self which is not you in one lifetime?


Where I think I agree with you but we are using different approaches is where you seem to be saying that physical and spiritual need to be connected. The difference is that you are adamant that the spiritual part is not the self, but only the physical part. At least you agree that there are parts and that those parts are fractured and need to be reconnected.

The question then is ... what are the methods by which we can effect this reconnection of the parts? That Methodology is what I call Religious practice. You can practice it within a cult or not.
Of course you can grow spiritually just as you can grow physically, but to suggest that humans are not spiritual beings, and to do so dogmatically without back up, contradicts everything that I hold to be true and right.

macof:


All this is jst gabbage abeg
Religious development is restricted to watever dogmas u adhere to..living with these dogmas more intensely

Totally different from spiritual development by which it's you getting to understand the universe better and connecting with ones inner self. as humans we are not spiritual beings we are physical beings, we only have a spiritual self limited by the body
We use human experience and knowledge to develop our spirit self

Animals have spirits too, they have the same need to develop spiritually as humans which can only happen through the physical which makes us either man or animal.
or u think there such a thing as dog spirit, tiger spirit, snake spirit and all dem bullshiit u hear from Tb jahshiit

urcutecrush:

Agreed partly cos if i agree any futher i will tend to believe after death the soul will still exist which I know its a lie.

PastorAIO:


I don't think that you've thought through any of what you are saying, not to talk of experienced it, but since you are happy to dismiss what I posted as ga(b)bage without even addressing one single point then It's best to just leave the matter there.

“Traditionally, spirituality has been defined as a process of personal transformation in accordance with religious ideals. Since the 19th century spirituality is often separated from religion, and has become oriented on subjective experience and psychological growth. [b]It may refer to almost any kind of meaningful activity or blissful experience, but without a single widely-agreed definition.” (Wikipedia)

I think spirituality differs from religion in that religion is more concerned about being loyal to a god, and his instituted rules and regulations while spirituality is more of a personal value thing – being loyal to what we view as important for personal inner peace, happiness and compassion and justice towards others.

Some of you know my story, but for those who don’t here’s a brief flashback. I was born into a intensely religious Christian home. I said the sinner’s prayer at age 6 and actually personally and individually surrendered my life to Jesus’s Lordship at 14. My life prior to my ‘deconversion’ has been lived under the dictates of the Bible to the best of my ability (with the enablement of the Holy Spirit as I thought then). Christianity as a religion and as a lifestyle through the edicts of the bible provided me with a ‘full’ blueprint/manual as to how a life should be lived; how I was to relate with God, fellow Christians, “the world” and myself. I knew that I had to love God and my fellow man and to hate sin in all its appearance because that was what was required of me by God.

Long story short, I ditched Christianity awhile back… with its prepackaged morality and spirituality. As a Christian the motivation and incentive to be good is obvious – blessings, reward and recognition in Yahweh’s heaven or fear of punishment/banishment in his hell fire. Now that my view of morality has turned subjective and I see that we all pass away and are forgotten whether we do good or bad (and even if we’re remembered like Mother Theresa or Hitler to what end, how does a good memory benefit us after we’re gone) and it ultimately makes no difference to us, does it?

Now that I’m calling the shots in my life, I still feel inspired to do good, and live a deeply meaningful life based on my own truth. I have to say that even though I missed some aspects of Christianity, especially the part that pertains the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (who doesn’t want an all knowing friend that understands and accepts him/her TOTALLY and feel the sense of accomplishment for blabbing gibberish for hours on end?) and I missed the esoteric, rhema talk with brethren too…but I have moved on and I have to tell you, I feel my life is much more better in every way after religion.

Will you care to share your post-religion spirituality experience with us? I’ll like to know how you’ve found a way live a ‘good’, full, satisfying and meaningful life outside religion?

ratatis:


So, if I may humbly ask, how did you arrive at the knowledge that it's a lie for the Soul to survive death?

urcutecrush:

Since nothing existed before death den nothing should exist after death

ratatis:


This philosophy is too advance for me!

ratatis:


As you unfold further, you'll awaken to the realization that you are not a body that has a spirit.; rather, you are Soul that is encased in a physical body.

At any rate, one has to start from somewhere.