Anyone Else Believe As I Do?

[Madeline]

I have had a few fixed beliefs all my life in the arena of spirituality.

The first is that dead is dead. Period. There is no after-life of any sort. I take great comfort in this notion because once I have died, there'll be nothing left of me to experience anxiety or any other sort of distress.

The second is that there is a God. Some evidence of divinity is visible to me in almost every human. In nature. In science. In math.

Consequently, I believe the ethical behavior of any human is desirable and pleasing to God, but the only punishment for unethical behavior is that the actor loses his self-regard, his humanity is diminished, and he moves away from God.

Prayer may be self-comforting but God does not alter the course of events because we send up entreaties. He might, however, boost our coping power if we ask nicely.

I think this is an unusual arrangement of beliefs, and I wondered if I was sharing it with anyone else.

And for those of you whose ethical systems are based on a reward in the hereafter, can anyone explain to me why I can find the instant reward in doing the right thing, but you need a dangling carrot of a promise of Heaven to follow your ethical precepts?

Do you honestly think that evil acts are satisfying? I see them as failures, lapses in judgment and future regrets.

 

[Truthmatters]

I believe you big blue font is pissing people off and makes your words get wasted because even I find it hard to finish reading anything you write.

 

[froggy]

I have had a few fixed beliefs all my life in the arena of spirituality.

The first is that dead is dead. Period. There is no after-life of any sort. I take great comfort in this notion because once I have died, there'll be nothing left of me to experience anxiety or any other sort of distress.

The second is that there is a God. Some evidence of divinity is visible to me in almost every human. In nature. In science. In math.

Consequently, I believe the ethical behavior of any human is desirable and pleasing to God, but the only punishment for unethical behavior is that the actor loses his self-regard, his humanity is diminished, and he moves away from God.

Prayer may be self-comforting but God does not alter the course of events because we send up entreaties. He might, however, boost our coping power if we ask nicely.

I think this is an unusual arrangement of beliefs, and I wondered if I was sharing it with anyone else.

And for those of you whose ethical systems are based on a reward in the hereafter, can anyone explain to me why I can find the instant reward in doing the right thing, but you need a dangling carrot of a promise of Heaven to follow your ethical precepts?

Do you honestly think that evil acts are satisfying? I see them as failures, lapses in judgment and future regrets.

Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave, When First We Practice to Deceive. Dead is not dead there is an afterlife, prayer does change things, those who have not experienced it are weak in faith. When good triumphs evil you feel justification. are you saying you never do evil?

 

[editec]

I have had a few fixed beliefs all my life in the arena of spirituality.

The first is that dead is dead. Period. There is no after-life of any sort. I take great comfort in this notion because once I have died, there'll be nothing left of me to experience anxiety or any other sort of distress.

The second is that there is a God. Some evidence of divinity is visible to me in almost every human. In nature. In science. In math.

Consequently, I believe the ethical behavior of any human is desirable and pleasing to God, but the only punishment for unethical behavior is that the actor loses his self-regard, his humanity is diminished, and he moves away from God.

Prayer may be self-comforting but God does not alter the course of events because we send up entreaties. He might, however, boost our coping power if we ask nicely.

I think this is an unusual arrangement of beliefs, and I wondered if I was sharing it with anyone else.

And for those of you whose ethical systems are based on a reward in the hereafter, can anyone explain to me why I can find the instant reward in doing the right thing, but you need a dangling carrot of a promise of Heaven to follow your ethical precepts?

Do you honestly think that evil acts are satisfying? I see them as failures, lapses in judgment and future regrets.

I'm sort of in that camp.

I believe that death might very well be the end of the ego called editec.

I don't go so far as to know that that means the end of lifeforce, however. I just know that I do not know.

As to morality and editec?

My morality is based on what I think I ought to do given the state of affairs in which I find myself.

Hence, social philosophies such as the sermon on the mount seem a fairly good start for me to determine how I should attempt to conduct my worldly affairs.

I'm not trying to be moral because I expect to be rewarded in my afterlife.

I'm trying to act morally (as I understand it, at least) because it rewards me (it satisfies me personally, I mean, not necessarily in worldly goods) in my current life.

My afterlife (assuming it exists) will just have take care of itself.

 

[Truthmatters]

Being good doesnt always pay off in real life except in your heart.

Being good to people should be done for no extra reward in this life or after.

I like everyone else have done very nice things for people who then turned arround and sought to hurt me for their own gain.

It happens. I then toss them out of my life but do not seek to harm them.

I then do not blame the next person who comes along and needs kindness.


I dont need god, the threat of hell or even the rewards of heaven to convince me to be good to people.

I do it because of my own respect for myself and the respect of the people who use the kindness to become better people.

 

[Madeline]

I have had a few fixed beliefs all my life in the arena of spirituality.

The first is that dead is dead. Period. There is no after-life of any sort. I take great comfort in this notion because once I have died, there'll be nothing left of me to experience anxiety or any other sort of distress.

The second is that there is a God. Some evidence of divinity is visible to me in almost every human. In nature. In science. In math.

Consequently, I believe the ethical behavior of any human is desirable and pleasing to God, but the only punishment for unethical behavior is that the actor loses his self-regard, his humanity is diminished, and he moves away from God.

Prayer may be self-comforting but God does not alter the course of events because we send up entreaties. He might, however, boost our coping power if we ask nicely.

I think this is an unusual arrangement of beliefs, and I wondered if I was sharing it with anyone else.

And for those of you whose ethical systems are based on a reward in the hereafter, can anyone explain to me why I can find the instant reward in doing the right thing, but you need a dangling carrot of a promise of Heaven to follow your ethical precepts?

Do you honestly think that evil acts are satisfying? I see them as failures, lapses in judgment and future regrets.

Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave, When First We Practice to Deceive. Dead is not dead there is an afterlife, prayer does change things, those who have not experienced it are weak in faith. When good triumphs evil you feel justification. are you saying you never do evil?

froggy, when I do good rather than evil, what I feel is not "justification". I don't even know what emotion that might be. I want to hold myself in my own good opinion. I want to be truly intimate with my beloveds. I want there to be Justice in the lives of people I can touch.

I'm a little bumfuddled as to what the pay off is for such things as stealing. Seems to me you cannot have any of the rewards I'm after if you steal from the folks around you. (Same with adultery, murder, etc.)

No, I wouldn't say I have led a blameless life. I don't think that's possible. I think that most of us have made a fundamental choice to move towards Good or Evil, and have lived our lives in pursuit of that goal. But not in some linear fashion....Good people do evil acts, and Evil people occasionally do good ones.

I'm curious, froggy. Why are you so certain there is an after-life?

 

[Madeline]

I have had a few fixed beliefs all my life in the arena of spirituality.

The first is that dead is dead. Period. There is no after-life of any sort. I take great comfort in this notion because once I have died, there'll be nothing left of me to experience anxiety or any other sort of distress.

The second is that there is a God. Some evidence of divinity is visible to me in almost every human. In nature. In science. In math.

Consequently, I believe the ethical behavior of any human is desirable and pleasing to God, but the only punishment for unethical behavior is that the actor loses his self-regard, his humanity is diminished, and he moves away from God.

Prayer may be self-comforting but God does not alter the course of events because we send up entreaties. He might, however, boost our coping power if we ask nicely.

I think this is an unusual arrangement of beliefs, and I wondered if I was sharing it with anyone else.

And for those of you whose ethical systems are based on a reward in the hereafter, can anyone explain to me why I can find the instant reward in doing the right thing, but you need a dangling carrot of a promise of Heaven to follow your ethical precepts?

Do you honestly think that evil acts are satisfying? I see them as failures, lapses in judgment and future regrets.

I'm sort of in that camp.

I believe that death might very well be the end of the ego called editec.

I don't go so far as to know that that means the end of lifeforce, however. I just know that I do not know.

As to morality and editec?

My morality is based on what I think I ought to do given the state of affairs in which I find myself.

Hence, social philosophies such as the sermon on the mount seem a fairly good start for me to determine how I should attempt to conduct my worldly affairs.

I'm not trying to be moral because I expect to be rewarded in my afterlife.

I'm trying to act morally (as I understand it, at least) because it rewards me (it satisfies me personally, I mean, not necessarily in worldly goods) in my current life.

My afterlife (assuming it exists) will just have take care of itself.

You sound more like a traditional agnostic than I do, editec. I don't think I qualify as such because I am confident there is no after-life (unless you count the conversion of human remains via decay).

And clearly, I am not an atheist.

I wonder if there's even a name for my belief system?

 

[JW Frogen]

Fuck me I am at work and so I am too drunk to respond to this with the gravity it deserves.

Still Ms. Madeline, I would glory in the fact your belief system has no name.

When we start to name God we turn the divine into an dive-hole.

I like a God that has no name. If I understand God then I have reduced God to my level, and I would not do that to God.

Hell, I do not even do that to a lover. Or even an enemy; not even both.

 

[Madeline]

Aussies can drink at work? LOL.

Ya, I know some things that God is NOT, but as to his true nature, no I cannot say I have a vision of it.

 

[JW Frogen]

There is a very fuzzy line between work and play over here.

 

[JW Frogen]

I am sure God would want it that way.

Least she make me an atheist.

 

[Care4all]

I believe it is what is in your heart and mind that matters...this defines the "good"(God) in you.... not your actions....but what thoughts are behind your actions....

Do you do good, so that you can be seen and others will see you doing good, so to satisfy yourself, your own ego with the thoughts or shouts of:

"Look at me, look how good I am!".... '' (I go to church/temple on the Sabbath, I go to the food shelter on thanksgiving to help out, I give to charity)'' ...(and you don't blah blah blah)....

anyone with those kind of thoughts behind their actions, is NOT doing the good that God asks of us....doing good is not really in their hearts....doing good is for THEMSELVES and not for the others they are helping, they have no sympathy or empathy for others in their heart....they condemn in their hearts, those those that they are supposedly helping....

that's the kind of stuff I expect God to see through....even with me, who has fallen in to that self centered, ego thingy a time or two....

so, basically, I believe in a JUST GOD, and i do believe our spirit moves on after the death of our bodies. And I have no idea what that all entails....

 

[Sky Dancer]

I don't believe in God as he/she is normally concieved of. I don't think God is a personality like us. I think there is a state of being beyond conception that each and every sentient being has the potential to realize in the here and now.

Ethics is helpful to a spiritual path but isn't the same as experiencing this state of being. Being 'good' doesn't get you there. I'm talking about what is beyond conception. JMO

 

[Granny]

I have had a few fixed beliefs all my life in the arena of spirituality.

As have I.

The first is that dead is dead. Period. There is no after-life of any sort. I take great comfort in this notion because once I have died, there'll be nothing left of me to experience anxiety or any other sort of distress.

Here I think you are wrong. You will continue to live on in the hearts and memories of those you knew you and loved or hated you. "Soul" or "spirit" is one thing, physical body is another. No one has ever come back to tell any of us of the existence of heaven or hell - but either way, at death we are all out of our physical pain and suffering.

The second is that there is a God. Some evidence of divinity is visible to me in almost every human. In nature. In science. In math.

Agreed.

Consequently, I believe the ethical behavior of any human is desirable and pleasing to God, but the only punishment for unethical behavior is that the actor loses his self-regard, his humanity is diminished, and he moves away from God.

Good behavior is its own reward - but there could also be greater reward that we may not see until some time down the road in our life. I don't disagree with your beliefs of punishment regarding loss of self-respect, humanity, and movement away from God. There is punishment for bad behavior but that punishment may may not come at the time of the bad behavior; but sometime, somewhere along the way the punishment will come before we die .

Prayer may be self-comforting but God does not alter the course of events because we send up entreaties. He might, however, boost our coping power if we ask nicely.

I believe in the saying that God will not give us more than we can bear. I've had that argument with Him on a number of occasions - contending that He must think I'm a mule. But when I hit rock bottom ... the only way I could go was always up and I did survive. God does answer our prayers - just in His own time - when He thinks we are ready. WE may want something today, but GOD may not give it until another day.

Examples: My maternal grandmother was apparently not all she cracked herself up to be ... somewhat questionable in character and motive. Her worst fear was to die of cancer - and that's exactly what she died of.

My mother was just a mean, jealous, envious, treacherous person - and way too many people saw her in that light. In the end, she died alone with a hospice worker and nobody went to her funeral. I doubt anyone visits her grave - I haven't.

I prayed all my life to find my Dad. I searched for him all my life. I was angry, hurt, curious, had a few things I wanted to say to him. When I was in my 20s I found him and he had his "little brown-eyed blond girl" again before he died. The only way he had been able to cope with his loss was to convince himself that I had died long years ago. None of the harsh words were ever spoken by me. We were like two magnets that snapped together on sight. I had found the parent who loved me.

I think this is an unusual arrangement of beliefs, and I wondered if I was sharing it with anyone else.

And for those of you whose ethical systems are based on a reward in the hereafter, can anyone explain to me why I can find the instant reward in doing the right thing, but you need a dangling carrot of a promise of Heaven to follow your ethical precepts?

I don't think there is a dangling carrot. Religion, in my opinion, is one of the least understood beliefs in the world. It's NOT the church we attend - it's a personal one-on-one relationship with God. We have a set of rules by which to live - it's called the Ten Commandments. It's how we live our lives, the choices we make relative to those commandments.

Do you honestly think that evil acts are satisfying? I see them as failures, lapses in judgment and future regrets.

I dont need god, the threat of hell or even the rewards of heaven to convince me to be good to people.

I do it because of my own respect for myself and the respect of the people who use the kindness to become better people.

Do you not need God? Sounds like you have at least a part of Him with you whether you recognize it or not.

 

[Sky Dancer]

I have had a few fixed beliefs all my life in the arena of spirituality.

As have I.

The first is that dead is dead. Period. There is no after-life of any sort. I take great comfort in this notion because once I have died, there'll be nothing left of me to experience anxiety or any other sort of distress.

Here I think you are wrong. You will continue to live on in the hearts and memories of those you knew you and loved or hated you. "Soul" or "spirit" is one thing, physical body is another. No one has ever come back to tell any of us of the existence of heaven or hell - but either way, at death we are all out of our physical pain and suffering.

The second is that there is a God. Some evidence of divinity is visible to me in almost every human. In nature. In science. In math.

Agreed.

Consequently, I believe the ethical behavior of any human is desirable and pleasing to God, but the only punishment for unethical behavior is that the actor loses his self-regard, his humanity is diminished, and he moves away from God.

Good behavior is its own reward - but there could also be greater reward that we may not see until some time down the road in our life. I don't disagree with your beliefs of punishment regarding loss of self-respect, humanity, and movement away from God. There is punishment for bad behavior but that punishment may may not come at the time of the bad behavior; but sometime, somewhere along the way the punishment will come before we die .

Prayer may be self-comforting but God does not alter the course of events because we send up entreaties. He might, however, boost our coping power if we ask nicely.

I believe in the saying that God will not give us more than we can bear. I've had that argument with Him on a number of occasions - contending that He must think I'm a mule. But when I hit rock bottom ... the only way I could go was always up and I did survive. God does answer our prayers - just in His own time - when He thinks we are ready. WE may want something today, but GOD may not give it until another day.

Examples: My maternal grandmother was apparently not all she cracked herself up to be ... somewhat questionable in character and motive. Her worst fear was to die of cancer - and that's exactly what she died of.

My mother was just a mean, jealous, envious, treacherous person - and way too many people saw her in that light. In the end, she died alone with a hospice worker and nobody went to her funeral. I doubt anyone visits her grave - I haven't.

I prayed all my life to find my Dad. I searched for him all my life. I was angry, hurt, curious, had a few things I wanted to say to him. When I was in my 20s I found him and he had his "little brown-eyed blond girl" again before he died. The only way he had been able to cope with his loss was to convince himself that I had died long years ago. None of the harsh words were ever spoken by me. We were like two magnets that snapped together on sight. I had found the parent who loved me.

I think this is an unusual arrangement of beliefs, and I wondered if I was sharing it with anyone else.

And for those of you whose ethical systems are based on a reward in the hereafter, can anyone explain to me why I can find the instant reward in doing the right thing, but you need a dangling carrot of a promise of Heaven to follow your ethical precepts?

I don't think there is a dangling carrot. Religion, in my opinion, is one of the least understood beliefs in the world. It's NOT the church we attend - it's a personal one-on-one relationship with God. We have a set of rules by which to live - it's called the Ten Commandments. It's how we live our lives, the choices we make relative to those commandments.

Do you honestly think that evil acts are satisfying? I see them as failures, lapses in judgment and future regrets.

I dont need god, the threat of hell or even the rewards of heaven to convince me to be good to people.

I do it because of my own respect for myself and the respect of the people who use the kindness to become better people.

Do you not need God? Sounds like you have at least a part of Him with you whether you recognize it or not.

Why call it god or define it as a need? If god is being, then there is no separation between god and being.

It's difficult to not impose ones own views onto others.

 

[Care4all]

I have had a few fixed beliefs all my life in the arena of spirituality.

As have I.

The first is that dead is dead. Period. There is no after-life of any sort. I take great comfort in this notion because once I have died, there'll be nothing left of me to experience anxiety or any other sort of distress.

Here I think you are wrong. You will continue to live on in the hearts and memories of those you knew you and loved or hated you. "Soul" or "spirit" is one thing, physical body is another. No one has ever come back to tell any of us of the existence of heaven or hell - but either way, at death we are all out of our physical pain and suffering.

The second is that there is a God. Some evidence of divinity is visible to me in almost every human. In nature. In science. In math.

Agreed.

Consequently, I believe the ethical behavior of any human is desirable and pleasing to God, but the only punishment for unethical behavior is that the actor loses his self-regard, his humanity is diminished, and he moves away from God.

Good behavior is its own reward - but there could also be greater reward that we may not see until some time down the road in our life. I don't disagree with your beliefs of punishment regarding loss of self-respect, humanity, and movement away from God. There is punishment for bad behavior but that punishment may may not come at the time of the bad behavior; but sometime, somewhere along the way the punishment will come before we die .

Prayer may be self-comforting but God does not alter the course of events because we send up entreaties. He might, however, boost our coping power if we ask nicely.

I believe in the saying that God will not give us more than we can bear. I've had that argument with Him on a number of occasions - contending that He must think I'm a mule. But when I hit rock bottom ... the only way I could go was always up and I did survive. God does answer our prayers - just in His own time - when He thinks we are ready. WE may want something today, but GOD may not give it until another day.

Examples: My maternal grandmother was apparently not all she cracked herself up to be ... somewhat questionable in character and motive. Her worst fear was to die of cancer - and that's exactly what she died of.

My mother was just a mean, jealous, envious, treacherous person - and way too many people saw her in that light. In the end, she died alone with a hospice worker and nobody went to her funeral. I doubt anyone visits her grave - I haven't.

I prayed all my life to find my Dad. I searched for him all my life. I was angry, hurt, curious, had a few things I wanted to say to him. When I was in my 20s I found him and he had his "little brown-eyed blond girl" again before he died. The only way he had been able to cope with his loss was to convince himself that I had died long years ago. None of the harsh words were ever spoken by me. We were like two magnets that snapped together on sight. I had found the parent who loved me.

I think this is an unusual arrangement of beliefs, and I wondered if I was sharing it with anyone else.

And for those of you whose ethical systems are based on a reward in the hereafter, can anyone explain to me why I can find the instant reward in doing the right thing, but you need a dangling carrot of a promise of Heaven to follow your ethical precepts?

I don't think there is a dangling carrot. Religion, in my opinion, is one of the least understood beliefs in the world. It's NOT the church we attend - it's a personal one-on-one relationship with God. We have a set of rules by which to live - it's called the Ten Commandments. It's how we live our lives, the choices we make relative to those commandments.

Do you honestly think that evil acts are satisfying? I see them as failures, lapses in judgment and future regrets.

I dont need god, the threat of hell or even the rewards of heaven to convince me to be good to people.

I do it because of my own respect for myself and the respect of the people who use the kindness to become better people.

Do you not need God? Sounds like you have at least a part of Him with you whether you recognize it or not.

God=good

Devil=evil

simple!

 

[froggy]

I'm curious, froggy. Why are you so certain there is an after-life?[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

There are things in this life that i've seen and heard to convince me that the unknown exist.

 

[WillowTree]

I believe you big blue font is pissing people off and makes your words get wasted because even I find it hard to finish reading anything you write.

SEE THE IRONY? WELLDOYAHUH?

 

[Sky Dancer]

What do you mean by God?

 

[Barb]

I have had a few fixed beliefs all my life in the arena of spirituality.

The first is that dead is dead. Period. There is no after-life of any sort. I take great comfort in this notion because once I have died, there'll be nothing left of me to experience anxiety or any other sort of distress.

The second is that there is a God. Some evidence of divinity is visible to me in almost every human. In nature. In science. In math.

Consequently, I believe the ethical behavior of any human is desirable and pleasing to God, but the only punishment for unethical behavior is that the actor loses his self-regard, his humanity is diminished, and he moves away from God.

Prayer may be self-comforting but God does not alter the course of events because we send up entreaties. He might, however, boost our coping power if we ask nicely.

I think this is an unusual arrangement of beliefs, and I wondered if I was sharing it with anyone else.

And for those of you whose ethical systems are based on a reward in the hereafter, can anyone explain to me why I can find the instant reward in doing the right thing, but you need a dangling carrot of a promise of Heaven to follow your ethical precepts?

Do you honestly think that evil acts are satisfying? I see them as failures, lapses in judgment and future regrets.

I've found that fixed beliefs have a way of sneaking up on me and disabusing me of such notions by a well timed kick in the head.

I've felt familiar in places I've never been, and with people I'd never met. The jury is out on that.

Maybe divinity is within us all. I've been monumentally tired. Couldn't take another step. Dreams of light, soup (still looking for that recipe), warnings and encouragement from a cherub (amputee?) and one of a big feather bed (on a barge?) I was allowed to nap in pulled me through not only through the next day, but months and sometimes years. Maybe our mind makes up what it needs to be told to get through, maybe that IS the divine in our lives. Then again, what designed the mind to do such things? Again, the jury is out.

The best part of religions teach the damage done to self through dishonorable acts, and that freely given grace extended to those supposedly least worthy of that grace (and haven't we all been on both sides of that?) is one of the truly humanitarian acts inspired by the divinity within ourselves.

I think we determine our destiny, but also that small things we do have a ripple effect, for good or bad, and if more concentrated on feeding what is beneficial to others, the world would be a better place.