Faith

[TrinityPower]

Again why are you trolling threads you claim not to believe in? You believe in something obviously

 

[Derideo_Te]

Again why are you trolling threads you claim not to believe in? You believe in something obviously

Why don't you just report my posts if you believe that I am trolling?

Why are you trying to censor my opinion on the OP topic?

Or do my questions make you uncomfortable and you find yourself having to justify your own faith and beliefs?

Please note that I support your right to question why I am here and even to report my posts. I am a big boy and I can take the criticism.

What is more intriguing is your taking umbrage at my being here. Do you hate atheists being allowed to express opinions on matters of faith and religion?

Obviously something is bugging you. Why not just come out with it and be honest as to your real motives? After all isn't that what your religion is all about? Being open and truthful so that others can see your "inner light"?

 

[defcon4]

This can be scientifically measured and replicated.

What do you mean measured? Is it photographed similar to photographing the aura? Or is this mental activity detected by electronic devices? The latter indicates only the nature of brain activity since our nervous system actually operates based on electric impulses, correct?

Here is an overview. There are links to specific studies within the reference section.

The neuroscientific study of spiritual practices

So the basis is nature not "supernatural"

No, it is not. It is perceived as supernatural by many because of the present stage of the evolution of humanity it is still unexplainable.

 

[defcon4]

I can reach this trance state whenever I have a massage and afterwards it can feel like I reached the same "high" that I used to get when I was stoned on marijuana.

Hahaha.. that was good…
But yes, you can. The power is within, we just don't know it yet how to use it. That will come in due time as our evolution warrants it and we would not abuse the power inherently carried with such "knowledge"

All natural and perfectly legal with no need for any holy books, prayers or hymns.

Those holy books carry a second layer of message not understood by most of us. However, study upon ancient philosophy and the torch bearers of such throughout the ages will reveal some of those principles and gives an AHA!!! moment. Prayers, if they are done earnestly are very close to meditations. Of course people most of the time pray for getting something and most of the times don't get a thing if the prayer is superficial. Hymns and rituals are setting the stage of the elevated mindset as we all know that the frequency, as of resonation of sound, triggers certain emotional responses. When you go to a concert with real pipe organ you feel it.

 

[Derideo_Te]

I can reach this trance state whenever I have a massage and afterwards it can feel like I reached the same "high" that I used to get when I was stoned on marijuana.

Hahaha.. that was good…
But yes, you can. The power is within, we just don't know it yet how to use it. That will come in due time as our evolution warrants it and we would not abuse the power inherently carried with such "knowledge"

All natural and perfectly legal with no need for any holy books, prayers or hymns.

Those holy books carry a second layer of message not understood by most of us. However, study upon ancient philosophy and the torch bearers of such throughout the ages will reveal some of those principles and gives an AHA!!! moment. Prayers, if they are done earnestly are very close to meditations. Of course people most of the time pray for getting something and most of the times don't get a thing if the prayer is superficial. Hymns and rituals are setting the stage of the elevated mindset as we all know that the frequency, as of resonation of sound, triggers certain emotional responses. When you go to a concert with real pipe organ you feel it.

Achieving a meditative trance state is relatively straightforward but it does require mental discipline.

TV and video games are the wrong kind of stimulation if that is the mental state you want to reach.

In fact they will probably hinder you more than help you.

 

[guno]

Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable.... A man full of faith is simply one who has lost (or never had) the capacity for clear and realistic thought. He is not a mere ass: he is actually ill.
— H L Mencken, Prejudices, ch. 14, “The Believer” Third Series (1922), also New York Times Magazine, September 11, 1955

 

[TrinityPower]

Again why are you trolling threads you claim not to believe in? You believe in something obviously

Why don't you just report my posts if you believe that I am trolling?

Why are you trying to censor my opinion on the OP topic?

Or do my questions make you uncomfortable and you find yourself having to justify your own faith and beliefs?

Please note that I support your right to question why I am here and even to report my posts. I am a big boy and I can take the criticism.

What is more intriguing is your taking umbrage at my being here. Do you hate atheists being allowed to express opinions on matters of faith and religion?

Obviously something is bugging you. Why not just come out with it and be honest as to your real motives? After all isn't that what your religion is all about? Being open and truthful so that others can see your "inner light"?

I find that when you enter a discussion that it is done to center upon you and make a discussion about being atheist when the thread is not addressing that at all. I do not see that you start threads of your own inviting those who see things as you do to it. I see no threads saying hey we are atheists let's gather and talking about nothing. If there were not belief in God would you have anything to argue about? I do not see Christians launching chat about atheists. It may come up but it isn't the core of the faith. If you lost belief due to experiences in your life that caused you to come to those conclusions then I sympathize with you for the experience but others have not taken that same stance when their experience took a dark turn. I have found that many agnostic and atheists have had some experience that turned their heart and that is unfortunate. You likely do not see it that way and that's your choice. But again it is a choice. I have had a lot of opportunity to fail and be downtrodden but I CHOOSE not to take it. People who live with the debilitating disease I have been diagnosed with would not deal with it in a positive manner, spiritual understanding and faith to overcome it is a strength. What I do not approve of is that some may be taking spiritual baby steps and you persecute them causing the foothold they are holding to is pulled from beneath them. Some of those may be on the brink of suicide or in such a depression that they are ready to give up. I would rather evoke the word and hope and be a beacon to receive encouragement. Some people come looking for a piece of hope. I do not appreciate those who do all they can to squash that.

 

[defcon4]

I can reach this trance state whenever I have a massage and afterwards it can feel like I reached the same "high" that I used to get when I was stoned on marijuana.

Hahaha.. that was good…
But yes, you can. The power is within, we just don't know it yet how to use it. That will come in due time as our evolution warrants it and we would not abuse the power inherently carried with such "knowledge"

All natural and perfectly legal with no need for any holy books, prayers or hymns.

Those holy books carry a second layer of message not understood by most of us. However, study upon ancient philosophy and the torch bearers of such throughout the ages will reveal some of those principles and gives an AHA!!! moment. Prayers, if they are done earnestly are very close to meditations. Of course people most of the time pray for getting something and most of the times don't get a thing if the prayer is superficial. Hymns and rituals are setting the stage of the elevated mindset as we all know that the frequency, as of resonation of sound, triggers certain emotional responses. When you go to a concert with real pipe organ you feel it.

Achieving a meditative trance state is relatively straightforward but it does require mental discipline.

TV and video games are the wrong kind of stimulation if that is the mental state you want to reach.

In fact they will probably hinder you more than help you.

I am not sure. If you try to control the flow of thoughts you have to make some effort. Most of the time my mind is jumping from thought to thought like it is a huge cluster fuck. If you focus on the theme of your meditation, sooner or later some other thoughts irrelevant to your focus will jump in, you need to "reset" your mind.
Even if I do not participate, I do support peaceful religions. I defend them, but I do not agree when one tries to force it on me. That's what caused and still causes a lot of problems world wide. I try not to offend people's religious beliefs, not to desecrate their religious symbols and artifacts. I am not an atheist in a sense that I do not believe in anything because I do believe in a higher power what we as humans are an integrated part of. I do not pray for a bike for Christmas.

 

[defcon4]

Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable.... A man full of faith is simply one who has lost (or never had) the capacity for clear and realistic thought. He is not a mere ass: he is actually ill.
— H L Mencken, Prejudices, ch. 14, “The Believer” Third Series (1922), also New York Times Magazine, September 11, 1955

I am not sure of that. Faith can produce incredible power, although when it does it is contributed to the supernatural. We discussed that.

 

[Derideo_Te]

I find that when you enter a discussion that it is done to center upon you and make a discussion about being atheist when the thread is not addressing that at all.

How about some examples instead of just throwing out accusations without any factual basis?

I do not see that you start threads of your own inviting those who see things as you do to it. I see no threads saying hey we are atheists let's gather and talking about nothing. If there were not belief in God would you have anything to argue about?

The world would be a far better place if there were no belief in mythical deities IMO.

But unlike you I don't go around proselytizing.

I do not see Christians launching chat about atheists.

KG has been conspicuous by her absence of late but she was quite prolific in that regard.

BTW if you are wondering where to find your nearest atheist hater you could try looking in your mirror.

If you lost belief due to experiences in your life that caused you to come to those conclusions then I sympathize with you for the experience but others have not taken that same stance when their experience took a dark turn. I have found that many agnostic and atheists have had some experience that turned their heart and that is unfortunate.

I abandoned religion when I realized it was nothing more than an attempt at controlling others. I then took the time and trouble to logically reach the place where I am in today.

No, there was no "experience that turned my heart". It was more a matter of seeing the gross disparity of how the lives of those who occupied the pews lived versus that who didn't. I didn't want to be be one of them because I have empathy and compassion for those less fortunate than myself.

You likely do not see it that way and that's your choice. But again it is a choice.

Yes, what you believe is a choice and so is freedom FROM religion. I chose to exercise that choice and have never regretted making that choice.

I have had a lot of opportunity to fail and be downtrodden but I CHOOSE not to take it.

Same here and if you want to compare stories I am more than willing to do so via PM.

People who live with the debilitating disease I have been diagnosed with would not deal with it in a positive manner, spiritual understanding and faith to overcome it is a strength.

We all live with some or other afflictions. I just don't choose to allow mine to get in the way of how I live my life. I also don't use religion as a mental crutch. I prefer my own positive attitude instead.

What I do not approve of is that some may be taking spiritual baby steps and you persecute them causing the foothold they are holding to is pulled from beneath them. Some of those may be on the brink of suicide or in such a depression that they are ready to give up.

Oh wow! Now you are trying to lay a guilt trip on me because you can't stop me from expressing my opinion? Do you have any clue how that reflects on you? No, I don't think you have that kind of insight.

No, it doesn't work that way. If they were on the brink of suicide nothing that either of us posted would make the slightest difference because they would not be in their right minds anyway.

Right now you are horrified and scrambling to find all the anecdotes about how someone posting some religious text "saved" someone from committing suicide, aren't you?

Of course you are because that is your kneejerk reaction to what I just posted.

I would rather evoke the word and hope and be a beacon to receive encouragement. Some people come looking for a piece of hope.

How do you know that it isn't what I am posting that is a "beacon of hope" to someone out there that is struggling to break away from an oppressive religion that won't allow them to be their true selves?

You don't know that any more than you know that what you are posting is a "beacon of hope".

I do not appreciate those who do all they can to squash that.

You seem to imagine that I possess magical atheist powers that can crush religion with a single post.

Sorry to disappoint you but I am just a single voice in the wilderness. I don't even make that many posts. I average less than 22/day and that is spread across multiple forums and threads so my impact is minimal.

Let's be quite frank here.

I make no bones about being critical of religion. I am entitled to my opinion and when I make my points I do so in a respectful manner. I try not make my criticisms personal because that is not how I expect to be treated by others.

To be fair many theists like yourself define yourselves by your religion and you take criticism of your religon personally. I understand that so I try to avoid hurting your feelings.

But just because it is personal for you doesn't mean that the criticism that I am raising isn't legitimate.

The thread about KG came close to being personal with BP but we are both adults and we avoided it becoming personal. Similar exchanges with Bonzi have gone alone the same lines.

But you seem to have a bug up your ass about me and you are taking it personally with your passive-aggressive posts.

I am quite willing to sort this out with you because I have no animosity against you as a person. You are entitled to your beliefs and opinions and I will fight, and if necessary die, to uphold your freedoms of religion and speech.

I don't take anything you say about me personally because life is way too short for that kind of nonsense. We are adults, we can disagree without being disagreeable. We can respect each other's opinions even if we don't agree with them. We can openly challenge them because that is what this forum is about.

BP made the point that it is posters like myself and Sealybobo who keep this place interesting because we challenge his positions. Equally I enjoy him challenging me in return. BP has a much deeper knowledge of the subject matter than I do and I respect that.

You are within your rights not to take me up on this offer but if you don't I will simply ignore your snide posts in the future because they won't be productive from my perspective.

So, are you willing to continue on an adult to adult level going forward?

Peace
DT

 

[Derideo_Te]

I can reach this trance state whenever I have a massage and afterwards it can feel like I reached the same "high" that I used to get when I was stoned on marijuana.

Hahaha.. that was good…
But yes, you can. The power is within, we just don't know it yet how to use it. That will come in due time as our evolution warrants it and we would not abuse the power inherently carried with such "knowledge"

All natural and perfectly legal with no need for any holy books, prayers or hymns.

Those holy books carry a second layer of message not understood by most of us. However, study upon ancient philosophy and the torch bearers of such throughout the ages will reveal some of those principles and gives an AHA!!! moment. Prayers, if they are done earnestly are very close to meditations. Of course people most of the time pray for getting something and most of the times don't get a thing if the prayer is superficial. Hymns and rituals are setting the stage of the elevated mindset as we all know that the frequency, as of resonation of sound, triggers certain emotional responses. When you go to a concert with real pipe organ you feel it.

Achieving a meditative trance state is relatively straightforward but it does require mental discipline.

TV and video games are the wrong kind of stimulation if that is the mental state you want to reach.

In fact they will probably hinder you more than help you.

I am not sure. If you try to control the flow of thoughts you have to make some effort. Most of the time my mind is jumping from thought to thought like it is a huge cluster fuck. If you focus on the theme of your meditation, sooner or later some other thoughts irrelevant to your focus will jump in, you need to "reset" your mind.
Even if I do not participate, I do support peaceful religions. I defend them, but I do not agree when one tries to force it on me. That's what caused and still causes a lot of problems world wide. I try not to offend people's religious beliefs, not to desecrate their religious symbols and artifacts. I am not an atheist in a sense that I do not believe in anything because I do believe in a higher power what we as humans are an integrated part of. I do not pray for a bike for Christmas.

Achieving a meditative state means focusing your mind on something serene. Imagining yourself in a quiet place, a pool of water, gentle lapping sounds, warmth from the sun on your face. Your body relaxes, beginning with your toes, your feet, your calves, etc, etc.

If you can do that then the rest just sort of happens. Or at least it does for me.

I agree that imposing religious beliefs is the root of many problems worldwide. Would that it were otherwise.

 

[Capstone]

...It's about Faith and revelation. ...

I understand the importance of "Faith" (capital F and all) to your Christian belief system. After all, your claimed "reliance on God, and no one else" must be held as above and beyond the many mundane instances in which lower-case faith prevails in your daily activities. Can't be conflating the reliability of...say, a well-maintained Toyota, with that of your invisible buddy, now can we? Yes, this theoretical transcendence of "Faith in [the] religious sense" is one of the foundational principles on which the cardhouse of Christian teachings has been pieced together, one shabby card at a time.

I'll have to ask you to elaborate regarding "revelation", though; and if possible, please keep the hearsay to a minimum and focus on the nature of your own revelatory 'experiences'.

...Are you a born again Christian?

I'm not a Christian.

However, as a theistic monist (or 'pantheist', if you like), I do believe in a form of reincarnation. Of course, this perpetual rebirthing process bears no resemblance to the "born again" doctrine on which your question was based.

 

[onefour1]

1 Faith being the first principle in revealed religion, and the foundation of all righteousness, necessarily claims the first place in a course of lectures which are designed to unfold to the understanding the doctrine of Jesus Christ.

2 In presenting the subject of faith, we shall observe the following order:

3 First, Faith itself—what it is:

4 Secondly, The object on which it rests; and

5 Thirdly, The effects which flow from it.

6 Agreeably to this order we have first to show what faith is.

7 The author of the epistle to the Hebrews, in the eleventh chapter of that epistle, and first verse, gives the following definition of the word faith:

8 Now faith is the substance [assurance] of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

9 From this we learn, that faith is the assurance which men have of the existence of things which they have not seen; and the principle of action in all intelligent beings.

10 If men were duly to consider themselves, and turn their thoughts and reflections to the operations of their own minds, they would readily discover that it is faith, and faith only, which is the moving cause of all action, in them; that without it, both mind and body would be in a state of inactivity, and all their exertions would cease, both physical and mental.

11 Were this class to go back and reflect upon the history of their lives, from the period of their first recollection, and ask themselves, what principle excited them to action, or what gave them energy and activity, in all their lawful avocations, callings and pursuits, what would be the answer? Would it not be that it was the assurance which we had of the existence of things which we had not seen, as yet?—Was it not the hope which you had, in consequence of your belief in the existence of unseen things, which stimulated you to action and exertion, in order to obtain them? Are you not dependent on your faith, or belief, for the acquisition of all knowledge, wisdom and intelligence? Would you exert yourselves to obtain wisdom and intelligence, unless you did believe that you could obtain them? Would you have ever sown if you had not believed that you would reap? Would you have ever planted if you had not believed that you would gather? Would you have ever asked unless you had believed that you would receive? Would you have ever sought unless you had believed that you would have found? Or would you have ever knocked unless you had believed that it would have been opened unto you? In a word, is there any thing that you would have done, either physical or mental, if you had not previously believed? Are not all your exertions, of every kind, dependent on your faith? Or may we not ask, what have you, or what do you possess, which you have not obtained by reason of your faith? Your food, your raiment, your lodgings, are they not all by reason of your faith? Reflect, and ask yourselves, if these things are not so. Turn your thoughts on your own minds, and see if faith is not the moving cause of all action in yourselves; and if the moving cause in you, is it not in all other intelligent beings?

12 An as faith is the moving cause of all action in temporal concerns, so it is in spiritual; for the Savior has said, and that truly, that he that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved. (Mark 16:16)

13 As we receive by faith, all temporal blessings that we do receive, so we, in like manner, receive by faith all spiritual blessings, that we do receive. But faith is not only the principle of action, but of power, also, in all intelligent beings, whether in heaven, or on earth. Thus says the author of the epistle to the Hebrews. (11:3):

14 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God: so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

15 By this we understand that the principle of power, which existed in the bosom of God, by which the worlds were framed, was faith; and that it is by reason of this principle of power, existing in the Deity, that all created things exist—so that all things in heaven, on earth, or under the earth, exist by reason of faith, as it existed in HIM.

16 Had it not been for the principle of faith the worlds would never have been framed, neither would man have been formed of the dust—it is the principle by which Jehovah works, and through which he exercises power over all temporal, as well as eternal things. Take this principle or attribute, (for it is an attribute) from the Deity and he would cease to exist.

17 Who cannot see, that if God framed the worlds by faith, that it is by faith that he exercises power over them, and that faith is the principle of power? And that if the principle of power, it must be so in man as well as in the Deity? This is the testimony of all the sacred writers, and the lesson which they have been endeavoring to teach to man.

18 The Savior says, (Matthew 17:19-20), in explaining the reason why the disciples could not cast out the devil, that it was because of their unbelief: "For verily, I say unto you," said he, "if ye have faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place! and it shall remove: and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

19 Moroni, while abridging and compiling the record of his fathers, has given us the following account of faith as the principle of power: He says, in Ether 12:13, that it was the faith of Alma and Amulek which caused the walls of the prison to be wrent, as recorded in Alma 14:23-29; it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi which caused a change to be wrought upon the hearts of the Lamanites, when they were immersed with the Holy Spirit, and with fire, as seen in Helaman 5:37-50; and that it was by faith that the mountain Zerin was removed, when the brother of Jared spake in the name of the Lord. See also Ether 12:30.

20 In addition to this we are told in Hebrews, 11:32-35, that Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens; and that women received their dead raised to life again, etc.

21 Also, Joshua, in the sight of all Israel, bade the sun and moon to stand still, and it was done. (Joshua 10:12)

22 We here understand, that the sacred writers say, that all these things were done by faith—It was by faith that the worlds were framed—God spake, chaos heard, and worlds came into order, by reason of the faith there was in HIM. So with man also—he spake by faith in the name of God, and the sun stood still, the moon obeyed, mountains removed, prisons fell, lions' mouths were closed, the human heart lost its enmity, fire its violence, armies their power, the sword its terror, and death its dominion; and all this by reason of the faith which was in them.

23 Had it not been for the faith which was in man, they might have spoken to the sun, the moon, the mountains, prisons, lions, the human heart, fire, armies, the sword, or to death in vain!

24 Faith, then, is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion, and authority over all things: by it they exist, by it they are upheld, by it they are changed, or by it they remain, agreeably to the will of God. Without it, there is no power, and without power there could be no creation, nor existence!

- Joseph Smith

 

[Abishai100]

Anthropology of Civilization

What is the difference between etiquette or social grace (kindness/leadership) and faith (patience/trust)?

Capitalism certainly requires teamwork to ward off the Devil of profiteerism --- the robber baron.

The fictional comic book super-villain Kingpin (Marvel Comics) is a diabolical tycoon with dreams of power.

Comic books comprise a key field of modern art, a populism-pedestrianism friendly field which includes street graffiti, vernacular poetry, and animation.

What does art (i.e., modern art) tell us about the contours between norm/etiquette negotiation and contract intelligence?




Comic Book Villains

Etiquette Humor (Gender)

 

[PratchettFan]

What is your opinion of Faith....?

High functioning trust and belief?
Or just unwillingness and/or inability to think on your own?

Does faith necessitate "turning your brain off"?
Is it necessarily "ignorant" to confess or believe that there is a person of God that knows more than you do, and that you can not possibly know as much as he does?

I suppose it depends upon what people mean by faith. When faced with a condition of total ignorance, any guess is as good as another. Since you have nothing upon which to base any conclusion at all, then coming to a conclusion that feels right to you is the best way to go. And that is faith - at least to me. To accept what you feel is right when you have nothing else to go on.

Where faith stops being faith and becomes more of a desperate clutching to a comfort blanket is when you actually do have something to go on, something objective, but reject it because it does not conform with one's faith. That, in my opinion, is not faith at all. Just an unwillingness to accept reality.

 

[PratchettFan]

Sooner we call religious faith the mental illness it is and force treatment on those claiming such illness, er, faith, sooner the world will get well. So long as we're cursed with religion, we're going to suffer for it.

Up to this point, the world has had religion. Given the general state of things, I'm all for trying to get rid of it.

I think you are up to something there. Homosexual behavior used to be considered as mental illness, now it is not. Times are changing. These changes are not necessarily the right ones though.

Sometimes I don't think times are changing at all.
People in ancient times engaged in homosexuality and many civilizations did not find it shocking or offensive.
People would watch Christian's get killed and eaten by lions... FOR FUN! Like going to see a movie or baseball game! The United States is just on the moral decline and depravity "trail" - like many others before it.

Rome didn't fall until Christianity became the state religion and the multi-religion society was banned.

Rome became Christian because it was falling, not fall because it became Christian.

 

[PratchettFan]

"Faith makes things possible", or so the writing on my favorite coffee mug tells me. Viewing "faith" as a synonym for 'confidence' (overly simplistic though this may be) the truth of the aphorism has seemingly been borne out by personal experience. Barring faith in the reliability of the apparent effects of gravity and the solidity of the ground beneath my feet, the intentionality behind my very first steps in life may not have been possible, even though I knew nothing about the specifics of 'gravity' or 'solidity' at the time I took those wobbly steps. The immediate effects in the world adjacent to my toddling body were such that knowledge of the details of their inner workings wasn't necessary to prompt my intention to make it on my own two feet from the corner of the couch to my mother's waiting arms. I didn't know what they were called or even that they existed as autonomous physical principles, but I was nonetheless intimately acquainted with their effects and this acquaintenceship defined the parameters of 'possible actions' in relation to the intention in my budding mind.

How this relates to religious faith can be seen most clearly in the distinctions between the respective natures of the things in which believers and non-believers tend to place their most cherished confidences.

Faith is reliance.

Faith in a religious sense is reliance on God, and no one else.

Not necessarily. There is more than one religion, or even three religions.

 

[PratchettFan]

Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable.... A man full of faith is simply one who has lost (or never had) the capacity for clear and realistic thought. He is not a mere ass: he is actually ill.
— H L Mencken, Prejudices, ch. 14, “The Believer” Third Series (1922), also New York Times Magazine, September 11, 1955

Yes. He truly believed that. What faith.

 

[PratchettFan]

I can reach this trance state whenever I have a massage and afterwards it can feel like I reached the same "high" that I used to get when I was stoned on marijuana.

Hahaha.. that was good…
But yes, you can. The power is within, we just don't know it yet how to use it. That will come in due time as our evolution warrants it and we would not abuse the power inherently carried with such "knowledge"

All natural and perfectly legal with no need for any holy books, prayers or hymns.

Those holy books carry a second layer of message not understood by most of us. However, study upon ancient philosophy and the torch bearers of such throughout the ages will reveal some of those principles and gives an AHA!!! moment. Prayers, if they are done earnestly are very close to meditations. Of course people most of the time pray for getting something and most of the times don't get a thing if the prayer is superficial. Hymns and rituals are setting the stage of the elevated mindset as we all know that the frequency, as of resonation of sound, triggers certain emotional responses. When you go to a concert with real pipe organ you feel it.

Achieving a meditative trance state is relatively straightforward but it does require mental discipline.

TV and video games are the wrong kind of stimulation if that is the mental state you want to reach.

In fact they will probably hinder you more than help you.

I am not sure. If you try to control the flow of thoughts you have to make some effort. Most of the time my mind is jumping from thought to thought like it is a huge cluster fuck. If you focus on the theme of your meditation, sooner or later some other thoughts irrelevant to your focus will jump in, you need to "reset" your mind.
Even if I do not participate, I do support peaceful religions. I defend them, but I do not agree when one tries to force it on me. That's what caused and still causes a lot of problems world wide. I try not to offend people's religious beliefs, not to desecrate their religious symbols and artifacts. I am not an atheist in a sense that I do not believe in anything because I do believe in a higher power what we as humans are an integrated part of. I do not pray for a bike for Christmas.

Achieving a meditative state means focusing your mind on something serene. Imagining yourself in a quiet place, a pool of water, gentle lapping sounds, warmth from the sun on your face. Your body relaxes, beginning with your toes, your feet, your calves, etc, etc.

If you can do that then the rest just sort of happens. Or at least it does for me.

I agree that imposing religious beliefs is the root of many problems worldwide. Would that it were otherwise.

As has been said, religion is not faith. Religion is a social construct, just like government. It is an essential part of any society, just like government. It is, in my opinion, the second half of a social cohesion found in all human societies, the first half being government. Faith is entirely personal.

 

[Abishai100]

Media Ministers

Graffiti is considered modern art when it speaks to pedestrian concerns about expressionism.

Comic book stories which present vigilantism fantasies have been adapted into many big-budget Hollywood (USA) movies.such as "Iron Man" (2008). These movies represent a modern focus on populism flowery and can be likened to high-quality 'bubble gum graffiti.'

Society perspectives on 'customs dialogue' (i.e., populism-focused art) reveals a civilization fingerprint on sentimentalism (and hence perhaps on spiritualism).

The new nerd is the etiquette analyst, so faith has become a talk-topic for radio DJs.




Gotham City (DC Comics)