What is spirituality?

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The Bible is the only source of Spirituality that is Godly.
With all due respect, Douglas, there's more to spirituality than the Bible. Considering you stated earlier that your grandmother is ½ Cherokee, I would imagine this is something you might be able to understand. Having Aboriginal ancestry myself, I know they didn't read the bible, not to mention that I also have Métis friends and from what I've experienced with them, I consider them spiritual people, as would they.
 
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With all due respect, Douglas, there's more to spirituality than the Bible. Considering you stated earlier that your grandmother is ½ Cherokee, I would imagine this is something you might be able to understand. Having Aboriginal ancestry myself, I know they didn't read the bible, not to mention that I also have Métis friends and from what I've experienced with them, I consider them spiritual people, as would they.
You missed the Point...I said The Bible is the only Spirituality That is Godly.
 

Red Sky at Morning

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I wonder if the relationship of "spirituality" to God is perhaps as hunger is to food.

The feeling is not the object, but it tells you something of the interelationship between the two. Perhaps our own spirituality in simply an expression of the yearning we have for something beyond, and styles of expression will vary from culture to culture.

Just as the destination is the most important part of a holiday, so the object of our spirituality is ultimately much more interesting than our own human expressions?
 
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I wonder if the relationship of "spirituality" to God is perhaps as hunger is to food.

The feeling is not the object, but it tells you something of the interelationship between the two. Perhaps our own spirituality in simply an expression of the yearning we have for something beyond, and styles of expression will vary from culture to culture.

Just as the destination is the most important part of a holiday, so the object of our spirituality is ultimately much more interesting than our own human expressions?
I agree with the first two sections as it can be viewed that way. That's not say I'm the authority on spirituality because I'm not, however, I can understand your interpretation of it being a yearning, a quest, or feeling as you say, for something more than what we have, or are. I don't see spirituality as an object, per se. I see it more of an understanding... a universal knowing that we are all part of something bigger than what are thoughts tell us. I once heard the phrase, "There is a truth beyond knowledge", and I think describes spirituality rather well.
 

Red Sky at Morning

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I agree with the first two sections as it can be viewed that way. That's not say I'm the authority on spirituality because I'm not, however, I can understand your interpretation of it being a yearning, a quest, or feeling as you say, for something more than what we have, or are. I don't see spirituality as an object, per se. I see it more of an understanding... a universal knowing that we are all part of something bigger than what are thoughts tell us. I once heard the phrase, "There is a truth beyond knowledge", and I think describes spirituality rather well.
I think the observation that there are some things can be true beyond our capacity to comprehend fully is exactly what you might expect from finite humans trying to comprehend an infinite God.
 
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...and that's according to you and your experiences.
You must be born again...Then you would have the experience. Every other experience of the Indian who by the creation itself, is a witness that there is a God and has a spiritual experience with nature, can know God personally...You must be born again. The first man is from the earth, but God did not create that that He wanted, but we are a seed of what God will finish as Spiritual. Flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Romans Chapter 1; 1 Corinthians Chapter 15)
 
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You must be born again...Then you would have the experience. Every other experience of the Indian who by the creation itself, is a witness that there is a God and has a spiritual experience with nature, can know God personally...You must be born again. The first man is from the earth, but God did not create that that He wanted, but we are a seed of what God will finish as Spiritual. Flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Romans Chapter 1; 1 Corinthians Chapter 15)
Douglas, do you know you've posted the phrase “born again” 144 times? I was curious to know how many times you use it because you use it quite often. If that’s your belief, then so be it, but I made this thread, as I stated in the OP, to discuss spirituality, not to quote the bible. There’s a plethora of threads on here that do that so please feel free to post them in there.

Your forced proselytizing methods do not and will not, further the discussion of this thread.
 

DesertRose

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“When you fall in love with a work of art, you’d die to meet the artist. I am a student of the galleries of Pacific sunsets, full moon rises on the ocean, the clouds from an airplane, autumn forests in Raleigh, first fallen snows.
And I’m dying to meet the artist.”
― Yasmin Mogahed
 
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Religion is that which binds the Church (community of believers) to God.

Spirituality is that which makes the believer seek the original shape of Man.
 
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Douglas, do you know you've posted the phrase “born again” 144 times? I was curious to know how many times you use it because you use it quite often. If that’s your belief, then so be it, but I made this thread, as I stated in the OP, to discuss spirituality, not to quote the bible. There’s a plethora of threads on here that do that so please feel free to post them in there.

Your forced proselytizing methods do not and will not, further the discussion of this thread.
I repeat it because, you must be born again...That is Spirituality! That is not what I believe, that is what happens to the born again believer. You wanted to discuss Spirituality, but only the way you think it. I and every born again believer have received it. So you are discussing Spirituality apart from Scripture...is that what you are saying?
 

yiksmes

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The thing is, we weren't born with them so if we look deep within, we can find those intrinsic instructions ourselves if we're willing to look.
May i add that if we're willing to look, we should be extra careful and cautious.

Because if we take the route of meditations on chakras to reach your higher self,
some might reach that stage, that spiritual world where you find your higher self.
But it could be another entity posing as your higher self and misguide you.
It's another world that we dont know about, the spiritual world... Some might get enlightened, some might get possessed and think that they are enlightened...

On one hand, maybe this is the true way (this spirituality)
But on the other, this is the playing with fire that some religions warn us against.. (spirits or jinn in Islamic concept)

I used to be into this stuff, i think i mentioned it before in some other posts or maybe in a previous version of this forum.
So i apologise for repeating myself..

I used to do those meditation and breathing exercises and trying to open my chakras
and i actually reached some of my goals like lucid dreams, started seeing auras in colour although still at pretty early stage..
When i just started practicing, i kind of astral traveled, but it freaked me out so i thought it was because i smoked weed that time so i decided i stop smoking and might come back to it later... (came to that conclusion after some internet research)

But the thing is, one of my goals was to better myself, embarrassing to say this in a public forum but i always dreamed about being one of those with a pure heart.
And i read that if you concentrate mostly on opening up the heart chakra, a person can become more kind, more empathetic and actually become pure hearted...
After some practice and after i achieved those few goals i mentioned, i noticed a change in me.
I actually became less empathetic! Example of that would be:

I heard some very sad news that happened to someone, and i know that the old reaction within me would be devastated,
but this time when i heard the news, logically i was devastated, but emotionally i was almost nonchalant!
And i noticed it within me straight away.. From that time on every sad news was like that..

I don't know, maybe i just naturally went through changes within 6 months or a year and my heart hardened instead of softened.
I don't know, but it freaked the lights out of me and i still today miss my old self when i was more empathetic not only logically but also emotionally.

I don't know if it's accidental or not, but i just wanted to share my experience because if it wasn't accidental, then i wouldn't want someone to have a bad experience too.

So just try to be extra careful - that's my main message.

All the best.
 

DesertRose

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I don't know, maybe i just naturally went through changes within 6 months or a year and my heart hardened instead of softened.
I don't know, but it freaked the lights out of me and i still today miss my old self when i was more empathetic not only logically but also emotionally.

I don't know if it's accidental or not, but i just wanted to share my experience because if it wasn't accidental, then i wouldn't want someone to have a bad experience too.

So just try to be extra careful - that's my main message.
So glad you dropped in yiksmes
Personally why anyone would want to play in that realm is beyond me.
P.S I think the heart can be softened again :). #334
To be careful is an important message!
 
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Messages
3,578
May i add that if we're willing to look, we should be extra careful and cautious.

Because if we take the route of meditations on chakras to reach your higher self,
some might reach that stage, that spiritual world where you find your higher self.
But it could be another entity posing as your higher self and misguide you.
It's another world that we dont know about, the spiritual world... Some might get enlightened, some might get possessed and think that they are enlightened...

On one hand, maybe this is the true way (this spirituality)
But on the other, this is the playing with fire that some religions warn us against.. (spirits or jinn in Islamic concept)

I used to be into this stuff, i think i mentioned it before in some other posts or maybe in a previous version of this forum.
So i apologise for repeating myself..

I used to do those meditation and breathing exercises and trying to open my chakras
and i actually reached some of my goals like lucid dreams, started seeing auras in colour although still at pretty early stage..
When i just started practicing, i kind of astral traveled, but it freaked me out so i thought it was because i smoked weed that time so i decided i stop smoking and might come back to it later... (came to that conclusion after some internet research)

But the thing is, one of my goals was to better myself, embarrassing to say this in a public forum but i always dreamed about being one of those with a pure heart.
And i read that if you concentrate mostly on opening up the heart chakra, a person can become more kind, more empathetic and actually become pure hearted...
After some practice and after i achieved those few goals i mentioned, i noticed a change in me.
I actually became less empathetic! Example of that would be:

I heard some very sad news that happened to someone, and i know that the old reaction within me would be devastated,
but this time when i heard the news, logically i was devastated, but emotionally i was almost nonchalant!
And i noticed it within me straight away.. From that time on every sad news was like that..

I don't know, maybe i just naturally went through changes within 6 months or a year and my heart hardened instead of softened.
I don't know, but it freaked the lights out of me and i still today miss my old self when i was more empathetic not only logically but also emotionally.

I don't know if it's accidental or not, but i just wanted to share my experience because if it wasn't accidental, then i wouldn't want someone to have a bad experience too.

So just try to be extra careful - that's my main message.

All the best.
I understand where you're coming from yiksmes, and I appreciate you sharing because you never know who could be reading and learning from your experiences.
 
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