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January 02, 2019

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Blogger Brian wrote:

"Dewey strongly objects to this theological trick. He considers that this saps the will of humans to make this world a better place, since their attention is focused on following the tenets of a religion that promises heavenly delights after death, not in this life."

*It seems to me that many Christian groups (I'm not a Christian), for example, try to be of service and make the world a better place through charity, etc. I guess you could say they do this out of selfish motive in order to make sure they get to heaven, but it seems to me a lot of these people really want to do some good just for its own sake.

Which is my point. The religious tend to think a person must believe in a religion, or at least God, in order to be compassionate, ethical, moral or charitable. I don't see that as a prerequisite at all. These things are as much a part of human nature as are their opposites. It depends upon the inherent nature of the individual, their environment and the collective consciousness how these attributes manifest. I see religion as much a catalyst for bad as it is for good.

People seek to find meaning in life via God and religion or some kind of spirituality. I find there is a comfort in not trying to know the truth or meaning of life or where we came from and why and where we are going. Anyone who may have achieved such knowledge, if it is possible to know it as such, has not been able to bestow it upon mankind. So, why struggle for the intangible and the ineffable that may be just that? Just surrender to the void of unknowing. Just turn off your mind, relax and float downstream. It is shinning.

Seems like I heard that line somewhere...?


So, why struggle for the intangible and the ineffable that may be just that? Just surrender to the void of unknowing. Just turn off your mind, relax and float downstream. It is shining

Beautiful. For me personally, it's a reminder of Ishwar Puri's observation
that we speak the truth without really knowing it. He cites the person
who dreaming while asleep suddenly realizes it's all a dream. He shouts
excitedly to other characters in his dream. "It's all a dream".

Then on awakening, he knows he spoke the truth but wasn't really
aware of it. The other characters were phantoms who only lived in
his dream. Had he actually been awake and understood the truth,
he would've know his dream was a chimera, that the dream's cast
of characters was too.

The rub is in that "turn off the mind, relax, float downstream". Mind
is the culprit that "whispers its own truth to you", assigns you a role,
a part you gladly agreed to, creates that convincing fantasy
that you understand. Until you oust Mind from the director's chair
and sit there yourself, you'll be whispering to shadows, telling the
truth without knowing it.

Seventh Day Adventists are the nicest and most kind and charitable people I have ever met. I also like that they are vegetarians and don't drink alcohol or take drugs, very close to the principles of Sant Mat and these are the principles I still stick to.

Its been my experience because my youngest son has married a lovely young woman and she and her family are very sociable and welcoming and I now feel part of their family. They don't talk about their religion, don't ever preach, they just simply adhere to their beliefs and I am very grateful and happy in their company whereas most people I meet nowadays are superficial and self indulgent.

Its so easy to find fault with others and we need more kindness in this world we live in.

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