xjwsforChrist

LEANN SAID

Ok I did not forget.

Not sure where to begin.. so bear with me please.

On a different thread there was a topic about collective consciousness. It works very similar to what we would call pheromones. Pheromones are like biological signals to each other. They are chemical reactions that emit from our body and are picked up by other humans. For example women who spend a lot of time with each other release pheromones and over a period of time their bodies sync their menstral periods. The collective conscious also exchanges energies and chemical reactions with each other but through a different plane of chemical reactions. Ever been around someone who is either upset or in a bad mood. Doesnt take long until you feel like them? You absord energy that they emited. In our brain, we have certain neurons called 'empathy' neurons. They are made to 'mimic'. That is why were capable of feeling others emotional energy. We truely all are connected.

Aguest you mentioned on a different thread that it is not just the mind, but also a whole person. I agree... just as out body works to exist and grow, and build, so does our spiritual body at the same time. But instead of working off physical, such as minerals, elements, carbon, and phosphate, it works with what I will call spiritual elements. If different elements exist than certain chemical reactions take place. Energy can be produced or absorbed.

Many of these chemical reactions and products are illustrated using things that we can identify with. Such as light, water, bread, blood, breath, and oil. Certain conditions must apply, such as love, hate, faith, ect.

I think I will stop there for now.. gonna run to work.. will come back and talk about why water is such a unique properity, and why it is chosen it illustrate things in the spiritual world.

Much love to you all

GLADIATOR SAID




Variety is the spice of life!



Your observation is a good phrase to remember. Your logical approach to science & politics coupled with your interest in spiritual things has been of benefit to me.


Mmm - more information please.




Over the last year or so, I have read through most of your posts on the other forum, though rarely got involved. Your non judgemental approach to those with different faiths and those with none at all has helped many to examine your beliefs in a way they otherwise would not have.



Very profound! I see that you make a distinction between Religious and spiritual. This is an important distinction because many people have a sense that there is more to our existence than meets the eye but do not want to get involved in a particular religion.
I generally read through all your posts but as you can type faster than I can read I sometime fail to reach the end.




This is true. Though provided people are willing to discuss and really listen to each other, there is much we can learn through debate.



True - what we now consider spiritual beliefs may one day be a part of mainstream science. This leads on to defining what individuals perceive God to be. The number of options are truly staggering. No doubt they will be thrashed out on this board. Hope to hear more from you more of you.

*****************

Mainstream religion has not always supported science and tends to be a stumbling block for some people who have a scientific leaning. I am pleasantly surprised at the general agreement that Science and religion are not ideally compatible but science and spirituality are potentially compatible.

So perhaps we are exploring whether science and spirituality are compatible?

YPPUPLLEH SAID

Gregor Mendel is the father of of Mendelian Genetics he paved the way towards understanding dominant/recessive traits via peas and bees

Science and religion do not have to be separate. Science is a method, religion is a belief.
_________________
Love is a warm rubber puppy...

PAULSACRAMENTO SAID

I think that because of the bad rap the name "religion" has gotten over the years that it may be more "PC" to use the term spirituality because it carries less negative connotations.
Fact is that the moment you put a "form" to spirituality it becomes a religion.
Religion is nothing more than a collection of ideas.

re·li·gion
   [ri-lij-uhn] Show IPA
noun
1.
a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2.
a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3.
the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.
4.
the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.
5.
the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

A rose by any other name and all that.

GLADIATOR SAID

PaulSacramento, I used to use the word religion freely in relation to Christians until both tec and Aguest assured me they are not religions. By this they mean they believe through personal revelation and don't belong to any particular sect or group interpretation of Christianity. Hence the forum name 'xjwsforChrist - Non-Religious Christian Spirituality.' As you say, "the moment you put a "form" to spirituality it becomes a religion."

Although I have an interest in spiritual things I am not religious. If my search were to take me me further along a spiritual path and I adopted a particular prescribed set of teachings or ritual, such as Zen Buddhism, then I would be considered religious. Of course many claim that pure Buddhism is a philosophy. As with so many words they becomes a matter of interpretation and intention.

AGUEST SAID




Okay, I know I can sometimes seem... ummmm... "contentious" and maybe even disagreeable, so I must ask you to further extend your always very kind patience with me when I try to explain why I don't (can't) agree with this, dear one (the greatest of love and peace to you!).

Yeah, part of it may be the negative track record of religion; however, when I try to explain my... ummmmm... situation/experience(s), etc., I really cannot hold them up in the light of "religion." I've "done" religion and it is nothing in comparison to spirituality... and has very little in common with it. IMHO, religion is something I DO...

... via a set of rituals and practices done as to or in connection with something I think or believe. And... always by choice. So, I can change my "religion".

SPIRITUAL, however, is something I AM (we all are)... and not CHOOSE to be... regardless of what I do/believe/practice/think. It has absolutely nothing to do with religion (except that perhaps religion might lead one to contemplate that one IS spiritual because it asks one to look beyond the physical, albeit not often accurately). Unlike religion, though, spirituality, then, is NOT something I can change. I mean, I can change... as to, say, my awareness of being a spirit being (and thus, become more in tune with that part of myself, utilize its abilities more/less... as to seeing, hearing, etc.,... as I can with, say, my physical attributes (muscles, senses, etc.). But I cannot decide not to be a spirit being.

I also can't go from being a spirit being to a non-spirit being (contrary to what the WTBTS says - LOLOL!). Indeed, it is virtually the only thing about ourselves that we CAN'T change - it is what it is. ALL living things are spirit beings... enslaved in physical vessels.

We can alter that vessel until we are no longer the same size, height, gender, have the same appearance (cornea transplant) or the same organs, etc. But we can't alter the spirit in any empirical way. We can only recognize it (and, in doing so, further cultivate its abilities)... or deny it. I can, however, go from being a physical being to a spirit being (by means of holy spirit, though, and not on my own - it's how some of the writers came to be "in spirit", or "inspired").

So, for me, to describe myself as "religious" is not only inaccurate, it's very limiting. It only states that I have a particular set of beliefs. Sets of beliefs often deny God, Christ, and the benefits of science, though. The spirit that I am, however, cannot deny any of these... because they are all TRUTH. My RELIGION could deny each one of these, if I allow it. The spirit that I am, however, cannot. Regardless of what I want... or what others think or say about that.

I realize that to some, this may seem like semantics. I don't think it is. I think that while some might say, "You're just calling cats and dogs something different, but both are animals," my position is that I'm not talking about cats and dogs, at all. I'm talking about cattle... the living kind... and the constructed "golden" kind. For me one is real... and the other is not.

And, yes, I do realize that, given the times we live in and the plethora of religious beliefs and practices... taking issue with golden calves might not be PC - LOLOLOL! I apologize to any who so worship and might be offended... but I would caution you that you might wanna rethink that form of worship - LOLOL!

Again, peace to you (all)!

Your servant, sister, and fellow slave of Christ,

SA

P.S. I was JUST about to click on "submit"... and I our Lord said to me: "'Religion' is man's word and man's construct, child. It is not a part of my kingdom. The system of the Law and priesthood given Israel by my Father was because of their lack of faith. They did not NEED a 'visible representation' until they showed that the Law (of love) was NOT written on their hearts, rendering them unable to walk by faith. They needed a "golden calf"... something to see/touch with their physical senses... so as to know how to conduct themselves with one another and in glory and honor of the Father... something my servant Abraham knew. Because of their hard-heartedness... such that the Law could NOT be written and put IN them... they were given a replica of what already existed and was to come again... but outside of themselves. Had they softened their hearts upon seeing my Father's salvation for them, none of it would have been needed or done. Each one would have walked after the Most Holy One... without the need to be guided by another man. Had they followed me, none of it would have been necessary. They did not... because their hearts were hard. Man's heart has grown even harder today... even among Israel. And so man has 'religion'." I have shared it with you just as I received it from him, dear one. Peace!

PAULSACRAMENTO SAID

As always me dear sister, you make your point in a way I can understand.
And Yes, I agree that the term religious is far more limiting than spiritual.
My point was simply that the TERM in of itself means very little other than:


Lets not forget that for some, the term spirituality has some negative connotations as well.

I am religious because I do have a set of beliefs about the universe, God and so forth.
Am I spiritual?
That depends of what one views as spiritual I guess.

AGUEST SAID




LOLOL! Thank you for that, dear Glad (peace to you!). We were REALLY concerned about that, what to "name" the site (indeed, even having a site - look how long that was in the making - LOL!). We chose the name and description solely as a means to give those coming out of the WTBTS some way of knowing where perhaps others "like" them (rejection the religion but wishing to maintain their faith and cultivate a relationship with God through Christ) might be. Might. Might not. LOLOL!

If we had called it, say, "Body of Christ" or "Congregation of the Firstborn" or "Anointed... whatever", etc., although others might find the site interesting most JWs/exJWs would probably run for the hills - LOLOL!

There really isn't an appropriate label for those like us anymore. "Christians" should suffice but the modern term is SO far removed from what it initially meant and depicted/represented... and has had SO much reproach heaped on it... as well as brought reproach on God and Christ... that I often cringe when the capitalized version is applied to me. Like the term "colored." I truly feel the same way when someone tries to identify me in the "mainstream" way.

Also, religions tend to have earthly leaders/spokespersons as well as structured institutions. The form of worship that Christ established did not. In spite of what some of the writings indicate took place among the early Body. It wasn't supposed to. Matthew 23:8-12

But thanks, truly, for helping clarify. Please, PLEASE... ANYONE who visits/posts here: if you even THINK we LOOK like we're heading in the direction of a religion... SPEAK UP. PLEASE. Because apparently it's not that hard to do - LOL!

Peace!
_________________
Paz a todos!

Su sirviente, compañera de estudios, y un esclava de Cristo,

SA

AGUEST SAID

I hear you, dear P, truly! Thank you for hearing me - (<-- that's a smiley - unfortunately, the emoticons aren't working for me right now - Arrgghh..)

Peace to you!

YSSFS of Christ,

Shel

GLADIATOR SAID

Religion explores another dimension. It could be that there is only one dimension but most people only experience a limited part of that dimension. When someone explains that they have experience something that is outside of someone else’s experience or understanding they are often scoffed at or called delusional.

Determined not to fall into another trap having climbed out of the Jehovah's Witness pit, I have been sceptical myself. Not a bad thing in the short term as it allows an escapee to get his or her bearings and adjust to a new landscape.

In the longer term a braver and more open approach to life and learning avoids locking too many doors that may lead to something of value. As science learns more about how the universe works and what it is made of, many boundaries and barriers are removed.

Physicists Find Elusive Particle Seen as Key to Universe

“According to the Standard Model, the Higgs boson is the only manifestation of an invisible force field, a cosmic molasses that permeates space and imbues elementary particles with mass... Without the Higgs field, as it is known, or something like it, all elementary forms of matter would zoom around at the speed of light, flowing through our hands like moonlight. There would be neither atoms nor life.

Physicists said that they would probably be studying the new particle for years. Any deviations from the simplest version predicted by current theory — and there are hints of some already — could begin to answer questions left hanging by the Standard Model. For example, what is the dark matter that provides the gravitational scaffolding of galaxies?
And why is the universe made of matter instead of antimatter?

“If the boson really is not acting standard, then that will imply that there is more to the story — more particles, maybe more forces around the corner,” Neal Weiner, a theorist at New York University, wrote in an e-mail. “What that would be is anyone’s guess at the moment.”

AGUEST SAID

This was an exciting event for me, dear Glad (peace to you!), although, like many physicists, I wish they wouldn't call it "The God Particle" because many attempt to use that misnomer to support their theories against a Creator... even though that is not what Mr. Higgs had in mind, at all:

"The Higgs boson is named for Peter Higgs who, along with two other teams, proposed the mechanism that suggested such a particle in 1964 and was the only one to explicitly predict the massive particle and identify some of its theoretical properties. In mainstream media it is often referred to as "the God particle", after the title of Leon Lederman's book on the topic (1993). Although the proposed particle is both important and elusive, the epithet is strongly disliked by many physicists, who regard it as inappropriate sensationalism since the particle has nothing to do with God nor any mystical associations, and because the term is misleading : the crucial focus of study is to learn how the symmetry breaking mechanism takes place in nature — the search for the boson is part of, and a key step towards, this goal." wiki/Higgs_boson

It is one of the "issues" I must take with some in the scientific field and/or their loyalists. Same thing with "evolution of the species"... which I heartily accept as to plants and beasts (but not man; there is, after all, only one species of homo sapiens): it is not the same thing as evolution of the phylum, class, order, family... or even genus. It is often pushed that it does, though.

We live in exciting times, dear ones. Well, exciting for us... and our time - LOL!

Peace!
_________________
Paz a todos!

Su sirviente, compañera de estudios, y un esclava de Cristo,

SA

GLADIATOR SAID

Could be worse AGuest!

"The Higgs boson, proposed by Peter Higgs in 1964, is if it exists what gives matter mass. It has also been named the name God particle by American physicist Leon Lederman. "He wanted to refer to it as that 'goddamn particle' and his editor wouldn't let him,"

PAULSACRAMENTO SAID

The more we understand about energy and matter, the more we learn how what we THOUGHT may not be how things ARE.
One day we may even discover and prove that energy CAN be manipulated into matter, just as matter can become energy.

TEC SAID

Absolutely! I look forward to that day

Peace,
tammy

AGUEST SAID




LOLOLOLOL... yes, I've read that, dear P (peace to you, and thanks for taking it further! LOL!). I, too, am looking forward to what might be "discovered", as well as perhaps UNcovered!

Peace!
_________________
Paz a todos!

Su sirviente, compañera de estudios, y un esclava de Cristo,

SA