Understanding The Soul

What needs do mythology and religion serve in today's world and in ancient times? Here we discuss the relationship between mythology, religion and science from mythological, religious and philosophical viewpoints.

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N8N
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Post by N8N »

Oh Douglas you can't be much slower than I. Its a good way to find peace I find. Some people call us lazy indians. And its true I never worked a day in my life. But we say work is something sombody else thinks for you to do play is something you think for yourself to do. So every day I play all day long. We have no gods or magic or ghosts and the like we have now and thats all. Good friend of mine, hard worker works all the overtime he can get got cars and trucks his wife works their children are at school from 3 years old. He says to me Hey what are you doing today? he smiles! I said anything I want how about you? I wake up every day and do what I love. Play with my grandchildren as I did with my children. And I teach them nothing I let them teach me. And my heathens grow wise. No need for me to fill them up with my ideas.

romansh
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Post by romansh »

Neoplato wrote:These Gospel of Thomas quotes seem to fit here nicely:
11 Jesus said, "This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away.
The dead are not alive, and the living will not die. During the days when you ate what is dead, you made it come alive. When you are in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one, you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?"
22 Jesus saw some babies nursing. He said to his disciples, "These nursing babies are like those who enter the kingdom."
They said to him, "Then shall we enter the kingdom as babies?"
Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, when you make eyes in place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then you will enter [the kingdom]."
48 Jesus said, "If two make peace with each other in a single house, they will say to the mountain, 'Move from here!' and it will move."
106 Jesus said, "When you make the two into one, you will become children of Adam, and when you say, 'Mountain, move from here!' it will move."
This gives us a totally different perspective of Christianity. :shock:
Interesting - it's almost as though Jesus is arguing for monism. No wonder Thomas did not make the final cut.

and then there is John 10:30 I and the Father are one.
"That's right!" shouted Vroomfondel, "we demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!"

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Post by Douglas B. Clark »

N8N wrote:Oh Douglas you can't be much slower than I. Its a good way to find peace I find. Some people call us lazy indians. And its true I never worked a day in my life. But we say work is something sombody else thinks for you to do play is something you think for yourself to do. So every day I play all day long. We have no gods or magic or ghosts and the like we have now and thats all. Good friend of mine, hard worker works all the overtime he can get got cars and trucks his wife works their children are at school from 3 years old. He says to me Hey what are you doing today? he smiles! I said anything I want how about you? I wake up every day and do what I love. Play with my grandchildren as I did with my children. And I teach them nothing I let them teach me. And my heathens grow wise. No need for me to fill them up with my ideas.
NBN,

Sounds to me like you live in the moment. I am learning something about that right now. In the last year I have expanded what I do to include event cinematography which requires being in the moment, otherwise you miss the life that is happening all around you.

Douglas

N8N
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Post by N8N »

Yes that is right Douglas I don't know there is much difference between a dream and a memory. We are kind of a backwards people we just see things differently is all in words I see pictures like I mentioned above.We have no religion or dogmas.. we sing as we pass through time. I never undrestood working for a living. My life is all I can call mine and my words are my thoughts and trading that for paper notes so I can work for another for 30 years to buy a house or a car that will fall apart after its paid for? No I like to sing and dance with my children. I winder when you are gone and you meet whoever you think it is that is waiting for you. Will he ask you how much money you made or how often did you dance and sing with your wife and children? As chief you are measured but how much you give not how much you have. And I am proud to say I have nothing.

I come here and read and there are many many people here that have fine words and ideals I come to find nuggets of wisdom But I will try to leave more than I found which is going to be next to impossible in this forum. Especially when what I say comes out backwards most of the time.

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Post by Neoplato »

Interesting - it's almost as though Jesus is arguing for monism. No wonder Thomas did not make the final cut.

and then there is John 10:30 I and the Father are one. - Romansh
What's also interesting is that the notion didn't die out over a couple thousand years. No matter how many book burnings or inquisitions, the notion doesn't fade away.

It's just ignored. :(
Infinite moment, grants freedom of winter death, allows life to dawn.

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Post by jonsjourney »

What's also interesting is that the notion didn't die out over a couple thousand years. No matter how many book burnings or inquisitions, the notion doesn't fade away.

It's just ignored. -Neo
I think that a lot of people who go through a seriously introspective process combined with scholarship on spirituality come to believe in, or maybe better said, "accept" or subscribe to, some form of monism. But because it is very open in the respect that there is no formal organizational dogma (which is a major appeal for many), it tends to be a quieter system of thought. Many scientists who seek some kind of spirituality gravitate toward it, and I also think that many people who have done extensive study in comparative religious thought "get there", as well. So, I would not say it is ignored, or even that it is necessarily "rare", it just isn't the loudest voice on the streets.
"He was a dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher... or, as his wife would have it, an idiot." -Douglas Adams

Neoplato
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Post by Neoplato »

So, I would not say it is ignored, or even that it is necessarily "rare", it just isn't the loudest voice on the streets.-JJ
My concern is that it is not taught. We either have "bow down before the throne of the almighty god and pray that HE does not smite you" and;

"There is no such thing as god. We evolved from monkeys. We are the dominant species on the planet. Now go buy your new car and stimulate the economy."

And there also appears to be an effort to surpress monistic notions as well. I can understand why because these ideas can become dangerous. :twisted:

What's the social solution? Wait until a person becomes dangerous and then lock them up in prison or the "bughouse". But by then it's too late, the damage is already done.
Infinite moment, grants freedom of winter death, allows life to dawn.

jonsjourney
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Post by jonsjourney »

Well, Neo....you can lead a horse to water....

I think that when it comes to this kind of stuff, it cannot be taught, one must come to it on their own. It is entirely possible that a person could be taught monism and then in their explorations reject it and come to a monotheism like Islam because they like the rigidity of it.

I have the same feelings on teaching children about religion. It should be taught as a general, comparative, subject....just like any other subject, with no "value" placed on one over another (ok, so I am not talking about many American education models! :lol:) .

I agree with some of the "aggressive atheists" (even though I disagree with them more often than not) on this point....indoctrinating children in a religion can be a form of abuse. It takes away their freedom to choose the best path for them, which means to struggle, making mistakes, and maybe a bit of flailing about aimlessly. But when it comes to something as important as one's inner spiritual compass, anything less than total self-determination is too much like systemic conformity, for me.
"He was a dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher... or, as his wife would have it, an idiot." -Douglas Adams

Douglas B. Clark
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Post by Douglas B. Clark »

Neoplato wrote:
So, I would not say it is ignored, or even that it is necessarily "rare", it just isn't the loudest voice on the streets.-JJ
My concern is that it is not taught. We either have "bow down before the throne of the almighty god and pray that HE does not smite you" and;

"There is no such thing as god. We evolved from monkeys. We are the dominant species on the planet. Now go buy your new car and stimulate the economy."
Isn't there an unfolding of truth throughout the ages? Whatever truth and understanding may be me thinks it cannot be taught. We can point in the general direction and that is all.

N8N
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Post by N8N »

I've never seen religions as being about god they speak to control and science as a new godless religion.

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Post by Neoplato »

Whatever truth and understanding [/b]may be me thinks it cannot be taught. We can point in the general direction and that is all.-Douglas


I'm not so much talking about "truth and understanding" as much as the concept of monism. My son seems to be okay with it (monism). :wink:
Last edited by Neoplato on Mon Feb 14, 2011 1:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
Infinite moment, grants freedom of winter death, allows life to dawn.

Douglas B. Clark
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Post by Douglas B. Clark »

Neoplato wrote:
Whatever truth and understanding [/b]may be me thinks it cannot be taught. We can point in the general direction and that is all.-Douglas


I'm not so much talking about "truth an understanding" as much as the concept of monism. My son seems to be okay with it (monism). :wink:


Thank you for clarifying, Neo.

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