Spirituality Posting

[wyn]

So. Yeah. zorman32 and arualanne inspired this one.

Besides, it's been a while.

Spirituality posting- for those of you what are small-minded, unwilling to discuss such topics in a calm, rational and mature way, or just plain stupid... well, you might not want to take part. Because really, I will get out my Clue By Four. And then I'll use it. Heh. Please don't make me get out my LiveJournal Etiquette Rules, mmmkay?

For my own part, I look at Spirituality and Religion as two entirely separate things.

Religion is a system of beliefs put in place by man to try and explain the Spiritual- a unique and individual path to be walked by each being which taps into the energy, life-force and beauty of God, The Creator, The Divine, Allah, or whomever you relate to in this regard.

Spirituality does not need Religion to exist as it is already an individual's Spirit Journey. Religion, on the other hand, is a structured base of rules and regulations which tries to define how Spirituality works. As such, it needs at the very least the idea of Spirituality so as to be able to exist.

That being said, I have known a handful of deeply Spiritual people who are not in any way Religious. I have also met several Religious people who have no clue what true Spirituality is.

Now, in a friend's posting, someone brought up the point that he believes it is not possible for one to be spiritual and have a human experience.

I tend to disagree.

For one, I believe that I am a spiritual being having a human experience. I believe that when I die, the meat sack otherwise known as my body will fall off and then act as food for Mother Earth after having received sustenance from her my entire life. As I told arualanne, I kinda like this idea as it makes me happy to realize that there will come a time I can give back even that little amount (granted, there's a ton of other ways to give back to Mother Earth, but I'm not getting into that here as it would just totally derail my train of thought- and we all know where that leads to, heh).

Anywho, in looking upon myself as a Spiritual Being first and foremost, I realize that when I die, my body will remain as my Soul goes on to it's next great adventure, test or lesson needing to be learned. As such, I believe that while I'm a Spiritual Being, I do realize that my body is human- ie, having a "human experience."

Zorman states that by their very nature, spirituality and physicality are in complete opposition to each other, existentially. Yet I have to disagree in that I believe that the more we learn in the physical, the better spirituality is proven. The more complexities we discover in the very foundation of life (cells, mitochondria, atoms, dark matter, etc.), the more it proves to me that life is not simply some big colossal accident that happened when a big pointy rock smashed off of another big pointy rock. Plus, honestly? The Big Bang Theory never made sense to me... because where'd the rocks come from in the first place? Oh, I believe in evolution, but to say that we're just a Cosmic Coincidence... it doesn't make sense to me.

Now I know I have a fairly eclectic group of friends here on my list. There are a couple of atheists/agnostics, a Christian or two and a far greater number who probably identify as pagan or such. More than likely there's one or two of you who identify as something else entirely.

This is open to all of you.

Thoughts, ideas, beliefs, discussions, etc. are all welcome here. I simply ask that you be polite in sharing your beliefs and understand that it might not be that of another. Respect their beliefs as you would ask for your own to be.

After that, feel free to add your two cents worth :)

Comments

[arualanne.livejournal.com]

I don't know.. Medieval times sound good and ren fairs water them down enough to make them fun, but the reality is very different. I don't know that I would like to live there, especially with the women are sort of like property thingy.

[shadows-wolf06.livejournal.com]

Oh hell, I love the ren faires. Partly because they're a mix of fact and fantasy enough to be just to my liking.

I don't really know, though. Back then, things weren't all King Arthur and Lady Guinevere with the romance, danger and magic, I know that much. But it was a much simpler time, one that held more Truth and Honor and Beauty in it's simplicity.

Granted, there was also a lot of killing, pillaging and destruction as well, so I know every good story has it's flip-side.

Still, if we could go back to that *type* of life without the chauvinistic aspects, I think I'd like it far more than this age we're in now.

You take the ignorance, fear and superstition out of it, I'm sure it would be a lot better.

[arualanne.livejournal.com]

lol the living off the earth aspect of the simpler time, I get. Teh fear superstion and ignorance is the part and the crux right now. To take that out of it would give us the tools to become as we are now and I don't think we learned the first time, so why would we take a different turn this time?

Also many of the politics were just as warped if not more due to the fear and superstions.

I think you might have liked Marie Antoinnett, well beyond the let them eat cake (bread) thing as the people were starving. She had a cottage that she used to go to to live like the peasants lived as she found that that was a simple life and in her mind closer to God. I learned of this through my art history classes as there are paintings of her there. I don't know the rest of the theory, but you might find that time period interesting as they artistically had that idea. That simple was good and that peasants embodied that and were noble in their poverty and simplicity. Artistically that was the idea anyway and thus a lot of work out in the fields paintings and what have you.

Also the Franciscan (or at least I think it was that sect I would have to look it up) monks went with simple as well and took it to the extreme with a vow of poverty to keep them closer to the spiritual by denying the physical form many of it's wants and looking to the spiritual needs instead. Good idea, I don't know if their practice or their theory on the spiritual is what I would buy, but simple is sometimes better. I am starting to lean more towards that thought with the more technology becomes a necessity in the population's lives. I think we need to have a sect of the population to preserve the old ways of doing things. To know how to do it all by hand even though the machines are there. Thank goodness for the Amish we could learn a lot from them. Also really yay for holistic health people as we should know more about how to take care of ourselves with what mother nature provides.

[shadows-wolf06.livejournal.com]

Yes, oh yes... If I wouldn't be shunned in Amish society for my beliefs, I would so go join them without regrets. 'Cause seriously? They're about the only ones that have even a slight chance of getting through if this all goes down like I think it's going to.

I know a bit about Marie Antoinette. Never really studied her in depth, though. Maybe I should pick up a couple of books and have a look-see. I like people who bucked the system back then and stood for higher morals and standards.

They still have the Franciscan orders around and about. Most of my childhood was spent around them as my family helped build their Friary about fifteen minutes down the road from here.

Their principles were good to start off with, but even they have become... well, let's just say they've broken off from what the original idea was behind the vow of poverty.

They still rely mainly if not soley on donations given to them by others, at least the Franciscans of the Immaculate do. It's an interesting concept at the very least, that's for sure.

[arualanne.livejournal.com]

that was mainly what I was getting at, the concept, not to uphold these people for following the concept very well, especially Marie as well she didn't seem to understand that it might be noble to be poor, however people aren't noble when they are starving and will resort to violence.

[shadows-wolf06.livejournal.com]

I don't know if noble is the right word to ascribe to the lower class. Most people, given their druthers, would more often than not choose to be rich rather than poor. It's simply that they were born into the circumstances they were which makes them so.

The few people that would choose a more simplistic life over the riches and finery of the modern day world? They're the few I would mark as noble.

[5251962.livejournal.com]

Ah but science is well on the way to making men obsolete. Booy I know quite a few that would be happy if the announcement came down that they managed to make the sperm not only viable, but the babies lived after- and THEN the world goes kerblooey. LOL

Now, see if it breaks down like that, I will know, beyond all doubt that yes, Virginia, the Judeo Christian God is real, and, I will bend over and kiss my ass goodbye. LOL

[shadows-wolf06.livejournal.com]

::snickers::

Men will never be obsolete. Or, well, let's put it this way; the day that they become obsolete, Lucifer will be having a grand ol' time in Hell's Skating Rink. Because if the human species has a say in the matter, that'll be the day hell freezes over, lol.