The fixation on the word god is so restricting. But I did hear it said, if you want to truly find God you have to go beyond religion and observe. You could say that god is love, the energy that drives compassion, the feeling that binds two people together, the will to serve others as you would serve yourself. It doesn't need a label, a name tag, it doesn't ask anything, not sit in judgement, but you could call it god and you could be thankful for it's presence.
I agree entirely, I suspect you would never consider you are an 'atheist' or be identified as an atheist, but have no problem declaring you don't believe in God. That doesn't make you anything else but a person who doesn't believe there is a God.
That was just the word James Hollis used. Maybe adversly influenced would fit better. It's just that throughout life, paticularly early life we have been exposed to religeous influences, not to mention observing the apparent upheaval we have witnessed around the world seemingly caused by religion. This is what I meant earlier by a barrier to the word God, thereby perhaps subconsciously, as James Hollis put it, shutting off any pathway that would allow us to experience divinity.
Some people believe nature is God, some think maybe consciouness. I think there is a higher power or the highest level of consciousness, but I certainly dont believe in the 'God' of the bible. Anyway, I've posted this a few times when the question of God, no God has come up. I still think it sums the argument up for me....
"When we take the gods as facts, rather than metaphors, then we get lost in debating the merits of the facts rather than apprehending their meaning. The fundamentalist ties his or her beliefs to the facts and narrows the spiritual vitality by fighting rear-guard actions against disputation. On the other hand, the atheist disputes the evidence, gets confused by the institutional forms to which he or she has been exposed, and misses the possible deepening which occurs whenever one confronts the meaning of divinity."
James Hollis from Mythologems : Incarnations of the Invisible World.
Perhaps agnostic is a better word, I think the word atheist carries an undercurrent of communism and suggests someone with strong anti Christian views....it's a dark word.
Haha, I can see how that could be misconstrued. It was a hovel when they bought it in the 1960's, in fact it was semi-derelict. But they struggled on to make the cottage into a wonderful home and accomplish their dream of escaping the rat race. A lovely read with a follow up...Garden in the Hills....
"Partly a how-to manual for keen country gardeners, partly a tale of moral and spiritual commitment, partly a love story, Garden in the Hills is a charming and powerful narrative by a skilled, natural writer."
Sounds interesting. I could swap you a copy of Elizabeth West's charming account of moving to a semi-derelict farmhouse in rural Snowdonia. Not exactly 'the valleys' but still beautiful Wales.
Tai Chi is really good, but it takes a while before you learn the moves to be able to flow from one to the other, and that's what it's really all about.
I've never done any kind of exercise that has given me so much for seemingly so little effort as yoga. Plus as you say, it's so good for the mind. In fact the word yoga means to connect, it's the mind and body in total harmony, that's why many other forms of concentration combined with movement are considered to be yoga, especially in the east.
Fanrastic....Two bands of exceptional talent with a song of supreme quality. Alone Again Or comes from the 1967 classic Album, Forever Changes, I've still got my original copy. Forever Changes, though not very well known has been credited many times as one of the finest albums of all time. It would definately make my top ten list.
bodleing2 Forum Posts (6,132)
RE: Why do we still need the word “Atheist”?
Is a Buddhist an athiest?