On May 10, 6:39 pm, DharmaTroll
my-deja.com> wrote:>
>> Why would you assume that? Do you mean you would assume that without
>> investigating further to make sure?
>
> You ask diverse questions, that I'm answering them in a couple of
> different posts.
I can appreciate that.
It's an interesting answer hehe - just curious but as someone who has
had similar insights at a young age, why do you suppose you had this
insight when you were 13, when other people could not? Do you suppose
that it was a result of exposure to different paths that others before
you (as you seem to say) did not have?
> Worthy of mentioning as an exception to the "my mommy is the best
> mommy" triumphalist spirituality is the popular American talk show
> host Oprah, who is delightfully non-triumphalistic.
>
> In fact, some nutters who claim they are the only path created a video
> of clips of Oprah talking about religion to demonstrate how evil and
> un-Christian she is. In an act of utter irony, they seem to have
> picked some wonderful clips which should make most Buddhists and other
> cool spiritual people like her! Oprah actually comes off flattering
> and looking wise and intelligent and spiritual -- which was the
> opposite of the intention of the video makers. It's a wonderful
> insight into the conflicts in America concerning spirituality of all
> kinds. Take a look and see what you think:
>
>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW4LLwkgmqA
Well, coming as it is from a deep understanding of Christianity, what
Oprah is saying is both true and not. It's true because that's what a
non-christian (for instance) would believe - but to a Christian, for
example, there is a big difference between "the light" or "goodness"
and God/Jesus. So while it's true that following Jesus/God in
Christianity may lead to a form of peace comparable to "The
Light" (which I'm using to represent non-Christian Good Things), that
is only part of what Christianity is trying to say. By focusing on the
kindless, generosity, and loving, you are not focusing on the same
issues Christians focus on. I'm just saying that because I see it
causing a lot of misunderstanding when ppl discuss religion, they
don't really understand the core issue that the other is trying to
present.
IOW it isn't really about love, peace and unity - it's about God or
Not. Christians don't think salvation through Jesus is the only way to
be peaceful, kind, and loving. They think it is the only way to God.
So if you don't believe in God, that is the core issue, not if you
need to accept Jesus in order to be a nice person.
Further - Christianity is essentially a religion of faith. In one
sense you're not *supposed* to have any proof. You're just supposed to
believe. Which is of course questionable in many people's eyes. For
me, this question has been greatly reduced, since as a former
Christian I have had spiritual experiences I cannot explain. At best
coincidences too many to be explained as chance.
So I will be the first person to say that Christians can be evil,
rude, hate-mongering bastards forcing their beliefs on other people -
in complete contradiction to what their religion is trying to put
forth. But to be perfectly fair, most people who "argue" with
Christians have missed the point of what they're trying to say. That's
what I think of the Oprah video ;-) That and I don't think she is very
wise talking about 'spirituality' using terms from Christianity.
Although she is by no means the prime exponent of such teaching. Such
teaching can backfire very easily.
-
