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Old 07-31-2008, 10:32 AM
 
Location: The world, where will fate take me this time?
3,162 posts, read 11,402,696 times
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Vertical conversion is a concept of dharmic religions.

Horizontal conversion is to switch religions, or to choose one if you don't have one, and vertical conversion is to use the spiritual principles to become a better person.

Vertical conversion encourages and helps a Christian to be a better Christian and a Muslim to be a better Muslim Any Hindu saint will ask a Christian to have faith in Christ and go to Church regularly. He will ask a Muslim to have faith in Allah and perform the religious duties ordained in the Koran sincerely. He will ask an atheist to try his hardest to be a good and loving person, vertical conversion does not support horizontal conversion from one faith to another.

Your thoughts?
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Old 07-31-2008, 11:50 AM
 
Location: The world, where will fate take me this time?
3,162 posts, read 11,402,696 times
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oops, this thread should be in the R&P Forum.

Sawwwwry could a moderator be so kind to place it there?
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Old 07-31-2008, 01:29 PM
 
Location: Log home in the Appalachians
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Sounds more like you're talking with the person instead of at the person,horizontal as opposed to vertical. I much prefer the horizontal, puts everybody on equal footing.

Last edited by ptsum; 07-31-2008 at 02:56 PM..
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Old 08-01-2008, 12:53 AM
 
Location: The Netherlands
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As a pragmatist the cross is the perfect symbol of my faith;
- the horizontal line represents reality (that which cannot be denied)
- the vertical line represents ideology/hope (that which is not, but could be)
The intersection of the horizontal line and the vertical line is life; where reality meets action/hope.

I only find communication between different religions and philosophies worthwhile when an interreligious dialogue* is taking place.
I often make use of the ‘pass over and return’ position**.

Quote:
*Interreligious Dialogue.
When different religious traditions are trying to communicate, there are various motivations why people would want to start such a conversion.
We can distinguish 3 basic motivations. Each motivation holds a choice for a position in the interreligious dialogue.
A) One is deeply convinced that his own religion is the only true interpretation of reality. An interreligious dialogue is only used to convince the ‘other’ of his true interpretation of reality.
B) A 2nd possibility is that people, by being introduced and trying to understand the other religious tradition, gain a deepened understanding in their own religious tradition.
C) A 3rd option is that people, more or less free of a certain religious p.o.v, is searching for what is true.
Christa Anbeek, Jan van Bragt, Etienne Cornelis, Beyond Good and Evil?(1991)

**The ‘pass over and return’ position.
We should enter dialogue as Buddhists or as Christians, “pass over” into religious Ways other than our own, approach the beliefs of these ways and our own way as a collection of hypotheses whose validity must be tested and never dogmatically assumed, and “return” to our own religious way.
P. Ingram, Two Western Models of Interreligious Dialogue, in: Journal of Ecumenical Studies 26 (1989)
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Old 08-05-2008, 12:34 PM
 
21,862 posts, read 19,015,734 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Travelling fella View Post
Vertical conversion is a concept of dharmic religions.

Horizontal conversion is to switch religions, or to choose one if you don't have one, and vertical conversion is to use the spiritual principles to become a better person.

vertical conversion does not support horizontal conversion from one faith to another.

Your thoughts?
I don't find either of the labels fits me, but what does fit me is the phrase in the post above, and the practice also, to "use the spiritual principles to become a better person."

I do that by not just one set of spiritual rituals, tradition, or practice, but by as many that resonate with my heart. That includes praying to the sun at dawn (indigenous), circle invocation (pagan) to archangels (Kabballah), singing to the rocks when I hike (pagan, indigenous), conversing with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet (Judaism), praying for knowledge of god's will for me and the power to carry that out (12-step program), talking to Jesus (practical Christianity), putting the Tao te Ching into action when in conflict with others (Taoism), and reaching states of bliss reading poetry by Rumi (Sufi). Those are just a few.

it's not about one being right or better or the only way. to me they are all holy tools for me to use in my love affair with life, with Spirit, with the All That Is

All of those help me to become a better person (a big goal and assignment in life for me, and to build relationship with my Higher Power). Yet those practices come to me from many different traditions. Any path can become a path to Creator, for Higher Power is everywhere and that is the nature of my being, to be in relationship with my Higher Power.

if holy traditions are a buffet, i am going to feast and enjoy! rather than limit myself to just one dish or one path. Whatever tastes yummy I am going to heap onto my plate! see you in line at the cosmic all-you-can-eat buffet of goodies!

thanks for the thread topic Travelling, looking forward to hearing from everyone! blessings to all of us
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