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To me, being spiritual without religion, is like the following:
Religion is for people who do what they're told regardless of what's right.
Spirituality is for people who do what's right regardless of what they're told.
If you're spiritual and don't believe in a higher power, or at least the power most people call God, you yourself are responsible for what you say and do.
For instance, if I thought capital punishment or legalizing gay marriage was bad, I have to come up with solid, concrete reasons why. I can't fall back on the Bible or religion and just say, "I read it in the Bible" or "God says so" or any other such excuse. I can't lay off what I choose to believe or how I act onto anyone but myself. I have to own it. Not any higher authority or book or what have you.
For the underline,
who decides what's right and what's wrong?
You, the practitioner of spiritualism?
If yes, then there will be many, many spiritualists who will disagree among themselves on what's right and what's wrong?
So there will never be a standard Right and a Standard wrong, that all spiritualist will follow and agree.
Plus, the definition and identification of what's right and what's wrong, if decided by humans, then it is bound to change over time.
A few decades ago, for example, in our country where the democracy lets the people decide what's right and what's wrong, the majority looked at homosexuality as a sin, and was forbidden.
Over the years, majority thought, that perhaps it's not as bad of a sign as we think it is. So let it be.
Then we thought, it's not wrong at all, so lets legalize it. Good enough.
However, a couple of decades down the line, we will most likely have incest and pedophilia legalized.
Bookmark this line and revisit this post, if you are alive 20 or 30 years from now.
At this point you as a spiritualist, who decides what's right and what's wrong, may not consider pedophilia and incest to be right - but - times will change, and the spiritualist will start supporting pedophilia and incest.
So you tell me, who decides what's right and what's wrong? And what exactly is right or wrong for a spiritualist?
However, if you look at the religious identification of what's right and what's wrong, it hardly ever changes.
For the underline,
who decides what's right and what's wrong?
You, the practitioner of spiritualism?
If yes, then there will be many, many spiritualists who will disagree among themselves on what's right and what's wrong?
So there will never be a standard Right and a Standard wrong, that all spiritualist will follow and agree.
Plus, the definition and identification of what's right and what's wrong, if decided by humans, then it is bound to change over time.
A few decades ago, for example, in our country where the democracy lets the people decide what's right and what's wrong, the majority looked at homosexuality as a sin, and was forbidden.
Over the years, majority thought, that perhaps it's not as bad of a sign as we think it is. So let it be.
Then we thought, it's not wrong at all, so lets legalize it. Good enough.
However, a couple of decades down the line, we will most likely have incest and pedophilia legalized.
Bookmark this line and revisit this post, if you are alive 20 or 30 years from now.
At this point you as a spiritualist, who decides what's right and what's wrong, may not consider pedophilia and incest to be right - but - times will change, and the spiritualist will start supporting pedophilia and incest.
So you tell me, who decides what's right and what's wrong? And what exactly is right or wrong for a spiritualist?
However, if you look at the religious identification of what's right and what's wrong, it hardly ever changes.
1. Not all christian sects agree with what's right and wrong. But I know you think it's scary to consider that people should have freedom of thought.
2. Religions are decided by humans.
3. Oh please. No one is suggesting incest and pedophilia. That's just christian right wing rhetoric. You ought to be embarrassed to bring it up.
3. Oh please. No one is suggesting incest and pedophilia. That's just christian right wing rhetoric. You ought to be embarrassed to bring it up.
Indeed. I can't think of topics on which there's more universal agreement that these two things are a harm. No one anywhere is pushing for legalization of either pedophilia or incest. It is not as if there's an "agenda" by godless atheists to push for every conceivable depravity.
This reminds me of their constant effort to equate homosexuality with pedophilia. The objective is to trigger pearl clutching for some exaggerated slippery-slope concern rather than to have an intelligent debate or conversation based on what is actually happening here in the Real World(tm).
What is a soul to you? In my atheist world it would be the limbic system and God is music. Faith=empathy. If I were to say I am losing my faith it would mean I'm losing my empathy toward my fellow sentient beings.
Edit: I just decided to have a triune God. God is: music, art, nature.
We do, but so many religious people don't. They use their religion as an excuse. For instance, there are a lot of abortion protesters who will go in and get an abortion, and then go right back out and protest. They're doing what they're told. Obviously, they don't believe what they're told, but they're not owning their actions.
On what are you basing this information? Do you personally know a lot of abortion protestors and within them, those who "go in" and get an abortion?
How does that work?
"Sure I'll be at the abortion protest, but ya know what? My home test just came out pos, so while we're there today, Ima gonna jump inside and get it taken care of. Will you hold my sign?"
On what are you basing this information? Do you personally know a lot of abortion protestors and within them, those who "go in" and get an abortion?
How does that work?
"Sure I'll be at the abortion protest, but ya know what? My home test just came out pos, so while we're there today, Ima gonna jump inside and get it taken care of. Will you hold my sign?"
On what are you basing this information? Do you personally know a lot of abortion protestors and within them, those who "go in" and get an abortion?
How does that work?
"Sure I'll be at the abortion protest, but ya know what? My home test just came out pos, so while we're there today, Ima gonna jump inside and get it taken care of. Will you hold my sign?"
Funny! Got a chuckle out of that one. Thanks. I wasn't going to touch this third-rail of a topic in this forum, but since you do...
I am sure the comment was not based on any data the poster can provide to justify the claim. Isn't that how it usually goes here? That said, however, there is no question that religious people can be known to be hypocritical. Just like lots of people more generally speaking. It would not surprise me that some religious women have found themselves with an unwanted pregnancy and had to decide between abortion or the "stigma" of being an unwed mother. Both not cool in the minds of many religious people.
So yes, "please hold my sign while I go take care of something, and I'll see you in church tomorrow."
Did you see the recent news about how Indonesia just banned sex outside of marriage? I'm glad I'm not one charged with the job of defending religious thinking anyway...
Either way, I think we all "own" these decisions to think and do what we do, even though our decisions can be based on some pretty strong outside and internal influences. Like; religion, parents, education, friends, family, hormones...
1. Not all christian sects agree with what's right and wrong. But I know you think it's scary to consider that people should have freedom of thought.
lol
Religion is NOT about "Freedom of thought". Please update your understanding. I thought you knew better?
Religion on part, provides a guideline and sets the boundaries of how to live your life under the light of religion based morality (that for the most part, never changes). It's then up to the practitioner whether how much he wants to follow?
Quote:
2. Religions are decided by humans.
Could be true for some, but not for all
Quote:
3. Oh please. No one is suggesting incest and pedophilia. That's just christian right wing rhetoric. You ought to be embarrassed to bring it up.
I supposed this could be EXACTLY the notion of many, 50 or 100 years ago when someone might have talked about legalizing homosexuality. What do you think?
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