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Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?

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Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?

#951

Post by lisper »

theonething wrote: post #950
lisper wrote: post #935

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You really believe that is what Chesterton meant? I have no idea what he meant. I do not have ESP, and given that Chesterton is long dead, it probably wouldn't be effective even if I did. All I know is what the text says. > First, if that is true, then how can you so vehemently deny something (the fact of sin) that you claim hasn't even been defined? I deny that there exists a single Fact of Sin that is so privileg…

> I have no idea what he meant. I do not have ESP, and given that Chesterton is long dead, it probably wouldn't be effective even if I did. An author writes to convey information and meaning. One of the main responsibilities a reader has is to find out what the author meant by his words. [1] I don't think one needs ESP or to interview the author personally to find out the meaning he was trying to convey in his writin…

> One of the main responsibilities a reader has is to find out what the author meant by his words.

No, it is the responsibility of the writer, if they are advancing a factual claim (as opposed to, say, providing entertainment), to convey their meaning clearly and unambiguously, which Chesterton did not. A reader has no responsibility to a writer of nonsense beyond calling it out as nonsense.

Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?

#952

Post by complexmango »

sam0x17 wrote: post #233

100% atheism. Was raised some kind of protestant I forget which one, and derived tremendous spiritual and psychological relief when I realized all of that was absolute nonsense at the age of 9. I knew I was gay at the time and wouldn't come out until I was 18 or so, but my life just got a lot easier when I removed religion completely. I also recall discovering increased moral agency -- as a Christian I had been taugh…

People don’t acknowledge ‘a weird sort of spirituality to atheism’ because it’s an absurd concept.

Because spirituality is born from spiritual experiences, not religious theory. Atheism, on the other hand, is a belief system.

It’s like sex - talking about it is quite different from experiencing it.

If Christianity doesn’t help you, that’s alright. There’s a ton of Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists, Zen practitioners who have a radically different approach than ‘The Book’. And there’s also psychedelics for a taste of what’s out there.

I have a computer science degree but I still find it strange that anyone doesn’t find life an unfathomable mystery.

For example - do you know who you are? Ie who is the ‘you’ that experiences the world? Have you ever looked inside?

Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?

#953

Post by Subsentient »

dhimes wrote: post #369
Subsentient wrote: post #156

I'm a secular Satanist. I believe Christianity and Abrahamic religions are inherently unethical. I have very strong utilitarian principles that run even deeper, which is ultimately what pushed me to Satanism. I'm a member of the Satanic temple, but in some ways it's more of a political organization than religious. I'm open to the possible existence of the paranormal, but I do not trust it at all and would question th…

I only recently learned that the Satanic Temple split from the Church of Satan. The ST moved next door (to Salem, MA).

The Church of Satan was on the right track in some areas (such as viewing Abrahamic God as evil and nonexistent), but in others it is clear that it is an incoherent "first attempt" with lots of contradictory statements, such as the belief in magic yet the disbelief in Satan, and its hatred of abortion despite its otherwise Social Darwinist leanings. More damning (no pun intended) is how the Satanic Bible (LaVey's work) simultaneously condemns the authority of "God" yet says that dictators are good Satanists. It was very much the views of a single man, Anton LaVey, which while not entirely without merit and LaVey not being necessarily a completely terrible person, are far off course in my view in many ways.

Anton loved Ayn Rand. Many TST members are appalled at Rand's ethical ideology, or lack thereof, myself especially included.

You'll find that in many areas, The Satanic Temple is diametrically opposed, and represents a much more coherent, logical, refined ideology, and wholly rejects social darwinism as mostly discredited, advocating instead for empathy and compassion, recognizing their evolutionary benefit.

What both organizations have in common is the demand for rationalist thinking, the belief in the immorality of God, the belief in personal freedom, and deriving their ideologies partly from the sciences of their respective time periods.

Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?

#954

Post by skinkestek »

chrispine wrote: post #905
skinkestek wrote: post #868

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many don't get to pick. Our "leader"[1] have told us more than once to go elsewhere if we aren't interested. At times it can come of as a trick, but twenty years later and seeing the way he treats people that leaves our church, i.e. friendly and with all respect I've come to realize he just doesn't want anyone to stay around just because they feel they must. Still I'd find it hard to leave luckily to a large degree b…

From the folks who have left the LDS church that I've talked to, "friendly and with all respect" is profoundly not the experience that most have. And my personal experience: it was a great shame on my family, and all the church wanted to know was (and this is the weirdest part) who had offended me??

I'm sad to hear what you experienced and I hope more Christians would follow the example of Jesus (calling Judas a friend) and Paul in treating people friendly and/or at least with respect as long as possible and leaving judgement to God ("for Demas, because he loved this world, he has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.", "Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.").

Sometimes we are forced to stand up for ourselves and to speak out loud and clear. I don't think someone admitting that they don't believe and leaving peacefully is such an instance as long as they don't try to lurk around to pry out or take advantage of others.

Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?

#955

Post by mceldeen »

I practice a non-denominational version of Christianity that embraces a dispensational viewpoint. I regularly read from pretty much all parts of the Bible. However, the core of my reading involves reading 3 chapters a day: one from Romans-Galatians, one from Ephesians-Colossians, and one from Thessalonians on a constant loop. This is the foundation upon which I add readings from other parts of the Bible. I’ve been bringing in Genesis as of late. Most days, my wife and I do this together out loud. This practice is very grounding. I notice that it helps with my ADHD. I find it easier to organize my thoughts. I also find that I’m more patient with people in general.

Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?

#956

Post by hipjiveguy »

taiboku256 wrote: post #728
sethammons wrote: post #377

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd love to hear more on the history, documents, and truths you found. Would you consider emailing me (it is in my profile)? Summary and jumping off points super welcome.

I had a similar experience to OP. But the catalyst for me was the Mountain Meadows Massacre[1] which I was completely oblivious to until my mid-20s. It was quite a shock to learn that the church (which I thought was "God's perfect organization") had such an ugly past. The most disturbing part was how much effort the church put to hide and scrub events like this from its members and the rest of the world. [1] https://…

That's very sad, for sure... but churches are only a bunch of people, trying to get closer to God. No matter how well any of them do so, they all ultimately will be failing at things all the time - anger, frustration, hate, etc.

Churches are not full of perfect people - it's the exact opposite. It's people who know they're not perfect, and understanding that, are still trying to understand life, and God.

All I'm saying is don't write off God - religion, sure.... Go for it, but God is not religion.

Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?

#958

Post by geoduck14 »

redwood wrote: post #938
geoduck14 wrote: post #919

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd like to make a suggestion. If you aren't sure if you have anything to confess, then pray. Ask God to reveal any sin to you so you can confess it, pause for a little bit and listen for God. You can also take this time to thank God for things in your life.

I hope you don't find this too intensitive but if you hear a voice in your head coming from an external individual, you may want to seek help

>I hope you don't find this too intensitive but if you hear a voice in your head coming from an external individual, you may want to seek help

I genuinely appreciate how HN is a place where strangers can make helpful statements like this. I feel safe enough to take this feedback and not be offended.

That being said, you being up an important point that I should have covered for the benefit of other strangers that saw my comment:

I have NEVER heard the audible voice of God. Never. Not once. I have talked to other religious people that I trust - THEY have never heard the audible voice of God.

When I use the phrase "hear God" or "listen to God", I'm referring to a feeling. It is hard to describe without knowing people personally, but I'll try.

In one situation, I was praying for God to teach me before I read the Bible. My thoughts were consumed with a specific friend and a series of interactions I had with him (I was rude a couple of times). I decided to find him and apologize for being rude. He accepted and we went our separate ways.

I don't know for certain if God wanted me to apologize to him, but I'm mostly certain I was supposed to reach out to him.

Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?

#959

Post by geoduck14 »

mbfg wrote: post #941
geoduck14 wrote: post #919

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd like to make a suggestion. If you aren't sure if you have anything to confess, then pray. Ask God to reveal any sin to you so you can confess it, pause for a little bit and listen for God. You can also take this time to thank God for things in your life.

How did you differentiate a god talking to you, and you talking to you? What evidence to you have for that? How can others collaborate your story?

>How did you differentiate a god talking to you, and you talking to you? What evidence to you have for that? How can others collaborate your story?

These are good questions, and I've been thinking about how best to respond.

For one, I believe in the God of the Christian Bible. There are various stories of God interacting with people. The most common interaction for me and the people around me is for God's Holy Spirit to influence others.

His Spirit can speak through other believers via wise words or gentle reassurance. I've had (in limited situations) felt emotions that I ascribe to God.

When I differentiate guidance from God vs myself or other humans, I typically look for highly unusual coincidences or specific applications. Here's an example that took place near the beginning of the pandemic.

My wife was praying and asking God who needed to feel His love. She was felt the importance of asking our elderly neighbors if they needed groceries (remember, this was early pandemic, when elderly were highly vulnerable, masks were unavailable, and there were runs on the grocery store). She brought them a handful of groceries and left them.

Several weeks later, the neighbor's adult children came from an Asian country. I was wrestling with an opportunity to serve at our church in a place where I would likely get exposed to the virus - and I was praying for guidance. The neighbor's daughter came by with "thank you gifts", which included KF94 masks (similar to N95). The masks were a reassurance that I could go in public and be safe.

I don't know for certain that God was orchestrating the interactions, but the timing was incredible and the application was specific and helpful.

Re: Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?

#960

Post by redwood »

geoduck14 wrote: post #958
redwood wrote: post #938

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope you don't find this too intensitive but if you hear a voice in your head coming from an external individual, you may want to seek help

>I hope you don't find this too intensitive but if you hear a voice in your head coming from an external individual, you may want to seek help I genuinely appreciate how HN is a place where strangers can make helpful statements like this. I feel safe enough to take this feedback and not be offended. That being said, you being up an important point that I should have covered for the benefit of other strangers that saw…

Okay thanks for clarifying. Many of us refer to what you're describing as our conscience
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