How to tell a believer from a non-believer?

[Machjo]

The way to Great Learning is to illustrate illustrious virtue; to serve the people; and to persist until perfection.... To know what comes first and what follows will lead near to the way of the Great Learning.... The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom first administered well their own states...harmonized their families...cultivated their persons...rectified their hearts...sought to be sincere in their thoughts...extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of the nature of things. Things being investigated, knowledge became complete...thoughts were sincere...hearts were then rectified...persons were cultivated...families were harmonized...states were rightly administered...the whole kingdom was made peaceful and happy.
The Great Learning Chapter from Confucius.

 

[Machjo]

The essence of faith is fewness in words and abundance of deeds.

Tablets of Baha'u'llah, (Words of Wisdom), p. 156

 

[Machjo]

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbour, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be
unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish
all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an
ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility.

Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 285.

 

[selfactivated]

Re: RE: How to tell a believer from a non-believer?

Try renting "What the bleep do we know?" its an awesome movie.

It's a piece of ignorant crap, generated by people who have no real understanding of quantum theory and are trying to twist its counter-intuitive findings into giving significance and justification to their particular brand of mystic nonsense. It's a wholly unjustifiable extrapolation and misrepresentation of what quantum theory actually says, by people who haven't a clue what they're talking about.

Thanks for the critique Dex Now tell me how you REALLY think

 

[selfactivated]

Re: RE: How to tell a believer from a non-believer?

the problem with love thy neighbour as yerslf is
many people--- are mentally unwell--- in the sense that they unconciously-- hate themselves
and are actually --unconsciously --- seeking punishment of some sort thru messing up others lives

hmmm well I wont tell ya Im BiPolar

 

[Outta here]

haha Tam, I've just finished touting What the Bleep in another thread..... see? where's the flux whan ya need him? <ducking> :lol:


btw girl, in lieu of Happy Easter, Happy Day tomorrow. :wink:

 

[selfactivated]

haha Tam, I've just finished touting What the Bleep in another thread..... see? where's the flux whan ya need him? <ducking> :lol:


btw girl, in lieu of Happy Easter, Happy Day tomorrow. :wink:

In his proper place FAR away from me! And thanks Love Ive been searching for local places to share Beltane with. Cross your fingers I may have found a local group of unintellegent Blondes that LIKE What the bleep AND if Im REAL lucky a 6 foot + Guardian that finds me not so blonde! LOL

 

[Outta here]

LOLLL - sorry girl, couldn't resist....

good luck with the 6' + biz.... keep yer eys peeled fer an extra that travels my occassionaly will ya? :wink:

 

[FiveParadox]

Must be getting late ... I read that 6' as being 6".
And there I got all excited for nothin'.
Wow... this teenager needs some sleep...

 

[selfactivated]

LOLLLLLLLLLLl no doll thats just "Tam 101 Typing" Its ALL intention! LOL

And Zan? I'll trade ya a wiccan Virginian for an open minded Canuck (about my age please)

 

[Outta here]

oh wait a sec there girl, .... not necessarily a wiccan, that's your gig - just alive n'kickin would be good fer starters.... hahaha .....but I'll continue the quest for a Canuck for ya.... I still get first dibs though.

I gotta get some sleep, I'm up early to plow through some chocolate bunnies with the kids fer breakfast. gaaaack. how gross, even for a chocoalte lover such as I. LOLLLL.

 

[selfactivated]

Night Love, Kiss the kiddies and dont steal there booty Im gonna kiss goddess sweet dreams and maybe dream about a greek fisherman/painter eh? Next life

Namaste my friend

 

[Outta here]

namaste hon, and yes you need sleep too... it's 4 am for you.

 

[FiveParadox]

Good night, selfactivated, and Zan! It's 1:00 AM here, which isn't too late, but seeing as how I had chemotherapy today, you get sorta drained (no worries, I'm doing okay). Looking forward to more stunning debates and discussions, tomorrow.

 

[Outta here]

good night 5par, please take good care of yourself ok? Especially during your treatments. We don't seem to have a huggy emoticon on here, or I'd send ya one. You really are a sweety. Sleep well.

 

[selfactivated]

Re: RE: How to tell a believer from a non-believer?

Good night, selfactivated, and Zan! It's 1:00 AM here, which isn't too late, but seeing as how I had chemotherapy today, you get sorta drained (no worries, I'm doing okay). Looking forward to more stunning debates and discussions, tomorrow.

May I light a candle for you tomorrow night? (I know Zan but that *healer button* wont turn off so easy! )On sunday nights I light a white candle for those that accept my possitive thoughts. I NEVER do so without permission and I totally get it if you say no. Anyway, Night my new friend

 

[tracy]

5, hope you're taking care of yourself. I'm not as polite as selfactivated, I'll be sending you good thoughts whether you want me to or not

 

[tracy]

Now are we discussing about not an actual person or people but a thought that keeps our 'faith' because in my religion, the gods and goddesses are believed to be apart of human psyche, not really there but something or someone that people can strive for if I have explained that properly. This religion stuff is kind of difficult when you get to the nuts and bolts of it.

In the past 5 years Ive read 100's of books, not understanding all but taking this and that along the way. In every fraction Ive read about there seems to be a single golden thread that twines betwixt it all. "Treat others as you wish to be treated" In everything Ive read it tells me to look within and to not judge.

The Universality of the Golden Rule in the World Religions


Christianity All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
Matthew 7:1
Confucianism Do not do to others what you would not like yourself. Then there will be no resentment against you, either in the family or in the state.
Analects 12:2
Buddhism Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.
Udana-Varga 5,1
Hinduism This is the sum of duty; do naught onto others what you would not have them do unto you.
Mahabharata 5,1517
Islam No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.
Sunnah
Judaism What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellowman. This is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary.
Talmud, Shabbat 3id
Taoism Regard your neighbor’s gain as your gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.
Tai Shang Kan Yin P’ien
Zoroastrianism That nature alone is good which refrains from doing another whatsoever is not good for itself.
Dadisten-I-dinik, 94,5

So in my mind the nuts and bolts actually are quite simple.......Allow......allow others the freedom to Be who they choose to be with one thought in mind......as the wiccans put it "Do No Harm"

Not sure that made much sense but its late and I prolly should back away from the comp lol

I like this a lot.

 

[cortezzz]

me too

 

[damngrumpy]

All religions are restrictive unto the structure of their own brand of teaching. Millions of people all believing the same thing, ya right.
I am what you might call a retired Catholic. Every Sunday I was dragged off to mass, as my parents believed I too shall believe.
As soon as I was old enough to live on my own I drop that little Sunday morning habit. Church, prayers and rituals are all the same, they are ways of confining ones thinking and developing a religious person instead of a thinking individual.
I do not think less of religious people for what they believe, as they have a right to their thoughts and beliefs as I do, its only when these folks start insisting that everyone believe and behave they way they want, that I get ticked.