Interfaith as a Faith

DrFree said:
It is my hope that what Jesus and Buddha and the Ghandi and Dalai Lama and Martin Luther King were teaching in their doctrines of love was that by acting out of love and respect toward those who disagree with us (and perhaps by being at least little bit less grasping in our economic policies), we can gradually enlarge the circle of dialog and erode the power base of the extremes.
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You reminded me of this quote:

"They that are endued with sincerity and faithfulness should associate with all the peoples and kindreds of the earth with joy and radiance, inasmuch as consorting with people hath promoted and will continue to promote unity and concord, which in turn are conducive to the maintenance of order in the world and to the regeneration of nations. Blessed are such as hold fast to the cord of kindliness and tender mercy and are free from animosity and hatred." -Baha'u'llah


 
Quahom1 said:
I think you mean "actions", choices are nothing until acted upon yes?
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Actually, no. The actual quote from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is:
It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
​
And I think I agree: Choice, as I understand it, is not something we do in anticipation of action, something we may retract later. Rather it is our insertion of our will into the causal process. It is that part of the total sequence of events that is directly in our control.

Namiste.
 
Dah-veeth said:
Like a ship... you steer the ship, but you can't control the wind.
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Very apt. We make our choices individually, and they influence the future, but what ends up happening depends not only on our choices but on those of everyone else, as well as on what every other thing, living or not, happens to be doing at the time.

We are creators. Our choices do bring about the futhre. In that we are made in God's image. But none of us has an exclusive monopoly on that power. We are at most co-creators.

So our meta-choice, our choice about how to live in a world of creators, is whether to struggle to impose our own choices on everyone else, to give up and be led by others, or to engage in that dance of competition and cooperation that is life.

Come to think of it, that's the essence of the Serenity Prayer:
Give me the strength to change what I can;
the serenity to accept what I cannot;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
​
Namiste.
 
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica][FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]One ship sails east and another sails west
With the self-same winds that blow.
Tis the set of the sail and not the gale
Which determines the way they go.
As the winds of the sea are the ways of fate
As we voyage along through life,
Tis the act of the soul that determines the goal,
And not the calm or the strife.[/FONT]



[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]-Ella Wheeler Wilcox[/FONT][/FONT]
 
wil said:
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica][FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]One ship sails east and another sails west [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]With the self-same winds that blow.[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]Tis the set of the sail and not the gale[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]Which determines the way they go.[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]As the winds of the sea are the ways of fate[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]As we voyage along through life,[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]Tis the act of the soul that determines the goal,[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]And not the calm or the strife.[/FONT]



[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]-Ella Wheeler Wilcox[/FONT][/FONT]
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"Give me the strength to change what I can;
the serenity to accept what I cannot;
and the wisdom to know the difference."

I like the poems! I've heard this last one... I mean, I've read it before. The last line is the hardest... "the wisdom to know the difference." I think that kind of wisdom takes a lot of patience... which reminds me...

"Having enjoined upon all men to observe wisdom, He Himself hath adhered to the cord of patience and resignation." -Baha'u'llah



 
wil said:
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica][FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]One ship sails east and another sails west [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]With the self-same winds that blow.[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]Tis the set of the sail and not the gale[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]Which determines the way they go.[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]As the winds of the sea are the ways of fate[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]As we voyage along through life,[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]Tis the act of the soul that determines the goal,[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]And not the calm or the strife.[/FONT]



[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]-Ella Wheeler Wilcox[/FONT][/FONT]
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Ah, but the question becomes, do we go with the wind and "reach", or do we challenge the wind and "tack". And each of those choices have consequences in the extreme. Uncontrolled "reach" can founder the vessel. Too rigid or high a "tack" can put the vessel in "irons" Both can sink us. So, there must be a balance between the winds and our wills.

v/r

Q
 
Re: Wilcox Poem

wil said:
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica][FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]One ship sails east and another sails west
With the self-same winds that blow.
Tis the set of the sail and not the gale
Which determines the way they go.
As the winds of the sea are the ways of fate
As we voyage along through life,
Tis the act of the soul that determines the goal,
And not the calm or the strife.[/FONT]

[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]-Ella Wheeler Wilcox[/FONT][/FONT]
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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

That is lovely, to the point, and well worth remembering.

I've already looked up some sites that will let me enjoy her other poetry.

Namiste
 
Quahom1 said:
Ah, but the question becomes, do we go with the wind and "reach", or do we challenge the wind and "tack". And each of those choices have consequences in the extreme. Uncontrolled "reach" can founder the vessel. Too rigid or high a "tack" can put the vessel in "irons" Both can sink us. So, there must be a balance between the winds and our wills.

v/r

Q
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Yup! Such is the nature of choice. Every time you choose (and you're choosing every moment), you wipe out an infinity of might-have-beens!

Quite a responsibility, isn't it?

Namiste
 
DrFree said:
Yup! Such is the nature of choice. Every time you choose (and you're choosing every moment), you wipe out an infinity of might-have-beens!

Quite a responsibility, isn't it?

Namiste
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An infinity of might-have-beens :)

That reminds me of how vast the universe and how many countless souls God keeps creating... God must really love people since He keeps making more of us :)
 
DrFree said:
Yup! Such is the nature of choice. Every time you choose (and you're choosing every moment), you wipe out an infinity of might-have-beens!

Quite a responsibility, isn't it?

Namiste
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Not at all good Dr. We can not know the "what might have beens", because they never have been (in this variation of our life). What we can speculate on however, is what can transpire in OUR future, should we continue on a particular path we choose. I'm certain you understand me on this.

That is the "responsibility" we are accountable for.
 
Dah-veeth said:
An infinity of might-have-beens :)

That reminds me of how vast the universe and how many countless souls God keeps creating... God must really love people since He keeps making more of us :)
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If God is infinite, then why or how would the "well of souls" dry up?
 
where is this "well of souls " written. i mean is it in the bible?? i saw it mentioned in a movie once and yes, that seems to be a general source of information for a lot us. if god keeps making us, (and our souls) why not recycle the souls and save some time?? ie: reincarnation. just a thought.......
 
greymare said:
where is this "well of souls " written. i mean is it in the bible?? i saw it mentioned in a movie once and yes, that seems to be a general source of information for a lot us. if god keeps making us, (and our souls) why not recycle the souls and save some time?? ie: reincarnation. just a thought.......
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The "Guff" is in ancient writings. Why it isn't in the bible is anyone's guess. But the bible does say that each person (soul) is appointed to die only once. It also states that God "knew" us before we were stitched together in our mother's womb. So if he knows us before we are born, we must exist somewhere (even if it is in God's mind only).

Reincarnation would imply that we are neither unique, nor exempt from death more than once. It would also imply that God can not create an infinite number of souls, if he begins recycling them, or that there must be limits to the number of souls the cosmos can handle.

But if God decides man's period as it stands is at an end, then there would be no need to create any more souls...hence at some point the well would dry up.

just another thought.

v/r

Q
 
I guess I am a little late but better late than never. I think inter faith is a wonderful thing. It helps you see how your own personal belief system is not the only way to spiritual enrichment. It open you up your understanding and it breeds respect for other beliefs. I think inter faith is the only hope for world peace. I admit that is idealistic but that's the type of person I am. I think it is unfortuante when people exploit interfaith type settings to push their beliefs on others. I guess there is a fine line between expressing your beliefs and becoming pushy. I guess sometimes passion get confused with disrespect. I do feel it is unfair to stereotype evangelical Christians as all of them are disrespectful and interfaith is not effective with them. Because that is not always the case. You can't stereotype people that way. Because people exploiting interfaith type settings is definately not limited to evangelicals. But the principle is beautiful, and yes there are some who abuse but for the most part I have found my interfaith type experiences very enriching.
 
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