A site that will give inspiration and guidance to Christians who have lost faith. Enjoy the spiritual experience of Christ consciousness where God is an experience and not an object.

A great book on the site, "Evolution of Consciousness". Renews faith and makes one a better Christian that is tolerant of people who are different or of a different faith. The web site is http://thinkunity.com

From the web site:

quote:

Organized religion is the voice of authority and it can meddle, tinker and mean well, but to break up old patterns of thought and behavior, we need to open ourselves to new possibilities.

Any site or book that so badly misrepresents the teaching of organized religion either: a.) doesn't know much about organized religions, or b.) is promoting some product. Most likely both, in the present case.

The teachings of organized religions are like the proverbial fingers pointing to the moon. It's a mistake to cling to the fingers, but you won't really see the moon if you don't look in the direction they point to. . . unless you have other fingers to point, which is what this book and web site proposes to do for us.

I don't see what is wrong with being open to new possibilities. Organized religion can open spiritual growth, but they can also dictate that there is only one way to grow thus limiting possibilities. There are so many different individuals with a diversity of spiritual interest. Some people need intelectual stimulation, others devotional experiences, some need physical service of others so people need to know what their spiritual needs are and then ask Jesus to present the way. It might be organized religion and at the same time it could be time spent alone. An open mind leads to an open heart. The most sacred heart of Jesus is the guide, not the authoritarians of some religion.

By "new possibilities," what you really mean is your book, right?

You don't seem to understand the value of organized religion if you view it as primarily authoritarian and limiting of one's relationship with God. Unifying the world religions into one grand spirituality is impossible, as they all give witness to different kinds of religious experiences. Why is that a problem?

Organized religion does give witness to different roads up the mountain that is not a problem. I am stating that they are all trying to describe the same thing or God that is not describable. We are sitting on the beach and each of us sees a different path of light comming across the water, but the light is leading us both to the same sun.
The structure of organized religion can be restricting when they say the Buddhist have nothing to show or teach regarding spirituality. Why can't we learn from other religions to make clear and deeper our own religion. I am Christian, but I acknowledge that some techniques to control the mind or body can be beneficial for spiritual growth. Peace of mind does not hurt a Christian if techniques learned from another religion are applied.

Agreed, soma, that we can learn some beneficial things from other religions.

Disagreed, that the various world religions are different paths to the same goal. The reason these are different religions is because they lead to different experiences of the same God. E.g., Buddha knew the Hindu experience inside and out, yet what his enlightenment was a new experience, and his "way" pointed to the kind of experience he had come to. Same goes for Jesus and Judaism, and even for Islam and its relationship with Christianity and Judaism.

It's tempting to reduce these differences to a matter of cultural or linguistic conditioning, but there's something much more substantive going on.

Consider human experience. I, for example, am one person, but I have different kinds of relationships with my wife, children, friends, extended family, etc. They all know the same me, but in different ways. So it can be with our relationship with God, where the Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and Moslems know the one God in different ways.

What Christianity proposes is that, through Christ, we can come to know God as his only begotten Son knows Him through the sharing by the Son of their very bond of love, the Holy Spirit, and our incorporation into the risen, ascended Body of Christ. That Body is present to us on this earth first and foremost as the Christian Church; I didn't make that up, and neither did the Church. Christ himself sought to continue extending his saving presence through space and time in this manner.

You say that you are a Christian, and I believe you. If, however, you also demonstrated a little more affirmation for the importance of the Church in the life of a Christian, you'd be a lot more credible witness for Christ. Instead, you come onto a Christian forum, taking pot shots at organized religion while promoting a book that pretty much seems to say we don't really need them if we just follow what you teach. Promoting Christianity while negating the need for Church is a theological and spiritual oxymoron.

I am not saying follow what I teach. I present ideas to be debated. Organized religion is not god either. God is everywhere. In Reno many churches were closed on Christmas, but God wasn't closed. They said it was a family holiday. I say if you need religion that is okay, but you also can see God in a flower, honey, the wind, a coyote, your family or in your work. I believe Jesus is my Lord and Savior and he is guiding me on my path. Organized religion can help one on their path, but can also hinder a person by manipulation to be intolerant of others, other paths ect.

soma, you're straw man fallacying me to death! I never said organized religion was god, that god was closed on Christmas day, that god isn't present in flowers and coyotes, nor do I deny that there are problems in organized religion. Read my posts and see if you can find anything remotely close to those ideas.

What church do you belong to? Maybe it would help me understand where you're coming from a little better.

Sorry, I wasn't attaching those phrases to you. I was just trying to defuse or explain what you perceive as I being negative to the church. I look on the word Catholic as meaning universal and try to live in that fashion, but I find not many Catholics embracing unviersalism unless it can be put in a box.

No offense taken, soma, and your negative appraisal of Catholics has been obvious to me since you came onto this board. Like I told you, I did a little checking around on the web and was apalled at how you were treated on some Catholic fora. We don't do that sort of thing, here, as we try to stick to the issues and avoid personal attacks. Furthermore, you should know that I have a great deal of respect for anyone who takes the time and trouble to write a book that s/he believes will help another, then tries to get the word out. Mucho empathies, here.

But like I also told you in my first post on this thread, the way you talk about organized religion is off-putting. It's also straw-mannish. You don't seem to be giving much credit to organized religion -- Christianity in particular -- to forming people in their receptivity to Christ and the Spirit. There are plenty of negative examples, to be sure, but why focus on that? Look, instead, at what the religion actually teaches, and also at its best examples of spirituality and mysticism. I think you'd have a lot more credibility with Christians on the web if you took that approach. You'd also succeed better if you dropped some of the Eastern / New Agey language about "unity consciousness" and similar terms. That terminology doesn't connect with most Christians, who are highly suspicious of it taking them to a state of being that is at odds with the aim of union with God as it has been classically understood. And you reassure no one by dropping the name of "Jesus" here and there, or by coming on strong about how important it is that we make use of the disciplines of other world religions to achieve the state you're describing.

Just a little feedback, if you're interested. Maybe the issue isn't simply that there are all these narrow-minded Catholics holding onto their tiny boxes so much as what you're preaching as "universalism" doesn't resonate what the Church means when it speaks of being universal in the scope of its preaching and concern.

Thank you for the advice. I went to Catholic School in the primary and secondary grades and my Cousin is a priest so I am ford of this religion, but at the same time I would like to see it more universal. I know I use those terms and I see a strong reaction in most Christians so your advice is right on, but that is who I am. I wrote the book for Christians and myself to answer in a different way some of the Christian mysteries so my mind and others could better comprehend them. I in no way meant for it to threaten Christian values, but to strengthen them. I don't see anything wrong with other disciplines, paths, or religions because I feel the knowledge they have to give will only make us better Christians. Thanks for the advice, I guess I need to work on my Christian Public Relations. On the Catholic forum I was involved in some heated debates, I kind of look of it as love versus the legalist debate. I like debate. I give an idea and someone else gives a different idea. We can take or leave the idea, no one loses, both parties win because one can leave with more ideas than when we entered the debate.

We can take or leave the idea, no one loses, both parties win because one can leave with more ideas than when we entered the debate.

That's the attitude!

I'm not sure some of your "sparring partners" would put it thus, however. They were really very nasty, imo.