Past, Present, Beyond?

KnowSelf said:
Are you saying the more people praying the greater the chance of prayer being answered? I don't know about that, it seems to me that God chooses how to answer prayer
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It has nothing to do with answered prayers - I'm far beyond that page - it's more about Collective Communion - Unity of mind & Soul and the raising of the Collective Consciousness of Humanity.
 
KnowSelf said:
Why does Allah know best?
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Allah Al 'Aleem (The All Knowing) is the absolute source of knowledge and we are the seekers of knowledge.

Additionally, this common phrase among Muslims indicates that none of us claim to have all the answers or any one answer in its Supreme complete expression - that there is always further insight to be had on any givien subject.
 
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https://catholicherald.co.uk/issues/february-17th-2017/a-worldwide-force-for-good/

"The (Catholic) Church operates more than 140,000 schools, 10,000 orphanages, 5,000 hospitals and some 16,000 other health clinics. Caritas, the umbrella organisation for Catholic aid agencies, estimates that spending by its affiliates totals between £2 billion and £4 billion (annually), making it one of the biggest aid agencies in the world.

Even these numbers only tell half the tale. Caritas does not include development spending by a host of religious orders and other Catholic charities, while most of the 200,000 Catholic parishes around the world operate their own small-scale charitable projects which are never picked up in official figures. Establishing like-for-like comparisons is hard, but there can be little doubt that in pretty much every field of social action, from education to health to social care, the Church is the largest and most significant non-state organisation in the world.

One material result of people worshiping together. Just one branch of one religion -- add up all the religions.
 
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Arif Ghamiq said:
It has nothing to do with answered prayers - I'm far beyond that page - it's more about Collective Communion - Unity of mind & Soul and the raising of the Collective Consciousness of Humanity.
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I understand what you are saying, that kind Collective Communion is not available to me and if it were I doubt I would participate. Not a reflection on you but knowing myself I find the concept uncomfortable
 
KnowSelf said:
I understand what you are saying, that kind Collective Communion is not available to me and if it were I doubt I would participate
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Did he say that?
 
RJM Corbet said:
https://catholicherald.co.uk/issues/february-17th-2017/a-worldwide-force-for-good/

"The (Catholic) Church operates more than 140,000 schools, 10,000 orphanages, 5,000 hospitals and some 16,000 other health clinics. Caritas, the umbrella organisation for Catholic aid agencies, estimates that spending by its affiliates totals between £2 billion and £4 billion (annually), making it one of the biggest aid agencies in the world.

Even these numbers only tell half the tale. Caritas does not include development spending by a host of religious orders and other Catholic charities, while most of the 200,000 Catholic parishes around the world operate their own small-scale charitable projects which are never picked up in official figures. Establishing like-for-like comparisons is hard, but there can be little doubt that in pretty much every field of social action, from education to health to social care, the Church is the largest and most significant non-state organisation in the world.

One material result of people worshiping together. Just one church of one religion -- add up all the religions.
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The numbers are impressive on worldly level, but how are they spiritually connected to God?
 
KnowSelf said:
The numbers are impressive on worldly level, but how are they spiritually connected to God?
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You questioned the value of communal worship.

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Sorry I didn't mean to sound rude
 
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KnowSelf said:
Understand I am looking from a Baptist Church point of view of which I feel is unfulfilling and shallow
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Well you see, this may be a lot of the problem? The whole world is not America, and the way American evangelist (literalist) Christians behave is not the way everyone else does, lol.
 
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There is quite a big world out there beyond America and I'm afraid we don't all look up to America with starry eyed wonder, lol ...
 
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In a sacred manner I live. To the heavens I gazed. My horses are many.

--old Sioux song
 
RJM Corbet said:
It was addressed to someone who called me the worst kind of fake for doing so. Although that was not his intention. Why do you hate the idea of kneeling before God?
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I don't hat it, i chuckle that man requires a building he made to kneel before the god they made.

And the thought of any god that could create the universe in seven days having an ego so big they would require worship and kneeling...

If you don't want answers, don't ask questions.
 
There is no description of God or what God means. We're swimming in a pool of assumptions in that there is not one universal view of God. What might one say does not necessarily lend an exact interpretation for everyone.
 
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KnowSelf said:
I agree, It is sad many people who attend church are closed-minded and uneducated about themselves and world-life dynamics.
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Not limited to churchgoers, I think. That's a general human trait, closed-mindedness.

My point about knowing oneself was a bit off-topic, maybe: "knowing god" is a very big task, why not start closer to home, with something less elusive and enormous...

As to group worship: Spending time with like-minded people, who are on the same wavelength so to speak, has good effects of replenishing resources and restoring joy. This is not limited to religious groups. Again, a human thing, I believe.
 
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wil said:
I don't hat it, i chuckle that man requires a building he made to kneel before the god they made.

And the thought of any god that could create the universe in seven days having an ego so big they would require worship and kneeling...

If you don't want answers, don't ask questions.
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Yawn. Standard 'humanist' response. Wind them up, out it pops ...

How about a mark of respect, humility, submission? Agreed God requires no worship from man.

Oh wait: now it's going to be the smiting and more selective literalism?
 
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Cino said:
As to group worship: Spending time with like-minded people, who are on the same wavelength so to speak, has good effects of replenishing resources and restoring joy.
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But you know @Cino I actually don't like the 'social' aspect of church services. It can put me off going. I like to go to God alone. To pay respects and perhaps receive grace/peace .... advice (no exact word). But then I am not a very chatty or social being at best of times, lol.

KnowSelf said:
There is no description of God or what God means.
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Or perhaps many different ones? But in general, widely varying scriptures all do come up with a very similar idea of 'what God means' imo?
 
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RJM Corbet said:
But you know @Cino I actually don't like the 'social' aspect of church services. It can put me off going. I like to go to God alone. To pay respects and perhaps receive grace/peace .... advice (no exact word). But then I am not a very chatty or social being at best of times, lol.
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That's my experience with church service and Sunday tea and cookies as well. I always escaped to the book stand. And yet it was something I sought. It takes a group to do a proper liturgy.

The "good" kind of group get-together for me is nowadays infrequent, maybe twice a year, with people who are really on my wavelength.
 
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wil said:
Lol, I could care less at the hysterical nature of buildings.
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I believe the parable of the pharisee man and the tax collector (Luke 10:9-14) addresses the issue, and the one about kneeling and temples, too.
 
KnowSelf said:
I agree, It is sad many people who attend church are closed-minded and uneducated about themselves and world-life dynamics...
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It is also sad that many people who don't attend church are just the same ... so what's your point?

KnowSelf said:
Perhaps what is worse is the sense superiority and power entrusted to clergy and the sheep-like intelligence of congregations.
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OMG. Another case for I believe the parable of the pharisee man and the tax collector (Luke 10:9-14).

I'm getting bored with the pronouncements of the self-righteous
 
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