If the scriptures of the world are really just the shell of the nut and "a finger pointing at the moon" to change them could have the finger pointing in a wrong direction perhaps?
Zen
- Thread starter wil
- Start date
People get involved in chewing on the dry wood of the nut, and mistaking the finger for the moon?
wil
UNeyeR1
You mean all those growing up believing the truth their parents told them was true are wrong?
That is the strangest thing about belief to me.
Globally, about 91% of adults retain the religious identity (or non-religion) they were raised in (Pew Research Center).
Retention varies significantly by tradition and region:
Hindus and Muslims: ~99% retention
Religiously Unaffiliated: ~93% retention
Christians: ~83% retention
Buddhists: ~78% retention
Religious switching is far more common in high-income nations, whereas changing religions in developing countries remains extremely rare.
Does this sound like education or indoctrination?
Since this is the zen thread...it is my suggestion that we meditate on the thought ...the above are just statistics based on polls...and before we have a knee perk defensive response we should wonder why that is and what it means to the world as a whole and us personally.
I will be stewing on it as I take my 96 year old, devout daily bible reading mother to church this morning, not because it is what I believe or what I wish to do, but because it is her belief and what she wishes to do and wishes I would do.
People find truth in their religion, whatever their cultural background. Undeveloped nations have less access and in some places it's dangerous to change? I'm sure not all religious believers are just programmed robots.
With the expansion of information and science, fewer people in developed nations are 'religious', although probably many of them are 'spiritual'?
Often the case, but then so often the concerns are pastoral, which can be a good or a bad thing.
Some people just want answers. They want something to believe without having to wrangle or torture themselves over it.
If you get under the surface, then it's there.
+++
I recall, and I've mentioned it here before, the occasion when the Dalai Lama was addressing the monks of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) at their Oxford HQ in the UK.
(I've lost the audio, and can't find it online.)
There was a discussion about reincarnation. He asked why Catholics don't believe it. Someone spoke about Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment", and then talked about that.
"Oh, that's very strong," he said appreciatively. "That's really good."
The Dalai Lama spoke about his conversations with Thomas Merton. He remembers the great boots Merton was wearing and also their discussion about the Buddhist belief in endless life compared with the Christian belief in one life alone. 'Only this life, created by God', he His Holiness quoted Merton as saying, and repeated it ... 'only this life, created by God' which implies, he continued, an extraordinary intimacy between God and the one who is thus created.
His Holiness said he could agree with all that had been said by the Christian speakers if the term 'God' were substituted with the phrase 'ultimate reality'. Buddhism also recognises three stages in seeking understanding and wisdom, the stage of knowledge when one learns about things from teachers, the stage of critical enquiry when one engages in study and reflection, and the stage of meditation or contemplation when one seeks to understand reality and illusion. In both Buddhism and Christianity there is the emphasis on compassion and on the fact that contemplative prayer must issue in service of others and a concern for peace.
wil
UNeyeR1
Statistics encompass group averages. Most individuals may not ever really think about their religion too deeply. In a Buddhist or Muslim culture everyone is Buddhist or Muslim. There are births, marriages and deaths, with their religious social rituals.
Some people may think about it all more deeply? Some may decide to change, others may find deeper meaning in what they have?
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wil
UNeyeR1
I like that.
But does that mean they could have been born in any religion (or without) and that would have likely (by the stats) been sufficient for their needs?
Encompass or create based on individual responses
Statistics deal with group averages. To say that most folks stay with the religion they learned from their parents and cultural upbringing doesn't mean much. It doesn't imply indoctrination. There are a few folks who question and explore other faiths, as they grow older. Perhaps a minority of people have a deeper interest in God and faith and religion.
A lot of them may find they don't need to change, but instead discover increasing depth and personal truth in the religion they grew up with, as they think and go beneath the dogma, imo
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Kooky religious extremists get the publicity and boy, there's a bunch out there, including in powerful positions to affect and skew the lives of ordinary folks.
But God meets every sincere soul where they are, regardless of religion, or no religion, imo. Once a person has felt the touch of the divine, there is sure knowledge, imo
Taking thread off topic now.
Sorry ...
But God meets every sincere soul where they are, regardless of religion, or no religion, imo. Once a person has felt the touch of the divine, there is sure knowledge, imo
Taking thread off topic now.
Sorry ...
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wil
UNeyeR1
Are you speaking of Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, Bahaulla etc?
Those are the people I dance with...like this place.
Agree that some look around and return where it is comfortable.
Also agree many claim religiosity just to not make waves (or not get stoned, ostracized)
We had a Mennonite woman here for a while that told us of the horrors she endured, and how if I remember correctly how she basically left all she knew, family, friends, community so she could go to college since her religion did not allow education for women beyond 8th grade.
I also recall the discussions with Muslim woman who left her land and Christianity as she became enamored with Islam.
Many of us here are the exceptions that prove the rule.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru.
How come Aupmanyav's family is so dumb? My wife's influence and that of my daughter-in-law.