- Joined
- Apr 18, 2010
- Messages
- 27,193
- MBTI Type
- INTJ
- Enneagram
- 5w6
- Instinctual Variant
- sp/sx
I have come to believe that there is only one divine entity, that encompasses male and female, and any other human distinction imaginable, and of course transcends all that is human as well. The world's religions are just so many ways to try to relate to that divinity, and our many Gods and Goddesses just so many names for him/her. It is not wrong to relate to God primarily through one of these ways, as long as we do not deny the validity of someone else relating in another way. How we relate will also change through our lives, as we grow and what we need evolves.
When I read the Bible, especially the OT, I see much of it as an illustration of what NOT to do, how NOT to live. Indeed, Jesus himself preached against many of these traditions, like not healing on the Sabbath or not associating with certain groups. The Bible is full of great stories, poetry, prayers, and especially the history of how one group of people saw their place in the world and the divine. Trying to read too much into it, however, is counterproductive.
You don't need to believe the Bible to experience faith or follow a religion; and you don't need to follow an organized religion to develop your own spirituality. Ultimately, it is that intuitive realization that is paramount. All the writings and rituals, teachings and traditions can at most serve as cross-checks and guides along the way. There is no substitute for what you honestly believe inside, and no one can walk your path for you.
My situation was far from dire enough to suggest suicide, but I had a similar experience of moving on from my childhood religion, and the same feeling of having progressed spiritually through the experience. For me, it wasn't hearing a voice, but running across a series of books, one by one.
This is a good way of putting it. Religions that believe in reincarnation sometimes teach that suicide is just a way of avoiding whatever lessons this life has to teach you. If you don't work through the lesson in this life, you will see it again in the next. Sort of a metaphysical analog of history repeating itself.
I make a distinction between Jesus and most of what transpires in the Old Testament. This is where most of the violence and Zeus-like behavior is. Jesus seems to have been a remarkable historic person who reached out to the marginalized and truly demonstrated the "Kingdom of God on Earth" in the best sense. Early followers, however, felt the need to co-opt both the Old Testament Messianic traditions as well as the divinity/virgin birth/resurrection myths of contemporary religions for Jesus, perhaps simply to promote his teachings.
When I read the Bible, especially the OT, I see much of it as an illustration of what NOT to do, how NOT to live. Indeed, Jesus himself preached against many of these traditions, like not healing on the Sabbath or not associating with certain groups. The Bible is full of great stories, poetry, prayers, and especially the history of how one group of people saw their place in the world and the divine. Trying to read too much into it, however, is counterproductive.
