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 Jon
Mongolian
Registered: 06/28/03
Posts: 952
Last seen: 32 minutes
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 Getting high off religion 
#5981641 - 08/20/06 05:01 PM (6 years, 8 months ago) |
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I used to be an avid church goer to one of them asian churches as a kid. You all know how religious the asian culture tends to be with christianity, for I know all you white folk like to make fun of our culture for being so dogmatic and optimistic. I remember what it was to be in one of those retreats where we would meet a bunch of other asians that turned the tv off when a victoria secret commercial came on (not everyone tho) Im not saying asians are the only ones that practice religion this way, I have been to several different kinds of churches, baptist, presbhyterian(did I spell that right?), methodist, catholic, and a few others.
Anyways I had been around alot of christians in the past, mostly those who are conservative. During the worship services, I noticed something rather interesting. Its kind of a high in my opinion, when everyone just starts responding extremely emotionally to the religious enviroment. This is usually what keeps the christians going back to those praise events, it seems like they return more for a feeling, whether or not they have the power to distinguish what is really more important to please, themselves or to the higher power in which they raise their hands to. Im not making any generalizations, but through the act of being purely honest, cant one question the fact that their rites under a steeple are feeding desires more so than feeding spirituality? Out of past experience, I realize that the conviction we felt during praise events was very therapeutical and spiritually fulfilling, but in a very temporary sense. At the same time most of the fellow church goers promote praises while being rather condescending to the individuals with "dangerous" opinions about freedom and the world. My question is all about deceiving ones self. I beleive that the way individuals practice religion often ignores the questions on selfishness and humbleness. Is reading the bible our way of returning the favor of getting everyone blissfully emotional for a 2 hour period, this attitude IMHO is blasphemy.
Being merely slaves to ourselves, we should not forget how much we value immediate experience, drama, extremeties of emotions we dont feel too often. Would it be so wrong to praise the Lord by sufferring, and if it isnt, why does it seem so wrong? Possibly doing things we dont want to do, things that arent so euphoric, making sacrifices rather than Dr Phil style confessions? Is there much of a difference between self reflection at a church and a good session with a good therapist/psycologist? Can an individual asking you to come to church be comparable to an individual asking you to try ecstasy at a rave? Is the extreme bond individuals have with religion revolve more around pleasure and releif than transcendental helplessness and true beleifs? Is the question just a form of eating from the Tree of Knowledge?
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eve69
--=..Did Adam and ...?=--
 
Registered: 04/30/03
Posts: 2,909
Last seen: 2 months, 11 days
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 Re: Getting high off religion [Re: Jon]
#5981948 - 08/20/06 07:12 PM (6 years, 8 months ago) |
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Church is supposed to offer a sort of transcendence of everyday life into another world of forgiveness and hope. Let's have pity on those for whom this is the only sort of expansion of awareness that they will ever know.
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leery11
Stranger
Registered: 06/25/05
Posts: 5,227
Last seen: 4 months, 23 days
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Re: Getting high off religion [Re: eve69]
#5982411 - 08/20/06 11:15 PM (6 years, 8 months ago) |
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how can unity with God be anything but a high, anything but pleasure?
The big error is separating pleasure from religion, then you just have control and neuroticism.
Is it selfish to go to church to feel good? Hmm. Well generally with religoins of merit, feeling good is the result of actually doing something that makes you a better person, I am not sure if singing songs and reading passages makes you a TON of a better person as compared to do sitting a long time in meditation and fixing your personality.
But all in all, I would say you cannot follow a spiritual path that does not make you feel good. Feeling good is a sign that you are doing things right. The Buddha went ascetic almost starving himself to death to try to find answers, then eventually saw that the middle road is best.
You're right that we crave immediate dramas and extremities of emotions. I notice this alot when watching a film, and the film makes me feel things. And I'm like "man real life isn't like this AT ALL we don't get emotional releases like this"
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Om bhur bhuvaha swaha tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhimahi, dhiyo yonah prachodyat.
We meditate upon that supreme light , the source of all creation, may it illumine our intellects and bring us eternal life.
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Deviate
newbie
Registered: 04/20/03
Posts: 2,130
Last seen: 2 days, 14 hours
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Re: Getting high off religion [Re: eve69]
#5984971 - 08/21/06 10:27 PM (6 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
eve69 said:
Church is supposed to offer a sort of transcendence of everyday life into another world of forgiveness and hope. Let's have pity on those for whom this is the only sort of expansion of awareness that they will ever know.
why should we have pity on them?
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eve69
--=..Did Adam and ...?=--
Registered: 04/30/03
Posts: 2,909
Last seen: 2 months, 11 days
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Re: Getting high off religion [Re: Deviate]
#5986092 - 08/22/06 10:34 AM (6 years, 8 months ago) |
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Because the masses have never been given the tools or go ahead to acheive the ecstatic trance of their saints. Not having that ecstacy they remain materialists even though they live surrounded by God like fish do water...
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