Posted by MG on September 07, 2012 at 10:44:39
In Reply to: Re: Question #1 posted by Friend of Bill on September 07, 2012 at 09:37:54:
In your post to Extreme you said "What matters most is how I AM in this world, not what I DO." It expresses in a nutshell how I feel.
I'm not part of a church and my belief system now has more to do with believing in God without venturing to define God. I use the term God for communication's sake, Often I use other terms such as the American Indian term "Great Spirit", plus "Higher Power" and "Great Creator".
When it comes to spiritual teachings, Jesus' teachings are up there at the top & the Our Father is one of my favorite prayers. Also at the top of my spiritual teaching list are authors who teach meditation. Learning more about "mindfulness meditation", as explained so well by Jon-Kabat Zinn, has helped me to take more time for meditation. And I've learned more about living in the moment which Echart Tolle calls "the power of now".
In answer to Extreme: I equate religion with fanaticism, even though most religious people are not fanatics.
In the few words I wrote above about my current belief system, for me it is not about practicing a religion which I have to show by my works, but it's about my own personal spiritual journey, which helps me to change things about myself that need changing, to be better in my own skin. As a result, and not only on my own but also by the grace of God, I can be of some use in the place I have here on this planet in human society. So it's about how I "AM".