Compassionate Spirituality

[nailit]

If you were to become a 'spiritual seeker' (as I was, as a teenager, many moons ago) and you were looking in to religious and/or spiritual traditions and ideologies today, would the religious ambassadors on AB convince you that their own brand of belief was compassionate in any way?

(compassionate toward you, your fellow human beings, nature, the planet etc)

[mikey4444]

Nailit....I think that it is perfectly possible to be kind and compassionate to each other, without involving religion at all.

By the way....how are you these days my friend ?

[nailit]

Mikey, completely agree with you, no religion needed to be kind towards each other, but the religious ambassadors on here seem to disagree.
I'm not to bad either, thanks for asking, few ups and downs, but not to bad. Perhaps God can make it even better???

[mikey4444]

Nailit...........I am a confirmed atheist ! But if you think that going back to Christianity will help you, then give it a go !

We all need a bit of help once in a while, after all

[Baldric]

For once agree with Mikey @ 21:27

I am unlikely to become a 'spiritual seeker'

We are what we make ourselves, I have no belief in Mythical Beings, never have done.

[nailit]

Lol Mikey, Christianity messed my head up as a youngster with its tails of hell and damnation if you didn't 'believe' the right thing, think ill steer clear of THAT spirituality for now. :-)

[nailit]

Baldric, you don't have to have a belief in mythical beings to be a 'spiritual seeker'. Buddhists (for example, amongst others) have no Gods.
Question was aimed more at how others might view the religious on AB.

[Baldric]

We're all entitled to an opinion.

[andy-hughes]

Good grief no!

The 'religious ambassadors' on here are, to a man - pompous, arrogant, condescending, sarcastic, boring, one-dimensional, opinionated, insufferable, boorish oafs.

They give Christianity a bad name.

[nailit]

//We're all entitled to an opinion.//
No argument with that.

//The 'religious ambassadors' on here are, to a man - pompous, arrogant, condescending, sarcastic, boring, one-dimensional, opinionated, insufferable, boorish oafs.//
Not just me then ;-)

[Cloverjo]

Maybe you should to try the Quakers, nailit. I am an atheist. My son went to a Quaker school. I liked its philosophy of welcoming "people of all faith or none". The meetings were very nice. No preaching, no weird rituals, just quiet contemplation the opportunity to speak if you wanted to.

[Patsy33]

No. They would annoy me. They come across holier than thou, and would frighten me off. I am quite a sensitive person and would appreciate compassion.

[pastafreak]

I was brought up a Cathoĺic, but became disenchanted at 16 or so. I remember being rather intrigued by the Quakers for the reasons mentioned by Clover. I liked the fact that they seemed non-judgemental, accepting, and promoted inner calm.

[pastafreak]

Oh...and no. None of the god squad on here do a very good job of selling their narrow minded beliefs. I'm not buying.

[nailit]

Got a pen friend whose a Quaker, not my cup of tea tho, No religion is now (tho I AM drawn to paganism) But the question is to others re: reading the post of others here on AB?

[nailit]

don't hold ur breath Pasta, they will be along shortly, just after their prayer meetings.

[jourdain2]

No, the 'religious ambassadors' on here would send me running to ground, probably with a towel over my head! Honestly! I really mean this. Perhaps you should read the small things that unassertive people, who find comfort and compassion in their religion, post. There are quite a few of us if you read past the headlines. :)

I wouldn't want to push you in any direction, you are vulnerable - but if you need a quiet space to think and can't find a park or equivalent, then try an open church. No-one will ask anything of you, it's just a building.

[andy-hughes]

Baldric - // We're all entitled to an opinion. //

Absolutely.

What we are not entitled to do however, is preach (literally!) to people as though they are too stupid to understand religion, rather than the reality of simply not believing in it.

We are also not entitled to post questions and then utterly ignore the responses we get, or carry on posting as though they are not there.

We are also not entitled to belittle other people for simply holding a different viewpoint - and that, and all the above, is what the 'religious ambassadors do on here with tedious regularity.

[nailit]

Andy, that's what really gets me. Don't these posters get it that their postings (and I see it on youtube vids etc) that quoting bible verses or whatever is a total waste of time? I tried numerous times to actually understand what they are trying to say but to just make a statement and then run away from any questions is ludicrous.
I had it as a teenage Christian, I questioned something that I read and was told that I was at fault for questionening in the first place. Bizzare.

[woofgang]

No, I wouldn't be, haven't been, convinced by anything I have read on AB, both from the religionists and the non religionists....but then its brief snippets and broad brush stuff.....

[Old_Geezer]

Religion is just a single outlook on spirituality.
I can be compassionate without reference to spirituality. That's not that I dismiss it. It's just that it isn't a prerequisite.
So no. AB evangelists have little effect.