>What do you mean by epiphony?
Dear Kristian,
I realize I spelled the word incorrectly, and
for that I apologize, as it may have added to your
confusion. Epiphany means; a realization, a moment
of sudden intuitive insight (to quote part of Webster's
definition).
>I don't think I said we could all agree on one truth. Obviously that is
>impossible. I did say there is one truth. This truth is not just mine -
>that would be selfish. I look to our creator and ask for his truth. And to
>deny we have a creator is rather foolish.
Herein lies the dilemma. All of life is perspective
and illusion, that is part of my truth. For instance
let's take the color red. What actually is red? Is
the red I see the same color you see, or is it
shaded by my conception of red, or maybe even
more physically challenging if I were colorblind.
Does that mean that red does not exist for me?
No, it means that I see red through my own eyes
and how I see it reflects my "reaction" to it or
innermost thoughts about it. Now everyone else
can generally relate to the color red in some way,
but there is no way to ever know if two people
absolutely see it the same, other than how they
describe it. Ah, now we get to the total crux of
the situation, perception versus words.
Words are a very fragile form of communication.
The internet, which on one hand is a wonderful
tool to communicate is also an enormous challenge
for us each to say exactly what we mean. We are
a culture that is used to speaking words, rather
than writing them. As such, when we speak we
put inflection in our voices, and the recipient is
able to understand our meaning, not from our
words alone, but from our voice and intonation.
Unfortunately, that is not available in this type
of forum, so what we say is out there in black
and white to be interpreted solely on the merit
of the dialog.
Add these two things together and many times
we are totally misconstrued. For instance, Kristian,
your above question of epiphany came across to
me as though you felt I was being "flip" or detrimental
in its' use. In actuality I was being anything but that.
I choose my words carefully and use words which
have very specific meanings, just so I won't be
misunderstood.
>I didn't think I was shouting. Just as you present your beliefs I present
>mine. This forum is for discussing spirituality. If you are secure with
>your truth and it is just yours, why did you start this page.
>
This brings us to this comment. I felt that you were
shouting. Not only shouting, but insisting that your way
was the one and only way and it was your mission
to convert as many people as possible to this way
of thinking. You are right, this is a forum which
welcomes the "discussion" of spirituality, or any-
thing for that matter. "Discussion" is the right word.
That discussion comes with understanding and
tolerance of the beliefs of others. It is given with
love and curtesy, not "challenging" another's beliefs,
but simply presenting our own.
I am very secure in my truth, and when I come
to the point that I am not, I will change it, that simple.
I have found through life that what we say is of much
less importance than how we live. Walking the
walk is much more important than talking the talk.
If your mission in life is to convert people to your
belief system, then simply walking the walk will
be much more effective than mere words.
>I don't think I'll be persecuted here in web land, but I do find it hard to
>talk about being a Christian. It has always been hard to challenge belief
>systems and I don't want to be confrontational.
Talking about Christianity should not be hard.
Most of us here have been Christian at one time or
another and know the basic tenets. Just because
we have moved on does not mean that we don't
respect the basic concepts and enjoy reading the
bible. There is no reason to confront or challenge.
Discussion is one of the greatest modes of commun-
ication. I tell you what I have learned and feel and
you tell me what you have learned. We compare
notes, take what is good for us, leave the rest and
move on. No judgment, no condemning, no anger,
just acceptance of each other and who we are. No
permanentchanges come from confrontation of religious beliefs. The person
just digs in deeper, and in fact, it can
stop them from reaching any further outside of them-
selves. There are great examples of this all around
the world, in history and even today. People are
still being persecuted and those being persecuted
turn right around and persecute others. I have studied
every major religion of the world, and some that aren't
so major, and I can guarantee you that none of them
say to kill your brother if he doesn't come around to
your way of thinking...hehehe.
I do
>not agree with the main premis which is that our source of enlightenment
>comes from within. Satan told Eve one thing and that was that she could be
>like GOD. I strongly believe that the New Age movement is the same
>temptation. I also do not believe the spirit world(or spirituality) is a
>safe place. There are many things out there that want our attention. And
>all they have to do is tell one little white lie and we miss the truth. So
You have every right to disagree with this, you
see this is my truth, not necessarily yours. I know
this through experience, not through someone
telling me. I searched and studied and found
my answers were within, not without. Each of us
must find our own way, in our own time. This is
a very personal journey and no one can do it for
us. We came into this world alone and that is the
way we shall leave, taking with us our actions and
what we have learned in the process, and this is
part of my truth.
There is never a reason to put down someone's
belief system, as it does not make our own any more
real. As a sidelight most holidays were pagan, since
Christianity has not been around since the beginning
of time. In fact, to get technical, the seers predicted
the birth of Christ. I personally love Christmas, and
Santa Claus, because of the feelings of love, compass-
ion and sharing that it encompasses. It is the one
time of the year people from around the world join
together in a sharing of love. It is a universal language
understood by all, as it does not need the confines
of words, but the love pours forth from the actions.
This is what I celebrate when I celebrate Christmas.
Kristian
>
>>
>> Lorri O:)
>>
>> www.pyramidtlc.org
>>
>
>
>
Love and Peace,
Lorri O:)
www.pyramidtlc.org
