An elderly lady I used to help in her garden (succumbed to leukaemia since) ; she was not short of money and had a large comfortable home , enjoyed Xmas on her own .
She would sit with her legs on a stool enjoying her favourite TV shows , sipping a glass of good quality wine . Although she had sons and daughters who would insist on her company at Xmas , she confided in me once , smiling as she said it :-
"Paul , even though I have a close and loving family , always willing to help ; just for once I wish they'd LEAVE ME ON MY OWN AT XMAS" !!!
As Philippa states "not always quite so black and white , unfortunately" ; she had a choice , a lot of people don't .
A lot of our beliefs are imposed while we are too young to argue, we become what our parents and schools dictate. My schools were all C of E my friends were Catholic and in my day never the twain shall meet, or our parents and religious Teachers said. Of course we did at play in our free time sports and other activities. I never understood why the Girl I liked was taboo because she was not of my Parents faith, they must have had a reason. It could well have been that their schools were all religious schools and it was drummed into them. We had an hour a week of religious studies in all my schools plus having to attend Sunday School and Church. I must admit that in the army in the cold of winter and fuel shortage when Church Parade was compulsory many of us were suddenly Salvation army because they had warm stoves and we got tea sandwiches and cake.
The world is not black and white, 50 shades of grey come to mind (now where did that come from) I found that asking questions in Sunday School or Church brought the roof down on you, accept our truth or else, we see splinter groups breaking away from main theme religions and the trouble it causes. We should be careful what we teach our children is what I am saying.
You’re right Frank, IMO, there’s a vast difference between religion and faith, religion is what’s drummed into you as child, but faith is something else. Faith is not believing what is true, its believing what you want to feel is true.
I’ve known a lot of people that have faith and have been helped where medicines failed, such as depressions, anxiety, etc, I’m not talking about faith healer quacks, that’s very taboo.
My OH for one. Without faith in himself or something else, could have been quite ill When I first met him.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Lyn, I hear what you say, religion is what is drummed into us, Faith is what we believe to be right and that in my case would include not causing pain to others. It is much bandied about there are no atheists in fox holes there is truth in it and I have seen tough men cry though it was usually for their mothers not for their deity.
I nursed my wife with the full help of the family for seven years before losing her nearly seven years ago your prayers are not for you but for your loved one, I attend the remembrance services and meet so many people I have known all my life, some there for their loved ones some are needing the comfort for themselves. Whatever we believe or not is a personal thing, it is definitely not something we should be fighting over whatever Holy Book we read, as with a lot of Military people we in time become pacifists and tolerant, we should all step back and think of what we do in the name of God.
I always try to visualise a world where any form of religion NEVER existed . Childrens young minds free to develop without being brainwashed from an early age .
Imagine , no barbaric crusades ; no slaughter of innocents by genocidal maniacs like Columbus in the Americas ; the cruelty of the theocracies in 'dark-age' Europe would have never occurred ; no Holocaust in latter day Europe and no young arabic men and women blowing themselves to pieces for some perverse belief or lost cause !
A world of scientific enlightenment dedicated to the advancement of knowledge , without the ever present oppressive incumbrance of some supernatural ever-watchful deity .
Far too many people use the words of the religions of the world for their own twisted purposes. That endeavour is however helped by the fact that, from what I see, religious texts can be used to support almost any argument put forward. Just as one example, and only because it's from a book that I'm familiar with, on one hand we are told "Turn the other cheek", yet in the same book there is "An eye for an eye".
The pacifist would use the former to support their view, whilst the fighter would use the latter. Which one is wrong in beliefing that they are following the teachings of the book?
As far as I'm concerned anybody can believe whatever they want to believe as long as they don't try to enforce their beliefs on me either by word or force.
Posts
Seriously Posy, his religion doesn’t allow him to believe in Christmas. He wasn’t joking.
Then I really am sorry for him, Lyn. It's an unhappy faith that rejects love and generosity and joy.
An elderly lady I used to help in her garden (succumbed to leukaemia since) ; she was not short of money and had a large comfortable home , enjoyed Xmas on her own .
She would sit with her legs on a stool enjoying her favourite TV shows , sipping a glass of good quality wine . Although she had sons and daughters who would insist on her company at Xmas , she confided in me once , smiling as she said it :-
"Paul , even though I have a close and loving family , always willing to help ; just for once I wish they'd LEAVE ME ON MY OWN AT XMAS" !!!
As Philippa states "not always quite so black and white , unfortunately" ; she had a choice , a lot of people don't .
A lot of our beliefs are imposed while we are too young to argue, we become what our parents and schools dictate. My schools were all C of E my friends were Catholic and in my day never the twain shall meet, or our parents and religious Teachers said. Of course we did at play in our free time sports and other activities. I never understood why the Girl I liked was taboo because she was not of my Parents faith, they must have had a reason. It could well have been that their schools were all religious schools and it was drummed into them. We had an hour a week of religious studies in all my schools plus having to attend Sunday School and Church. I must admit that in the army in the cold of winter and fuel shortage when Church Parade was compulsory many of us were suddenly Salvation army because they had warm stoves and we got tea sandwiches and cake.
The world is not black and white, 50 shades of grey come to mind (now where did that come from) I found that asking questions in Sunday School or Church brought the roof down on you, accept our truth or else, we see splinter groups breaking away from main theme religions and the trouble it causes. We should be careful what we teach our children is what I am saying.
Frank.
You’re right Frank, IMO, there’s a vast difference between religion and faith, religion is what’s drummed into you as child, but faith is something else. Faith is not believing what is true, its believing what you want to feel is true.
I’ve known a lot of people that have faith and have been helped where medicines failed, such as depressions, anxiety, etc, I’m not talking about faith healer quacks, that’s very taboo.
My OH for one. Without faith in himself or something else, could have been quite ill When I first met him.
Lyn, I hear what you say, religion is what is drummed into us, Faith is what we believe to be right and that in my case would include not causing pain to others. It is much bandied about there are no atheists in fox holes there is truth in it and I have seen tough men cry though it was usually for their mothers not for their deity.
I nursed my wife with the full help of the family for seven years before losing her nearly seven years ago your prayers are not for you but for your loved one, I attend the remembrance services and meet so many people I have known all my life, some there for their loved ones some are needing the comfort for themselves. Whatever we believe or not is a personal thing, it is definitely not something we should be fighting over whatever Holy Book we read, as with a lot of Military people we in time become pacifists and tolerant, we should all step back and think of what we do in the name of God.
Frank.
I always try to visualise a world where any form of religion NEVER existed . Childrens young minds free to develop without being brainwashed from an early age .
Imagine , no barbaric crusades ; no slaughter of innocents by genocidal maniacs like Columbus in the Americas ; the cruelty of the theocracies in 'dark-age' Europe would have never occurred ; no Holocaust in latter day Europe and no young arabic men and women blowing themselves to pieces for some perverse belief or lost cause !
A world of scientific enlightenment dedicated to the advancement of knowledge , without the ever present oppressive incumbrance of some supernatural ever-watchful deity .
If only philosophy was properly taught in all schools today, rather than religion ..... Imagine ..... as John Lennon said ...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Far too many people use the words of the religions of the world for their own twisted purposes. That endeavour is however helped by the fact that, from what I see, religious texts can be used to support almost any argument put forward. Just as one example, and only because it's from a book that I'm familiar with, on one hand we are told "Turn the other cheek", yet in the same book there is "An eye for an eye".
The pacifist would use the former to support their view, whilst the fighter would use the latter. Which one is wrong in beliefing that they are following the teachings of the book?
As far as I'm concerned anybody can believe whatever they want to believe as long as they don't try to enforce their beliefs on me either by word or force.
Dove & KT53
Absolutely!!