Re: Are you religious? (ndc)

JimK wrote:
Spiritualism as most here have described it appears to be
nothing more than a nonspecific religion without most of the religious
trappings. It still requires a belief or faith that some sort of
vague, undefinable "spirit" exists, either in us or permeating the
world or whatever.

To believe that *anything* exists outside of the existence of the self
requires faith.

Religion and spirituality both seem to me to be responses to the idea
that this can't be all there is to life, even though there's
absolutely no evidence to believe there's more.

Religion: yes. Spirituality: depends on the definition, and by my (and
many others') definition that is not the case.

Personally, I agree
with Toad that neither is a prerequisite for living a good life. All
you really need is good will. If I can manage to live a reasonably
good life, then I figure I'm covered if it turns out that there is
some version of life after death that approximates heaven. If not,
then I've still lived a good life. What I can't believe is that
someone who lived a good life will be punished in the afterlife
because he didn't worship the right "god."

I agree with all of this.

However this too is all acts of faith.

For example you, Toad, and I have faith that we won't burn for not
worshipping the right god. But we could be wrong, you know - we just
*believe* that we aren't wrong.

Faith.

Ray

.

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