Re: "Thiering Pesher"

jeb wrote:
Marshall Price wrote:

No, I had no choice. Once I decided to be honest to myself, I had no
choice. I've never believed people could choose what to believe, only
what to avoid considering.

I have to agree about the lack of choice sometimes. My father still
insists that I could "choose" to believe the "right" thing as he
believes.

I read somewhere that no other religion makes such a big issue of
insisting on what people must believe -- an eternal bliss vs. eternal
torture issue! In most religions, faith is hardly mentioned. (Fidelity
is, though.)

But I wonder about the commandments to love. I can understand regarding
love as a virtue, and accepting it as a duty to do whatever one can to
become more loving (and feel more lovingly) towards others. But I can't
quite grasp the idea of loving somebody in obedience to a command. I
know it's regarded as a mystery, but that's no more helpful than
"handwaving."

A priest even told me, when I asked him whether we were commanded to
love God sexually, that we were. (Rabbis say it, too -- not all of
them, of course.) But at least that's something we could conceive of
doing on command, if we knew how to go about it -- also a mystery, I guess.

But what if you hate your brother, and your father commands you to love
him? Aside from making a show of it, or trying somehow to "let it
happen" (which may be all that is expected), I can't imagine actually
*doing* it as an act of willpower.

I have yet to reach any convictions on the matter.

I was also appreciative of Whiskers' contribution. It is very common on
this forum to hear debate, and very rare to hear anyone talk of their
own religious path and experience.

s.r.q. is still one of the best places to seek it or express it, though.
Old times here are not forgotten! :)

--
Marshall Price of Miami
Known to Yahoo as d021317c
.