Re: Why some and not others?

David wrote:
On May 28, 8:01 pm, "Yowie" <yowie9644.DIESPAM...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
...
This question came up when I was talking to a dear friend of mine.
She had been a seeker for a very long time, her desperate search for
spiritual answers lead her on a merry path through Buddhism, Wicca,
New Age though, Kabbalah and a whole host of other stuff, and then
she had a dream where Jesus spoke to her. Later, she said that the
Bible came 'alive' for her and she found herself - against her own
"better judgement" as she puts it - a Christian. She says that God
found her, and brought her home again. She is now a very happy,
content Christian and I can see that she has found what she was
looking for. But why don't other people? If the God of
Christianity - if Jesus- is truly the 'only path' why doens't
Jesus/God show himself to all who seek? Why do they end up finding
their contentment, happiness & spiritual fulfillment in other
places, with the same idea that this is what they'd always been
looking for? ...

I propose a select few spiritual seekers such as myself first
try a wide range of religions, not just intellectually but actually
living and associating with people in different phases.

Many seekers do this - my friend did and Ihave done so a little too
(although haven't gone so far as to join a commune with like minded folks.
yet)

In my case it ranged acoss a score of Christian denominations
into the Jewish, New Age, and Oriental (Yoga, Nicherin Buddhist,
Zen).

The cognitive dissonance in this process over years cannot be
downplayed.

Did you find that most people were seeking the answers to the same few
questions or was there bigger differences in your experiences of each group?

In a twist of fate my inner scientific mentality decisively insisted
on searching and finding the historical Jesus to reconcile it
with the Christ of faith. In the end I found the historical Jesus and
Christian Origins (from the Essene; not from the Jewish mainstream).

I'm glad you've found something to 'anchor' your spiritual system on and tha
tyou've managed to find sense within it.

The whole Essenic thing has absolutley no resonance in it for me. Left me
flat, dry and bored. however, even though thats the way it was for me, I am
not dismissing yoru experiences David, merely pointing out that mine are
different to yours (and everyone else's)

For now I pass on that Jesus is not the only path. Compassion for
the suffering of others is a key element for maturity; regardless of
the religion one was born into.

In principle, I agree with you there.

An interesting point came out of a discussion over karma. If in the karmic
system, 'suffering' is the way to balance 'bad karma' so one can advance in
spiritual eveolution (as is suggested by some), would it not then be better
to let the suffering suffer, lest we ease their suffering and thereby slow
down or prevent their spiritual evolution?

Our need for community is very great; no one can find
meaning in life all alone.

Some hermits may disagree with you there, but I think thats *generally*
true.

The zen of it is to find one's original face before one
was born (mystical).

With the idea of reincarantion, surely there are many faces before this
physical birth occured. And if you go back tot he source, isn't the truly
original face the face of God (or is that what you meant?)

Yowie


.

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