We live in a time that challenges our deepest being.
And whether we are tending to religious in the traditional sense, non-denominational or even atheistic, there is a question of being that applies to all of us. Can we, within the respective paths we are walking find commonalities, despite our differences?
This is not a post of what is better, or what is wrong with people, but rather what is helpful to meet the challenges of today, to meet happiness and fulfillment and the commonalities between them.
As a guide I would share this video by Rupert Sheldrake, a scientist from Brittain with rather peculiar views, that frankly blows the mind and allows you to look at things from a wider perspective.
He discusses: spiritual practices, prayer, meditation, even pilgrimage, the commonalities between them in several religious and spiritual traditions and bridges the apparent gap between science and spirituality.
https://yewtu.be/watch?v=fiUE9jCTnOQ
I do hope you will enjoy this even more as much as I have.
On a different but connected field of inquiry, I came across this channel made by prof. Wilfred Bastiani. Brace yourself. He is quite compact and speedy, so, despite the uplifting classical music, you might want to pause here and there.
In this particular instance, this is about freedom, which brings choice. How do we really make choices? A mirror to look into.
https://ytprivate.com/watch?v=jUJMTeDX-xM&list=PLSpNjGeUKaXiRj20qQxx9UXFqyeFmUSsg
Peruse his channel for more food for thought.
Enjoy!
The difference is one thing and one thing only: Jesus Christ. If you don't belong to Him, you belong to the devil. It is quite binary. He came to save us, and we respond to His mercy. We get baptized and are filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit. We try to rid ourselves of the passions and pursue virtue. It is not "classical" thinking, because, for example in Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle describes virtues existing on a continuum, but Christians see them as one thing: Good. So, many other systems use the same ideas as Christianity, but they lack the engine that makes it a stupendous gift to humans. As they say in the Russian church: c nami Bog -- God is with us. And He is. This is the one and major difference between Christianity and all other spiritual disciplines. As they say in this Q world: We have it all. And we do. We have the mysteries, we have the fantastic services and prayers, we have the Fathers, we have the holy sacraments, we have holy icons, which are windows to the saints, and we have The Church, in which Apostolic laying of hands on our priests goes unbroken from the Apostle until now. I am speaking of Orthodoxy. So, whereas I don't judge people, I do judge their structures and religions. This is OK, because we are trying to find the truth.