how important is meditation in life?

[indifference]

How important is meditation to you? Do you take time out of your life to do it? What about journaling, do you write in the morning at night? We have had writers here say that journaling helps us remember things, I found through writing a report that writing is a good way to find out things in life. I found from a report i wrote over a summer, a music therapist I worked with commentd that I was more happy one day of the week than others. That day, I had an hour of yoga. It was the exercize in a yoga class that made me happy. Is writing or journaling important to you?

[stubeeef]

How important is meditation to you? Do you take time out of your life to do it? What about journaling, do you write in the morning at night? We have had writers here say that journaling helps us remember things, I found through writing a report that writing is a good way to find out things in life. I found from a report i wrote over a summer, a music therapist I worked with commentd that I was more happy one day of the week than others. That day, I had an hour of yoga. It was the exercize in a yoga class that made me happy. Is writing or journaling important to you?

Well I think that prayer, in my case Christian Prayer, is very comforting and soothing. It rejuvinates and empowers me during the day. I don't journal but my wife does, infact she has 4 going at any one time. One for each kid and one for herself. She reads Christian studies, and the bible everyday as well. I think it gives her peace of mind (and after 15 years with me she can use all she can get :o ).

I could not get through a single day without at least a little prayer, so it is extremely important to me.

[indifference]

Well I think that prayer, in my case Christian Prayer, is very comforting and soothing. It rejuvinates and empowers me during the day. I don't journal but my wife does, infact she has 4 going at any one time. One for each kid and one for herself. She reads Christian studies, and the bible everyday as well. I think it gives her peace of mind (and after 15 years with me she can use all she can get :o ).

I could not get through a single day without at least a little prayer, so it is extremely important to me.

when you pray, do you pray with the meal you have? I think prayer is good. May I ask, what Christian church you are in? I am now a member of the UCC United Church of Christ, in Seattle.

[PlaceofDis]

meditation is key to my everyday life, while i may not have a regimented routine for it, i do meditate in many different ways. just by relaxing my body and controlling my thoughts i meditate and focus

i am not a catholic, was raised that way though, found out that it just wasnt for me personally, now i guess you could say that im a pseudo-buddhist because while i am not technically a practicing buddhist i do keep and try to live by the buddhist standards

journaling: it has had a huge impact upon my life, i am a writer plain and simple. i write essays and poetry nearly every day, if i dont i am revising some past work, its relaxing and refreshing. the amount of things you can learn about yourself just by writing is amazing, i have grown more and more because i learn about myself through my poetry and essays

[indifference]

meditation is key to my everyday life, while i may not have a regimented routine for it, i do meditate in many different ways. just by relaxing my body and controlling my thoughts i meditate and focus

i am not a catholic, was raised that way though, found out that it just wasnt for me personally, now i guess you could say that im a pseudo-buddhist because while i am not technically a practicing buddhist i do keep and try to live by the buddhist standards

journaling: it has had a huge impact upon my life, i am a writer plain and simple. i write essays and poetry nearly every day, if i dont i am revising some past work, its relaxing and refreshing. the amount of things you can learn about yourself just by writing is amazing, i have grown more and more because i learn about myself through my poetry and essays

I think it's funny, when writers say they don't journal. At writing conferences they say that most writers journal. I don't like it when most writing teachers force people to joural, I would hope that they would let the students decide to do it on there own. I met some yesterday that said they don't. I asked her though to sign her book for me, I had wanted to pay for it though, She wrote, "With the pleasure of meeting and hearing some of the "desperation." The book is titled, "Desperate Conquests". I thought she used the word desperate to discribe me.

[stubeeef]

when you pray, do you pray with the meal you have? I think prayer is good. May I ask, what Christian church you are in? I am now a member of the UCC United Church of Christ, in Seattle.

Yes, I pray before meals, infact our daughter take turns saying the blessing. My wife is an elem music teacher, sometimes the girls will sing the blessing in rounds, it's cute.

I was baptised Catholic, but raised Methodist after my parents divorced. I am not hung up denominations so much, I think I stay with the Methodist Church because it is what is familar, and I enjoy it. My wife was a Christian Music Major, then after a couple of years at a small church in rural NC, she went back and got her teaching certificate.

I often lean on prayer to get me "back on track" when I find my priorities changing, or the rat race of family/kids/schools/jobs/career getting out of control.

There are some very faithful people here that will find this thread, among them are wdlove and macdawg.

[Mantat]

First of all, I am totaly atheist and totaly despise religious integrism (would that be christian, islamist, sects, etc...).

That being said, I find it weird that you can compare mediation to praying. In mind, meditation is more about relaxing while praying is more about 'talking to god'.

So while meditation could make someone feel better (as a night of sleep), I dont understand how a prayer can help. Wouldnt just talking to a friend do the trick if you need a confident? What does a prayer do to you?

Why do you pray? To ask god's help in time of need? To say that you are happy and thank him? When you are confronted to a big life obstacle (ex: losing a job), would the first reaction be to ask god for help or would it be the last desperate solution?

I have learned to rely only on myself so all this praying thing is totaly alien to me but I find it interesting. Dont get your hopes up, you wont convert me, yet I would like to hear more of all of this!

[stubeeef]

First of all, I am totaly atheist and totaly despise religious integrism (would that be christian, islamist, sects, etc...).

That being said, I find it weird that you can compare mediation to praying. In mind, meditation is more about relaxing while praying is more about 'talking to god'.

So while meditation could make someone feel better (as a night of sleep), I dont understand how a prayer can help. Wouldnt just talking to a friend do the trick if you need a confident? What does a prayer do to you?

Why do you pray? To ask god's help in time of need? To say that you are happy and thank him? When you are confronted to a big life obstacle (ex: losing a job), would the first reaction be to ask god for help or would it be the last desperate solution?

I have learned to rely only on myself so all this praying thing is totaly alien to me but I find it interesting. Dont get your hopes up, you wont convert me, yet I would like to hear more of all of this!

Well to begin with, for me prayer IS talking to a friend. It both relaxes me and gives me inner strength. While I am responsible for myself and don't lay around waiting for God to give me things, I feel that God has given me many wonderful things, ex. my wife, my children, my friends, my community. If I lost my job today, I would ask for guidance to find the right place for me, whether that is considered by society as a "move up" or not doesn't matter. Similar to "becareful what you wish for". You see I believe God may want me somewhere because it helps someone else, not just me. You see it is not about ME, except that lil ole ME needs to listen to God.

Typical of my prayers are for strength and vision, or to ask for help for someone in need.

edit: If I remember correctly, the changes in physiology are similar for Catholic Monks as well as Monks of some far eastern religions like in Tibet. Prayer can be very soothing!

[Peterkro]

"how come if you talk to God your called religous but if God talks to you your labelled Schizophrenic" :confused:

[stubeeef]

"how come if you talk to God your called religous but if God talks to you your labelled Schizophrenic" :confused:

:p :p :p

but then again Moses isn't considered schizo

[jdechko]

Mantat, in response to your idea that prayer and meditation are different, I think that often times they both seek to accomplish the same purpose. You see, meditation, I believe, is a process by which we re-center our lives on that which is truly important to us. As a Christian, God is important to me and through prayer and reading the Bible, I find solutions to life's surroundings that help me to focus my life and center it to where I believe it ought to be.

However, that is not to say that all of my prayers exist for that purpose. I often find myself praying for strength and wisdom so that I can get through some difficult times in my life.

[doumbek]

I find that introspection is necessary just to keep a focus on who you are in this world. I am an Atheist, and proud of it, and I find it peculiar that people try to lay claim on thoughtful self-enlightenment.

I personally believe that every one of us can learn by analyzing who we are, and what we want out of life on each of the choices in life that we face. The more we do it, the easier it becomes to do the "right" thing and not dwell on things that can not be changed.

[xsedrinam]

How important is meditation to you?

I'll have to think on that one. ;)
X

[unfaded]

I'm a Taoist (philisophical, not religious). I don't think it's crucial. I do think it can be relaxing and nice to do every once in a while. But there are more important things in life. Like living.

[wdlove]

I read the Bible daily, on a program that I read the whole Bible in a year. Ends up being two old and two new Testament chapters each day. The I pray. Pray also with each meal. I consider it to be very important.

[chanoc]

Praying is for sheep, meditation is for neophytes. :p

Science & skepticism are for the enlightened. ;)

[stubeeef]

Praying is for sheep, meditation is for neophytes. :p

Science & skepticism are for the enlightened. ;)

As Xtremehkr might bring up, knowing your feelings on smoking, and now your devotion to science, (do you know what non sequitor (http://www.thetruth.com/index.cfm?seek=truth) means? )

"proof that smokers die everyday", huh.

That comes from us sheep, baahhh!

[chanoc]

As Xtremehkr might bring up, knowing your feelings on smoking, and now your devotion to science, (do you know what non sequitor (http://www.thetruth.com/index.cfm?seek=truth) means? )

"proof that smokers die everyday", huh.

That comes from us sheep, baahhh!

The "does not follow" fallacy does not apply to this. My defense of smokers, which used a quote from comedian Bill Hicks, and was on a seperate thread. My devotion to science is a seperate matter, and came before I re-started smoking in July, 2004. I know a few scientists (professors at the Univeristy of Alaska) who smoke, although admit it is wrong. I smoke and admit it's bad snizzle, but it may be hard to quit again.

So what's your point? :rolleyes:

How can you pray to something that does not exist? Expected rebuttal: my god is real to me. < ---- typical subjective theist response.

[stubeeef]

I am not going to argue my religion or anyone elses, as you are so aware, I am a sheep.

But to deify science, and profess smoking does not follow, unless of course you are in to self mutulation or destruction, then I would understand. I have no problem with science, I love a lot of it, and I too am skeptical of a bunch of it. I just don't see slaming religious people or those that pray, and then going around professing science as an unabashed smoker.

edit: My point is not to be too hypocritical, I certainly do things all the time that are wrong, or are contrary to Christianity. I just try and not go around belittleing the others - the way you just did to those who pray. As you must be aware, there are many scientist that are also religious.

[chanoc]

I am not going to argue my religion or anyone elses, as you are so aware, I am a sheep.

But to deify science, and profess smoking does not follow, unless of course you are in to self mutulation or destruction, then I would understand. I have no problem with science, I love a lot of it, and I too am skeptical of a bunch of it. I just don't see slaming religious people or those that pray, and then going around professing science as an unabashed smoker.

edit: My point is not to be too hypocritical, I certainly do things all the time that are wrong, or are contrary to Christianity. I just try and not go around belittleing the others - the way you just did to those who pray. As you must be aware, there are many scientist that are also religious.

Religious scientists? You may be talking about the religion of Christian Science? If so, not science. There is no science in the bible. You are correct - and I stand corrected and apologize - saying: praying is for sheep... is hyperbole. :o

[stubeeef]

Religious scientists? You may be talking about the religion of Christian Science? If so, not science.

Not to get into an exhaustive list, but here is a good example of a professed Christian who is a Scientist.
Truth is not established by majority vote. The only conclusion reachable from the fact that this or that famous scientist is agnostic, or atheist, or theist, or Christian, is that their beliefs are probably reasonable ones and should not be rejected out of hand.

With that, I will admit that I don't know exactly how many famous scientists in this century are Christian/Catholic. Rightly or wrongly, it is not something that is considered important by their peers. I can give an incomplete list of important 20th-Century scientists who are/were Christians:

Arthur Eddington, an important mathematical cosmologist, was a Quaker.
Georges Lemaître, a Roman Catholic priest, proposed the Big Bang theory.
I don't know whether Michael Polanyi, the notable physical chemist and philosopher, was Christian at the end of his life, but I know that he was when he wrote Science, Faith and Society, the best introduction to his thought.
Henry F. "Fritz" Schaefer is one of the foremost theoretical chemists of our day.
William Phillips was co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Francis Collins (also here) is the director of the U.S. Human Genome Project.
Rustum Roy, one of the world's foremost materials scientists, holds three chairs at the Pennsylvania State University.
This list is by no means exhaustive. I know of more who are less prominent. There are sure to be still more of whom I don't know or am not certain. Again, religious beliefs are not usually considered important by a scientist's peers.
Here is the Quick Bio of Dr Francis Collins listed above.

edit: add clip from interview with Dr Collins, Dir of the Genome project.
Where do science and religion meet?
I think of God as the greatest scientist. We human scientists have an opportunity to understand the elegance and wisdom of God's creation in a way that is truly exhilarating. When a scientist discovers something that no human knew before, but God did—that is both an occasion for scientific excitement and, for a believer, also an occasion for worship. It makes me sad that we have slipped into a polarized stance between science and religion that implies that a thinking human being could not believe in the value of both. There is no rational basis for that polarization. I find it completely comfortable to be both a rigorous scientist, who demands to see the data before accepting anybody's conclusions about the natural world, and also a believer whose life is profoundly influenced by the relationship I have with God. Science is our most powerful tool for studying the natural world, but science doesn't necessarily help us so much in trying to understand God; that's where faith comes in.
link (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/012/2.42.html)

[vniow]

Politicals in 3...2...1...

[stubeeef]

this has nothing to do with politics, laws, or such. It refers to meditation, its foundations can be both religous and scientific. I just wanted to point that out, and hope this will not end up political. That is not the threads intent nor do I see it going that way.

There is nothing here Capitalistic, Communistic, Socialistic, or otherwise.

[Rower_CPU]

this has nothing to do with politics, laws, or such. It refers to meditation, its foundations can be both religous and scientific. I just wanted to point that out, and hope this will not end up political. That is not the threads intent nor do I see it going that way.

There is nothing here Capitalistic, Communistic, Socialistic, or otherwise.

Regardless of the name of the forum, religious debate goes in there.

[AmigoMac]

is part of the daily basis, have a lot of things in mind at the same time and need a space to relax, think and analyze what next comes, specially right now when I'm giving my life a new turn on both the personal and professional side, have a lot to think about and organization style. Nothing to do with religion because don't want to argue on that but I almost pray daily to what I believe ;) ... it's a free world? (Nothing to argue about)

[Xtremehkr]

So religion is about power? on the premise that religion is not seperable from politics. Let's make that distinction now for future reference now, cause it will come up.

And I'll add a question, is God transcendental or is God imminent?

Does God influence our daily lives or has he left us (humanity and its creations) to their own future? Meaning the results of what has happened is humanities doing. If it is not humanities doing then God has played a role.

Consider the question carefully, if God created life then stepped back everything that has happened is humankinds fault, if God has not withdrawn, he plays apart in everything that has happened, which do you think it is?

Remember who claims God speaks to them. Consider the consequences, because either way, you'll have to justify the outcome.

Which is it? is God playing a part or is it not? because either way there is a lot to explain.

I say "it" because we are currently fighting those who claim a different God. Even if it is a different version of the same God, one has to either be responsible or not be, depending on whether a God is involved or not.

So is God involved in the world we know or is God not? either way, God has a lot to explain concerning what his creations are doing to eachother.

Sorry for not towing the popular line, you know how I feel about the subject of a God(s).

For now, let's just try to decide whether or not God is involved in life as we know it, or is humankind responsible for the most part in its own direction. I leave the question somewhat open because varied directives have been interpreted and favcored by men in different ways.

I do say "men" because I have been influenced by what I have been reading lately. Where is the sacred feminine in modern religion? Should the sacred feminine play a part, if not then why not?

[Xtremehkr]

I refer to God as "it" because I don't know why God would need a Gender or a Sex. If God created two parts that are equally needed in propagating a race then imo they would be equal and balancing parts of said creation. As one is nothing without the other, am I completely out of line here?

Excuse my candor, it is just my way of avoiding dancing around the proverbial "bush" that we are so fond of avoiding. In more ways than just the literal one.

[indifference]

hey yes let us cut out the church. Well, ok back to stuff.

[Xtremehkr]

take a position theologists, this your belief after all, true tests of faith are found in what you believe, not what someone tells you is the appropriate answer. This is not a question that is often dealt with in politicized christianity, you are going to have to draw from the heart here. For now at least, let's have some unguided thoughts on this subject, following is all too easy and does not signify personal faith.

[takao]

offtopic: the google adds i get are priceless:

"creator god values all":
"know the one true god"
"is jesus christ real ?"
"Apple Store -Austria"

ontopic: it's perhaps somewhere between 500 or 1000 on my personal lists,to sum it up:not important at all
as a kid (untill confirmation etc.) my mother always tried to go with us to church regulary and we had a very short+easy kids prayer when we had to go to sleep
our younger bruder never had to do either ;)

i always found prayers more something cerimonical/traditional than practical but perhaps that was the catholic influence ;) (in a bad mood i would call boring and waste of time)

(my brother is in a "altar server"(translator) group since few weeks but that doesn't make him touching the bible ;) )

and yeah it belongs in the political forum

[Mantat]

Just a brief comment on the policital forum switching:
- First if you read the first poster, you will see that he is talking about meditation and that has nothing do to with politic. Reread it if you need.
- Religion & Politic should NEVER be put together. It has been proven time and again that mixing the two will only cause troubles. Think about the christians in 1000-1500, islamic countries right now, Mao in China, etc... I would even dare say USA & Bush but that would be too easy and would confirm the political switch ;-)

I am a man of science and see religion for what it is: hope, advice and a moral guide. All religions use metaphores to express their beliefs, reading a holy book and believing it straight without interpretation is plain stupid. That is why people READ and STUDY the bible: they dont want to believe the text, they want to understand its meaning! When you understand that, you gain more respect from believers. Any holy book is just a moral book with FX to make it more interesting to catch attention and be read / adopted by more people.

The bible has been altered many times across the centuries to accomodate the church, just look at how the coran has been modified too recently. Believing that the bible was never altered is a big lead of faith.

Finaly, remember this:
History is writen by the winner.

[amnesiac1984]

Religious scientists? You may be talking about the religion of Christian Science? If so, not science. There is no science in the bible. You are correct - and I stand corrected and apologize - saying: praying is for sheep... is hyperbole. :o

Way to go and ruin a nice thread. But I'll challenge you on your assumption that science is infallible. In fact science is becoming increasingly more vague and meaningless. Don't get me wrong, I am a complete 100% worshipper of science, and maybe someday science will explain everything. but like so many other institutions it has become self preserving, many partakers in science work to serve science as an idea instead of searching for truth. Science has gone through many basic changes in how it works, the problem is now that people think science is 100% correct and therefore use it to extrapolate out that all non-science based truths are therefore less true, when any moment your scientific fact could be disproved and change. Right now, I believe that science and logic as a whole's dialectic approach to objectivity and subjectivity is what is next to change. Bring on three way logic, yes, no and mu.

[chanoc]

THE OFFICIAL GOD FAQ (http://www.400monkeys.com/God)
http://www.400monkeys.com/God/GodFAQ.jpg

[pdham]

So religion is about power? on the premise that religion is not seperable from politics. Let's make that distinction now for future reference now, cause it will come up.

And I'll add a question, is God transcendental or is God imminent?

Does God influence our daily lives or has he left us (humanity and its creations) to their own future? Meaning the results of what has happened is humanities doing. If it is not humanities doing then God has played a role.

Consider the question carefully, if God created life then stepped back everything that has happened is humankinds fault, if God has not withdrawn, he plays apart in everything that has happened, which do you think it is?

Remember who claims God speaks to them. Consider the consequences, because either way, you'll have to justify the outcome.

Which is it? is God playing a part or is it not? because either way there is a lot to explain.

I say "it" because we are currently fighting those who claim a different God. Even if it is a different version of the same God, one has to either be responsible or not be, depending on whether a God is involved or not.

So is God involved in the world we know or is God not? either way, God has a lot to explain concerning what his creations are doing to eachother.

Sorry for not towing the popular line, you know how I feel about the subject of a God(s).

For now, let's just try to decide whether or not God is involved in life as we know it, or is humankind responsible for the most part in its own direction. I leave the question somewhat open because varied directives have been interpreted and favcored by men in different ways.

I do say "men" because I have been influenced by what I have been reading lately. Where is the sacred feminine in modern religion? Should the sacred feminine play a part, if not then why not?


Good questions... but you are assuming that the choice is only one or another.
I will start with your first question. Is God involved in the world?
The answer is of course yes. In that the world is His creation, and we are His beloved children. God hopes us to be with Him, but sin, a creation of man, has made that impossible. Because of this God is involved in so far as His goal is to set up His kingdom. This is why the Bible says that God desires that none of us parish. So I suppose the answer to this question extends so far as God is concerned with the bringing of repentance to unbelievers and subsequently the shaping of believers into Christ like images for His kingdom. SO God is involved in those aspects of our world. Has God had his hand on history? I believe so, but again only for the fuit of His kingdom.

Now the second question. Has God withdrawn from His creation? The answer here is also yes, to some extent. As stated above sin is a human problem and condition. God does not wish us to be drones, but to love Him on our own decision, therefore God is not about to force the belief of people. THerefore, people are left to their own decisions, and sin is certainly one of them. As a result we see what we see today, death, killing, and evil. But I assure you the choice of sin is made by us, not encouraged or approved of by God. But, as said before, God is concerned only for His kingdon and those that he wishes to populate it (ideally everyone). Remember that God is not incotrol of sin, we created it, we yield it and God will only step in when asked. Therefore we have bad things in this world... evil does not preclude ultimate good however. Ultimate good will be established under God's reign, but we don't live as a whole under God's reign so, we don't experience ultimate good. However, those that profess beleif and discipleship in Jesus have the confort in knowing that if they follow the will of their God, he will be present in their lives. SO therefore, the answer is yes and no to both questions.

Paul

EDIT: I just reread this and realized i could have explained things more succinctly, but I must get back to work, so if you have questions please state them as clearly and concisely as possible to facilitate what I hope could be a good resonable discussion. THanks