(12-03-2009, 10:47 PM)Bring4th_Monica Wrote:(12-03-2009, 09:36 PM)Questioner Wrote:(12-03-2009, 06:39 PM)Bring4th_Monica Wrote: Do you include religions in your list of things to avoid?
Avoiding religions, covens, or secret societies might be appropriate for some, while not for others. Our own dear Carla worships at a Christian church!
I don't want to put words in Ashim's mouth, but in context, I think he was talking about anything that involves abdicating your own thought processes because someone else claims to have the one and only way to be right with God. Carla's made clear that her Christianity is about the love of Christ, not about dogma. And her channeled sources consistently point out that they want people to only take what resonates with them, with no fear that any particular greeting is some kind of last chance to be saved. That seems pretty far from the kind of occult manipulations that Ashim warned against.
Yikes, I want to quickly clarify what I meant! I most definitely was not implying that Carla's participation in a Christian church was anything remotely like what Ashim was referring to! Rather, I was attempting to illustrate an example of someone whom we know has not abdicated his/her own thought processes, and yet does get value out of an organization that could result in the abdication of thought processes for others.
What I meant was that 2 people might attend the same church (whether Christian or some other religion) and 1 might abdicate his/her own thought processes, while the other might not...2 people might belong to a secret society or coven and 1 might abdicate his/her own thought processes, while the other might not.
My point being that it's not so much the particular religion/coven/secret society as it is whether it's appropriate for that particular person...what that particular person is able to get out of the experience. For example, I used to attend a Pentecostal Christian church whose doctrine I strongly disagreed with. But I loved their worship service! It was very uplifting! The person sitting next to me would likely have thought I was destined for 'hell' had s/he known what I believe!
If the person sitting next to me abdicated his/her own thought processes, is it the fault of the church/pastor? I don't think so. I would venture to say that most members, and even most leaders, of such organizations are of mixed polarity (just trying to polarize like the rest of us), and the person will experience it in a way that is in alignment with their chosen path.
Granted, some organizations are more blatantly controlling than others! And some 'cult' leaders decidedly STS! But, on the other hand, some well-intentioned religious leaders might actually (and perhaps unwittingly) produce the result of circumventing someone's independent thinking, because that is how that person perceived the situation.
Hello
You have to google hidden_hand, i forgot the underline. There you will find an exquisite description of the postingtactic of an avatar that came into a forum in the similar way i feel ashim has done. i do NOT say he is doing the same, i just say that right after he answered my post and someone mentioned hidden hand i googled and this blog "incidentally" came up.
I believe in meaningful coincidences, at least for myself and i feel i will stay away from the forum until things have settled because i don't feel comfortable here at the moment. Perhaps it's the unintentional effect of what happened here to show me personally to focus on my immediate surroundings and not get entangeled in these abstact discussions that just makes me feel alienated.
And to All of You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!