Bona Fide Spirituality vs. Cults
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Posted by: Hussain ® 03/18/2005, 10:35:09 Author Profile Edit Alert Moderators

There is always the risk of bias and not being open and fair when discussing new religious movements. I am a civil libertarian and think it is wrong for anyone to push their ideas on others. I think of how the West imposed their version of Christianity while involved in the slave trade, stealing land from Native Americans, and other exploitations. I see each culture and each individual as evolving in the realm of meaning and spiritual ideals. I do believe that the Bhagavad Gita is a classic for all ages, and all times. I've also grown to appreciated the Vedas, as well as scriptures from all world religions. I hope that Divine Light Mission/Elan Vital, as well as other cults, do not mislead people into believing that there is no meaning in spiritual traditions. We must remember that these cults are misrepresenting everything. I realize this is a touchy subject for people who have been hurt and feel angry about being in a cult. I guess that what I'm trying to say is that despite Maharaji, or other cult leaders, there is a lot of wisdom in the Gita but thank God we can read it for ourselves and come to our own conclusion as we try to make sense out of this existence. We don't need any gurus like M. We need to believe in ourselves. I wonder if we should point out that we do respect bona fide religious paths, as well as secular orientations -- it is up to each individual. Not trying to sound politically correct, just trying to share some thoughts about it all.

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Re: I like the Gita too but it is difficult to trust after being conned --- Andries ( Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 10:49:29 ) ( 563 bytes ) +3 Re: I like the Gita too but it is difficult to trust after being conned --- Hussain ( Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 10:56:22 ) ( 469 bytes ) Re: I like the Gita too but it is difficult to trust after being conned --- paddy ( Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 17:09:33 ) ( 579 bytes ) +1 Re: Paddy, how do u know whether someone is enlightened? --- Andries ( Sat, Mar 19, 2005, 04:50:53 ) ( 225 bytes ) +2 What is enlightenment ? --- Jean-Michel ( Sat, Mar 19, 2005, 05:22:01 ) ( 175 bytes ) +1 The people they live with can tell us how imperfect they are ! --- bill ( Sat, Mar 19, 2005, 07:52:36 ) ( 289 bytes ) Re: Paddy, how do u know whether someone is enlightened? --- paddy ( Sat, Mar 19, 2005, 16:08:46 ) ( 2050 bytes ) +1 Re: Good answer --- Andries ( Sun, Mar 20, 2005, 06:11:56 ) ( 825 bytes ) +1 Your anger sounds like enlightenment to me (no text) --- bill ( Sun, Mar 20, 2005, 22:13:48 ) ( 0 bytes ) I would like to know of =one= person that reached perfection (no text) --- bill ( Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 22:27:27 ) ( 0 bytes ) +1 Depends what you mean by perfection (no text) --- hamzen ( Sat, Mar 19, 2005, 02:45:06 ) ( 0 bytes ) +1 The perfection that -they- are talking about ! (no text) --- bill ( Sat, Mar 19, 2005, 07:48:14 ) ( 0 bytes ) Danger, Will Robinson, Danger! --- Will ( Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 11:10:49 ) ( 1661 bytes ) +2 Ahhh, lunch! --- NAR ( Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 11:37:35 ) ( 519 bytes ) +1 But NAR, I can't take credit for the Dead Seeds --- Cynthia ( Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 12:50:18 ) ( 1319 bytes ) link +3 I'll stop with spirituality topic...... --- Hussain ( Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 13:13:42 ) ( 313 bytes ) +1 No biggie, Hussain... --- Cynthia ( Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 13:25:19 ) ( 1055 bytes ) Re: But NAR, I can't take credit for the Dead Seeds --- NAR ( Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 13:45:53 ) ( 977 bytes ) I can't take credit either --- JHB ( Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 15:23:37 ) ( 531 bytes ) +1 Shades of a great book (and a decent movie, too) --- NAR ( Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 16:24:44 ) ( 646 bytes ) God is a concept by --- Hussain ( Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 11:51:50 ) ( 237 bytes ) 166 million untouchables say your bona fide is crap. (no text) --- bill ( Fri, Mar 18, 2005, 22:01:24 ) ( 0 bytes ) Re: Bona Fide Spirituality vs. Cults --- Juan Carlo Finesseti ( Mon, Mar 21, 2005, 18:40:16 ) ( 2853 bytes )