Religious vs. spiritual

does being inhabited fall under spiritual or only religious? according to TPTB it means -- it knows how it views this but does not want running afoul of them others.

cuz like if ppls can post prayer things here and that bes not "religious" then it would stand to reason it could talk about being inhabited here and that bes not "religious" ... it does not have to fall under any specific "religion" ... people all over the world end up like this ... right?

but it knows how much hate and prejudice drive things on message boards why do you think it bes gone so long

<font color="purple"> In my opinion:

Religion: Is like spirituality, but there are set rules, set god(s), concrete ideals and beliefs

Spirituality: Is more abtract, often akes alot of different pieces forom different religions, and varies from person to person. </font>

malady you have a right to feel and explain what you describe as spirituality here and to apply those beliefs in your own way to your own life...

I'm not sure I know what you mean by being "inhabited." If you could explain that, please.

religion is for people who are afraid of hell, spirituality is for people who've been there...

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nowheretorun said:
malady you have a right to feel and explain what you describe as spirituality here and to apply those beliefs in your own way to your own life...

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Hah, thanks but apparently Malady does not have that right. Case in point? It does not even have the right to explain to you what it means by saying this.

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altonwoodsdrphil said:
religion is for people who are afraid of hell, spirituality is for people who've been there...

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nice one.

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Malady156 said:
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nowheretorun said:
malady you have a right to feel and explain what you describe as spirituality here and to apply those beliefs in your own way to your own life...

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Hah, thanks but apparently Malady does not have that right. Case in point? It does not even have the right to explain to you what it means by saying this.

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the forum has been experiencing growth malady, hope you will join us in positive and healing hope

Good one, Hon!

Religion is a man made social construct, full of taboos & intertwined with power structures reliant on guilt. Spirituality the asperation of a being to trancend circumstance for the betterment of self & relation to the universe. A poem for you on spirituality ...
Events transpire, outside to inside
Inside out
Determanistic the threads
The weave a choice of heart.

Very interesting perspective ujaz...

Religion...folowing men to an end..

Spirituality,,seeking a beginning..

IMHO.

Lenny

Religion stems from man's need to remain connected with his Creator. It is the practice of the beliefs that the Creator put in place in order that man may remain connected to Him. The only law that my Creator has given is that I love Him in the same way He has loved me and that I love those around me in the same manner. It's a "choice of heart", yes. There is no predestination since I am free to choose whether I stay connected to my Creator or not.

Thank you. It has returned and it intends to take full advantage of this invitation as the need arises.

Some folks refer to this as "possessed".

I, too, am possessed. I am a child of God, and He indwells me in spirit. The site and this forum still requires that I only use it to the extent of the guidelines. We are all ALL trying to operate under those guidelines.

I think this indwelling would refer to spiritual rather than religious. What do you think?

Believe in Him or not --- GOD LOVES YOU!

Want to share your Christian faith? Click HERE

No, absolutely not. What you describe appears tied to a very specific and particular dogma. Malady's, on the other hand, could be regarded as a form of "dissociative trance disorder" and therefore come entirely and objectively under the category of a bona fide mental health concern, regardless of how Mal subjectively experiences it.

Additionally, you appear (to this one's mind/perception) to have taken deliberate measures to speak in as triggering a fashion as possible for those of us who have found that particular "system" to be abusive and intolerable. THANKS for that. You could have ignored this thread, after all, and stuck to sharing this type of talk with your own kind. So in the future, please do. It wants nothing to do with anyone who willingly embraces that particular system which Malady finds abusive, hostile and intolerable. Nothing personal and no offense intended, just please, keep away from Mal for both our sakes. It did not come here seeking trouble so please don't stir the pot on its triggers just to get it into trouble and make it lose control and have trouble with the mods, admins and rules. Please just LEAVE US ALONE.

Thank you.

Under Dissociative Disorder NOS:

Examples include:

• Clinical presentations similar to Dissociative Identity Disorder that fail to meet full criteria for this disorder. Examples include presentations in which a) there are not two or more distinct personality states, or b) amnesia for important personal information does not occur.
• Derealization unaccompanied by depersonalization in adults.
• States of dissociation that occur in individuals who have been subjected to periods of prolonged and intense coercive persuasion (e.g., brainwashing, thought reform, or indoctrination while captive).
• Dissociative trance disorder: single or episodic disturbances in the state of consciousness, identity, or memory that are indigenous to particular locations and cultures. Dissociative trance involves narrowing of awareness of immediate surroundings or stereotyped behaviors or movements that are experienced as being beyond one's control. Possession trance involves replacement of the customary sense of personal identity by a new identity, attributed to the influence of a spirit, power, deity, or other person, and associated with stereotyped "involuntary" movements or amnesia. Examples include amok (Indonesia), bebainan (Indonesia), latah (Malaysia), pibloktoq (Arctic), ataque de nervios (Latin America), and possession (India). The dissociative or trance disorder is not a normal part of a broadly accepted collective cultural or religious practice. (See p. 727 for suggested research criteria.)

Mal has highlighted in bold the things above which pertain to its situation.

Of importance to note would be the last item, "not a normal part of a broadly accepted collective cultural or religious practice." In Mal's case, inhabitation by entities of superior intelligence, vast cunning, and questionable (and variable) moral alignment, part of another species considered "trans-dimensional" (i.e., non-corporeal and thus not limited to the geotemporal mapping of 3-dimensional solids moving in a one-way linear vector through a fourth dimension called "time") would not be considered normal or accepted by any of the Western spiritual cultures or religions it has investigated. The three major monotheistic "semitic" faiths, of course, vary between either modern secular non-acceptance of the phenomenon at all to decided disapprobation thereof. The major occult traditions (ceremonial magick, etc.) term it "obsession" and consider "takeover" by any entity or entities to be symptomatic of loss of control and thus failure to make proper or effective use of magickal tools and techniques taught to the initiate for the purpose of binding, banishing, and otherwise asserting dominance over the unseen realm which has traditionally been regarded as the default right and privilege of mages, adepts, etc. Even in classic demonolatry and diabolism, no less, Mal's condition would be considered an aberration (and as such, an embarrassment to the community at the very least along the lines of providing Really Bad PR ). Likewise, shamanic trads and praxis and other similar minority spiritual cultures still extant in the West share similar views concerning the matter, with the key issue being the loss of control both over the entities and over the self.

No cure exists for this condition that Mal has found to date, neither among the religious/spiritual healing arts nor among the secular psychiatric schools, at least, not the modern variety dominated by psychopharmacology. The medications it has experimented with thus far have created intolerable side effects while failing to bring any alleviation and, in fact, acting more along the lines of tying someone down FOR rape rather than giving them locks and bars to keep the rapists OUT. In other words they incapacitate rather than either ameliorate or empower, in Mal's experience. Granted, it has not tried them all, but it has tried a couple different "mood-stabilizers" and AT-APs and found them ineffective and in most cases, detrimental.

Just posting this for information's sake and to explain how its condition CAN be regarded as a legitimate mental health issue, even though Mal's own subjective experience of it would be as a reality from the spirit realm and not simply "brain cooties."

Hi Malady

I understand your fear, but this is not an abusive or judgmental forum. I don't believe Sky was trying to harass, deceive or judge you for your beliefs. You asked for opinions, and she provided hers. She has a right to her feelings and beliefs in life, just as you do yours. Strange as it may seem, people of varying faiths can and do converse respectfully with each other.

I don't belong to any particular organized religion or spirituality, and I don't carry a label. However, as human beings I believe we ALL have common ground - even when it comes to God (by whatever name or non-name you choose).

I hope you'll find comfort here. Welcome to the forum.