The Practice:
1. Spend 5 minutes at the beginning of each day remembering we all want the same things (to be happy and be loved) and we are all connected to one another.
2. Spend 5 minutes breathing in, cherishing yourself; and, breathing out cherishing others. If you think about people you have difficulty cherishing, extend your cherishing to them anyway.
3. During the day extend that attitude to everyone you meet. Practice cherishing the “simplest” person (clerks, attendants, etc) or people you dislike.
4. Continue this practice no matter what happens or what anyone does to you.
These thoughts are very simple, inspiring and helpful.
The practice of cherishing can be taken very deeply if done wordlessly, allowing yourself to feel the love and appreciation that already exists in your heart.
“I was six when I saw that everything was God, and my hair stood up, and all,” Teddy said. “It was on a Sunday, I remember. My sister was a tiny child then, and she was drinking her milk, and all of a sudden I saw that she was God and the milk was God. I mean, all she was doing was pouring God into God, if you know what I mean.” J.D. Salinger -(Teddy, 1954)
I would like to ask a question. This is the same question I ask every new minister at our church. Do you believe that men like Ghandi and the Dalai Lama will be punished in the afterlife, for no other reason than not being called a Buddhist or Hindu? ~sekanblogger
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
Your question to your ministers is so spot on. It is amazing how many folks believe someone is condemned simply because they were born into a different religious tradition.
Once heard a woman telling her children in an Asian restaurant to pray for the owner because he was going to hell because he didn’t “believe in our lord”. This after loudly greeting him by name, joking and milking him for extra this and that in their order.
It really is a bit of a ‘loaded’ question.
But I can’t help myself.
The responses will be fairly predictable.
Was my response what you predicted? 😉 Probably.
No, not really, besides …you were posting at the same time!
I do agree though.
I had to add the Salinger quote.
I just love that one.
No, if there is an afterlife the Supreme Being knows the hearts and doesn’t need the labels.
Let me clarify the remark about predictable comments. When I ask a loaded question, it kinda limits what the responses will be.
Kind of like those outrageous Lou Dobbs polls.
I’m curious, sekan, what denomination of church are we talking about here? Do you ever get some preacher that just refuses to answer your question?
I can only imagine what my childhood Fundamental Baptist preacher would have said back to you. But I wouldn’t worry too much about what he thinks (he has received his karma for the damage he did to alot of people).
There is God and then there is the ‘Church God’.
Unfortunately, the ‘Church God’ people seem to be the ones who have caused wars and much misery for centuries – and are still doing it today.
If more people would simply look out their window and a beautiful sunset or sunrise – they would see God – in my opinion.
Or the smile in someone’s face when they are feeling low and you simply say ‘hi, how are you doing today?’ or ‘have a good day’.
If the Church God people believe God is omnipotent and knows all, then don’t they know God is watching them as they spew their hatred towards anyone that may not believe exactly the same way they do?
I’m not sure I believe in a biblical hell
Of course anything is possible,…….
It’s a run of the mill Methodist church.
Not a real lively church. Pretty reserved. Not real evangelistic. Mostly white middle class.
I usually ending talking a little theology with them, they say a prayer and that’s that.
I don’t remember ever having a real hell-fire and damnation preacher.
Another one of my favorite subjects.
First, Christianity is a perfectly wonderful religion; unfortunately, you have to get past the Christians to find that out.
A real Christian would accept the Dalai Lama, Ghandi, etc into the fold. A church christian would not. “Extra ecclesiam nullus salvus;” there is no salvation outside the church.
Third, read Joseph Conrad’s “Masks of God” series. He demonstrates the effective unity of belief behind most religious beliefs.
Seemingly different religions are like different languages all expressing the same truth. Where we went wrong in the West was taking the whole thing literally. We confused truth with factual accuracy. Not at all the same thing.
If you take Christianity as a symbol pointing to something higher, it all makes sense. If you try to parse out the logic of the Incarnation or the Trinity, you’re going to tie yourself up in knots and come away very frustrated. If you’re at all intellectually honest, that is.
All things are Bhudda things.
Klaus, spot on.
That is, literally the way I see it also.
Amen brudder.
BTW, the Methodist preachers I’ve spoken with have overwhelmingly agreed with the “My Father’s house has many rooms” meme.
If they hadn’t I probably would not attend much, if any.
What’s interesting is when I attended Catholic school, and was taught it was the ‘one true’ religion, I never believed it. To me God is an entity who will look at an individuals life and how they lived it, rather than what religion they belonged to or believed in.
Dave Alvin, in one of his songs called, Everett Ruess, wrote, “And I hate your grand cathedrals, where you try and trap God. ‘Cause I know God is here in the canyons, with the Rattle snakes and the pinion pines.”
That’s pretty much my belief in God and how he/she operates. Live by the golden rule, and regardless of whether you believe in Jesus Christ or not, you’ll be sipping honey in the promise land.
Much of the stuff that Shawn Phillips writes has twinges of ‘cosmic consiousness’ throughout, (“Bright white light, shining in your mind and guiding the way”), as well as Political/religous implications. (“The Wailing Wall”, Song For Northern Ireland).
Hippie-activist!
We know Hitler’s in heaven, and Buddha and Gandhi are in hell.
At least according to the dispensationalist/evangelical/ born-again versions of Christianity. The whole “Roman Road” salvation gang.
I personally think that’s a load of crap, but that’s what they believe.
p of v….that’s exactly the thing that I have much problem with.
The ‘vicarious atonement’ aspect.
Bullshit. Let me burn in hell for Ghandi.
I refuse to believe that monsters (hitlers) can repent, accept, and live in glorious hereafter.
sekan, I haven’t believed in that Hell for a long, long time. It can’t be. Too many people live in their own hell, whether of their making or someone or something else’s. I do believe in reincarnation. It answers many questions, all beginning with “why”.
I don’t care for religion anymore. I believe a lot of things, and as I get older, I’ve become more stubborn in my own, personal belief in them. They come from everywhere and every known “religion”. What I believe doesn’t have to be right according to “you”, it only has to suit me. Yes, the Golden Rule and the many, many variations of it. That’s the key, even to happiness.
I sure did like that Dalia Lama quote. Good stuff. Really good stuff.
Wicked, I have my own thoughts on reincarnation. I believe and think that we are reincarnted until we have litterally been everything.
Master & slave.
Murderer and victim of murder.
You get the idea….
A long-time friend says this is what his Grandfather had to say about religion: “Jim, religion is a lot like your Grandma’s homemade soup, you’ve gotta blow it off to suit you.”
If you’ve been a doubter and believer both, already now in this one lifetime…maybe, just maybe you don’t hafta come back as many times?
I am really spelling poorly lately.
What’s up with that?