Is There a Need For Faith?

You may find it funny to know that i was first disinvited from my Bible study, then told by our pastor that some other parishioners were giving him real headaches in reference to me because of my dreams. This one woman had decided to undertake a campaign to have me removed from the church because of my dreams, which she considered "demonic". This is despite the fact that as I understand it, my religious-themed dreams only conflict with two bits of Christian dogma: reincarnation and the idea of a holy trinity (which includes the idea that Jesus literally was God.)

This means that my total church-going experience didn't last very long, from about 2005-2006. It was interesting while it lasted, but the problems were insurmountable in the Christian church I attended, as well as a Messianic one I attended briefly afterward.

AP
Yes, I learned to keep my mouth shut pretty quickly. Mad or bad or fake - take your pick.
 
You'd have to assume that first hand experience is infallible, and I don't think it's always a safe assumption.

It beats learning about something second-hand and safe or not, it's still the best source a person can have, the self-experience.
 
There is that state called "limbo" though, where you are stuck somewhere between the two. The world no longer holds what it used to for you and you have an inkling of what lays beyond, but can't quite fully make the move, either. I always liked the analogy of the river Heinrich Zimmer uses in talking about Buddhism, where one shore of the river is the world and the far shore is Nirvana. In his tale, the monk who undertakes the journey to the far shore finds himself in the middle not really being able to make out either shore entirely, as he is stuck in limbo. Buddhism seems to have a number of discussions like this where one yearns for Nirvana, but can't quite let go of all their worldly attachments, which can be very powerful and hard to overcome.

Yes, I agree. There is longing and trepidation. If I break the vessel that is my ego what will there be to catch me? I'm thinking perhaps this is where faith comes in because this is quite the leap. It may be that part of the process of longing is to get us to the point where the only option left is to get to the other shore with all of our being. A few weeks back I was at an event where someone read a short line from a Leonard Cohen song (Anthem) which I suddenly understood to be about this longing and its trepidation:

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
 
There is no need for faith. There is knowing by personal experience.

Did you read the OP? I talk about faith being a tool to achieve personal experience, or one of the stepping stones along the path to experience. Without experience, and thus knowing, what do you, or can you, have? An open mind that is ready and willing to have the experience - in other words, faith.
 
It beats learning about something second-hand and safe or not, it's still the best source a person can have, the self-experience.

It probably is better than 2nd hand experience, but I still wouldn't be too eager to buy into all my experiences, some of them are out to get me.
 
It probably is better than 2nd hand experience, but I still wouldn't be too eager to buy into all my experiences, some of them are out to get me.

Ah, but they didn't. And in avoiding being 'got' you have learned something. Better armed with that knowledge than not. Unless of course you like the thrill. As one person said who was getting knocked about from energy from me, "what a ride!"......:)
 
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