"I believe in a greater power, because I’ve felt something throughout life."
People make this mistake a lot. These kinds of "feelings" are extremely contingent on the society, community, and family you live in. Some "feelings" along these lines are encouraged and rewarded, some aren't, and so on. Drawing conclusions from them doesn't get you anywhere.
Had you happened to be a member of a different society, community, and family, you would probably have had different "feelings" and they wouldn't get you anywhere either.
If a religious work is to stand the ravages of "everything changes" it needs to be metaphorical. People take them literally.
Take the Lotus Sutra. [0] It has I dunnno, hundreds of thousands gathering at Eagle Peak [1], a very small spot, IMO a very forceful reminder of the metaphorical nature of this work, making it timeless.
Religions tend to hide their mystics in the closet, for the simple reason, IMO, that the mystic experience is one of unity, bypassing the need for intermediaries who exercise power and privilege,too often harmfully so.
a bunch of thoughts, and more than i will list here:
"I know I am good because I know my inner thoughts. Even toward people who didn’t deserve kindness" ... why doesnt that make you irrational? some people are not good enough to deserve your kindness, but you yourself are sooo good that...
"logically: If being a good person, truly, fundamentally good, isn’t enough to earn divine grace" ... you are this good? think of it this way: eternal divine perfection self-giving, etc, and in your short life, you have earned all that, you are good enough to claim it all as rightfully yours; who is anyone else to pay their life in your place and sacrifice their everything, when you are already... better than them
"I believe in a greater power, because I’ve felt something throughout life."
People make this mistake a lot. These kinds of "feelings" are extremely contingent on the society, community, and family you live in. Some "feelings" along these lines are encouraged and rewarded, some aren't, and so on. Drawing conclusions from them doesn't get you anywhere.
Had you happened to be a member of a different society, community, and family, you would probably have had different "feelings" and they wouldn't get you anywhere either.
If a religious work is to stand the ravages of "everything changes" it needs to be metaphorical. People take them literally.
Take the Lotus Sutra. [0] It has I dunnno, hundreds of thousands gathering at Eagle Peak [1], a very small spot, IMO a very forceful reminder of the metaphorical nature of this work, making it timeless.
Religions tend to hide their mystics in the closet, for the simple reason, IMO, that the mystic experience is one of unity, bypassing the need for intermediaries who exercise power and privilege,too often harmfully so.
[0] https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/toc/
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulture_Peak
If they get caught they're going to owe a lot of back taxes . . .
a bunch of thoughts, and more than i will list here:
"I know I am good because I know my inner thoughts. Even toward people who didn’t deserve kindness" ... why doesnt that make you irrational? some people are not good enough to deserve your kindness, but you yourself are sooo good that...
"logically: If being a good person, truly, fundamentally good, isn’t enough to earn divine grace" ... you are this good? think of it this way: eternal divine perfection self-giving, etc, and in your short life, you have earned all that, you are good enough to claim it all as rightfully yours; who is anyone else to pay their life in your place and sacrifice their everything, when you are already... better than them