georgesbluegirl

I think that a lot of young people dress in skimpy fashions because they feel that they have to in order to attract guys' attention. Which is partly true, because young guys often follow their hormones more than their brains. Personally, I dress in a way that makes me feel good about myself, confident about the way I look. I think many girls feel more confident about how they appear to others if they think they look "sexy." When it comes down to it, I think if you left girls in a world without boys we'd all be wearing boxers, athletic shorts, t-shirts and sweats in no time (my high-school is all-girls, so I know this from experience!). And no makeup or leg-shaving lol. Of course, I wear lots of black, but that has less to do with modesty and more to do with it being my favorite color.

Muslims believe that Jesus was one of the sequence of prophets before Mohammad (wasn't he the last one before Mohammad?). Anyway, Mohammad was the last prophet according to Islam, the sort of "seal" on religion. So they do respect Jesus's teachings, though not his divinity. Just an FYI.

Just because I appreciate Hinduism doesn't make me a Hindu. Besides, I believe that the Holy Spirit works through all religions, leading people to God.

Forgiven, of course...this is a Christian board! Lol :t:

It's an OM. I'll quote myself from another post here to explain why: OM is about the universal energy that runs through all things, the circle of man's existence. It's cool. larryt: not to split hairs, but it DOES matter that it's not in my Bible. There's a couple books in my version not in KJV that came from God, too, mostly because of a misinterpretation. Besides, I was making a funny.

Yeah, definitely write your dreams down, try to do it right after you wake up because that's when you remember them clearest, and the more detail, the easier they are to figure out! Plus writing them down focuses on them and helps you experience and remember them better in the future. It's pretty far out. Peace.

Aw man, and I was just going to bed!

Actually, I'm Catholic so I don't have that commandment!

So nobody would go to Woodstock? I mean, Sermon on the Mount is definitely on the top of my list...but I'd also like to see Hendrix in concert! Plus...I could just follow Jesus for a while once I go back to the beginning of his ministry. Hypothetical of course. The idea about seeing the world before the existence of man was pretty cool.

No offense, but I have also done a fair amount of study regarding meditation in particular, and yoga, and I have my own opinions based on what I have learned from various Hindu and Buddhist sources, and the backing of my own faith as a litmus test, so to speak. But I respect your opinion, of course.

Undecided, I was waiting for somebody to bring up Invisible Pink Unicorn (or in your case, Dragon) theory! My friend has an assertion of belief in IPU in bumper sticker form. As for why I can sympathize...circular reasoning frustrates me, and I'm a Christian myself! I've certainly had experiences of questioning my faith - I think every good follower of any religion should, at some point - and I also have many friends that believe differently than I do. I respect your atheism, even though I don't agree. You seem intelligent and together and legitimately frustrated that you aren't really getting answers. It seems like when I mention I'm Catholic or state something that differs from mainstream Christian Evangelist response, I immediately get asked if I "believe" and then statements that I should "reexamine where my faith lies" follow. Likewise, people seem to throw Bible verses at you at every turn. I like hearing what you have to say, you've got interesting ideas. I feel frustrated often too when I'm faced with circular logic. Anyway, that's why I'm sympathetic here.

By the way, I just looked up "Christian response to Yoga," which seems to be where you got your above information, and after only skimming it, I've seen at least one glaring thing wrong: the "destruction of the individual?" No! It's "The drop is not poured into the Ocean; the Ocean is poured into the drop." Don't believe that article at first sight; I encourage you to do more research within Hinduism itself and form your opinions based on what Hindus have to say. A good (commercial, but nonetheless) place to look for beginners is harekrishna.org (which I think takes you straight to krishna.com these days...it's the home of the A.C. Bhaktivedanta Book Trust).

You assume I don't know anything about it, though, and I do. I've studied its roots for years now. There is nothing "evil" about yoga! It is an ancient and beautiful practice. I'll have to look up the "slavery" passage, but that set off some alarm bells for me...it didn't sound like an accurate translation (I've read more Swami A.C. Bhaktivedanta, though, so I'm not so familiar with the cited guru).

Dreams are awesome! God can speak to people in their dreams, I guess (although this has never happened to me), but dreams are generally manifestations of the unconscious. It's a good idea to write them down, usually they'll clue you in to the state of your mind, emotions, etc. that you would ignore or not realize otherwise. I've had a teacher for several years who is great at interpreting dreams (she studies Jung, who is very cool), and she's taught us some basic stuff. Many symbols that appear in dreams are universal archetypes, so it's possible to analyze dreams as a whole. Now, I don't know much about your dream other than the plot (usually it helps to know specific emotions, reactions etc) but it's clear that it's NOT about something that will happen, dreams aren't usually literal foretellings. The rape theme usually suggests a warning that you are feeling overpowered or abused by something, that you are powerless to control something in your life. Being chased usually suggests that you're trying to get away from something you don't think that you can conquer (or insecurity). My initial response was that you were dealing with your masculine unconscious that had been for some reason repressed (maybe because you don't assert those qualities?) but the fact that the guy in the dream is from your past gave me the idea that maybe something from your past that you'd put behind you is lingering in your mind and you're dwelling on it. You might not even know what it is - it could be something that will pop up in a little while. But it seems like there is something you're trying to forget that is somehow frightening because you can't suppress it and you know it'll come up sooner or later. My disclaimer is right here: I've only been doing this for a few years so it's entirely possible that I'm off with this. But I'm interested to know if this fits you. The archetypes in your dream are pretty common ones, so it seems fairly clear. Peace!

Hence agnostics, who are the people who don't believe it's possible to prove or disprove the existence of God (Undecided seems to be more of an agnostic to me, but I could be completely wrong). It's true though, it DOES take a leap of faith to be an atheist, because you can't disprove God's existence. Atheists are relying on their own reason, and then making that leap beyond what they can know into what they believe.

Agreed Sachi...the response to the above question should ALWAYS be YES.

I do yoga and meditation, pretty regularly. In fact, at my high school, religion classes mediate one out of every six classes. It's about finding time to focus on your life, quiet yourself, isolate yourself and really give a good look at things - often by letting your mind go blank and then seeing what comes. It's REALLY good for relieving stress and many of our meditations are God-centered as well, often we meditate on a particular image of our faith, sometimes a passage from Scripture or a thought. I understand your reluctance to engage in anything you consider non Christian, but it's a very healthy thing to do. Plus Christ meditated! What do you think he was doing for 40 days in the desert? Also, it's not a "cult" or "pagan" thing: Yogic practices are rooted in Hinduism (which precedes Buddhism; Siddharta was a Hindu), although the more physical forms are used in Western culture today mostly for exercise.

In response the the original question...um, yes? God commands us to love our neighbors, so if somebody's in danger and I can keep them safe by lying, I don't think God'll hold it against me. God always forgives you when you ask anyway, so I'd say "I'm sorry" to God and go ahead with saving somebody's life.

Yeah, Undecided, there seems to be a lot of unclear and circular reasoning. Kind of like how people try to prove the Bible is infallible by using quotes from the Bible. I understand faith, obviously, but circular logic just confuses people or frustrates them.

Agreed, yod - hence my signature! But yeah, don't knock Lennon man! He's one of my heros!

Oh PS, I forgot my other point. St. Francis's AWESOME quote is "Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words." You seem to be misunderstanding the concept, Melon: it means that people should know us as Christians by our actions before we even HAVE to speak the Gospel. It doesn't mean be passive about sharing the Word - it means be more ACTIVE in it. Show your faith in God in the way you live, in the respect and love you show to others, as you follow in Christ's footsteps for real, not just in talk. After all, "talk is cheap" right? Give the world a Living Gospel - that is something to turn heads to Christ, that is something to thank God for. It's one of my all-time favorite quotes. I have it on a tshirt, too.

There are so many doctrines that differ between variations of the Christian religion...you're free to disagree with particular beliefs, but to suggest that Catholics in the general sense are not Christian is false and after awhile (i.e. forever from some people I know....lol) gets to be kind of hurtful. Anyway, yeah, Jesus!

Sorry Tess, I jumped...it's just people have been knocking Catholicism a lot and I tend to get defensive. Apologies! I agree with your point, by the way. Trinity: you're right in the sense that calling yourself any denomination doesn't make you a Christian - you have to actually believe in Christ. But if you're saying that Catholicism isn't a Christian religion...I'm going to have to disagree. A bunch.

Wait, I'm confused...repentance for being Catholic? I understood the good intentions behind the post in general, but still - there's no need to dis your brothers and sisters in Christ, Melon. Love, remember?

Um...wanna run that by me again, chief? We Catholics may not be "Chrisitans," but we are certainly Christians.