Should there be a Religion sub-forum in Spirituality? (Vote Here)

Hello spiritual members of Avalon. Many members believe that Religion
should be in another sub-forum in the spirituality section.
This would prevent many religious debates in spiritual threads that only focus on spiritual information.

Other religious members believe that they should express their religion in
spiritual topics in the spirituality forum without a religious sub-forum.

Please participate in this Poll to express if a Religion sub-forum should be created in the Spirituality section.

This opinion poll will help the administration know of your feelings concerning this topic.

thanks,
Kevin - Project Avalon Spiritual Mediator

Spiritual members please vote on this topic. Because it may come up in the next mod team meeting. Thanks.

[Brinty]

Yes there should be as well as one for politics!!!!!!

The only positive result from banging your head against a brick wall, is that it's so nice when you can stop!

Thanks Brinty... That reminds me....

[Steven]

Originally Posted by Brinty

Yes there should be as well as one for politics!!!!!!

The only positive result from banging your head against a brick wall, is that it's so nice when you can stop!

Lol yeah!

[ChooseYourLifeNow]

We should have a Religion AND a Spirituality section. They are both coming from totally different angles. Let the religious and spiritual people discuss amongst themselves rather then argue.

The only disadvantage to this, however, is that there will be no sharing of different ideas among the two groups. If an individual really wanted to know what was going on, they could always visit the other section. Keep them separate, keep them peaceful.

Love you All,

CYLNow

[2infinityandbeyond]

lol.. here was me thinking that religion had become obsolete..

Why religion? Lets just call it knowledge or information... why the need to .. gahh

Making a religion sub forum would just be adding to the divisions that surround us already.

Its not the lack of a forum thats causing any problematic religious debates, its the fact that a lot of people dont have enough manners to stick to the topic. Thats why i totally think this place should be subscription only, it would seperate the fun loving people who just come here for a laugh from the people who actually realise how serious these times are, and what it means to us as a people.

[Norval]

I had to say NO, as "spirituality" seems to be the same as "religion" in that it is all about feelings, planes of existance, levels of consciousness, and so on of feelings.

As I study the ancient writings for hard core physical evidence, it is from no spiritual aspect.

[Kelphi]

This whole forum is based on "religion" like it not. Perhaps you mean world view?http://education.yahoo.com/reference...entry/religion

Keep in mind while voting that Religion will still be in Spirituality.
This is a vote for a sub-forum for organization.
There have been some complaints about preaching.
So preachers will be put into the Religion sub-forum
to keep the spiritual information flowing in the other threads
if the vote is for a sub-forum.

However, if you want preaching to be expressed in spirituality,
then this will be respected as well.

[ctophil]

Religion is based on historical concepts and system of beliefs combined for a common interest, usually proven and given by ancient texts and tradition passed on by mankind. Spirituality is an "invisible" to the naked eye but nurtured and perceived by an individual's spirit of thought, perception, and humbling or ascension growth governed either by outside forces, yourself, and/or a higher being such as our Creator, Yahweh Elohim. Religion seems to interconnect with spirituality at different levels. Because a lot of times, mankind's perspective (not mine though) of religion is the outcome of spirituality.

We need to keep them in a central location to better discuss them. I, personally, would separate them. Because religion can be deceptive at many levels. But in this case, we need to keep them together to better understand each person's beliefs in case somebody, somewhere there is going to be a living soul who needs to study religion and spirituality to fully comprehend the Truth. We need to keep them both in the Spirituality Section.

-Phillip

[ctophil]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Keep in mind while voting that Religion will still be in Spirituality.
This is a vote for a sub-forum for organization.
There have been some complaints about preaching.
So preachers will be put into the Religion sub-forum
to keep the spiritual information flowing in the other threads
if the vote is for a sub-forum.

However, if you want preaching to be expressed in spirituality,
then this will be respected as well.

What makes discussing about your beliefs in Spirituality not preaching? Keep it the same.

-Phillip

[Shadowstalker]

Religion SEEMS to cause more strife and judgment.
Spirituality SEEMS to make one think about other feelings on things and understand perspective more.

But on the same note, I have seen people convert from religion to spirituality.

Wikipedia is a good source for me it helps clear things up:

Preacher is a term the for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies.

Some believe a preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication of the doctrine rather than the development of the doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined. Preaching is not limited to religious views, but it extends to moral and social world-views as well. Preachers are common throughout most cultures. They can take the form of a Christian minister on a Sunday morning, or an Islamic Imam or Da'ee on a Friday afternoon. The point of preaching is to inform or convince the hearer of a certain world-view or belief. For this reason, many nonreligious persons shun preachers and accuse them of forcing beliefs on people. Preaching also serves as reminders and encouragements to people who already subscribe to the preacher's beliefs. For many, the term preacher is derogatory, while some consider it an honor.

The preaching of sermons is especially prominent in Protestantism, especially among those denominations that feature revivalism. Lay preachers often figure in these traditions of worship, for example the Methodist local preachers. Among Roman Catholics, the Dominican Order is officially known as the Order of Preachers (Ordo Praedicatorum in Latin); friars of this order were trained to publicly preach in vernacular languages, and the order was created by Saint Dominic to preach to the Cathars of southern France in the early thirteenth century.

In many churches in the United States, the title "Preacher" is synonymous with "Pastor" or "Minister", and the churches minister is often referred to simply as "our/the preacher" or by name such as "Preacher Smith". Sometimes the minister may even be addressed by using the word, such as "Good morning, Preacher".

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A guru (Sanskrit: गुरु, Bengali: গুরু) is a person who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom and authority in a certain area, and uses it to guide others. The word comes from Sanskrit Gu, darkness, and Ru, light (prakash); literally a preceptor who shows others knowledge (light) and destroys ignorance (darkness).

It also means "teacher" or "guide" in the religious sense, and is commonly used in Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, as well as in some new religious movements. The guru is seen in these religions as a sacred conduit for wisdom and guidance, and finding a true guru is often held to be a prerequisite for attaining self-realization.

"Guru" also refers in Sanskrit to Brihaspati, a Hindu divine figure. In Vedic astrology, Guru or Brihaspati is believed to exert teaching influences. Indeed, in many Indian languages such as Hindi, the occidental Thursday is called either Brihaspativaar or Guruvaar (vaar meaning day of the week).

In contemporary India and Indonesia, the word "guru" is widely used with the general meaning of "teacher", including by schoolchildren. In Western usage, the meaning of guru has been extended to cover anyone who acquires followers, though not necessarily in an established school of philosophy or religion. [1] In a further Western metaphorical extension, guru is used to refer to a person who has authority because of his or her perceived secular knowledge or skills.

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A religion is a set of tenets and practices, often centered upon specific supernatural and moral claims about reality, the cosmos, and human nature, and often codified as prayer, ritual, or religious law. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experience. The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction.

In the frame of western religious thought,[1] religions present a common quality, the "hallmark of patriarchal religious thought": the division of the world in two comprehensive domains, one sacred, the other profane.[2] Religion is often described as a communal system for the coherence of belief focusing on a system of thought, unseen being, person, or object, that is considered to be supernatural, sacred, divine, or of the highest truth. Moral codes, practices, values, institutions, tradition, rituals, and scriptures are often traditionally associated with the core belief, and these may have some overlap with concepts in secular philosophy. Religion is also often described as a "way of life" or a life stance.

The development of religion has taken many forms in various cultures. "Organized religion" generally refers to an organization of people supporting the exercise of some religion with a prescribed set of beliefs, often taking the form of a legal entity (see religion-supporting organization). Other religions believe in personal revelation. "Religion" is sometimes used interchangeably with "faith" or "belief system,"[3] but is more socially defined than that of personal convictions.

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Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and faith, a transcendent reality, or one or more deities. Spiritual matters are thus those matters regarding humankind's ultimate nature and purpose, not only as material biological organisms, but as beings with a unique relationship to that which is perceived to be beyond both time and the material world. Spirituality also implies the mind-body dichotomy, which indicates a separation between the body and soul.

As such, the spiritual is traditionally contrasted with the material, the temporal and the worldly. A perceived sense of connection forms a central defining characteristic of spirituality — connection to a metaphysical reality greater than oneself, which may include an emotional experience of religious awe and reverence, or such states as satori or nirvana. Equally importantly, spirituality relates to matters of sanity and of psychological health. Spirituality is the personal, subjective dimension of religion, particularly that which pertains to liberation or salvation (see also mysticism and esoterism) .

Spirituality as a way of life concerns itself with aligning the human will and mind with that dimension of life and the universe that is harmonious and ordered. As such spiritual disciplines (which are often part of an established religious tradition) enjoin practitioners (trainees or disciples) to cultivate those higher potentialities of the human being that are more noble and refined (wisdom and virtue). Accordingly, many spiritual traditions across diverse cultures share similar vocabulary. Terms such as the "path", the "work", the "practice" are universally applied to the ongoing discipline involved in transforming the coarser energies present in the human soul into more subtle and pleasing ones. As a spiritual practitioner one seeks to become free of the lesser egoic self (or ego) in favor of being more fully one's "true" "Self".

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I am not here to debate with the members.
This poll and thread is for you.
The outcome of the poll will decide the fate of the spirituality section.
Happy Voting!
If you want religion with spirituality that is okay with me.
If you want religion in a sub-forum that is okay with me.
This thread is for you to decide.
If it is no big deal, then it is no big deal.
If it is a big deal, tell us why.

THIS POLL CLOSES ONE DAY FROM NOW

Peace,
Kevin

[Treckie]

Religion = power = control. Isn't this what we are fighting against?
Religion should have it's own room. In a different building.
Where there is religion, there is conflict.

[Waterman]

To clarify, what attributes does a subforum have that a forum does not have>

[Waterman]

Wikipedia - New Age

Quote

New Age
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New Age (New Age Movement and New Age Spirituality) is a decentralized western social and spiritual movement that seeks Universal Truth and the attainment of the highest individual human potential. It combines aspects of spirituality, cosmology, esotericism, complementary and alternative medicine, various religious practices, humanism, collectivism, nature, and environmentalism. It is characterized by an eclectic and individual approach to spirituality with a general rejection of mainstream dogma and religion.

The term New Age refers to the coming Astrological Age of Aquarius.

The New Age Movement first appeared in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, gained momentum in the 1960s and 1970s, strengthened in the 1980s, and organized with the Harmonic Convergence in 1987. New Age practices and philosophies are found among many diverse individuals from around the world and range from atheism and monotheism to classical pantheism, including naturalistic pantheism or panentheism.[citation needed]

The New Age Movement includes elements of older spiritual and religious traditions combined with science, particularly ecology, environmentalism, the Gaia hypothesis, and psychology. New Age practices and philosophies sometimes draw inspiration from major world religions: Buddhism, Chinese folk religion, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, and Sufism; with particularly strong influences from East Asian religions, Gnosticism, Neopaganism, New Thought, Spiritualism, Universalism, and Western esotericism.[1]

New Age Spirituality has led to a wide array of literature on the subject and an active niche market: books, New Age music, crafts, and services in alternative medicine are available at New Age stores, fairs, and festivals.[2][3][4][5]

Additional phrases are used to describe The New Age Movement: Self Spirituality, New Spirituality, Mind-Body-Spirit,[6][7] Cultural Creative, Everyone Is Equal, New Paradigm, and All Is One.

Un-sticking this thread and letting it float down the river.

[GregorArturo]

Originally Posted by 2infinityandbeyond

Making a religion sub forum would just be adding to the divisions that surround us already.

Thank you, there's your answer.

I am also one who should speak as many have probably seen me and ctophil go at it with each other. The reason being is I do feel he is going off topic and preaching his beliefs, versus actively participating in the discussion and sharing his beliefs. There is a difference between 'sharing' and 'preaching'.

And on that note, thank you Arcora We have discussed our different views, specifically in relation to religion and spirituality, in a constructive and positive manner.

[arcora]

There are those here who follow the 'Law of one' religiously.

Where will they post?

Or are you referring to religion as going to a church, mosque or synagogue? (because I haven't ever seen any member post about that)

Or are you just trying to create a schism?

[Reunite]

YES please. So I don't have to listen to others preaching their belief systems. Some believe there is a difference to be spiritually enlighten to believing in recycled Babylonian sun worship

[Brinty]

I like to keep things simple. In my terms of reference, be they right or wrong, religion is about a belief in a God. While spirituality is about a belief in the existence of the spirit, soul or whatever you like to call it, independent of the body.

Nothing I've read or heard has induced me to believe the two are dependent on each other. I've known a few religious folk who are not spiritual, and I've known a lot of spiritual people who aren't religious.

If others wish to combine the two, fine - just don't try selling the concept to me. I've got as much use for it as the headless horseman has for a hat.

[whitecrow]

I voted No. Keep them as one thread. Here's why:

First of all the whole purpose of religion supposedly is unity...well, that's a bad joke really, but supposedly that's what it's all about, right? So how are we gonna move in that direction while moving apart?

Second, we're going to have to start getting along sometime. Anything that encourages disunity is moving us the wrong direction. It's a new world, let's not carry our old paradigms and habits along into it.

[angel3553]

I don't believe that voting yes is about devision rather than ease of reading, staying in the flow of the topic. Otherwise the tangents are literally multidimensional.

[Josef Stubler]

I do not think we need a separate sub-forum for "religion." What's next? A separate sub-forum for each separate religion? We are here to "share" imformation -- not argue over it and cram it down each others' throats.