Can there be New Ways of Understanding and Practicing Ancient Religious Teachings?

[arewethereyet]

Jabberwocky
BY LEWIS CARROLL
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
      And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
      The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
      The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand;
      Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
      And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
      The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
      And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
      The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
      He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
      Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
      He chortled in his joy.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
      And the mome raths outgrabe.

[Nay_Sayer]

No need. My religion is the only correct one there has ever been

I never get enough garlic, please pray for me.

Our fetta who art thou in Valhalla. Oh FSM I beseech thee to bless Brewer with bountiful bulbs of garlic, His socks warm and paired, and his phone always fully charged.

RAmen

[Leonardo17]

Belaqua: I agree with most of your ideas about the usage of art in the religious context. One of the names of Allah is Al-Jameel (Beauty).
 

---

 
But medieval Islam like to focus on inner beauty rather than outside demonstrations of grandiose types of beauty. Which is the reason why, if you ever visit the medieval mosques of Modern Spain you will see that they are simple-looking from the outside and very elaborately decorated on the inside. Their highly precise working of inner spaces is just incredible.


 
This is the famous Alhambra palace in Spain: From the outside it looks like a simple medieval Castle.
 
On the inside, it’s probably one of the biggest object of art that has ever been produced by the hands of men:


 
But let us not dilute the subject here:
 
I added the picture of this triptych to emphasize the fact that “Whatever works for any of us is good”. There is no punishment, no competition and the only reward is the religious process itself. Just like Osiris who is being “remembered” by Isis (Life) after being torn down into pieces by the evil God Seth (A figure that is similar to “The Tempter” of the Bible who gets Adam and Eve kicked out of Heaven (Eternal Life), we have the ability to Remember. Religion means “To bind back”.
 
So again: “Do you feel like you are sincerely binding back to something Greater or are you just adhering to a set of mythology that is backed by the robotic realization of a given number of rituals?
 
- This question is not that new after all. But it is a question that is being amplified in our times. How?
By people who have the ability to get to your children while you are asleep. DO you know how many types of “Islam” branded political ideologies are available on the Internet right now?
 
Just today: I saw a video on the Major of Istanbul who was being visited by his friendly Palestinian counter-part. Under the Video there were troll accounts criticizing him for that because that Major was a secular Palestinian who was not related to the Terrorist group of Hamas.
 
So that’s the argument here: “If you are connecting with a triptych (like that beautiful Byzantine above) that’s perfect for me. On the other hand, if you are in an Ashram in India, sleeping in different Yoga postures, that’s also fine for me, but where is the connection? If there is no connection, where is the benefit?

---

I think that’s one big criteria everybody should look-out for with anybody pretending to be from any of the main religious traditions that are present in this world.
 
Nay Sayer: 

That’s something I’m struggling with. We like to describe this as different boats that are there for us the use in the crossing of the same river (if we choose to). That’s the part that has no place in this century.

 Look at that sentence: “My path is the only possible right path”. Who is the You in that sentence?
 
JabberWocky: 

Yes, Maybe. All I am saying is that there is some logic within the seemingly Jabberwocky issues as well.
 
Plain and simple: I am currently seeing the Movie “Patriot’s Day” (Mark Wahlberg 2016) for the fourth time or so, All that I saying is there is a difference between someone who feels connected (like me) and someone who has mental issues or is simply evil (like the losers who perpetrate such hideous actions).
 
So here is the non-JabberWocky part for you  

[HappySkeptic]

Leonardo17:

If I was to sum this up to one thing only I would ask the question:

- Is the person being present in the “here and now” and achieving some degree of connection with what we like to call “Inner Realities” or “Higher Realities”.

Realities.

"I'm not sure that word means what you think it means" (Inigo Montoya in Princess Bride)

[Leonardo17]

Leonardo17:

If I was to sum this up to one thing only I would ask the question:

- Is the person being present in the “here and now” and achieving some degree of connection with what we like to call “Inner Realities” or “Higher Realities”.

Realities.

"I'm not sure that word means what you think it means" (Inigo Montoya in Princess Bride)

- Nothing that can be directly observed or measured by the naked eye or any instrument that we know of or even mathematically calculated either (as I said before)
 
   These are more like subtle forces that (we believe) are having very real effects on our lives here and now. Like denial of reason, practical intelligence, logical approaches in the name of our self-hatred that is pretending to be our self-love or instinct of self-preservation. In other words our fear based self or Ego.
 
   On the level of politics, fascist rulers or modern populist movements have learned to harness the power of this “ego-self” or “small self” to recruit simple minded people into their movement (that end up destroying nations rather than helping them).
 
   Here is on example:
 https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2...istan.html
 
 
This is (another) Church of Istanbul (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) that has been recently opened for Muslim prayer. I’ve been to this place several times. No one lacks mosques in that area (or in any area in the whole country). The reason because it was made into a museum in 1940 is that it contains beautiful Byzantine frescoes and people want to go in and see them. It was a logical decision to do so because Muslims are not allowed in places with so many human representations anyway:
 
Chora Monastery in Istanbul



 
 
But that’s how the small self-works. And it’s a universal theme. Mr. Modi is doing the same in India, building Temples to Hindu deities on sites that are considered Holy by Muslims. Technically: Modi could build a temple there a few 100 meters next to it, instead of completely demolishing the ruins of the mosque that stood there. But that’s the creature within every one of us that basically works like the little Smeagol in LOTR.
 
So if you want it scientific, you can check the works of Carl Jung and its Archetypes and collective subconscious. So these are the themes spiritual people are working on.
 
One reserve the right to say: “If it cannot be directly observed, or measured in some other way, then what is the difference between that and something that does not exist?”
 
- Well maybe it’s the result of these phenomena in the world in which we are living. That’s how I would try to explain it.

[Nay_Sayer]

-Snipped rambling wall of text-

I thought I was quite clear and unambiguous.

My, as in me, as in Nay_Sayer, as in the Earl of Avalon and Duke of Beef Wellington have a religion, Pastafarianism.

It is the only correct religion there has ever been or ever will be.

I hope that clears everything up.

[Fake Messiah]

- Nothing that can be directly observed or measured by the naked eye or any instrument that we know of or even mathematically calculated either (as I said before)
 
   These are more like subtle forces that (we believe) are having very real effects on our lives here and now. Like denial of reason, practical intelligence, logical approaches in the name of our self-hatred that is pretending to be our self-love or instinct of self-preservation. In other words our fear based self or Ego.

That's why religious people need churches/ temples, just like UFO people need UFO books. Religious people go to the church/ temple and pretend that god is real, that he exists, so when people ask them for evidence that god exists, they are out of words, they're like "Well, it's not that simple," and just talk deluded nonsense. I hear the same from people in the UFO religion - they spend hours every week reading UFO books (or websites) where people act like aliens are real, and when you ask them to provide evidence that aliens are visiting Earth, they give the same excuse "Well, it's not that simple." And that's why you write these nonsensical posts.

[arewethereyet]

Don't make me start posting pictures of the Basilica.

[Paleophyte]

Can there be new ways of understanding and practicing ancient superstitions? Certainly, but why would you want to?

If you have a bad idea then simply discard it and find a good idea. Don't try tweaking the bad idea until it manages to barely pass muster in a dim light. Then all you'll have is a bad idea that you think you've made good, and that's an even worse idea.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

If Islam really needs new ways of practicing ancient religious beliefs, I would like to suggest pentacles, spandrels, and The Hand Of Glory.

Boru