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Goodbye Jesus

Anyone here feel qualified to teach a spirituality?


L.B.

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I'm curious as to whether anyone's explorations of the world outside of, and condemned by, Christianity have led them to be knowledgeable enough to consider teaching or facilitating studies in other spiritual disciplines.

 

I, for one, was always fascinated with the things that the Catholic Church condemned, forbid or even adopted/appropriated that were nothing like the so-called Christ mythos.

 

I always had a knack for interpreting dreams - I was good at it well before I knew that "being a Christian" was supposed to mean "rabid fundamentalism", and I've continued to be good at it, whether doing it against the wishes and the cultural/theological grain of the church I worked for, or since I've deconverted.

 

I've always been fascinated by how so many types and symbols in our dreams really are almost global - I won't say universal, because I don't believe we are alone, unique or preeminent in the universe, so our typology likely isn't.

 

I've toyed mentally with the idea of offering dream interpretation privately, on an individual basis, working from referrals. I've stopped short of seriously considering opening up shop as a "reader" or some such.

 

I am also adept at meditation, or at least I have been in the past; I stopped practicing for a long time. I used to, however, be able to sit totally still and have my eyes shut and be able to tell who was approaching me and and whether they wanted business with me or were just passing by. All this was without them identifying themselves, without me hearing them talk as they approached, or any sort of thing like that. I could see them without the use of my eyes, and I could intuit their intentions without conversation.

 

I've learned that the Buddhist idea of calling our thoughts or outside influences "noisy ghosts" and treating our thoughts and feelings like people in a queue at an office has been very, very useful.

 

In short, instead of seeing your mind as a place where all these thought-people can just barge in and start arguing and fighting for your attention, you open the door to your "office" and get the thought-people to stand in line and take a number. You make them wait. You don't assume that one person's needs will be greater or lesser in import, severity or urgency. You don't dismiss smaller, simpler thoughts, feelings or urges as unimportant. Rather, you take each as it comes, examine it, give it its due attention, and THEN assign it a priority or ask it to leave.

 

It really helps to relax and ask WHY that thought-idea-feeling "person" is there, asking for my energy and attention. Where did it originate, and why does it want to be seen as important/urgent right now?

 

Anyway, long story short, I've learned more than a bit about the nature of Self, the id, whatever you want to call it. I've learned more than a bit about how our subconscious processes the things that we feel while we're not actively awake to try and fight with or overreact to the things going on inside us.

 

I've thought that we here in the West are basically in a world where the generic answer is either "fix it yourself; be totally self-reliant" (which is counter to our nature and our biological imperatives) or it's "let [insert religious structure and deity here] fix it for you; you suck at it altogether".

 

I'm thinking of offering my help in the middle - no, I'm no guru, but none of us have made it out of damaging, pointless mental and emotional tar pits totally alone, and we can help each other. I guess that makes me a teacher of sorts.

 

Anyone else feel like they want to teach, are qualified to teach? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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Teaching a practice - and meditation is not necessarily a "spirituality" - would be one thing.

 

Teaching a "spirituality" - never.  That is an individual matter which each must explore for him or her self.

 

And that assumes I would consider myself sufficiently advanced to act as a teacher.  I don't.

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  • Super Moderator

I'm an ordained Dudeist priest, so.....

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3 hours ago, florduh said:

I'm an ordained Dudeist priest, so.....

Lol my Dad became an Ordained dudeIst priest because my brother and his wife wanted to him to perform the ceremony and they wanted him to be a dudeist. Lol. My brother is quirky like that. 

     I was surprised that my dad went along with it tho. He and my mom are very strict fundamental baptists. I was kinda curious to the justification on that but I've learned even when I was christian not to talk religion with them. It always got heated.

 

DB

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15 hours ago, florduh said:

I'm an ordained Dudeist priest, so.....


I am also, in addition to Universal Life Church, which I believe that I recall you and Margy are as well.

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1 minute ago, TrueFreedom said:


I am also, in addition to Universal Life Church, which I believe that I recall you and Margy are as well.

Of course, ULC as well. We have this spiritual shit covered!!!

 

Today's Lesson: There IS a god, and you're it! There is no "path" or discipline to follow. You are already complete. Accept your role and play your part as it feels right to you. No matter what, you can't make a mistake. Relax, enjoy your moment.

 

 

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I forgot... I got ordained in the ULC years ago. I have to figure out if I am able to retrieve my credentials from them or if I have to re-register.

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Not qualified, but it would be interesting to teach a particular faith or set of spiritual beliefs to others. But, can faith be ''taught?'' Maybe the basic tenets of it, but beyond that, not sure much else can be 'taught.'' It's probably why I don't attend any one particular church all that often, because why is someone else's interpretation of faith, more relevant than how I view God, or my faith?

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  • 2 months later...

Rather than teaching I'd like to think I could offer personal insights on where one goes after deconverting.

 

I am really glad this forum has included this subject. Many exC won't just turn atheist or agnostic I feel because once you start reading and learning about the truth of the bible it expands into the truth of organised religion and then into What Next For Me.

 

I read lots of eastern philosophy. A friend started me off with Lobsang Rampa and it mushroomed from there. Meditation really resonated with me and I started listening to recordings and letting go. I had had lucid dreams since childhood and never understood what it meant but meditation opened up the mind awake, body asleep state of being and I achieved personal enlightenment. I would never presume to teach this to anyone but if anyone was on this path and wanted to share I would engage with them.

I have since taken it much further.

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I think you can guide, can encourage someone to explore their own feelings about spirituality, but I don't really think it can be "taught". You can give someone tips on meditation, but their insights are their own. You could suggest readings, but it's up to them to evaluate and interpret them. There's nothing wrong with helping, but as Alan Watts says, "anyone offering to sell you enlightenment is like someone who picks your pocket and sells you your own watch".

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