Robbobrob Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 Here is something I developed back in 1995 (I think I had mentioned it at some point in another thread, though I forget which now). It was a time when I was trying to blend the world religions together, create one spirituality/philosophy that touches all the others, honors the best of each, and stays away from the lesser aspects. I don't think I would come up with this today, certainly I would word thing very differently, and I think I even have some contentions with things I wrote.....but I do find in very interesting where my focus was more than 12 years ago. THE TEN FAITHS - originally written April 25, 1995. 1. From the tribe of Isreal, the kingdom of David, comes the faith that we are ruled over by an all powerful, all knowledgeful Deity. Infinite in every conceivable way, God is there for all. 2. From the town of Nazareth, the most influential man in all of recorded history, comes the faith that we can love one another without condition. Infinite in every conceivable way, tolerance for one and all is the ultimate goal. 3. From the Middle East, where sand and sea meet, comes the faith that we are bound by loyalty and honor to God. Infinite duty relies on all of us doing what we should, not what we want. 4. From the Indus valley, disseminated by the followers of the Enlightened One, comes the faith that we are all connected. Infinite connectedness is the basic starting point of all interactions, all things. 5. From the dawn of History, the earliest of true religious thought, comes the faith that we strive for continuity. Infinite self means never worrying about death, seeing it asa transition, not an ending. 6. From the woods of China, carried down by hermits and artists, comes the faith that all of nature is an interplay of opposites. Infinite waxing and waning of the seasons, emotions, economy, nations, showing nothing lasts forever and change is a constant. 7. From the classrooms of China, passed down by diligent students of Master Kung Fu, comes the faith that we have to not only honor God, but honor each other. Infinite responsibility to each other's needs as well as realization that we are only one piece of a generational puzzle that stretches into our distant past as well as far-flung future. 8. From the monestaries on Japan, passing from mind to mind from a single flower, comes the faith that we can achieve a state of non-action. Infinite freedom to do exactly what a situation calls for, without thought, no more and no less. 9. From the cradle of liberty, the home of the free and the brave, comes the faith that we have the true potential to achieve anything we want. Infinite freedom to express ourselves and be ourselves at all times. 10. From the Highlands, the family motto of "Hold Fast," comes the faith that we have the strength to eternally struggle for the perfection of self. May we never give up. (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Zen, Jeffersonian, and MacLeodism. Like I stated above, a couple of these I do cringe at, but others still have real value to me of how I attempt to live my life. I think my current focus away from the divine, and more on being human marks the biggest difference between me then, and me now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manditag in AK Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Wow, I really like that....would you mind if I used it/talked about it/passed it on? Thanks for going through the process of making the list, it may be incomplete or overly simplistic in parts but conversely it's nice that there aren't 500 rules to it. Mandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-COG Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Interesting. What's "MacLeodism"? And is "Jeffersonian" really a faith? You might need to work Paganism in there somewhere, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbobrob Posted January 25, 2008 Author Share Posted January 25, 2008 Interesting. What's "MacLeodism"? And is "Jeffersonian" really a faith? You might need to work Paganism in there somewhere, too. MacLeodism came about when my family thought we were linked to the Scottish clan MacLeod (made famous in the Highlander movies). Of the Ten, it is by far the weakest, and the most easily replaced by some other universal idea (what universal idea would "Paganism" be connected to?). Recently we discovered we may have had ties to several clans, but never really beholden to any one of them. As for Jeffersonian.....I think another definition for how I use Faith in this context would be Ideal. And certainly the founding fathers of America had certain Ideals in mind on how people should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbobrob Posted January 25, 2008 Author Share Posted January 25, 2008 Wow, I really like that....would you mind if I used it/talked about it/passed it on?Thanks for going through the process of making the list, it may be incomplete or overly simplistic in parts but conversely it's nice that there aren't 500 rules to it. Mandy Feel free, and obviously change and alter things as you please. Just remember where you got it from when you make millions off of it....LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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