How Do You Know It's The Holy Spirit, And Not Just Your Own Mind?

[bornagainathiest]

 

End3,

 

I don't suppose you have any Scriptures to support your assertions, have you?

 

Have a good day,

TheRedneckProfessor

Yes, what Lyra posted, in Galatians, seems to fit pretty well with what I was saying about choosing a positive outcome for others despite our own feelings. Regarding what BAA posted about no objective standard.....there are numerous references to everything objective passing away. Were you after other specifics or will that suffice?

 

 

I'd like to see as many of these references as you can provide, please End.

 

But you aren't expecting us to use faith to see that these references mean what you say, are you?

 

Thanks,

 

BAA.

[TheRedneckProfessor]

End3,

 

I will need further clarification, namely: how can anything objective pass away if everything is subjective?

 

(stop rolling your eyes; this isn't an attempt to burn you. It's an honest question).

[Guest end3]

End3,

 

I will need further clarification, namely: how can anything objective pass away if everything is subjective?

 

(stop rolling your eyes; this isn't an attempt to burn you. It's an honest question).

Two thoughts Prof. Science suggests with wonderful certainty "x". Just saying that each of our perspectives are uniquely subjective.

 

With that said, I've always wondered whether Jesus was actually objective upon his return post crucifixion.....which lends itself to the discussion, are we more than objects.

 

And I think what we are led to believe is emphasis on stuff is futile.

[TheRedneckProfessor]

 

End3,

 

I will need further clarification, namely: how can anything objective pass away if everything is subjective?

 

(stop rolling your eyes; this isn't an attempt to burn you. It's an honest question).

Two thoughts Prof. Science suggests with wonderful certainty "x". Just saying that each of our perspectives are uniquely subjective.

 

With that said, I've always wondered whether Jesus was actually objective upon his return post crucifixion.....which lends itself to the discussion, are we more than objects.

 

And I think what we are led to believe is emphasis on stuff is futile.

 

Neither of these thoughts are accurate and neither addresses the question.

[quinntar]

Well,

 

To give you my old opinion, I used to think it was recognizable by goose/chill bumps mixed with a near simultaneous recognition of revelation...or understanding.

 

My new opinion.....I still like the goose bumps, but I think it is more of a recognition of a higher choice for someone's wellbeing....(that typically does not coincide with what I think should happen)...like choosing choices for an ex spouse that you know will benefit them even though you are divorced. But, BUT, we are led to believe the HS can act on an individual because He wants to.

It's the still small voice? That's what they tell me endy, it's the one talking to you now (My doctors don't have it for some reason) and WTF am I in a straight jacket? No, but when I was a kid I learned to escape from a straight jacket (Thanks to David Copperfield)

 

I wonder where he is now.

[midniterider]

Upon experiencing the unity of all things, one's thoughts turn to operating from that perspective rather than the narrow view of the ego. Christianity attributes altruistic thoughts and cooperative behaviors to the Holy Spirit. In this view, one's thoughts and ideas are his own but are influenced by the one and only real god. It's a sadly limited view that causes division and feeds the ego. This is why I and many others always say that religion is the natural enemy of spirituality.

 

Nicely put. Experiencing the unity of all things trumps worship, trumps belief, trumps 'holy' books, trumps religious doctrine, trumps going to church, trump's obedience.

 

If one understands himself to be all things and all things to be himself, what more do you need? You are at peace. Does Christianity bring peace?

[TheRedneckProfessor]

^No jesus; know peace.

[ironhorse]

Respectful question for all Christian here,

 

The Christians I know often talk about being affected by the Holy Spirit. They say it gives them special insights, guides them, etc. 

 

But non-Christians have the same experience. A person can meditate, reflect, and pay attention to the deeper parts of their mind telling them what they truly want. This is the case whether or not it is correct. For example, you can rely on your own mind to tell you which of 2 job offers will be a better fit in terms of which one you would truly be happier with (and for other decisions like which city to live in, relationship choices, etc.), and a lot of the times you'll be right because being "true to yourself" will typically make you happier than going against your own conscience to fit societal norms. But likewise, sometimes people's minds can fool them. For instance, some people truly believe they are pregnant, and even have physical symptoms, but it's all just false wishful thinking (this actually happened to a friend of mine) and, look at all the gullible people who truly believe they are "in love" when all the signs are on the wall that the other person doesn't feel the same way.

 

Our mind is a powerful thing. Sometimes it's our compass, our shining light in the darkness, but other times it fools us. But the convictions that exist within the human mind, even when wrong, are very very real to the beholder.

 

So when you hear the "Holy Spirit" inside you, how do you know it's a higher being? How do you know it's the Holy Spirit, and not just your own mind telling you what you really want?

 

Please discuss.

 

 

So when you hear the "Holy Spirit" inside you, how do you know it's a higher being? How do you know it's the Holy Spirit, and not just your own mind telling you what you really want?

 

Because my thoughts so often go in the wrong directions. The Spirit prompts me in the right direction. 

[Lyra]

 

Respectful question for all Christian here,

 

The Christians I know often talk about being affected by the Holy Spirit. They say it gives them special insights, guides them, etc. 

 

But non-Christians have the same experience. A person can meditate, reflect, and pay attention to the deeper parts of their mind telling them what they truly want. This is the case whether or not it is correct. For example, you can rely on your own mind to tell you which of 2 job offers will be a better fit in terms of which one you would truly be happier with (and for other decisions like which city to live in, relationship choices, etc.), and a lot of the times you'll be right because being "true to yourself" will typically make you happier than going against your own conscience to fit societal norms. But likewise, sometimes people's minds can fool them. For instance, some people truly believe they are pregnant, and even have physical symptoms, but it's all just false wishful thinking (this actually happened to a friend of mine) and, look at all the gullible people who truly believe they are "in love" when all the signs are on the wall that the other person doesn't feel the same way.

 

Our mind is a powerful thing. Sometimes it's our compass, our shining light in the darkness, but other times it fools us. But the convictions that exist within the human mind, even when wrong, are very very real to the beholder.

 

So when you hear the "Holy Spirit" inside you, how do you know it's a higher being? How do you know it's the Holy Spirit, and not just your own mind telling you what you really want?

 

Please discuss.

 

 

So when you hear the "Holy Spirit" inside you, how do you know it's a higher being? How do you know it's the Holy Spirit, and not just your own mind telling you what you really want?

 

Because my thoughts so often go in the wrong directions. The Spirit prompts me in the right direction. 

 

Thank you for responding.

 

I have a couple of follow-up questions through, based on that response.

 

1. How do you know that a thought is in the "wrong direction" vs the "right direction"? In other words, what objective standards are you using to determine whether a thought is right or wrong? (Key word being Objective)

 

2. When you're prompted in the "right direction," how do you know that it's the Holy Spirit, instead of your own mind being right?

 

3. If any thought in the right direction is from the Holy Spirit, does that mean that all of the thoughts from your own mind are wrong? In other words, are you looking at this in a binary way, where "Right Direction = Holy Spirit" and "Wrong Direction = Your Own Mind"? If this is the case, it would mean that all of the insights from your own mind are wrong, or else they would be of the Spirit. Is this correct?

 

4. What objective reinforcement do you have to prove that the Holy Spirit is actually something external and supernatural, as opposed to a higher form of your own intelligence and reasoning?

 

Thanks,

Lyra 

[TheRedneckProfessor]

Ironhorse,

 

If I generally think of you as a pretty decent guy, but suddenly wake up one morning thinking you're a prick, is that the holy spirit? Just because a random thought pops into your head doesn't mean a deity put it there, no matter how out-of-character that thought might be. Sometimes our thoughts seem right; sometimes they don't. But our thoughts arent really "right" or "wrong"; they're just thoughts. That's basic psychology. Think about it.

 

Have a good day,

TheRedneckProfessor

[midniterider]

 

Respectful question for all Christian here,

 

The Christians I know often talk about being affected by the Holy Spirit. They say it gives them special insights, guides them, etc. 

 

But non-Christians have the same experience. A person can meditate, reflect, and pay attention to the deeper parts of their mind telling them what they truly want. This is the case whether or not it is correct. For example, you can rely on your own mind to tell you which of 2 job offers will be a better fit in terms of which one you would truly be happier with (and for other decisions like which city to live in, relationship choices, etc.), and a lot of the times you'll be right because being "true to yourself" will typically make you happier than going against your own conscience to fit societal norms. But likewise, sometimes people's minds can fool them. For instance, some people truly believe they are pregnant, and even have physical symptoms, but it's all just false wishful thinking (this actually happened to a friend of mine) and, look at all the gullible people who truly believe they are "in love" when all the signs are on the wall that the other person doesn't feel the same way.

 

Our mind is a powerful thing. Sometimes it's our compass, our shining light in the darkness, but other times it fools us. But the convictions that exist within the human mind, even when wrong, are very very real to the beholder.

 

So when you hear the "Holy Spirit" inside you, how do you know it's a higher being? How do you know it's the Holy Spirit, and not just your own mind telling you what you really want?

 

Please discuss.

 

 

So when you hear the "Holy Spirit" inside you, how do you know it's a higher being? How do you know it's the Holy Spirit, and not just your own mind telling you what you really want?

 

Because my thoughts so often go in the wrong directions. The Spirit prompts me in the right direction. 

 

 

Before Christianity I had thoughts that resulted in mostly good, but sometimes bad results/behaviors.

During Christianity I had thoughts that resulted in mostly good, but sometimes bad results/behaviors.

After Christianity I had thoughts that resulted in mostly good, but sometimes bad results/behaviors.

 

Not much difference in any of these phases of my life, really. Were these thoughts in my head originating from myself or the Holy Spirit?

 

As a Christian, something prompted me to drop Christianity altogether. Was it the Holy Spirit prompting me? Probably not. Was it Satan prompting me? If yes, how could Satan override the promptings of the Holy Spirit? This same spirit that keeps IH on the straight and narrow would let someone else fail? Hmmm. That doesn't make any sense. My conclusion then is that thoughts you come up with by yourself aren't really planted by supernatural beings but are your own.

[midniterider]

I know that the still small voice never got any bigger while I was a Christian. It was the same voice that had always been in my head. But I had not been raised from birth to believe in supernatural personalities infesting my head. After reading a bit about tulpae (voluntarily created imaginary friends), I would assume that people with that ability/gift/predisposition who also were raised as Christians might have a bit more going on in their head than I ever did while I was a Christian. My understanding is that the daily, high intensity mental practice of tulpa forcing to create an imaginary friend might be likened to years of bible reading, church-going, sermon hearing, Jesus talk every 5 minutes Christian life. Both practices could end up with an imaginary friend hanging around in your mind.

 

If the Holy Spirit were, unknowingly, more than just a still small voice in someone's head, but a present personality, created over time by one's self, it would be hard to dismiss it as imagination, even though it was nothing more than that.

 

(When I mention ability/gift/predispostion, I mean those who seem to be able to create imaginary beings easily, not those who are suffering bipolar or other mental disorders.)

 

Fun stuff to consider.

[readyforchange]

 

Respectful question for all Christian here,

 

The Christians I know often talk about being affected by the Holy Spirit. They say it gives them special insights, guides them, etc. 

 

But non-Christians have the same experience. A person can meditate, reflect, and pay attention to the deeper parts of their mind telling them what they truly want. This is the case whether or not it is correct. For example, you can rely on your own mind to tell you which of 2 job offers will be a better fit in terms of which one you would truly be happier with (and for other decisions like which city to live in, relationship choices, etc.), and a lot of the times you'll be right because being "true to yourself" will typically make you happier than going against your own conscience to fit societal norms. But likewise, sometimes people's minds can fool them. For instance, some people truly believe they are pregnant, and even have physical symptoms, but it's all just false wishful thinking (this actually happened to a friend of mine) and, look at all the gullible people who truly believe they are "in love" when all the signs are on the wall that the other person doesn't feel the same way.

 

Our mind is a powerful thing. Sometimes it's our compass, our shining light in the darkness, but other times it fools us. But the convictions that exist within the human mind, even when wrong, are very very real to the beholder.

 

So when you hear the "Holy Spirit" inside you, how do you know it's a higher being? How do you know it's the Holy Spirit, and not just your own mind telling you what you really want?

 

Please discuss.

 

 

So when you hear the "Holy Spirit" inside you, how do you know it's a higher being? How do you know it's the Holy Spirit, and not just your own mind telling you what you really want?

 

Because my thoughts so often go in the wrong directions. The Spirit prompts me in the right direction.

 

Ironhorse, as another follow up question: If God already has a plan in place for your life, how do you really know that the thoughts you think are in the wrong direction are not actually from the holy spirit instead? If you attribute your "wrong direction" thoughts to Satan but they really came from the holy spirit, then haven't you committed blasphemy against the holy spirit (and thus cannot be forgiven)?