Spirituality
19 Apr 07
22 Apr 07
Christians seem to have an inside track with god. The have conversations with him, he tells them stuff, everything is gods will, man cannot understand his ways. When is he going to tell us something useful. Of all these conversations with his crew of followers, give us some tips for improving upon our life here. Something concrete once in a while. Surely he isn't too busy for that.
23 Apr 07
Originally posted by ThinkOfOneThe beattitudes tell us how to be happy.
Another way to look at it is this: There are two main forces that control man. Desires of the self or ego (pride, greed, lust, seeking sensory experiences, etc.) and desire for God (truth, love, justice, compassion, etc.). These opposing forces are inversely proportional. So the bigger the desires of the self, the smaller the desire for God. In short, see ...[text shortened]... n the domain of God is true life.
Try re-reading the verses I gave above within this context.
Paul talks about good desires.
Jesus is always talking about rewards.
Psalm 16:11 In Your presence is the fullness of joy. In your right hand are pleasures forever more.
It doesn't sound like the Bible is advocation to stop seeking pleasure. It is just telling us the the fullnes of joy and pleasure, happiness and reward, is God Himself, found only in what Christ did on the cross.
C.S. Lewis says that we're not happy. But, he says that we're in the state not because our desires are too great that they cannot be met. He says that our desires are too small. To truly be happy, one must seek God. If you seek God, then all the other things will be added to you. There are rewards to it. There is nothing wrong when doing it for the reward. One must simply remember that God Himself is the reward.
24 Apr 07
3 edits
Originally posted by Big MacI think your interpretation is in the majority. Perhaps that explains why Christians don't seem to be any more moral than the general population. People see what they want to see.
The beattitudes tell us how to be happy.
Paul talks about good desires.
Jesus is always talking about rewards.
Psalm 16:11 In Your presence is the fullness of joy. In your right hand are pleasures forever more.
It doesn't sound like the Bible is advocation to stop seeking pleasure. It is just telling us the the fullnes of joy and pleasure, hap wrong when doing it for the reward. One must simply remember that God Himself is the reward.
It seems to me that any "desires", "rewards" or "pleasures" referenced in the Bible are not of the worldly kind. If you know of any, please post the verses. The Psalm you cite below seems to point to being in God's presence. Perhaps C.S Lewis means that any worldly desire is "small" compared to the desire for God. Perhaps he understands that they are dwarfed by it and worthless.
24 Apr 07
Here's a modern zen story:
A man asks the McDonald's salesman:
"What's the price difference between a small and a large coke?"
"50 cents." replies the spotty salesman.
"But there are free refills." states the man.
"You get larger free refills for the extra 50 cents." added the spotty salesman.
29 Apr 07
Originally posted by shavixmirthat's why i always buy the large...
Here's a modern zen story:
A man asks the McDonald's salesman:
"What's the price difference between a small and a large coke?"
"50 cents." replies the spotty salesman.
"But there are free refills." states the man.
"You get larger free refills for the extra 50 cents." added the spotty salesman.
this is similar to the customer who went into the supermarket to complain about the fact every time she bought a packet of biscuits the biscuits at either end of the packet were always crushed; the manager asked her how to resolve it to which she replied leave those two biscuits out... 🙄