Mental Health & Spirituality

Depends. Hitler had a definitive view alright.

Yeah he did.Are you saying that it is best to keep things confused with no definite s then? None of us can be sure about anything when it comes to the big questions?

I’m saying that being convinced you’re right isn’t necessarily a good thing.

I do agree that that view can be very dangerous.I wanted this post to go more in the direction of consciousness states and the management of our minds and the relationship to spirituality.It has got bogged down with other issues.My view is that consciousness and our understanding it is the next big thing that scientists are focussing on.

As Max has pointed out, you’re not discussing religion and possible mental health benefits you’re banging on about how your religion is the correct one.

People who believe they’re right can commit all sorts of atrocities. You don’t get that with doubt.

Am I just a thought? What am I exactly?

Ok let’s put my beliefs/your beliefs and everyone’s else’s beliefs to one side then.

Just to remind you. You always have the option of not responding to Izzy.

The point is that scientifically speaking, being certain in your beliefs has measurable mental health benefits. I suspect that would apply to Nazis as well as Christians (although we would need to do a scientific study to confirm this).

This has nothing to do with whether one belief system is better than another.

This conversation reminds me of two scenes from the movie "The Longest Day."

In one scene, when weather didn’t cooperate for the D-Day Invasion, Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort (played by John Wayne) said, “Sometimes I wonder whose side God’s on,”

Later in the movie, when a German General finds that the Panzers had not been released to him because Hitler was sleeping and was not to be disturbed, he said, "I sometimes wonder whose side God is on."

My belief system helps me mentally for sure, so I have to agree with you.The reason I started this thread was to see if anyone had any views on Consciousness.If we can’t define consciousness as a thought then what is it? My view is that consciousness is separate from the physical brain but interacts I.e.ENGAGES/DISENGAGES with it.Consciousness to me anyway appears to be an observing state of awareness only.

I know that God exists because I have a personal relationship with God. These are spiritual truths.
You can not prove gravity to one who does not believe in the physical world. I can't prove spiritual truth to the person who does not believe in the Spiritual world.

The problem is that human beings who aren't Christian have the same personal relationship with the non-Christian God (or gods).

What this suggests is that each person has their own god and that they all exist (because a personal relationship proves existence).

I wonder why these things always start with someone describing the near bliss of their beliefs and the peace and tranquility it brings to them, then within short order the sniping and insults begin. How serene can you possibly be if you need to interrogate others or to assume the worst about them simply because they don't choose to parrot the same language when describing faith or (gasp) the absence of belief.

Why isn't it possible for people to hold sacred their own beliefs without harassing and judging the beliefs that others hold sacred?

Because the beliefs that others hold sacred are wrong. If you know the absolute truth you can't allow other people to be wrong. It other people are accepted as equal to you, it threatens the sacredity of the Truth.

Oops, you're right.....what was I thinking?

My view is that mental health; reasoning and belief are all related.One can take the view that as there is no God; there are no rules; nothing matters:there is no such thing as morality.One can have the opposite view.RULES are important.If ones mindset is dualist/robotic then it could be argued that God/Rules/Morality get cancelled out.Nihilism doesn’t prove there is or isn’t a God,one can only hope that there is or isn’t.If there has to be rules where has this in built realisation come from? If there are rules and they are broken there are consequences.We abide by this principle in this world and we agree with it....why would we think it is any different in the spiritual realm if in fact we do believe in a spiritual realm? If rules are required then who defines them?

Following on from my previous post,my understanding of the Christian faith is that rules ARE required and that God has defined these rules as in the Ten Commandments.The problem for me is that because the Christian faith says that God is perfect,I therefore need to keep these rules perfectly or there will be consequences.The Christian faith as I understand it anyway also says that it is impossible for me to keep these commandments perfectly, and therefore says I have a problem.The only way out of that problem is to let God be punished on my behalf for these imperfections.The Christian faith says that Jesus did this for me on the cross.Please don’t go on at me I am only trying to explain the Christian faith as I see it.

The Ten Commandments are from the Egyptian Book Of The Dead. That’s where they first appear, hundreds of years before Moses plagiarised them.

Can you please leave spaces between sentences.

I have given my summary of how I understand the Christian faith.