Prayer vs Meditation
You pray, I meditate. We come to the same moral conclusions, yet you hate me because I choose not to believe in your god. The god who preaches acceptance and love, I fail to understand. Do you hate me because I don't need a god to teach me acceptance, morals, love, and compassion? I meditate for twenty minutes, you say a prayer that I will be kind enough to say lasts two minutes. It's almost as if you use god as a fast track for inner peace. Are you too weak of mind and spirit to find inner peace within yourself? Do you need an imaginary third party to give you the spiritual strength to do the right thing? Or are you just upset with me because I don't?
I fail to understand not out of ignorance, but out of confusion. I am confused as to why I am capable of finding the things I need through self reflection and meditation, and you are not. You argue that god is real, I disagree and know that life is reality. Am I so wrong to value life, moreso than a being who clearly isn't real? Or are you upset that I don't need a god to value life? People are so concerned with what happens when life ends, that they let it rule the life they are living. If you believe in god and live a good moral life, and I don't believe in god and live a good moral life. Do you still feel you are better than I am? You believe that you will go to some great heavenly place, and I won't even despite the fact I have done just the same amount of good as you? You live in fear of death and what happens afterward. I live with purpose to make my death insignificant, and make my life mean something.
I wish we could come to the agreement that despite what you believe, and despite what I believe, that we are both good people. Both capable of doing great and good things. I don't hate you for believing in god, why do you hate me because I don't?
I fail to understand not out of ignorance, but out of confusion. I am confused as to why I am capable of finding the things I need through self reflection and meditation, and you are not. You argue that god is real, I disagree and know that life is reality. Am I so wrong to value life, moreso than a being who clearly isn't real? Or are you upset that I don't need a god to value life? People are so concerned with what happens when life ends, that they let it rule the life they are living. If you believe in god and live a good moral life, and I don't believe in god and live a good moral life. Do you still feel you are better than I am? You believe that you will go to some great heavenly place, and I won't even despite the fact I have done just the same amount of good as you? You live in fear of death and what happens afterward. I live with purpose to make my death insignificant, and make my life mean something.
I wish we could come to the agreement that despite what you believe, and despite what I believe, that we are both good people. Both capable of doing great and good things. I don't hate you for believing in god, why do you hate me because I don't?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jon Heim on -
meditation is more effective...it relaxes you're body..clears you're thoughts. Praying is never answered and is usually only a hopeless cry for help.
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Permalink Reply by Loop Johnny on -
Prayer is connected to the "metaphysical realm". You ask your strength from there.
Meditation is connected to reality. You use your mind, to calm the mind. Makes sense?
I fail to understand, not out of ignorance, but out of confusion. I am confused as to why I am capable of finding the things I need through self reflection and meditation, and you are not.
Imagine there was an imaginary person peeping into your mind, taking notice of the bad and good thoughts you have thought. If you think a "bad" thought ( e.g. disbelief ), then you know God will punish you if you continue to think that way. In that case paranoia takes over and you know there is something that is watching you and expects you to do something according to his will. That is how ignorance sprouts: out of supervision.
I was once a little kid, a kid with an imaginary friend. God, he was an asshole.
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Permalink Reply by paragon on -
I imagine there is no imaginary person peeping into my mind, because there isn't. The bad and the good is something I get to decide, to a degree (I understand social norms and considerations of other people). Moreso, what I think is bad or good within my own mind, is mine alone to decide. Paranoia exists regardless of spiritual belief, you can also gain them through life experiences.
I think fortunately for me I never had "imaginary" friends. My real friends imagined things with me, and played pretend. TMNT was great.
I'm sorry if this isn't what you were hoping for as an answer.
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Permalink Reply by Reg The Fronkey Farmer on -
Meditation has been scientifically shown to be beneficial to the brain and body. I has been shown to improve the thinking abilities in of pupils in schools where it is being used. (sorry can't find reference to this maybe Wikipedia has it covered). MRI scans have shown the changes in the brains after meditation. Even after using these techniques for only a few weeks users reported feeling better. In some cases it is being used instead of pills to treat mild depression. Prayer is an attack of the mumbles. I see joy and calmness in the eyes of people who meditate and seldom see the sheep smiling when they leave church. Maybe they don't hate us for not believing in their god but hate us because we send an arrow of doubt at their own faith when they see us. Repeat after me 100 times Om Namah Shivaya :)
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Permalink Reply by Ava Wilson on -
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200304/the-benefits-meditation This may be what you're looking for.
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