From: azmodiuss@yahoo.com   
      
   Undiluted Truth feels like a hurricane to the physically anchored. "Well,   
   blow me down" - Popeye   
      
   "Steve S."  wrote in message   
   news:vglbgeot3qsg27@corp.supernews.com...   
   > There's two ways to look at all this. On the one hand, spirituality is   
   very   
   > much under-estimated in the new-age community. We are all really only in   
   > grade school, and you know that to second or third graders, a sixth grader   
   > looks very grown up. Give a sixth-grader a job as a college professor, and   
   > it's a foregone conclusion he'll screw it up. But it's because we   
   > (collective we) don't know what a real college professor is that we   
   promote   
   > sixth graders to the job of college professor in the first place.   
   >   
   > On the other hand, I once complained in a judgemental tone to a friend and   
   > spiritual mentor of mine, about the mish-mash of good information and   
   > nonsense in so many books on spirituality and the occult. She replied that   
   > people can read a whole book, but pick out of it what they need. So   
   > sometimes people who teach spirituality but get mired in pitfalls like   
   money   
   > and fame, may still be able to impart something useful to people. It can   
   > also be argued they can do a lot of damage.   
   >   
   > It goes to the question of readiness. It seems that spirituality has to be   
   > watered down to be digestible for people who aren't ready for the   
   undiluted   
   > version. Or to stick with the previous analogy, 3rd graders may learn   
   better   
   > from sixth graders, even if 90% of what they are learning is nonsense. In   
   > short, it may be necessary.   
   >   
   > Here's another irony. If you wanted to teach large numbers of people about   
   > the pitfalls of lust, greed and pride, what would be most effective--to   
   give   
   > lectures, or to have an example? When a self-proclaimed spiritual   
   > teacher--who, perhaps, has some degree of intellectual understanding and   
   > maybe even some degree of attainment--starts amassing wealth, sleeping   
   with   
   > students, plotting some mass suicide scenario, or goes on an ego-trip--and   
   > that person gets thrust into the media spotlight--this amounts to a   
   > teaching, a huge wake-up call for sincere seekers. It probably is more   
   > effective than thousands of lectures. If worldly people throw the baby out   
   > with the bathwater and dismiss all spirituality because of these examples,   
   > well, that was what they were ready for. It protects them from getting   
   into   
   > something they're not ready for.   
   >   
   > FYI I haven't looked at the original website this post was responding to,   
   so   
   > I'm not saying anything about that particular one, just addressing the   
   issue   
   > in general.   
   >   
   > One final thought--"the false proves the existence of the real". You can't   
   > have falsehood without truth, because it would be a meaningless concept.   
   > Falsehood is by definition partial truth--the less truth, the more false   
   it   
   > is. So when you see false spirituality, it is diluted spirituality,   
   > containing relatively less truth. You can bet there is the less-diluted   
   > version out there as well, by inference.   
   > Steve S.   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   > "Optional"  wrote in message   
   > news:qpdkgvkn9shn6ejblmqrsre1modo691rcn@4ax.com...   
   > > On Sun, 6 Jul 2003 18:19:28 -0600, "In Search of Heaven"   
   > >  wrote:   
   > >   
   > >   
   > >   
   > > >Given the chance to experience the answer to your question first-hand,   
   > what would this be worth?   
   > > >   
   > > >   
   > >   
   > >   
   > > I hate to be cynical, but how much is the kingdom of God selling for   
   > > today?   
   > >   
   > > Here is a rule of thumb - those who really practice spirituality are   
   > > not materialistic.  So many self proclaimed spiritual teachers seem to   
   > > miss this point.  Give it away for as little as possible and God will   
   > > provide.  Those who get rich from selling spirituality often bring bad   
   > > karma upon themselves.   
   > >   
   > > Calling your self the "Second Savior for Mankind," is extremely   
   > > arrogant.  Spirituality also teaches humility.   
   > >   
   > > How about posting a detailed overview, including sources, on your web   
   > > site?   
   > >   
   > >   
   >   
   >   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)