Religion and Spirituality

I am not able to express religion even in my own time now because of my “dad” guilt tripping me for it. Like it’s ok for him to be as religious as he wants but if I want to be religious or show more interest then it’s wrong because I’m stealing “his thing”! Plus he doesn’t even believe in life after death so I think what’s the point in claiming religion to be his thing if he doesn’t believe in heaven and hell? Am I missing something? Are there religions that don’t believe in afterlife? Sorry I’m new to all this I admit. He claims to be a catholic so I thought they were believers in heaven and hell. 

The topic has moved to women and the church. I updated this post today and it may show you another side this question of misogyny. Mary Magdalena Jesus transformed her the demons she had she been like a test case for him to show his divine work. She also supported his ministry financially and she was a comforter him during the Passion of Christ, his arrest to crucifixion. I have pasted what I wrote on women below.

Women prophets were present in the Old Testament and the New Testament. A prophet means that someone proclaims a divine message from God. In the Old Testament, Miriam was a prophetess (Exodus 15-20) "Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron.... Sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the Sea!"

So to was Deborah in the Old Testament a prophetess (Judges 4:4). Deborah was a prophetess and judge and she led the children of Israel to peace for forty years by her prophesies she gave to Barak to go to battle against Sisera. Huldah was also a prophetess (2 Kings 22:14) (2 Chronicles 34:22). Huldah was sought out by King Josiah to authenticate the Book of Law. In the Old Testament Noadiah is also a female prophetess (Nehemiah 6:14). Herbert Lockyer in his book "All the Women of the Bible" (pg 41) describes prophets and prophetesses as being the media between God and his people Israel in the Old Testament.

In the New Testament, Anna (Luke 2:36) was referred to as a prophetess. So to did Philip the evangelist have four daughters who were prophetesses (Acts 21:3).

The gift of prophecy is one of the eight spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit. There are differences in ministries and activities, but God works in all of these gifts (1 Corinthians 12-6). Through prophecy, the church becomes edified "But he who prophesies edifies the church"(1 14 Corinthians:3-4). Women today still can have this ministry gift although it seems to be less used today  You can though open a blog online to support the church like I do and have a Divine Inspiration section like I created to edify the church and support others to with this gift. "And God has appointed these in the church, first the apostles, second prophets, third teachers" (1 Corinthians 12 28). There are other roles we can perform in the church for both men and women like being a minister of faith, an apostle.

I think the main issue some people have today is that there was no women among the 12 disciples. Today women are supported in most church’s I would say and time has moved on somewhat and there are to women who have been called to this role of ministry and who have for centuries lived consecrated lives to like nuns praying for others and living life as intercessors. All women can be richly blessed in Holy Spirit gifts and that means that Jesus is supporting them. I have three women rectors at my Anglican church. These three women happen to be very good to at the fruits of the spirit to like love, peace and modesty. I like to highlight these as I have served in this role and to keep the history going on it and that more importantly that God has always had a space for women in ministry roles in the faith and many people do not realise this.

In Jesus’ time there were other women who turned out to be Holy women who supported the church like Joanna, Mary Magadalene, Priscilla and Phoebe. 

Joanna Luke 8: 1-3 23:55 24:10
Priscilla Acts 18:2 18 26 Romans 16:3 1 Corinthians 16:19 2 Timothy 4:19
Phoebe Romans 16 1: 2
Mary Magadalene Matthew 27:56, 61, 28:1, Mark 15:40, 47; Mark 15:49, 16:1-19, Luke 8:2, 24:10; John 19:25; 20:1-18.

There are all different types of feminism like liberation feminist theologies which is about gender justice for both women and men. I see myself as an egalitarian-someone who sees women and men as being equal. To take this further and to effect change they then need  equalist treatment so this is put into practice in the community level. In (Galatians 3.28)  says that there is no man or woman before God and that we are all equal before God.

Women clearly have had a long history serving God as prophetesses through the ages to the present day.

Embrace your ministry and faith in God as a Christian female. You are welcome.

The role of Mary Magdalene has also been more seriously looked at in recent years, if I remember rightly the bible never says she was a prostitute, but it does say that Jesus loved her, maybe more than the other disciples. I think her role along with that of Jesus's brohter James, were inconvienient to the bible's later compilers

I think that the issue some have still is that Jesus' 12 disciples were all men and women had mainly  supportive roles in the ministry in the New Testatment mainly.  In the Old Testatment that were some outstanding female prophets who God supported, these were people like Deboarah, Huldah and Miriam.. I don't know what led to a slight change in the New Testatment. Though Anna was a female prophet in the New Testatment who I love her story and my female rector at church thinks it should be used more for women. Philip the evangelist had four daughters to in the New Testament who were gifted in the ministry role. I know that in modern life Jesus suports women in the church and has me to as I served in the church at 17 and I am female and it was owned by a woman who he supported to.  Times in the world have changed and the position of women to and the church has clearly moved with this

I have three main rectors minsters who are females in my church and I love their style, theiy are modest and so welcome and given my healing to for a nervous conditon one, so Jesus is clearly supporting them being a female.

The Bible doesn't support misgony and remember it was written at a different time of the world. (Galatians 3:28)-said that God sees everyone the same before him, women and men etc.

I go to an Anglican church as an non demontional Christian and my church welcomes the new rectors we have who are females. Hopefully Sarah can help steer us in the right direction and I welcome her to this position.

I am definitely not religious and don't believe in a god. I don't much like most organised religions either, they seem on the whole to be misogynistic, and are often quite hypocritical. 

Apparently should didn't go far or fast enough for some in her role as Bishop of London. I think it's a bit of a poisoned chalice to be Anglican leader, there's so much diagreement across the world on who and how to lead, much of Africa is reluctant to have any women priests let alone an Arch Bishop of Canterbury, there are plenty of Fundamentalists across the world who will disagree.

I wonder if the CoE will fragment and collapse under the weight of it's own muddle of contradictions?

hehe I say I'm not going to be drawn into the gender issue and then write "her and "she" doh!

Not a church goer myself however as the post comes with a seat in the House of Lords I'll out in my ten peneth.

The gender issue is not one to be drawn into for me.

How about the person.

Well I don't know her but...

 To get to the post she had in the NHS and the church this person has "something" I don't know what. I suspect political savy and that confuses the heck out of me 'cos I'm not very good at it!

People being good at things when I don't know how they do it makes me a little bit suspicious but  lets go on the evidence of actions.

A good start today with an easy point to make. 

Naturally i don't agree with all her professed stances e.g assisted dying  however I think I can see her point of view. I just disagree with it for now anyway.

An ex chief nurse with a background in system change to deal with abusive people.  I hope that she is able to get things squeaky clean and fight infection.

Hercules managed to clean the Augen Stables...   better than sweeping things under a carpet.

Good luck to her

TheCatWoman said:

it's already upsetting some, personally I don't see what the problem is? 

Maybe some people are resistant to change LOL

I see the Anglican Church has elected a woman to be Archbishop of Canterbury, it's already upsetting some, personally I don't see what the problem is? 

I am not sure what you mean, but you raised about Paul and how perhaps he might not that compassionate in style I thought and so I thought I would say that. God obviously thought that was necessary in the Bible what Paul wrote. They all work together. Today I was telling my mum about love in the Bible now I left the bit where people should give to charity etc as she does it and I didn't her to think I had any judgement of her. It didn't apply to her she does more than enough already. So you can read some things in the Bible but if you are not got that problem it doesn't apply to you as such and may apply to some like struggling with an addiction to viewing adult material they don't want to online. I have come across people like that online trying to change and so advise on sensaulity doesn't apply to them so much and others if they want to can take note.

Blame God, he's the one who's being harsh and cruel, not me? I find this sort of thing really hard to understand, it's all carrot and stick, but usually with more stick than carrot.

I read something today about Paul about his writings on love in the Book of Corinthians. To me this shows again a different side of Paul about love as some people find him quite harsh. Sometimes as well you have to remember that preaching for some can be a form of acting as well like a day job and a bit different at home and writing acting. Although, what he wrote was inspired by the Holy Spirit so was necessary to and not actually perhaps all of his style. Sometimes when I want to do something and am nervous I think of my faith and just do it and it strenghtens, but it is not my fundamental personality.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

I've always believed there are different types of meditation, guided meditation where you are talked through an experience, sometimes with music mostly not. I dont' find music helpful when meditating, I find it more of a distraction, likewise people talking. 

Scanners clattering would be off putting and I don't think I could get in the right state of mind to meditate with one going on, I suppose you could do sticky pads on your skull? Bit Ithink I'd have to be somewhere where I felt safe, if I didn't feel safe then I either wouldn't be able to get in the right frame of mind or I'd end up with a massive PTSD event if I was disturbed.

TheCatWoman said:

But what is meditating properly? Different people and traditions do it differently and some don't do it at all, those who are new to meditation need the space to settle into

Exactly, we don’t know what is going on in somebody’s head. I agree that if people are new to meditation/contemplation, it can take days/weeks/months of practice to settle.

Traditionally Christian meditation was the action of seeking something - eg, understanding something, analysing something or asking questions of God. Contemplation was looking at something like a Bible scene, God, or a situation in your ‘mind’s eye’ and accepting it for what it is, without changing it. Nowadays, breath techniques are commonly used. 

I don’t know what my contemplation these days is technically called, because I do my own version adapted from previous spiritual experiences, but more like the meditation in the app ‘Headspace’ which was set up by a man who used to be a Buddhist monk. I used to subscribe to ‘Headspace’, but I haven’t used it for a few years now. I like complete silence with no voice guidance, music, or anything else.

TheCatWoman said:

I wonder if ND people meditate differently to NT's, are our internal processes and conections with meditation different? 

That would be fascinating to find out.

I am wondering if the brain would need to be scanned by MRI while meditating. If I was the subject for such an experiment it would take me a while to get in a meditative state with the clattering of the scanner.

I went with a friend a couple of times and we didn't talk.

The worst offenders I found were from another world famous spiritual centre on the Scottish mainland, they could rarely keep thier mouths shut for long always whispering loudly amoungst themselves and wouldn't shut up. This was really distracting when in communal spaces.

Another thing that used to amaze me, was the things people did in silent meditation, such as sudenly getting up and doing yoga, chanting or finding a new page in thier bible to contemplate, rustling the pages.

These people are always the ones who get on thier high horse and tell others they're not meditating properly if they can't ignore such distractions.

But what is meditating properly? Different people and traditions do it differently and some don't do it at all, those who are new to meditation need the space to settle into it.

I wonder if ND people meditate differently to NT's, are our internal processes and conections with meditation different? 

TheCatWoman said:

One of the things that really bugged me, was the people who thought that whispering was the same as being silent and it's so not, whilst I'd prefer a quiet vocal request for the salt to be passed along the table, rather than some elaborate but silent mime, whispering breaks the silence for others

Me too! It happened at every retreat. I don’t think people realise that the point of silence is to avoid distracting people from their commune with nature/God/beauty or whatever! Over exaggerated arm movements across a table and whispers in the corridor distracted me too much. It tended to be the people who had arrived with a friend who were the worse offenders. Most people I knew who were looking for a spiritual experience at a silent retreat would never choose to go with a friend.

Being an open house we didn't have a mass or spiritual directors, there were 3 mediations a day, but if you didn't go there was no comeback for it, we did lots of walks, some were solo, others group meditative ones. Meals were provided and housework was shared. We did have a meeting in the evenings which was a space to share realisations or somethig similar or to ask for help or advice, but it wasn't conversational.

One of the things that really bugged me, was the people who thought that whispering was the same as being silent and it's so not, whilst I'd prefer a quiet vocal request for the salt to be passed along the table, rather than some elaborate but silent mime, whispering breaks the silence for others.

It is a wonderful thing to have the opportunity to spend a month on a silent retreat. It is a rest and replenishment for the soul and I always felt rejuvenated, even after a retreat of a few days.

The retreats I went on were designed so that you could make the most of your time in silent prayer/contemplation. That meant three meals a day were provided, and there would always be tea, coffee, biscuits and fruit available at any time. You were not meant to do the washing up or any task that would take away from your silent space.

TV, books and phone calls/texts/internet browsing was not encouraged. Things that were available to occupy some of your time included art materials, pottery, jigsaw puzzles, spiritual reading, silent prayer and contemplation. Most places were situated in the countryside or near sea shore paths, so going for long walks was a choice for many. Mass was daily and once per day you would meat with your spiritual director for 30 minutes, so that was the only opportunity to talk in the day. You definitely didn’t have to meet with a director, and some people would choose not to. 

I often think I would like to got back to one of those place and do a retreat, but being agnostic these days, I would probably not go to Mass or meet with Spiritual Director.

i know there are other types of retreat houses, but I would need to make sure that I wasn’t expected to join in with communal activities and that meal times weren’t mandatory or at fixed times. I value my own space these days.

I did a whole month, it was strange being able to talk again. I really miss it, the time to dedicate to myself and my spirituality, I used to do shorter ones too, often a fortnight, but some week long ones too. One of the things I loved was finding the wonder of a child again, to see the world as a magic place, to let it speak to me. To follow the life cycle of a rock, from being ejected from a volcano, to being eroded down to sand and back to being swallowed back into the earth. To fly with eagles in my dreams, weird and scary, but totally wonderful.