Culture and Religion

A world view where the guide for society is based on human nature,
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Spiritual

I think of someone who is deeply religious as one who is quite preoccupied with their religion so one's behavior should closely follow the wishes of the main god, or supreme being, of their religion. The religion typically has ancient scriptures as a guide to follow or interpret (living by the book), because a supernatural being cannot interact directly with human beings who must rely on their senses to interact with everything 'natural' which excludes a god. The monotheistic religions like Christianity often speak of God's will, which is an interpretation of god's wishes or god's plan for the world.

I think of someone who is deeply spiritual as one very interested in comprehending how an individual, the human spirit, fits within the chaotic, complex natural universe. The human spirit is the combination of consciousness and the subconscious influences of our social nature, like introvert/extrovert, a contagious laugh or smile, the draw of a like minded group).

I think of myself as spiritual not religious. Many pages in this site have this spiritual basis, as I try to better understand human nature.

I assume a religious person is frequently framing any decisions as to what god intends or wishes, thereby considering god's plan. This criteria for Christians is sometimes referred to as WWJD, or what would Jesus do, or to act like the mythical Jesus in the new testament.

When my body awakens in the morning my consciousness is immediately connecting to the universe via all my senses. My decisions are not based on conforming to the interpretations of ancient scriptures. My decisions over the course of a day are based on the morals and values I have learned through teaching and through experience. There are often rules of conduct in the cultural environment to consider. All my social interactions are adjusted by empathy, the human characteristic of considering the other person's perspective. A person is a social creature affected by their social environment as tempered by their moral and ethical foundation.

My decisions are always my own, not god controlling me or my actions according to his plan. Sometimes I will experience either the consequences of my decisions or the whims of nature (like the weather) or of society (like crime or war). I do not consider a surprise as god's unexpected intervention.

Nature is not always predictable nor are the behaviors of others. This is the wondrous challenge of life.


created - December 26, 2017
last change - 12/27/2017
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