Mixing religious ideas

Use this forum to discuss the March 2019 Book of the month, "The Unbound Soul: A Visionary Guide to Spiritual Transformation and Enlightenment" by Richard L. Haight
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danielleamy
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Re: Mixing religious ideas

Post by danielleamy »

I think mixing religions could be very eye opening for some people who did not realise the similarities many religions have. Perhaps if everyone read this with an open mind, there could be something positive to gain. Although I can understand how some people may be offended if there are aspects they don't agree with, I think it may help to bring people together when they have different faiths.
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Brendan Donaghy
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Post by Brendan Donaghy »

Religion is often tightly bound up with a person's identity. A book like 'Unbound Soul' can therefore be unsettling to people, in that it challenges their beliefs and therefore their sense of self.
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EvaDar
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Post by EvaDar »

Brendan Donaghy wrote: 27 Apr 2019, 04:53 Religion is often tightly bound up with a person's identity. A book like 'Unbound Soul' can therefore be unsettling to people, in that it challenges their beliefs and therefore their sense of self.
That is a good observation. Religious beliefs do become part of our being, which certainly explains why people hold so tightly to them. What is harder to understand is why my eclectic religious/spiritual beliefs would have the power to offend someone else's. It's not like there is a finite amount of Christianity to go around and I am taking some from someone else.
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Post by Only1Cola »

Searching for spiritual truth is something that most people go through at some time or other in their life course. Many are influenced by their upbringing or culture, others are affected by their experiences in life, and so people find their own truth. I can understand why the author would mix up many different beliefs when writing a book called The Unbound Soul, he isn’t wanting to tie the reader down to one method or belief system. He is encouraging people to take what fits with them from many different belief systems. Rather a self-centered view, but that seems to be his story.
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Post by Miercoles »

Devout practitioners of particular religions may find including aspects from other sources to be troubling. In speaking of spirituality it may be interesting to consider many sources. But it is also important to take note of the meaning behind those sources and the context within which they function in their particular religion.
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Jaime Lync
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Post by Jaime Lync »

Chikari wrote: 01 Mar 2019, 12:35 I enjoyed that there are multiple spiritual and religious ideas referenced throughout Unbound Soul. What do you think about Haight mixing these practices together?

I think it makes his methods usable by more people. Having options is always good and he does a great job explaining why he uses each practice. For example, I really enjoyed his discussions regarding meditation and reincarnarion.
I know that there are truths mixed with lies in various religions because the counterfeit has to look very similar to the real... I am Christian and I believe in Jesus' words that he is the way, the truth and the life and since he is the truth, then all the other are fake, since the truth is one...hence, I do not appreciate mixing religious views like was done in this book, and for that reason I could not bring myself to even read the book.
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Ellylion
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Post by Ellylion »

I think mixing many religious ideas is a brave move by the author :) And Christianity knows meditation as well, which is called "a silent prayer".
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Post by Itskai88 »

I liked that it tried to be all inclusive and it also did a good job introducing people to other religious.
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ReneeBrown
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Post by ReneeBrown »

frowngoclownfish wrote: 02 Mar 2019, 10:57 I grew up Christian. (Probably not the best, I didn't always go to church or bible studies, but Christian nonetheless.) As I grew up and started learning about other religions, I became interested. I like the mixing of religions. I know lots of people do not think it shouldn't be a pick-and-choose type of thing, but I don't agree with that.
This may seem kind of random, but the mixing of religions kind of reminds me of the book, 'The Life of Pi" where the main character wants to be like three different religions, and everyone is like no you can't be three different religions, but Pi I just like why not?
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Post by lucia_kizas »

timd wrote: 02 Mar 2019, 14:27 I certainly agree with the author mixing various religious beliefs together as I feel that he is trying to demonstrate that there is a grain of truth in every religion and not just one belief is true and the only truth. I believe that to condemn someone to hell after they die just because they do support a particular religion is naive and very short-sighted. I also believe that the author also hopes to appeal to a wide audience and not to restrict his ideas just to one religion.
I can only agree with that. In my opinion, every religion comes from the same source of beliefs. And it is quite healthy for every believer to explore other religions deeper to learn what they have in common, and how they can actually contribute to one another, instead of dividing humanity. I think, it is great that the author is trying to do just that.
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Post by Wriley »

I think it was great that he was open to other religions. Many religions are interwoven with the same beliefs just in different formats. I'm Christian but I believe that there are other religions that have good beliefs.
Logic will get you from A to Z
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Post by Uinto »

The ideas he introduces like meditating while working is also one I can practice. Makes doing chores all the much easier.
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Post by Tiffanyli »

I think that it's great that the author mixes them together. Even though it may offend some people that are highly religious, it makes for a more relatable and usable for more people. Since a lot of religions have similar beliefs and practices, it makes the practices discussed much more general, opening people up to not just their own religion but to other religions as well. It can be a great starting point for people to be open and learn about other religions.
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Post by Jlbaird85 »

I am not a fan of mixing different religions in books. I think it is sacrilegious to those who follow those who are devout followers of those faiths. I think it limits a book's appeal as many people adhere to a specific religion.
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts

Shakespeare-As You Like It Act II, Scene VII
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Post by pixiestyx »

I've never understood why anyone couldn't mix different religions to fit their own beliefs or spirituality. Labeling things is kind of silly, especially when not everyone fits into that tiny bubble labels create. I consider myself Agnostic when anyone asks, but I also like to believe in things that span different religions as well. Mixing religions just goes to show that there could potentially be some sort of truth to each and every one, regardless of what one individual believes.
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