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Author Topic: Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?  (Read 3252 times)

RandallS

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Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?
« on: October 08, 2012, 01:46:09 pm »
Does your religion have an ultimate purpose or goal? If so, what is it? (eg,  conversation of your higher self/ escape the cycle/ conquer the world?)

Do you agree completely with this goal? Where do you differ if you do?

If  your religion doesn't come with a goal ready made, do you have a goal  of your own that you consider to be related to your spirituality or  religion?

If you don't have a goal, how do you feel about this? Is it okay to not have goals, or is it something we should strive to have?
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Darkhawk

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Re: Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?
« Reply #1 on: October 08, 2012, 02:21:47 pm »
Quote from: RandallS;76122

If you don't have a goal, how do you feel about this? Is it okay to not have goals, or is it something we should strive to have?

 
This was actually one of my PBP posts.

http://lettersfromgehenna.blogspot.com/2012/03/g-is-for-goals.html
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RandallS

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Re: Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?
« Reply #2 on: October 08, 2012, 06:56:39 pm »
Quote from: Darkhawk;76129
This was actually one of my PBP posts.

http://lettersfromgehenna.blogspot.com/2012/03/g-is-for-goals.html

Very interesting -- and thought-provoking -- post. What do you think of religious leaders who make their religion all about a goal or goals?
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Sulischild

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Re: Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?
« Reply #3 on: October 08, 2012, 07:52:55 pm »
Quote from: Darkhawk;76129
This was actually one of my PBP posts.

http://lettersfromgehenna.blogspot.com/2012/03/g-is-for-goals.html


Thanks so much for sharing that - it's a more developed and articulate version of my own thoughts.

Much of my life has been all about goals, about there having to be an end point and having to get there NAOW!

Or it's been about waiting because life will be better when I move/get a new job/move again/whatever.

Between those two things, I've wasted a lot of years hurrying through things that should have been done slowly, hence not actually getting any benefit from the journey.  Having a developmental disability doesn't help, because I feel like I'm 'behind' other folks my age to start with, and have to hurry and 'catch up'.  Or else wasting time just  sitting in stasis waiting for the miraculous whatever that was going to come along and change everything, and not making the best of what I had at the time.

I've recently had a big shift in thinking.  My spirituality's woken up again after being buried under a mountain of stress and depression and emotional crap, and I'm realising that it's not about The Goal, and it's not about waiting til you're in the perfect place.  And life's not a race, either, despite there still being a massive stigma attached to being slower than the norm.

I'm realising life's about the daily stuff, laundry and feeding the cat and watering the yard and going to work.  And the spiritual stuff is the same - it's about the daily devotions, the regular offerings, little bit-by-bit revelations and improvements.  It's not about the occasional big life-changing thing, because as Darkhawk says in the linked-to blog post, what then?
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Shine

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Re: Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2012, 08:12:36 pm »
Quote from: RandallS;76122

If  your religion doesn't come with a goal ready made, do you have a goal  of your own that you consider to be related to your spirituality or  religion?

If you don't have a goal, how do you feel about this? Is it okay to not have goals, or is it something we should strive to have?

 
I don't think my religion ultimately has a goal, but I want to be worthy and strong enough to serve Bast in the afterlife. Or hell, in this life. So, that's my goal, along with actually enjoy the ride. I mean, not every little thing has to be goal-oriented. :) It's okay to wander around a bit. Or even a lot.
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Darkhawk

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Re: Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?
« Reply #5 on: October 08, 2012, 08:53:03 pm »
Quote from: RandallS;76145
Very interesting -- and thought-provoking -- post. What do you think of religious leaders who make their religion all about a goal or goals?

 
Exhausted disapproval, mostly.  Not that anyone's likely to listen to me about it.
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Annie Roonie

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Re: Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?
« Reply #6 on: October 08, 2012, 10:30:39 pm »
Quote from: RandallS;76122
If  your religion doesn't come with a goal ready made, do you have a goal  of your own that you consider to be related to your spirituality or  religion?

If you don't have a goal, how do you feel about this? Is it okay to not have goals, or is it something we should strive to have?

 
I have a goal to learn and that is met over and over again. It's a continuing process. I do set other goals and completely forget often, but that initial setting of a goal sets me off on tangents near and far in which I learn all kinds of things. There are enough hanging threads of questions from my somewhat discursive method to fuel my learning for a lifetime or two so I am not worried in the slightest about running out of things to learn. New questions arise whenever I am seeking one answer. It's like the initial goal or question is like a cell that once answered multiplies to produce other questions.

While I do think goals are good to have as they do lead to learning, being cemented to one can also inhibit learning.

I do not think everyone has to strive to have goals religiously or spiritually, but I think they naturally do even if unarticulated. And I don't think articulating them is necessary or even possible at every juncture either.

But my path is still mostly individual. Sometimes I feel like I'd like to find one that is already in existence and dedicate myself to it. But as much as the thought of it is comforting sometimes, it is also counter intuitive to me. The appeal of Flamekeeping to me is that it helps me articulate and reflection my life and spirituality whatever it may be, and it doesn't dominate in a way that causes me to ditch any tangent or wild hare I'd like to pursue. But I am still reading and searching and am just as hesitant to say that I will always be this way as I am to say I am on this or that path. I will always be learning.
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Gilbride

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Re: Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?
« Reply #7 on: October 09, 2012, 09:23:18 am »
Quote from: RandallS;76122
Does your religion have an ultimate purpose or goal?


As a mystically-oriented pagan, I'd say "union with the divine" is my ultimate goal.
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Chatelaine

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Re: Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?
« Reply #8 on: October 09, 2012, 09:55:27 am »
Quote from: RandallS;76122
Does your religion have an ultimate purpose or goal? If so, what is it? (eg,  conversation of your higher self/ escape the cycle/ conquer the world?)

Do you agree completely with this goal? Where do you differ if you do?

Theosis (divinisation) is a goal and process rolled into one. The Eastern concept of the term is rather different from the Western varieties, and I'm the first to admit that contemplating it makes my brain hurt. It's all about baby steps, I guess (hence the process bit).
« Last Edit: October 09, 2012, 09:56:47 am by Chatelaine »
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Jezebel

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Re: Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2012, 05:06:06 am »
Quote from: RandallS;76122
Does your religion have an ultimate purpose or goal? If so, what is it? (eg,  conversation of your higher self/ escape the cycle/ conquer the world?)

Do you agree completely with this goal? Where do you differ if you do?

If  your religion doesn't come with a goal ready made, do you have a goal  of your own that you consider to be related to your spirituality or  religion?

If you don't have a goal, how do you feel about this? Is it okay to not have goals, or is it something we should strive to have?

 
I don't think I have a goal OF my religion, but more IN my religion.

And small goals, like those that have already been mentioned. I want to cultivate relationships with my gods and I want to train myself out of being a lazy pagan and into regular worship. I want to continue learning so that I can help other people in the same position as me or just starting out. I want to understand as much as I am able.
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HeartShadow

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Re: Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?
« Reply #10 on: October 10, 2012, 08:20:38 am »
Quote from: RandallS;76122
Does your religion have an ultimate purpose or goal? If so, what is it? (eg,  conversation of your higher self/ escape the cycle/ conquer the world?)

Do you agree completely with this goal? Where do you differ if you do?

If  your religion doesn't come with a goal ready made, do you have a goal  of your own that you consider to be related to your spirituality or  religion?

If you don't have a goal, how do you feel about this? Is it okay to not have goals, or is it something we should strive to have?

 
I want to nick Darkhawk's post. ;)

But from a FK perspective, the goal is growth.  Individual growth, societal growth .. not to reach some imagined utopia, just to make things a little better overall.

That doesn't mean you can't have an end-vision you're using to figure out what to do now, but .. the end vision is just that.  A vision.  What I have to WORK WITH is what's here around me.

I have goals.  Lots of them.  Sometimes the best goal I have is "survive until bedtime".  Sometimes they're longer-term.  But really, it's /make things better/ not /achieve utopia/.  Utopias don't exist.  Tomorrow DOES.
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IceAngie

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Re: Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?
« Reply #11 on: October 10, 2012, 11:25:42 am »
Quote from: RandallS;76122
Does your religion have an ultimate purpose or goal? If so, what is it? (eg,  conversation of your higher self/ escape the cycle/ conquer the world?)


No, it doesn't.

Quote from: RandallS;76122
If  your religion doesn't come with a goal ready made, do you have a goal  of your own that you consider to be related to your spirituality or  religion?


My goal is to worship the gods and goddesses. Daily devotions, special days, etc. It's not a goal that can be achieved in an "I made it!" way, it's something that needs to be done always. There's no end to it.

BUT... it's a very selfish goal. I do it because it makes me feel well. So I guess the goal is actually feeling well?
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Raven Rose

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Re: Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?
« Reply #12 on: October 15, 2012, 01:43:42 pm »
Quote from: RandallS;76122
Does your religion have an ultimate purpose or goal? If so, what is it? (eg,  conversation of your higher self/ escape the cycle/ conquer the world?)

Do you agree completely with this goal? Where do you differ if you do?

If  your religion doesn't come with a goal ready made, do you have a goal  of your own that you consider to be related to your spirituality or  religion?

If you don't have a goal, how do you feel about this? Is it okay to not have goals, or is it something we should strive to have?

 
The purpose of my beliefs are to help me live a healthy and happy life.
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Son_of_Sekhmet

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Re: Ultimate Purpose or Goal in Your Religion?
« Reply #13 on: October 19, 2012, 09:09:28 am »
Quote from: RandallS;76122
Does your religion have an ultimate purpose or goal? If so, what is it? (eg,  conversation of your higher self/ escape the cycle/ conquer the world?)

Do you agree completely with this goal? Where do you differ if you do?

If  your religion doesn't come with a goal ready made, do you have a goal  of your own that you consider to be related to your spirituality or  religion?

If you don't have a goal, how do you feel about this? Is it okay to not have goals, or is it something we should strive to have?

 

I was always attracted to nature since I was a kid. The problem was, I didn't have the soources ( people, information ) to help me findd what was actually calling to me. So, I strayed from place to place trying to find what would make sense to my heart and spirit. But I finally found it.              

In my case, I approached Paganism with goals of my own and am in the process of finding my place in it. I would say my goal is to search and contribute for a place where like minded people can live in a place free from modern political, economical, religious, fundamentalist influences, where greed and oppression give way to the old ways of harmony and balance with the cycles of nature, seasons, life and death, a reconnection with mother Earth. Meaning I believe this society has no future, and it is up to us to make a choice.

I am a  man of faith, and my faith is constantly put to the test. But I like to think that through my actions and service, I live for a Higher purpose.

By the way, living without a purpose, isn't that kind of meaningless?

Son_of_Sekhmet
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