Posts by Kimberly Evans

There are some striking similarities with this definition of love here:🙂

I think... said:So there isn't actually a contradiction... love is a state of consciousness rather than just a relationship. A person filled with love is, let's say, like a river that anyone can dip into. And naturally, those who are most connected to you in life will be the ones bathing in it most often. It flows for everyone equally, yet its path doesn't cross every single person on this planet. Some people sail along with it their entire lives, forming a unique bond with it. But at the end of the day, it’s just a river... it doesn't flow because of those specific people; it flows simply because that is its very nature.

James Allen2
Quincy:

But honestly, it feels like most people on this sub think spirituality is just some subset of religious doctrine. I checked out of that whole scene a long time ago, so I guess I’ll have to go looking for answers somewhere else.

Dear James Allen2, it’s usually much easier for us to communicate when we don't have to admit how little we actually know about certain topics, right? But reading through your posts and questions, I get the impression you might still be a bit in the dark regarding organized religion—even if you say you've already written it off. If you're looking for answers to life's big questions, wouldn't you find more useful insights in a psychology textbook or by talking to a relationship counselor? Not that it matters, you're here now, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with admitting you aren't an expert on theology. It's perfectly fine to say that based on what you *do* know, you just don't see any value in searching for life's answers within religious frameworks. Am I reading you right? Or am I missing the point of your stance on religious teachings? You see, spirituality isn't inherently tied to religious dogma; if you truly reject all formal doctrines, then even "spiritual" advice might not resonate with you much. 🙂

Is it really asking too much to want someone to feel the same way without having to jump through endless hoops??

If you look at things from a spiritual or religious standpoint, our personal desires aren't exactly considered some ultimate truth we should be willing to sacrifice 🤷
everything for. It’s pretty interesting to see this kind of mindset being brought up in an American spirituality forum 🤔
though.

The Spirituality Forum PDF is actually pretty solid. Look, there’s always room for improvement, but since it’s such a struggle to find a handful of capable, willing moderators who actually want to put in the work, I’m giving it a positive rating. It’s doing a pretty great job overall. 🙂

shadownomad4:
You can go through all the motions and do everything Jesus commanded, but if you aren't doing it under His guidance—meaning, guided by the Holy Spirit—then you aren't actually a child of God. Essentially, being a child of God means you have truly accepted Jesus as your Lord, your Master, and your Savior...

But look, shadownomad4, according to what the Bible actually says, simply performing actions and declaring that they were done in the name of the Lord isn't some kind of guaranteed ticket to Heaven. 🙄
..they'll say: "Lord, didn't we perform miracles in Your name? Didn't we cast out demons?" And I'll have to tell them: "I never knew you. Get away from me, you evildoers."

If you live with the mindset that there is only one earthly life to get through, you can certainly lead a righteous life within the boundaries of whatever religion or doctrine you've adopted. And hey, if that path happens to align closely with seeking Jehošua, then it’s a pretty good way to live, I suppose. 🙂

shadownomad4 said:Of course, you should carry the command to "sin no more" within your heart, but if you do stumble, the crucial thing is to avoid falling into self-condemnation. That is exactly what Satan wants; he tries to pull you back under the Law, under which no one has ever succeeded in remaining righteous before God. This is precisely why Christ came—to liberate us from that burden. The process of conversion takes time, so through the forgiveness and grace that Christ provided via His Cross, a person can move forward without being crushed by condemnation. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ." I don't recall the exact verse location, but the sentiment is clearly written.

Regarding desire: you can only want things up to a certain point. True desire flows from Him once you receive Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit and prayer, asking Him to stir up the will and the volition as He speaks the Word. He opens up a genuine longing to be with Him constantly—in your thoughts, and eventually through your actions. In doing so, sinful habits spontaneously fall away because they are replaced by a relationship with Him (through the Holy Spirit).

That is why I maintain that all effort is in vain until you receive the Holy Spirit.

http://www.biblegateway.com
Regarding this whole self-condemnation thing... could you please point me to an example from the four Gospels where the God-man speaks in a way that encourages negativity, or rather, useless self-judgment?

shadownomad4 said:He was merciful enough to forgive all our transgressions. He wiped away the debt that stood against us—the one that, by law, should have been our undoing—and effectively canceled it. He didn't just dismiss it; He nailed that entire record of our failings right to the cross. They have stripped away the facade of supremacy and authority, making it clear for all to see: he leads them in a triumphant procession.
Colossians 2:13-15

Here is the evidence regarding the ultimate victory. When you study the Bible, it becomes clear that Supremacies and Authorities are nothing more than spiritual realms belonging to dark forces.

Yes, that man committed murder with his own hands, but at that moment, he was merely an instrument used by an evil spirit. He was acting under the influence of a mind that simply could not defend itself against such a force because he lacked the Holy Spirit. I am writing all of this so that you might understand that without Him, you stand absolutely no chance—none at all. The devil is cunning, and as a spiritual entity, he is incredibly ancient and experienced, but thanks be to God, we have been given the weapons necessary to stand against him.
As Christians, we function as the extended hands of Jesus, provided we possess the Holy Spirit through baptism. Ultimately, you are either serving God or serving Satan; the only variable is whether you are consciously aware of which side you have chosen.

Fear is nothing more than one of Satan's primary weapons used against us. This is precisely why God offers unconditional forgiveness for all our transgressions; Jesus paid the full price for our sins upon the cross. Because of His sacrifice, we are granted mercy every single time we stumble—whether those mistakes are made consciously or unconsciously—provided our hearts remain truly committed to staying with Him.

shadownomad4, I’m having a hard time following your take on the teachings and spirituality of Joshua Messiah. Could you walk me through what you actually mean by "the desire to remain with Him"? Does anything specific happen when that desire is present?
Well, surely you realize that desire alone isn't enough. It’s also about the quality of that desire. Most importantly, and most vitally for salvation, is the act of following the Messiah's commands—which means guarding the Word. In plain terms, it means making a serious, heartfelt effort to stop sinning.
The idea of "unconditional forgiveness" as you've described it can actually be challenged by quite a few of Joshua Messiah's own words.
(Yes—If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father,
but—Go, and sin no more,
and—Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.)

briskharbor35, spiritual growth is pretty heavy lifting, isn't it? It’s almost like the core of the Christian message—the idea that you need this total metamorphosis, this complete rebirth, being "born of the Spirit." I don't quite get why you're celebrating so hard. 🤷 What has your own spiritual journey actually looked like? Or do you feel like you've already hit that milestone of being reborn through the Spirit?

Hannah Wilson3 said:God is the Source of all spirituality.
Realizing God's existence is what births faith—trying to go the other way is just a circular, futile exercise. True spirituality, if we’re being honest about what the word actually means, is nothing more than the daily affirmation of that realization of God (whether you call Him the Tao, Buddha, Allah, Christ, the Unmoved Mover, or simply Energy/Consciousness).

Faith itself? That's basically just standing behind your own convictions. It’s an act of will—like when you're absolutely certain that your actions are going to succeed and you don't flinch.

So, to answer the inevitable question: "Can spirituality exist without God?"--
The kind of spirituality you're asking about emerges within a community of people who actually live out divine principles—performing good works so genuinely beneficial that they leave no room for guilt or cause anyone harm—without needing to wrap themselves in philosophical jargon to prove it.

Since the question of God is often just a matter of terminology, in a society defined by its actions rather than its empty rhetoric, then yes—spirituality without God exists.

edit/bibliomancy based on timestamp
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

That's the gist of it, I suppose. 🙂

Otherwise, sure—the idea of God as some superior persona or entity isn't the only way a person can conceptualize existence today. There are plenty of ideas regarding something existing "beyond" the physical-material realm. Seekers might start there, or perhaps they pivot later on to search for something else entirely.
But what *is*, simply *is*.
Human misconceptions and misguided ambitions don't actually change reality. A seeker searches because they feel an intuition, or a belief, that there is something waiting to be uncovered—something that a standard scientific experiment just isn't designed to find.

mistybison:
Reading through your posts, I get the impression most of you view the spiritual path as synonymous with having a personal religion. But what if we stripped away faith entirely—even our own personal beliefs? Could we still call it spirituality? What would a spiritual journey even look like without faith? Is it even possible?

I’d argue that having faith (in God) is essentially an admission of our own limitations as humans; it's an acknowledgment that we don't have all the answers. It implies a certain level of indeterminism regarding the fate of the world and humanity, suggesting there might be some underlying structure—some sort of guidance or laws—that defines the direction we're heading.
At its core, this seems to boil down to the question of freedom. We are deeply embedded in this physical, material reality, constantly worrying about what comes next, grappling with immediate problems, and feeling the friction between our desires and the obstacles in our way. For the most part, we're walking blindly into tomorrow.
If we can't grasp all the intentions of the Creator, or if the ultimate destiny of the universe remains a mystery to us, then it feels perfectly logical that faith and hope emerge as essential components of how we think, plan, live, and philosophize.
If we want to avoid jumping to the conclusion that everything past and future is already hardcoded, then the guiding principle has to be freedom.
Whether that’s personal freedom (divine or human...)
or a type of freedom that arises from the consequences of what we call "nature" or chaos,
in any of these scenarios, I believe faith is an inevitable byproduct that must exist.

--> New Spirituality – can we actually save the human race?Š PLANETS

Right out of the gate, this thread takes a pretty heavy swing at organized religion.
Look, there’s a massive difference between spiritual teachings and how people actually practice them. Let's be honest: we're all pretty flawed creatures.

And besides, you don't need a prayer book to feel connected to the rest of humanity; atheists feel that bond too, just in their own way.
An atheist can lead an incredibly decent, honorable life without believing there's anything existing beyond the material world.
Though, if you ask the religious crowd, they'd tell you that's rarely the case.

If it weren't for the moral frameworks provided by religious teachings, I think the state of our world today would be in a much, much worse position.

Personally, I think this topic would land better if it wasn't framed so pretentiously. As it stands, the whole thing feels a bit overblown and unrealistic, don't you think?