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Post by hollygail on Aug 18, 2016 5:20:47 GMT
Welcome!! You have entered a space where all people are invited to gather to discuss matters of Spirituality, in mutual respect and friendliness: "Considering...Spirituality." Here, the focus is on personal spirituality and not dogma. We welcome with open arms people from any, all, and no religious/faith backgrounds, and those who practice spirituality on their own, to join us for a discussion centered on a higher consciousness. Each day there will be a quote, question, or discussion prompt presented for all to ponder and respond to.
**In maintaining an atmosphere of comfort and trust, we do not allow proselytizing (the effort of trying to convert others) or the denigrating of the religions and viewpoints of others. We also avoid bringing up topics such as politics, hot button social issues, or anything that can be considered divisive**
As this was a WW board, we also discuss our personal wellness, including our weight management program. We share our struggles and our triumphs regarding such as well as discuss things like family, friends, jobs, hobbies, outside interests, etc... We strive to build each other up with loving support in a positive manner. Let us not ever tear one another down in any way, shape or form.
Regular thread starters for the time being are:
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday: Gary / Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: Holly
Yet if anyone is so inclined, please feel free to start a new thread by beginning with the title: "Considering ... (topic)," post this introduction (by way of copy & paste) then follow that with a post putting forth a question and/or quote (with or without some explanation) for us to ponder today. The topic can be inspired by your personal faith, but please do remember that anyone from other spiritual paths should be able to answer it.
Shalom, Love & Light, Blessed Be, Namaste...
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Post by hollygail on Aug 18, 2016 5:22:16 GMT
This week, we read Deuteronomy 3:23 – 7:11 (some 90+ verses) in which Moses stresses to the Israelites the importance of keeping God's commandments when they enter the land of Israel; Moses repeats the Ten Commandments (originally given in the Book of Exodus) and utters the Sh'ma (possibly the central teaching of Judaism) and its immediately following verses which tell us to love God.
Moses looks at the Promised Land by the banks of the river Jordan, and continues his final speech (some say sermon) to the Israelites before he dies. Moses says, "I implored God to let me see this Promised Land, but God was angry with me because of you. ([] God told me to appoint Joshua as your leader.
"And now, O Israel, hearken to the commandments that I am teaching you so that you may live and possess this Promised Land. Your own eyes have sees that everyone that followed Baal Peor was destroyed. Those of you who remained with God are all alive today.
"God’s laws are your wisdom before the eyes of the nations. Nations will say, ‘Who is this great nation? One that has a Deity near and available for the people. One that has righteous decrees and ordinances like this entire Torah.’ Only take heed and guard your soul exceedingly so you do not forget… Make your experiences known to your children and your children’s children. [Well, maybe not their own experiences, since the adults who left Egypt with Moses et al have almost all died during the 40 years in the wilderness, with only a few exceptions, like Joshua, Caleb, and Moses.]
"Remember the day at Mount Sinai when God spoke to you out of the midst of fire. [ditto; they don’t remember because they hadn’t been born yet, or perhaps were too young to remember] God commanded you to observe the Commandments [that “day” at Mount Sinai was when Moses came down the mountain with the Ten Commandments] and God inscribed them upon two tablets of stone. Take heed that you do not become corrupt and make yourselves an image of God, not in any form, not the likeness of male or female, nor any living thing, not sun nor moon nor stars. Do not allow yourself to be lured into bowing down to idols or serving them. These God allotted to the other peoples. [Second Commandment, according to the way we count the 10]
"When you beget children and grandchildren and have long been in this Promised Land, you will grow corrupt and do evil in the eyes of God. You will anger God. You shall not long endure in the land but be utterly wiped out. God will scatter you among the nations and you will be left few in number among the nations to which God will lead you. There you will serve man-made gods.
"Then in the distress that will befall you, when all these decrees of fate will have come to you, in the end of days, you will return to God and listen to God’s voice. For God, your God, is a merciful God. God will not turn you adrift nor let you be destroyed. God will not forget the covenant made with your ancestors.
"So ask yourselves has any other god taken a nation from the midst of another nation with demonstrations of power, with signs and miracles, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terrors, comparable to all that God did for you in Egypt before your own eyes? [okay, not THEIR own eyes, but he’s making a point]
"Therefore know it today and take it to heart repeatedly that in heaven above and on earth below, God alone is God. Keep God’s commandments that I command you today — which will do good to you and your children after you — and so that you may long remain upon the soil that God is giving you for all time.
"This is not a covenant with our ancestors, but with us, each of us that God commands:
[and here Moses repeats the Ten Commandments, using almost the exact words from Sinai, with two major exceptions, one being the commandment about the Sabbath where one version says to “keep” or “remember” the Sabbath and the other to “remember” the Sabbath, with slightly different reasons for doing so]
[Moses goes on] "Be careful to do just as God has commanded. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in the way that God, has commanded you, so that you may live, and it may go well with you, and you will long remain in the land which flows with milk and honey.
"Hear O Israel, Adonai is our God, Adonai is One. [that’s the central teaching I referred to earlier] You shall love Adonai, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your resources. These words which I command you today shall be upon your heart. Teach them diligently to your children, and speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk upon the way; when you lie down, and when you rise up. And bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be frontlets between your eyes. [this last sentence is the reason we wrap tefillin in the morning] And write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates." [and this is the reason we attach a “mezuzah” to our doors]
"Now," Moses continues, "when you arrive in this land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, take heed that you do not forget God. Be in awe of God. Do not go after other gods from among the gods of the peoples that surround you. For Adonai, Your God, is a God Who demands Respect, lest the anger of God be stirred up against you and God will destroy you from the face of the earth."
"When God gives this land to you," Moses says, "God will deprive many nations of their land before you. God will strike down your enemies. Make no covenant with them, nor ally yourselves with them by marriage, for this will cause your children to deviate from following God. Then your children will serve alien gods kindling God’s anger. God will destroy you. Rather, tear down their altars and burn their images in fire for you are a holy people to Adonai, your God.
"It is you whom God has chosen to be a people belonging exclusively to God, more than all the other peoples that are upon the earth. God did not take delight in you and choose you because you were the most numerous among the peoples, for you are the smallest. It is out of God’s love for you. It is because God kept the oath God swore to your ancestors and brought you out of slavery. God preserves the covenant for those who Love God and who keep God’s commandments. But for those who hate God, God avenges them instantly. Therefore keep the commandments I command you today."
q/q:
(1) Why is it so important to follow the Ten Commandments in the Promised Land (perhaps you might want to consider this question in contrast to following them during the wanderings in the wilderness for 40 years)? In any other land?
(2) This section includes a prohibition against intermarriage. Why do you think mingling with people who are different from you would be outlawed? Don’t we all value diversity? Is there a discrepancy or conflict (or choose your own word here) between diversity and sticking with one’s own kind?
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Post by glrogers67 on Aug 18, 2016 16:09:02 GMT
I have asserted before that the 10 commandments as given by Moses to the people were a lower law. The higher law was inscribed on the first set of tablets which Moses destroyed when he observed the decadent behavior of the people worshiping a golden calf and other sins. Many of the tenets of the 10 commandments were reiterated by Christ in His sermon on the mount with the enhancements of the higher law (for example the basic commandment "thou shalt not commit adultery" was amended to include:
Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.,
and repeated with some variation to the Nephites here on the American continent). The 10 commandments were given as a replacement for the higher law the Israelites were not ready to receive or obey. However, we do believe and follow the 10 commandments with the understanding that they are the basic law.
We are strongly encouraged to enter into marriage for eternity in one of our temples. Since non-members of the LDS church cannot enter our temples after they are dedicated, that means intermarrying outside the church is discouraged. That certainly doesn't mean we shouldn't associate with those outside our faith. Missionary work would be impossible without it, and the church does embrace diversity. I don't see a discrepancy or conflict. We desire friendship and interaction with all faiths, but not to marry outside the church. There are lots of unmarried women right here in Safford I could pursue and possibly marry one of them, even members of the church - we have a robust singles program in the church - but I found who I thought was the match for me who happens to live 1000 miles away, that God brought us together, and my life has improved tremendously from knowing her, but now we are struggling. A true test of faith!
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Post by glrogers67 on Aug 18, 2016 19:25:38 GMT
I have to leave for work in a few minutes. Thought you all might be amused that my cat, Sami, woke me up early this morning by getting into my headboard and stepped on the remote that turned on the lights. Guess he was saying it's time to get up and feed him! LOL
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