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<blockquote data-quote="Blurt" data-source="post: 447801" data-attributes="member: 648">Paths to apprehending (or at least intuiting) the Divine. And, by &quot;path,&quot; I mean, a spiritual or religious way to connect with Ultimate Reality and a practice that will let you fold your spiritual insights into your everyday life.Even though we're all blind (or, in Christian terms, born sinners), we're all trying, each in our own way, to &quot;describe an elephant,&quot; Dovey. To some, who are patting its leg, it feels like a tree trunk; to others, who are fondling its trunk, it feels like a thick snake; and to yet others, who are elbow-deep into its anus, and elephant feels like a safe and warm place. None of these are accurate descriptions.We are limited in our spiritual cognition. To claim otherwise (thereby assuming a mantle of spiritual superiority over those who choose a different path to God) is the apotheosis of hubris and it inevitably invites scorn. &quot;I once was blind, but now can see!&quot; is an amazing grace offered by so many different paths...For Christians, it's John 3:16.For Hindus, it's tat tvam asi (&quot;Thou Art That&quot;).For Buddhists, it's &quot;Be ye lamps unto yourselves.&quot;For Muslims, it's the Shahadah.Etc., etc.Even agnosticism or atheism is as valid a path as any other. The painstaking unveiling of the secrets of the natural universe produces its own awe and engenders reverence for all that is.This is what I mean by &quot;path.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Blurt, post: 447801, member: 648"] Paths to apprehending (or at least intuiting) the Divine. And, by "path," I mean, a spiritual or religious way to connect with Ultimate Reality and a practice that will let you fold your spiritual insights into your everyday life. Even though we're all blind (or, in Christian terms, born sinners), we're all trying, each in our own way, to "describe an elephant," Dovey. To some, who are patting its leg, it feels like a tree trunk; to others, who are fondling its trunk, it feels like a thick snake; and to yet others, who are elbow-deep into its anus, and elephant feels like a safe and warm place. None of these are accurate descriptions. We are limited in our spiritual cognition. To claim otherwise (thereby assuming a mantle of spiritual superiority over those who choose a different path to God) is the apotheosis of hubris and it inevitably invites scorn. "I once was blind, but now can see!" is an amazing grace offered by so many different paths... For Christians, it's John 3:16. For Hindus, it's [I]tat tvam asi[/I] ("Thou Art That"). For Buddhists, it's "Be ye lamps unto yourselves." For Muslims, it's the Shahadah. Etc., etc. Even agnosticism or atheism is as valid a path as any other. The painstaking unveiling of the secrets of the natural universe produces its own awe and engenders reverence for all that is. This is what I mean by "path." [/QUOTE]

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