Castin

Unsure, I can't see the video since it's blocked.  

Jist googled Faistian bargain. I am literally a Republican that sold my sould to Satan in exchange for wisdom. I don't know if you made this statement to hint that he is trying to eat my soul or what.

Cultivating this quality of mind has been shown to reduce pain, anxiety, and depression; improve cognitive function; and even produce changes in gray matter density in regions of the brain related to learning and memory, emotional regulation, and self-awareness.

Really did not expect that a theist would post in the atheist thread before an atheist posted in the theist thread.

I've been known to be a rebel lol. 

I have a hard time following Same down this road.  It seems to me meditation can be immensely beneficial. Where he and I part ways (I believe) is that I would view enjoying art, hiking, listening to music (and other things which can induce a calm introspection) to be meditation. I imagine he wants an activity a little more structured/devoted?

I know shame on me, we're allowed to cross over for the purposes of recruiting only. 

Not very surprising, godists believe the universe revolves around them. Witchy will be screaming obscenities into her cauldron.

I don't see how I could give you any answer a dictionary couldn't.

I'd hardly say Harris gave a dictionary definition there, Cas.  

Hey mon, get your butt in the Theist thread! no reason to be atheist towards religion in a strict sense, religion has legit insights because it is the study of that reality. Doesn't mean they have everything right, but remember there are countless societies that exist outside this one, and so many souls are connected with those realities. Since there are countless places for the soul to exist on many levels, there are countless places the soul can also collectively exist where it wishes, so some of the realities in religion that seem absurd to you...do in fact exist on some conscious level, just not your particular level or desire. 

Before going any further, I should address the animosity that many readers feel toward the term spiritual. When I use the word, as in referring to meditation as a "spiritual practice," I hear from fellow skeptics and atheists who think that I have committed a grievous error.

The word spirit comes from the Latin spiritus, which is a translation of the Greek pneuma, meaning "breath." Around the thirteenth century, the term became entangled with beliefs about immaterial souls, supernatural beings, ghosts, and so forth. It acquired other meanings as well: We speak of the spirit of a thing as its most essential principle or of certain volatile substances and liquors as spirits. Nevertheless, many nonbelievers now consider all things "spiritual" to be contaminated by medieval superstition.

I do not share their semantic concerns. Yes, to walk the aisles of any "spiritual" bookstore is to confront the yearning and credulity of our species by the yard, but there is no other term -- apart from the even more problematic mystical or the more restrictive contemplative -- with which to discuss the efforts people make, through meditation, psychedelics, or other means, to fully bring their minds into the present or to induce nonordinary states of consciousness. And no other word links this spectrum of experience to our ethical lives.

Throughout this book, I discuss certain classically spiritual phenomena, concepts, and practices in the context of our modern understanding of the human mind -- and I cannot do this while restricting myself to the terminology of ordinary experience. So I will use spiritual, mystical, contemplative, and transcendent without further apology. However, I will be precise in describing the experiences and methods that merit these terms.

What's the difference between 'spiritual' and 'nice'?

"That's cool. Do you find that you gravitate more to people who have been banned or sanctioned by an authority?"

I do, but that is not why in this situation. I can't disclose why without revealing personal information disclosed to me.

Twenty percent of Americans describe themselves as "spiritual but not religious." Although the claim seems to annoy believers and atheists equally, separating spirituality from religion is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. It is to assert two important truths simultaneously: Our world is dangerously riven by religious doctrines that all educated people should condemn, and yet there is more to understanding the human condition than science and secular culture generally admit. One purpose of this book is to give both these convictions intellectual and empirical support.

Mindfulness practice has been employed to reduce symptoms of depression, to reduce stress, anxiety, and in the treatment of drug addiction. Programs based on Kabat-Zinn's and similar models have been adopted in schools, prisons, hospitals, veterans' centers, and other environments, and mindfulness programs have been applied for additional outcomes such as for healthy aging, weight management, athletic performance, helping children with special needs, and as an intervention during the perinatal period.

Clinical studies have documented both physical- and mental-health benefits of mindfulness in different patient categories as well as in healthy adults and children. Research studies have consistently shown a positive relationship between trait mindfulness and psychological health. The practice of mindfulness appears to provide therapeutic benefits to people with psychiatric disorders, including to those with psychosis. Studies also indicate that rumination and worry contribute to the onset of a variety of mental disorders, and that mindfulness-based interventions significantly reduce both rumination and worry. Further, the practice of mindfulness may be a preventive strategy to halt the development of mental-health problems.

What books are you guys reading?

What user claimed to be who?

We have talked since before ger first ban on DDO. I have gotten to know her pretty well. She reminds me of my younger self, except better than my younger self. I also have a lot of respect for her because of her conviction for her beliefs and her tenacity.  I have considered her my friend since about 2 weeks after she started DDO. She is often unfairly a target for hate and ridicule and I disagree with how people like Sam Stevens have treated her. With that said, his ban was unwarranted

A lot of people think 'original sin' refers to Adam and Eve being disobedient, but it actually refers to each of us being a sinner from our origin (ie conception) in our mother's womb so we are born as sinners right from our origin.   We are all of us born already tainted with 'original sin'.

Torah (/ˈtɔːrə, ˈtoʊrə/; Hebrew: תּוֹרָה‬, "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") has a range of meanings. It can most specifically mean the first five books (Pentateuch) of the 24 books of the Tanakh, and is usually printed with the rabbinic commentaries (perushim). It can mean the continued narrative from the Book of Genesis to the end of the Tanakh (Malachi), and it can even mean the totality of Jewish teaching, culture and practice, whether derived from biblical texts or later rabbinic writings.

You know I consider her my only genuine friend on the site., i did feel a bit betrayed but no big deal.

So, there are good, logical reasons to believe in the historical Person. 

Many atheists accept a historical human Jesus existed.   Only a minority ascribe to the 'jesus myth' theory.

I'm in the first group. 

It is interesting that you say that. Do you base the evidence on the extra-biblical (external) information or both that and the biblical (internal) information?

So, there are good, logical reasons to believe in the historical Person. 

Many atheists accept a historical human Jesus existed.   Only a minority ascribe to the 'jesus myth' theory.

How do we know what it is that God wants?

I like Ted Kaczynski. He seemed to also be justified in his actions. It is atleast hard for me to argue against his logic

I'm not sure how to interpret this...

"No experienced parachutist would have jumped in the pitch-black night, in the rain, with a 200-mile-an-hour wind in his face, wearing loafers and a trench coat. It was simply too risky."

"Diving into the wilderness without a plan, without the right equipment, in such terrible conditions, he probably never even got his 'chute open."