incorruptible paranoid martyr lifting to experience incorruptible we shall all be changed incorruptible we shall all be changed incorruptible we shall all be changed we shall all be.. free! www.alexmcbride.co.uk/lte 030705 ... daf One of the first roadblocks to discussing any sort of religious path is this notion that somehow religions have been the cause of more wars and deaths than any other human motivation in history. It's a bit of a harsh condemnation. Once religious paths become institutions, inevitably these institutions gather strength and power. As inevitably, where there is power, those who seek control over others will converge. That's true of all large institutions, not just religion. Misery and suffering, death and destruction. Religion is not required once greedy people get enough bodies and minds under their sway. Also, no doubt, many religions, written back in more brutal times, often worded things in more brutal terminology to communicate effectively to a more brutal populace. This was easily both misconstrued..and misused when people sought excuses to wage war. Likely as well is the possibility that older, purer teachings, from those inclined toward truth and human progress, were perverted by those who sought control, or personal gain. Certainly these are things we should ALL consider as we ponder our paths and the resources available to us for spiritual development, (whether they involve God, a religious practice..or not.) But it's far from a condemnation of religion or even an indicator that anything more than human greed, as usual, has been the cause of more wars and deaths than any other motivation in history. One thing that can and should become evident to us, is that the TRUTH of spiritual knowledge is always preserved, because..well..that's how the truth works. It just keeps popping up in evidentiary self-defense. When I was an engineer, we used to keep 3 copies of data on our dart machines. Any two that matched were considered to be the "uncorrupted" data. Likewise, noting the similarities in various mainstream religious practices allows us to weed out much of the ego and greed-installed corruption. How often have humans attempted to engineer the course of humanity by playing God? We'll probably never know, just as we'll probably never know how often they succeeded. But what we CAN know, is true spiritual practice from false spiritual practice. And while faith is ABSOLUTELY a prerequisite for spiritual transformation, no matter WHAT path we choose, WHERE and HOW we place our faith are also important considerations and first in line. It's all around us. It's in us. It's certainly not to be found by engaging and focusing on differences. That's because we're all one thing that's split off to examine itself from many angles..the universe. Spiritual truth sees the stage and the actors, it's born of the totality that is behind everything. Material truth lives through our characters and the theater of energy moving matter, be they skyscrapers, armies, mountains or books of spiritual knowledge. It's written into the program. So how do we determine what to keep and what to toss? How do we determine which will feed our hope and our hearts and which will trap us in habit and delusion? Well for starters, how does your path compare to others you know of? Never mind any differences or biased negative observations. What does that path YOU hold sacred, which helps you wrap your heart around your mind..have in common with other paths and methods? What helps ground you about your routine, your mantra, your prayer, your study, your congregating..that must certainly also affect those of other paths in a similar manner? There's your spiritual truth. 220123 ... dafremen "Let us die..you can smirk and laugh while we do. Or shed a tear. It doesn't matter. You and yours are safe behind a wall of medicine." Incorruptible. see also: forced_vaccination 220126 what's it to you? who go blather from