To the religious: has your faith interacted with your ASD?
Greatshield17
Velociraptor
Joined: 14 Sep 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 431
Location: Columbia-Kootenay Region, British Columbia
My question came out wrong. Sorry, I was distracted by a lot of other stuff, hence why it took so long to return. Let me ask you this question in a different way, I assume wouldn’t deny the ability of any human person to have a relationship with this Presence correct? Yet you also say that this Presence is beyond human nomenclature and thus, doesn’t have a universal identity that human beings can recognize universally. So may question is simply how does one engage in a relationship, with this Presence that has no identity that can be recognized by human universal understanding?
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Don't bother with me, I'm just a narrow-minded bigot who does nothing but "proselytize" not because I actually love the Faith, because no one loves the Faith, we're just "using it to justify our bigotry." If you see any thread by me on here that isn't "proselytizing," I can't explain that because that's obviously impossible; because again, all I've ever done on here is "proselytize."
WP is the 2nd worst forum site I have ever been on.
I'm still not sure what you are asking, but will make a attempt.
Words can get people really mixed up when trying to describe something as ineffable as an experience of a higher power of some/any kind. I suppose some people call it having a relationship with God/S/w. But then you can't use the normal definition of relationship to argue about whether or not someone has a relationship with G/S/W, or if such a relationship is even possible.
Hicksite Quakers have an experiential experience of God. We have much more in common with the mystics than traditional Christians. As a Quaker, I spend my days trying to listen/feel/experience G/S/W, and not talking to him/her/it as one thinks of in most prayers.
To relate back to the OP, I think Quaker practices help me in my aspie way of understanding the world and interacting with the world. It provides a basis for my ethical and moral decisions that I "believe in" so that I can rely on my Quaker practice in daily and difficult affairs, rather than being blown to the winds as an aspie that understands nothing of the world and what I am supposed to do in it.
_________________
The river is the melody
And sky is the refrain - Gordon Lightfoot
Greatshield17
Velociraptor
Joined: 14 Sep 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 431
Location: Columbia-Kootenay Region, British Columbia
Words can get people really mixed up when trying to describe something as ineffable as an experience of a higher power of some/any kind. I suppose some people call it having a relationship with God/S/w. But then you can't use the normal definition of relationship to argue about whether or not someone has a relationship with G/S/W, or if such a relationship is even possible.
Hicksite Quakers have an experiential experience of God. We have much more in common with the mystics than traditional Christians. As a Quaker, I spend my days trying to listen/feel/experience G/S/W, and not talking to him/her/it as one thinks of in most prayers.
To relate back to the OP, I think Quaker practices help me in my aspie way of understanding the world and interacting with the world. It provides a basis for my ethical and moral decisions that I "believe in" so that I can rely on my Quaker practice in daily and difficult affairs, rather than being blown to the winds as an aspie that understands nothing of the world and what I am supposed to do in it.
Okay, this changes things. Let me ask two questions,
First, what are your views of objectivity vs subjectivity? Does this Presence only interact with a person on a subjective level, or can this Presence act in some way or form through objective reality?
I guess I’ll ask a sort of 1 B question in addition to this, what are your thoughts on the Catholic definition God (His Divine nature to be exact) as the Supreme Being?
The second question I want to ask, what are your views regarding Divine Revelation? Is there any revelation from this Presence that is universal and for all human persons, or does this Presence only communicate with individuals on a subjective level?
_________________
Don't bother with me, I'm just a narrow-minded bigot who does nothing but "proselytize" not because I actually love the Faith, because no one loves the Faith, we're just "using it to justify our bigotry." If you see any thread by me on here that isn't "proselytizing," I can't explain that because that's obviously impossible; because again, all I've ever done on here is "proselytize."
WP is the 2nd worst forum site I have ever been on.
I don't have any particular views on any of the things you are asking about. I can only speak to my condition and my experience.
Quakers do not have a dogma or rules to follow in the way most other religions do. Quakers live their lives by asking questions. I believe Roman Catholicism has a version of this. A priest i was friends with a long time ago told me that life was not about getting answers, it was about living the questions.
Quakers have what we call "testimonies." The Peace testimony is the one most non-Quakers are familiar with. Other testimonies are: integrity, equality, community, simplicity and more recently, stewardship. So instead of a rule on, for example, equality, I would ask myself: Am I showing respect to all the people who I interact with? Do I give equal time and consideration to others in the community? Am I neglecting anyone due to ....?" And so on.
In no way does my experience reflect on what others believe, how they worship, or what their particular dogma is. I am not "right."
And experience can change. Revelations occur over time within a single life and over the generations. I have experienced revelations that one might call divine, but I have no way of knowing if that is what you are referring to.
_________________
The river is the melody
And sky is the refrain - Gordon Lightfoot
Greatshield17
Velociraptor
Joined: 14 Sep 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 431
Location: Columbia-Kootenay Region, British Columbia
Quakers do not have a dogma or rules to follow in the way most other religions do. Quakers live their lives by asking questions. I believe Roman Catholicism has a version of this. A priest i was friends with a long time ago told me that life was not about getting answers, it was about living the questions.
Quakers have what we call "testimonies." The Peace testimony is the one most non-Quakers are familiar with. Other testimonies are: integrity, equality, community, simplicity and more recently, stewardship. So instead of a rule on, for example, equality, I would ask myself: Am I showing respect to all the people who I interact with? Do I give equal time and consideration to others in the community? Am I neglecting anyone due to ....?" And so on.
In no way does my experience reflect on what others believe, how they worship, or what their particular dogma is. I am not "right."
And experience can change. Revelations occur over time within a single life and over the generations. I have experienced revelations that one might call divine, but I have no way of knowing if that is what you are referring to.
If by “questions” that priest means mysteries he is correct, there are certain things like the Trinity and the Eucharist that one cannot comprehend but contemplate to better their relationship with God. (In fact I just came here from that Catholic forum site I mentioned above, in which I read a post from a religious brother talking about Our Lady’s relationship with the Trinity, which encouraged me to meditate on that more.) I don’t want to harp in this, and I’m not going to judge the priest you spoke with, but I cannot help but get a bit concerned when I hear things like that. The Church has been a bad place for many years and there have been a lot of bad people in the clergy and hierarchy. Although, there has been a slight improvement in the clergy in the past couple of years, in fact I went to a seminary Live-In last Autumn and the seminarians, religious brothers, and fellow-visitors I met there, were actually quite good. But I’m digressing here.
When I said “revelation,” I meant that in a broad term to refer to both the subjective experiences a Quaker may have, and Sacred Scriptures, which is usually what is meant by the term Divine Revelation. (That and Sacred Tradition for a Catholic.)
_________________
Don't bother with me, I'm just a narrow-minded bigot who does nothing but "proselytize" not because I actually love the Faith, because no one loves the Faith, we're just "using it to justify our bigotry." If you see any thread by me on here that isn't "proselytizing," I can't explain that because that's obviously impossible; because again, all I've ever done on here is "proselytize."
WP is the 2nd worst forum site I have ever been on.