Loves Me, Loves Me Not

The intimate touch of another soul is the most powerful antidote for the all-too-human experience of existence. It may be the most compelling and pleasurable experience there is.

So why do we spend so much of our time and energy avoiding intimacy by defending ourselves, being angry, critical, closed and judgmental - in short, blocking the experience that we most deeply want?

The answer is that we are wired to constantly reinforce our limited ego-based identity, our sense of who we are.

This ego-based identity plays a very important role in human life, but it does not have the power to love. Ego is all about the self. It can and does experience need, and need is often easy to mistake for love.

In order for us to fully experience love we must let go of our ego & embrace a different part of ourselves. That part which allows us to enhance our relationship with the inner self, express the potential of our essence, and fulfill our purpose.

From unconsciouscreations.com

Do You Really Think About Your Spiritual Positions?

It seems way too many people just accept Dogma, not only without really thinking through the consequences of Dogma, but also without even knowing exactly what they believe in. This is an interesting example.

Did you know you can stump anti-abortionists with one simple question?

Just ask them this:

If abortion was illegal, what should be done with the women who have illegal abortions?

Now watch their faces as the cognitive dissonance sets in. They believe abortion to be murder. Murder deserves severe punishment. Thus, women who have illegal abortions should receive severe punishment — like life in prison or the death penalty. That’s the logical conclusion.

But they can’t accept this conclusion. They know it’s absurd and unfair — which means they know abortion is not really murder.

I'm probably often as guilty as anyone else of letting assumptions get the best of me. So it's a good reminder.

Via Unreasonable Faith.

Za Rinpoche on The Backdoor To Enlightenment

In his words: "If Buddha was American, when he got enlightened he would say 'Duh!'".

Za Rinpoche, a Tibetan monk, first came to the world's attention when his life story was chronicled in the first chapter of Po Bronson's bestseller, What Should I Do with My Life?

While growing up in a refugee camp in Southern India, Za Rinpoche was recognized by the Dalai Lama as the sixth reincarnation of the Za Choeje Rinpoche.

Now, in The Backdoor To Enlightenment, he shares with us the keys to immediate, profound realization and lasting peace, revealing the secrets to enlightenment that have remained hidden in the distant reaches of the Himalayas for more than a thousand years.

This revolutionary work stands out as a smart, clear guide, showing step-by-step how you can use these deep truths to transform every aspect of your life.

Za Rinpoche is the founder of the Emaho Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Scottsdale, Arizona, dedicated to sharing Tibetan culture with the West, supporting humanitarian projects, and assisting with personal spiritual development - Cody's Books

Brother Guy Consolmagno: God's Mechanics

Very interesting talk about Religion and Science. Worth watching, from fora.tv. This is someone who actually is both religious and understands science. For example "science is not about knowing, it's about describing".

With wry humor, Brother Guy Consolmagno shows how he not only believes in God but gives religion an honored place alongside science in his life. His book God's Mechanics: How Scientists and Engineers Make Sense of Religion offers an engaging look at how - and why - scientists and those with technological leanings can hold profound, "unprovable" religious beliefs while working in highly empirical fields.

Vatican astronomer Guy Consolmagno is a Jesuit brother with advanced degrees from MIT and the University of Arizona. A highly respected planetary scientist whose research focuses on meteorites, asteroids, and dwarf planets, Consolmagno is the author or co-author of numerous books and publications, including Brother Astronomer and Turn Left at Orion. He even has an asteroid named in his honor (4597 Consolmagno, known to its friends as "Little Guy").

He has served as chair of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society and is a past president of Commission 16 (Planets and Moons) of the International Astronomical

Former Pastor Eats, Works, Lives, Even Votes as He Believes Jesus Would

After reading the book "A Year of Living Biblically," by A.J. Jacobs, former pastor Ed Dobson decided to devote a year trying to live as Jesus did, based on what is written about him in the Bible and other historical documents.

"I read that book a little over a year ago, and I thought, well, if a secular Jew could do this, certainly a follower of Jesus could," Dobson said today on "Good Morning America Weekend."

Dobson, the vice president of spiritual formation at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Mich., said he did not shave, ate kosher, observed the Sabbath and read through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John every week.

He even had a couple of beers along the way. "I would often go down to the bar, sit up at the counter, drink a beer and talk about God, which Jesus was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard," he said.

Personally I think this is a little bit silly. While I applaud the effort, he's not reliving anything but what he thinks or was told Jesus did. On top of that, he was reading from gospels written many years after Jesus was dead, which Jesus is absolutely guaranteed to NOT have done, so his experiment goes completely askew.

While it's a valiant effort, it seems misguided to me... but then again, what do I know?

Read more or watch the video at ABC News.