I had A lot going on in my life, I feel like im at a cross roads and a little lost, So I would like to get some good books on spirituality, finding the path to balancing your life.
Thanks
oh and to make clear Please dont suggest books about christianity. Thanks
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http://www.365promises.com
Jesus said that to SPIRITUALLY see the Kingdom of God we need to be born of God. So then that is a SPIRITUAL birth. Where our spiritual eyes & ears are opened…
Jesus said, I AM the Way, the Truth & the Life… So the Holy Bible. And especially the New Testament & the letters written in red.
—
All the other books on spirituality [other than spiritual birth in Christ] really doesn’t make the persons soul spiritual, but introduces the persons soul to worldly spirits. And then you could look into books on a number of different occult practices and use drugs/alcohol in the process of conjuring up spirits. Hypnosis helps in this. But the problem is that one ends up being demonic oppressed or worse, demonicly possessed.
Maybe a book on Zen would help you.
The bible
Purpose Driven Life
What do you mean don’t suggest books about Christianity? What kind of spirituality do you want if it isn’t about religion? Sheesh.
Anyway, Purpose Driven Life is good. Mere Christianity is good. That’s all I know off the top of my head that I would recommend for your situation.
The end justifies the means (Machiavelli)
Trust me, this is the shortcut:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmCoP-wiBEI&feature=related
Conversations with God trilogy, Donald Neale Walsh
The Te of Piglet. Benjamin Hoff
Buddhists books too.
None of them are christian
You can google "Complete works of Swami Vivekananda". he has explained religion and spirituality from a very logical perspective..its an interesting read..
the bible and the koran are books good enough to teach faith, add to that the book of mormon and the pearl of great price and you have the fullness of the gospel of jesus christ.
the promise in the LDS church is that abiding by the precepts in the BoM a person will get closer to the spirituality of God.
christians and muslims have a portion of spirituality, and some even claim to have a "relationship" with the spirit of God, indwelling, in them.
however, the closest a person can become to a balance of spirituality is to have the gift of prophecy, or to follow a true prophet. and to live in obedience to every word of God. Most people reject truth, even if Jesus himself were to teach them from his own lips
Lucifer (satan) and all the unholy angels will also breed and propagate a form of spirituality, but it is false and it is idolatry.
It doesn’t seem like you know what you are talking about. Spirituality is not about religion.
Religious people are rarely spiritual.
When it comes to spirituality, there are two sides.
You will take a side. You are either on Gods side or lucifers.
If you are not of God, you are of lucifer.
Know your stand first.
Blessings
If you are into rape and murder, the Bible..
1) More Murder Rape and Pillage (Deuteronomy 20:10-14)
As you approach a town to attack it, first offer its people terms for peace. If they accept your terms and open the gates to you, then all the people inside will serve you in forced labor. But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town. When the LORD your God hands it over to you, kill every man in the town. But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, livestock, and other plunder. You may enjoy the spoils of your enemies that the LORD your God has given you.
What kind of God approves of murder, rape, and slavery?
2) Laws of Rape (Deuteronomy 22:28-29 NLT)
If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.
What kind of lunatic would make a rape victim marry her attacker? Answer: God.
3) Death to the Rape Victim (Deuteronomy 22:23-24 NAB)
If within the city a man comes upon a maiden who is betrothed, and has relations with her, you shall bring them both out of the gate of the city and there stone them to death: the girl because she did not cry out for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbors wife.
It is clear that God doesn’t give a damn about the rape victim. He is only concerned about the violation of another mans "property".
4) David’s Punishment – Polygamy, Rape, Baby Killing, and God’s "Forgiveness" (2 Samuel 12:11-14 NAB)
Thus says the Lord: ‘I will bring evil upon you out of your own house. I will take your wives [plural] while you live to see it, and will give them to your neighbor. He shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. You have done this deed in secret, but I will bring it about in the presence of all Israel, and with the sun looking down.’
Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nathan answered David: "The Lord on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die. But since you have utterly spurned the Lord by this deed, the child born to you must surely die." [The child dies seven days later.]
This has got to be one of the sickest quotes of the Bible. God himself brings the completely innocent rape victims to the rapist. What kind of pathetic loser would do something so evil? And then he kills a child! This is sick, really sick!
5) Rape of Female Captives (Deuteronomy 21:10-14 NAB)
"When you go out to war against your enemies and the LORD, your God, delivers them into your hand, so that you take captives, if you see a comely woman among the captives and become so enamored of her that you wish to have her as wife, you may take her home to your house. But before she may live there, she must shave her head and pare her nails and lay aside her captive’s garb. After she has mourned her father and mother for a full month, you may have relations with her, and you shall be her husband and she shall be your wife. However, if later on you lose your liking for her, you shall give her her freedom, if she wishes it; but you shall not sell her or enslave her, since she was married to you under compulsion."
Once again God approves of forcible rape.
6) Rape and the Spoils of War (Judges 5:30 NAB)
They must be dividing the spoils they took: there must be a damsel or two for each man, Spoils of dyed cloth as Sisera’s spoil, an ornate shawl or two for me in the spoil. (Judges 5:30 NAB)
7) Sex Slaves (Exodus 21:7-11 NLT)
When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. And if the slave girl’s owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but he must treat her as his daughter. If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing or fail to sleep with her as his wife. If he fails in any of these three ways, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment. (Exodus 21:7-11 NLT)
8) God Assists Rape and Plunder (Zechariah 14:1-2 NAB)
Lo, a day shall come for the Lord when the spoils shall be divided in your midst. And I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle: the city shall be taken, houses plundered, women ravished; half of the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be removed from the city. (Zechariah 14:1-2 NAB)
The Law of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks. It’s amazing and definitely something everyone should read! It’s about creating your own reality, and honestly, it works!
I highly recommend:
"Mankind’s Search for God"
http://watchtower.org/e/publications/index.htm > #9th listed
Chapter by chapter, it covers the basic history & history of the teachings of the major world religions, including –but not limited to– *apostate* Christianity, as well as ‘the real thing’.
It’s chapter titles are:
01. Why Be Interested in Other Religions?
02. Religion—How Did It Begin? .
03. Common Threads in Mythology
04.Searching for the Unknown Through Magic & Spiritism .
05.Hinduism—A Search for Liberation
06. Buddhism—A Search for Enlightenment Without God
07. Taoism & Confucianism—A Search for Heaven’s Way
08. Shinto—Japan’s Search for God
09. Judaism—Searching for God Through Scripture & Tradition
10. Christianity—Was Jesus the Way to God?
11. Apostasy—The Way to God Blocked
12. Islam—The Way to God by Subbmission
13. The Reformation—The Search Took a New Turn
14. Modern Disbelief—Should the Search Continue?
15. A Return to the True God
16. The True God & Your Future
This book makes it very easy to compare them! It is also so accurate that it has been used as a collage textbook…You can read several articles from the same source, online, such as:
"How Can You Choose A Good Religion?":
– Are All Religions Good?
– Good Religion Promotes High Moral Standards
– Good Religion Promotes Brotherly Love
– Good Religion Promotes Respect for God’s Word
http://watchtower.org/e/20090801/article_01.htm
"The Bible—A Textbook for Modern Living"
— A Book That Gives Purpose
— Adding Stability to a Troubled Life
— Help in Overcoming Emotional Problems
— Practical Counsel on Family Life
— Counsel That Endures!
http://watchtower.org/e/20001201/article_01.htm
"Does It Matter Which Religion You Choose?"
– How Do Religions Get Started?
– Whom Do Religions Want to Please?
http://watchtower.org/e/20070301/article_01.htm
"Religion—What Good Does It Do?"
– Why Many Have Turned From Religion
– Religion Used for Evil Ends
– "What Do I Care?"
http://watchtower.org/e/20060901/article_01.htm
"Is There A Sound Basis for Your Beliefs?"
– Your Right to Believe
– Belief Versus Truth
– – Why Do You Believe What You Believe?
– – Brought Up to Believe It? – – Educated to Believe It?
– – Influenced by the Media?
– – Finding a Sound Basis for Belief
http://watchtower.org/e/20010801/article_01.htm
"Is There One True Religion?"
– Who Should Determine True Religion?
http://watchtower.org/e/200803/article_01.htm
"What Does the Future Hold for Christianity?"
– A *Sneak Attack* on Christianity
– Christianity Subverted!
http://watchtower.org/e/200702/article_03.htm
The VERY BEST BOOK you can ever read is God’s word the BIBLE. You do need understanding of it by means of his holy spirit or active force to help you.
Here are some very "enlightening" scriptures to think of, especially regarding finding the right way.
Our Grand Instructor tells us:
"This is the way. Walk in it, you people," in case you people should go to the right or in case you should go to the left." Isa. 30:21
This shows you a balance.
"Make me know your own ways, O Jehovah; Teach me your own paths." Ps. 25:4
We should pray to Jehovah our Father in heaven to teach us his ways so that we will know the way to walk.
Jesus said to him: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father excerpt through me. John 14:6
Showing how we need to put faith in Jesus Christ the Son and get to know the Father Jehovah.
I well know, O Jehovah, that to earthling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step. Jeremiah 10:23
This is very plain that we should not think that any man has the answers to life. Only the ALMIGHTY God named Jehovah can give us the right kind of guidance for our life.
For further discussion: http://www.watchtower.org/
Emily,
First, to have a good conversation you need to agree on definitions. I define spirituality existence beyond physical life. Many people confuse spirituality with religion, and with all manner of particular beliefs. For me, it’s all about non-physical existence.
From there you can go in countless directions. Mainly you can go down a religious or a non-religious path. Most religions have a fair number of followers who aren’t overly dogmatic, or rules-based. This is the true ‘spirit’ of spirituality, in my opinion. It is the general connection with that which is greater than the self, and greater than the physical world. Rules are unproductive in my opinion.
Regardless of whether they are non-spiritual/materialistic, broadly spiritual, or narrowly spiritual (religious), most belief systems also have some element of "this is THE way". That too is a problem. In my experience there is no single solution for everyone. Even in those organizations and belief systems where there is a lot of agreement, there is also a lot of personal variation, whether the ‘members’ speak about it or not. I strongly prefer systems which do not purport to be the *only* way. Truth is personal. Trust me. What works for me is not exactly what will work for you, and so on for every soul that exists. We get into trouble when we try to push our solution on others, and when we try to follow a set of rules that is not right for us.
Now, many of the fundamentalist types will howl at the above statements. They will get all fearful, and upset. They would rather hand over their personal power, and be told what to do. Then they don’t do it, and they feel some measure of guilt for it. Well, I have another big revelation, guilt is worse than useless, it is very damaging. I do everything in my power to avoid putting guilt on others, and to avoid taking it on myself.
Many of the dogmatic types will say "we need rules". How many of them obey all the rules? None. So when you get right down to it, we all do our own thing anyway. Many people will say, if you don’t believe in God, or in this particular set of rules, you will be a bad person. I know plenty of atheists, and they are just as good, if not better, on average, compared to the theists. Belief in God does not make a person good. Neither do you need threats of damnation, or karma. Most people are just trying to get by. They don’t have time to think about all that stuff, and most people still do their best.
I do feel that belief in spirituality is helpful, but we’ve gummed it up with so much junk, that the benefits are hard for many people to fully realize, and they often come with plenty of baggage, like rules, and guilt.
God (if you believe in God) gave us all free will. This wasn’t a cosmic joke, or a cosmic test to see if we would be able to figure out some hidden set of rules. It was so we would learn how to make our own choices.
Don’t take the ‘dis-empowerment’ trip. Don’t give over your power to some organization, or some priest, or someone else who thinks they know what is right. Make your own path through life. Look at all the approaches, and pick the one that works for you, but don’t expect that to be the end. As you grow and evolve, it may grow with you, or you may grow beyond it. If it doesn’t work anymore, move on.
There are literally 1,000’s of choices available for review on the web. You name it and you can probably find it. If you can give me some more guidance about what you prefer I can provide more guidance.
Personally, I found the Conversations with God series was very helpful, but you have to be at the right stage. If you have tried religion, and found it lacking something, you might like that series of books.
If you want to do some general research of your own, you might want to try out http://www.BeliefNet.com. They have a wide variety of info on all faiths, and some interesting quizzes where you can answer the questions about your beliefs and it will tell you which faith is closest to that.
Love and Light,
Daniel
Go to the website http://www.spiritual-intuition.com/recommended-books.html for a good reference to some good spiritual resources. I’ll include my own book as well in the sources. Good luck and welcome to the journey.
By the way most Christians misunderstand Christ (Jesus). He did not start a religion that required belief in him. His mission was a spiritual one that spoke directly to the "individual." Just as the Buddha, Lao Tzu and so many other icons throughout history. They were all about finding the "god" within.