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Do You Believe in Chakras?

Fri, 11 May 2012 07:00:00 MST

I'd heard about chakras way back when I was a teenager, and associated them with "New Age" woo-woo nonsense, or perhaps a reason to collect multicolored crystals. However, I also consider myself a health adventurer: I'm often willing to try new things to understand how they might be valuable in the search for better health. As long as it doesn't involve needles, chemicals, or giving up coffee, I'm willing to try it. That's how I ended up recently on a table, getting a Reiki treatment. I say treatment rather than massage since there is no touching, just an energetic cleansing of the chakras. Since it was my 50th birthday, I thought it might be a good time to cleanse them--kind of like a car tune-up.

As I waited in the lobby to be called in to the room, I gazed out of a giant window overlooking a bucolic scene. Suddenly, a vivid little hawk flew towards the window--as if it was about to fly into it by accident--and then stopped itself, looked in at me, and flew off. "That was weird," I said to myself. I went into the room and, after a consultation with the therapist, lay down on the table and relaxed while he systematically seemed to be "working" on each chakra, starting at the bottom, or "root chakra," and ending at the top, or "crown chakra." When he got to my throat, I was deeply relaxed, although a bit disturbed, since when he had worked on a previous chakra I had felt significant pain, even though he didn't touch me at all. In my mind, I suddenly saw that little hawk again--this time, flying into the room and landing on my shoulder. It made me smile because I was on an island that had been settled by two women pirates, and the bird's lighting there made me feel like a pirate. But I didn't think much of it.

After the treatment finished, I went to the gift shop and bought a few books on chakras, since I wanted to understand more why I might have felt pain. I was stunned to see in a book called The Book of Chakras, by Ambika Wauters, that the mythological animal associated with the fifth chakra (the throat) was a sparrow hawk! So I started to read.

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To see the rest of this very interesting article, please see THIS LINK

What can we infer from a study of the chakras in the human body? HERE is an interesting study on our site which correlates the seven chakras with the seven colors of the light spectrum, the seven adjutant mind spirits, and the seven epochal revelation of God to mankind - five of which we have already had. The final two revelations are expected in the ages to come...

What can fear do to you?

Fri, 11 May 2012 07:00:00 MST

Recently, when asked, "What can fear do to you?" I was reminded of two experiences.

The first started with me asking a Sunday School class of first graders, "What would you say if someone wanted you to pray for them?"

A visitor to the class, a young girl, spoke up and confidently said, "I would tell them that they were safe in God's pocket."

A few hours later, my phone rang. A man, suffering with a physical problem, asked me to pray for him. Because the girl's simple but confident response had so impressed me, and since I understand the cause of most problems to be fear, I was led to say, "You are safe in God's pocket."

He began to cry and hung up, without giving his name.

A week later, he called back to report he'd been healed of the physical problem the instant he hung up the phone. He also stated that for the next few days, every time he tried to smoke cigarettes, they tasted terrible. Not only had he been healed of the physical trouble, he'd stopped a long time habit of smoking, as well.

Yes, the girl's pure trust in God's constant care inspired a prayer that erased the man's fear.

The second experience, I was reminded of, took place when I stepped out of a dressing room and into a packed church auditorium. I was suddenly nervous. Anxiously, I stepped over to a chair, sat, and waited for the prelude music to finish.

My fear was puzzling. I had freely performed in a rock band in front of small and large audiences for many years. And although I was about to conduct my first church service of a three-year term, I was prepared. Everything I needed to conduct the service was in place on the podium. There was nothing to worry about.

Then, while the music continued, I recognized that the fear wasn't mine, but rather waves of sympathy from the audience. Many people have a fear of public speaking and I was mentally sensing this fear.

I affirmed to myself that the fear wasn't mine, and that I didn't have to suffer from the thoughts of others.

When the music stopped, I stepped up and began the service. Immediately, the fear vanished. I found that I had the ability to stop being afraid. I could stop being a victim of fear.

What can fear do to you? It seems a lot. Anxiety, fear, and worry are reported to be mentally and physically harmful. Jere Daniel in a Psychology Today column, Learning to Love Growing Old, wrote, "Fear of aging speeds the very decline we dread most. And it ultimately robs our life of any meaning."

I'm discovering that we experience what we think and that fear seems to be able to negatively touch every part of the body, if we allow it. Because of this, I've found it effective to filter my thoughts through spiritual reasoning. Many call this prayer.

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This article can be seen in its entirety HERE...and it's worth reading.

The Urantia Book teaches us a lot about fear, and its negative impact on our lives and our spirits. One of Jesus' favorite watchwords was "Fear not..." We've put together a topical study of Urantia Book teachings on Fear which you can access HERE.

And Prayer is maybe the BEST antidote to fear...Read about it HERE

Increase Health by Helping Others

Fri, 04 May 2012 07:00:00 MST

�Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened.�

One of my favorite Buddhist quotes reminds me that happiness never decreases by being shared.

Sharing and spreading your happiness does nothing but increase happiness in your community and make the world a better place. Happiness and good deeds really are contagious.

Speaking of contagious, ever wonder what kind of health benefits come from those fuzzy feelings that come from helping others and spreading your joy?

Well let me tell you, my friend!

Numerous studies have found that volunteering has a huge impact on lowering rates of depression, especially for folks over 65. More specifically, a Duke University study concluded that individuals who participated in volunteer activity after having heart attacks experienced less despair and depression, which is often liked to mortality in post coronary artery disease patients. So ultimately, these happy, uplifting feelings can increase longevity and save your life!

In addition to reducing depression, volunteering has also been found to help chronic pain sufferers. A Boston College study examined how pain, depression, disability, and self-efficacy were affected through volunteering. Results showed that pain, depression and disability improved through volunteering, concluding that chronic pain may be alleviated through volunteering.
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Please see THIS LINK to read the rest of the article...

And see our topical on SERVICE for even more inspiration. Service is one of the pillars of living the religion of Jesus...

Belief In God Gets Stronger As People Grow Older, Survey Shows

Fri, 04 May 2012 07:00:00 MST

Across the world, people have varying levels of belief (and disbelief) in God, with some nations being more devout than others. But new research reveals one constant across parts of the globe: As people age, their belief in God seems to increase.

The new study is based on data collected as part of the General Social Survey by researchers at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago.

The researchers looked at data from 30 countries where surveys, taken at two or more time points between 1991 and 2008, asked residents about their belief in God. Participants answered three main "belief" questions, including their level of belief (from strong to atheistic), their changing beliefs over their lifetime and their attitude toward the notion that God is concerned with their personal lives.

Age seemed to be a big factor in belief. Belief in God was highest among older adults, with 43 percent of those 68 and older saying they are certain that God exists, compared with 23 percent of those 27 and younger, averaged across the countries surveyed.

"Looking at differences among age groups, the largest increases in belief in God most often occur among those 58 years of age and older," Smith said in a statement, referring to the change in belief between the 58 to 67 age group and those 68 and older. "This suggests that belief in God is especially likely to increase among the oldest groups, perhaps in response to the increasing anticipation of mortality." [8 Ways Religion Impacts Your Life]

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Please see THIS LINK for the rest of the story...

Forgiveness is a choice

Fri, 04 May 2012 07:00:00 MST

According to research, people who forgive are healthier and happier than people who hold grudges. Forgiveness is long known to be a spiritual practice. Forgiveness therapy is now being used by some mental health providers to help people recover from trauma, depression and anxiety.

Forgiveness is a choice to give up resentment and bitterness toward someone who has wronged you. Forgiveness does not involve excusing bad behavior, forgetting, justifying wrongs or sweeping painful memories under the rug. True forgiveness is an inner change of heart toward the offender.

Forgiveness is a private act that occurs within the heart and may or may not involve reconciliation. It involves acknowledging the offense, along with the pain that it has caused, and then making a decision to release bitterness and resentment. The decision to forgive may take time. Some people involve faith in the process, and some prefer to work through forgiveness with a counselor who can listen and provide support. The beauty of forgiveness is that the process is controlled by the foregiver, and is not dependent on whether or not the offender is sorry for his or her actions.

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Please see THIS LINK to read the rest of the article...

And also see our topical; study on Forgiveness here...

Study: Millennials Rejecting Religious Doctrine

Fri, 04 May 2012 07:00:00 MST

Study: Millennials Rejecting Religious Doctrine

Jerome Socolovsky

Photo: AP

Woman lights candle at 'night of lights' ecumenical prayer, Erfurt, Germany, Nov. 23, 2011 (file photo).

College campuses are among the least religious places in America, largely because people tend to drift away from faith when they are young. But a study focusing on 18-to-24-year-old Americans finds many rejecting religious doctrine and orthodoxy in general.

Findings of the Millennial Values Survey, a joint survey of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), and Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, indicate that many of the youngest millennials - members of the so called "millennial generation" - are leaving their childhood faith and ending up mostly unaffiliated.

Around one quarter of respondents said they don't identify with any religion, more than twice the 11 percent raised in households without any particular faith.

According to Dr. Robert Jones, PRRI's CEO and one of the study's lead researchers, this group is changing the way Americans view and practice religion.

"Basically all the varieties of Christian religion are in negative territories," said Jones, adding that Catholics and white mainline Protestants saw the largest losses away from childhood religious identification.
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Please see this link to read the rest of the article...and there is also a short, informative video to enjoy at this site as well...

The Science of Religion

Fri, 04 May 2012 07:00:00 MST

Science and religion are two sides of the same coin. They both exist to help us make sense of a confusing and complicated world. As the balance of power has shifted in the last hundreds of years, vicious culture wars have been waged over the correct and moral way to perceive and interpret the environment we live in.

It is not, however, a fact that science and religion must be at odds with one another. Human rational thought is not antithetical to belief in a higher power, and faith does not necessarily infringe upon science. Whatever the cause of the conflict, be it scriptural literalism, radical rationality, or simple sectarian questions of power and influence, a conflict between science and religion seems to be a fact of life for the time being. A serious syncretic movement would be a great thing; the two have a great deal to learn from one another.

Religious thought can be scientifically explained. Organized religion is the domain of anthropologists and sociologists, but individual religion has roots in psychology and biology. As a powerful force through history, religion must offer some reward to the individual, or else it would never have gained its important position. That reward is not merely the establishment of the stable hierarchies in which humans flourish or a calmative for the restive proletariat�there exists some individual sanction for religious sentiment. Trends noticeable in the worldwide study of religion are some of our best sources for the observational data necessary to create solid and useful experiments.

There are a number of common denominators in the way that people all over the world practice religion�fasting, chanting/other repetitive verbalizations, prayer, breathing exercises� these practices confer real benefit. Whatever it is must cut beyond the shallow factional borders that we create to categorize ourselves and indicates the existence of a sort of innate source of nearly-identical religious or spiritual sentiment in each of us. That benefit is a feeling of understanding and absolute dependence, often interpreted as closeness to god.

The practices used for coming closer to god, such as fasting and chanting, produce an altered mental state. This is due to a lack of necessary nutrition, or of oxygen, or of the intoxication produced by participation in crowds. These biologically-altered states enable a shedding of day-to-day cares and a state of clear focus and insight. Religious experience is rooted in and hardwired into the workings of the mind�as a scientific fact, religion is here to stay. Furthermore, these religious states can be remarkably close to the variety of states reachable through use of modern scientific accoutrements such as isolation tanks, binaural beats, cranial electrotherapy and, most importantly, psychedelic drugs.

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Please see THIS LINK to read the rest of the article...

Also, please see Urantia Book teachings about the important connections between religion and science HERE

Is rationality the enemy of religion?

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:00:00 MST

Nature | Column: Muse

Is rationality the enemy of religion?

A provocative study linking religious disbelief to analytical thinking requires some careful analysis itself, says Philip Ball.

Psychologists Will Gervais and Ara Norenzayan aren�t trying to make mischief, but their latest work on the psychology of religious belief is sure to fan the flames of debate.

Their study, published in this week's issue of Science¹, offers evidence that when people engage in analytical thinking, they are less likely to express strong religious beliefs. In other words, the more you�re inclined to think a problem through rather than to rely on gut instinct, the less likely you are to capitulate to belief in supernatural agencies.

The authors, who are based at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, are clear that they aren�t pronouncing on the value of religious belief, nor suggesting that such beliefs are inherently irrational (let alone that they�re untrue). 'We�re just saying', they seem to insist.

A belief or disbelief in religious figures is underpinned by complex cognitive processes that researchers are only beginning to investigate.

GETTY

But such honest disclaimers won�t prevent some atheists from asserting that the study shows that religion is the result of bad reasoning, if not downright stupidity, for which the only cure is a hefty dose of analytical sobriety. (My experience is that it seems to be extreme views of any sort, whether religious or the opposite, that are the real enemy of analytical thinking.)

What this valuable and stimulating study reveals, however, is the difficulty of subjecting religious belief to scientific scrutiny. It is important that we make the effort to do so � not least to understand how and why religion may promote ignorance, bigotry and conflict. The problem is that it is nearly impossible to devise any investigation of �religious belief� per se, because it takes so many forms and rarely consists of a coherent and consistent set of principles, even in a particular individual. It is like trying to study what makes people �artistic� or �nice�.

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This article can be seen in its entirety HERE

Can we be religious AND logical? From The Urantia Book:

^1:2.7 The existence of God can never be proved by scientific experiment or by the pure reason of logical deduction. God can be realized only in the realms of human experience; nevertheless, the true concept of the reality of God is reasonable to logic, plausible to philosophy, essential to religion and indispensable to any hope of personality survival.

^92:4.3 Evolutionary religion is sentimental, not logical. It is man�s reaction to belief in a hypothetical ghost-spirit world�the human belief-reflex, excited by the realization and fear of the unknown. Revelatory religion is propounded by the real spiritual world; it is the response of the superintellectual cosmos to the mortal hunger to believe in, and depend upon, the universal Deities. Evolutionary religion pictures the circuitous gropings of humanity in quest of truth; revelatory religion is that very truth.

^101:1.1 True religion is not a system of philosophic belief which can be reasoned out and substantiated by natural proofs, neither is it a fantastic and mystic experience of indescribable feelings of ecstasy which can be enjoyed only by the romantic devotees of mysticism. Religion is not the product of reason, but viewed from within, it is altogether reasonable. Religion is not derived from the logic of human philosophy, but as a mortal experience it is altogether logical. Religion is the experiencing of divinity in the consciousness of a moral being of evolutionary origin; it represents true experience with eternal realities in time, the realization of spiritual satisfactions while yet in the flesh.

Was Jesus Just Some Good Dude Who Used to Live?

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:00:00 MST

I found myself thinking of a Sunday homily this morning. Because it is still Easter. And we can still meet the Risen Lord in our daily lives. There is no time like today.
At Saint Patrick�s in Manhattan on Easter morning, Timothy Cardinal Dolan was preaching to his flock, what he prefers to do than talk presidential politics on Face the Nation. The pull-out quote from his talk would be:

Jesus Christ is alive � He�s not just a dream. He�s just not a memory. He�s just not an historical person that we say �Wow, what a great life he had way back then and thank God the spirit of that life is still kind of alive for us..� No. That�s true, but it doesn�t stop there.
Jesus Christ is alive now. Here and now. He is present with us. He heals us. He teaches us. He loves us, He forgives us. He invites us. He consoles us.
You see: Jesus Christ is alive and he is the most influential person in our lives.
Remember what the angel said to the two holy women who came that Easter Sunday morning, looking for Jesus? And the angel said: �Why are you looking for the living among the dead?�
I would propose to you that that�s the great temptation of life, to look for the living among the dead. We very often look for happiness, for fulfillment, for meaning in the things that are passing away, in the things that are dying, and the angel says: �Do not look for the living among the dead.�

Do our hearts burn with zeal for Christ? Did what happened Friday really register? Is the Risen Christ our reason for giving thanks and rising again each morning with him? It�s probably worth asking, given

Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

That is, if we believe it. If we truly seek to be who we claim to be.

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Please see the entire article HERE

Urantia Book readers know that Jesus is very present today, even though his death is such an important part of his history. At the Resurrection, Jesus took his life up again, and showed us how we will go and do likewise. And then he sent his Spirit of Truth to be his actual representative, living in all of humanity - at the same time - helping us to re-interpret and and translate his life and teachings in every generation.

Does science make belief in God obsolete?

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:00:00 MST

Peter Harrison ABC Religion and Ethics 11 Apr 2012

Vestiges of the theological convictions of the pioneers of modern science may still be found in the common assumption that there are laws of nature that can be discovered.

The predominance of scientists among those preaching the new gospel of atheism might lead to the assumption that science has somehow rendered religious belief unintelligible.

This assumption is worth exploring further, not only because traditionally the question of the grounds of belief has been the province of philosophy, and not the natural sciences, but also because it seems at odds with history.

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Ask yourself, for example, why you are reading these words. It might be possible to offer an account in terms of your brain states and neurons, and even more basically in terms of the behaviour of the relevant atoms and molecules. But there is surely another kind of explanation to do with personal interests and intentions, and ultimately perhaps, with a concern to arrive at the truth about an important issue.

The first kind of explanation is a scientific one, but if it excludes the possibility of the second kind of explanation there is little point in reading further. After all, if your reasons for thinking about these important questions boil down to nothing more than physics, why bother?

The distinction between these two kinds of explanation goes back to the Greek philosopher Socrates, executed as a martyr to philosophy in 399 BC. Under house arrest, and calmly awaiting his death, Socrates asked his companions, "Why I am here?" Two answers were possible, he pointed out: one that made reference to the disposition of his bones and sinews, and another that required recourse to his views about his purpose in life, his divine mission, and his quest for truth.

While the two explanations are not incompatible, Socrates leaves us in no doubt as to which is more satisfactory. ..

There are, of course, many different ways of responding to the problems of life. But while there remain such questions - questions to which God provides one possible answer - it is not clear how science could render belief in God obsolete.

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Please see THIS LINK to access the entire article

Contrary to modern-day thinking, science and religion are not mutually exclusive. Science deals with facts - religion deals with values, and both disciplines can inform the other through the discernment of meaning...

Please see our topical study of Science vs Religion and learn what The Urantia Book teaches about the relation of these two seemingly opposed realities.