No sweat, this is after all one of the reasons I joined Book Talk in the first place.Penelope
Thank you Frank for taking the trouble to reply to me.
As an atheist I do see the value of "spiritual" strength and growth, but I do not see this attribute coming from faith, or gods (my personal opinion), I see this as an individual's will, discipline, resolve, and wisdom that come from within.Penelope
You perceive correctly that I wasn't meaning 'physical' exploring. But the exploring of various other belief systems and methods of building spiritual strength and knowledge/wisdom.
Penelope
If one thinks that ones own faith or denomination is absolutely correct and that all the others are wrong....then the people with religious conviction will tell you that it is wrong to question and even that other faith systems are evil.
I totally agree, and from what I have seen this seems to be one of the primary sources of intolerance that religions tend to breed.
Ah, it only scares you if you fall for it.Penelope
That can scare you and keep you in line if, like me you are inclined to be inexplicably 'intuitive',
Penelope
I think epilepsy must have some sort of effect on its sufferers because many of them are Nuns, Monks and thinkers of all types.
I have never heard that epileptics were drawn to those types of careers, although now that you mention it the few epileptics that I have known have all been very religious people.
Penelope
So, it would seem this compulsion to search for spiritual growth is something to do with the chemicals in the brain - what a Swizzz!
Well, to be totally technical about it everything we do has something to do with the chemicals in our brains.
And by the way what is a Swizzz?
Penelope
But Frank, something must have happened to me because I couldn't have been able to laugh about that, twenty or thirty years ago.
I am glad you have managed to come to terms with your situation, of course that is part of what spiritual growth is all about... isn't it?
Later