TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Following eye surgery, clear focusing has not returned and eye strain results from anything other than a brief exposure to a computer screen; moreover, two follow up procedures must be arranged to "fine tune" the effects of the surgery; hence, the postings will be brief for awhile.
2. [See the offer following this post for details on how you can watch a retreat on video which includes a detailed discussion of all seven of the steps on the path as used by Maharaj]
3. Here, with those who are still driven to talk about "God," the "Son of God," the "Holy Spirit," "Buddha," "Krishna," etc., etc., etc., the invitation to them is to view those as verbs, not nouns. See the end of the post for the full meaning and implications of that.
4. A new video ("Number Ten: Awakening Together Satsang, March 2018") has now been added in the far right column of this page, offering the opportunity to view a recent 2018 satsang session with Floyd being interviewed by Regina and Jacqueline of "The Awakening Together Group."
THE PREREQUISITES FOR FANATICISM TO MANIFEST
1. Extremist beliefs involving religion, spiritual movements, ideologies, philosophies or other cults or political movements.
2. Dual-mindedness: Yeshu'a (Jesus) warned, "A dual-minded person is unstable in all ways."
3. A desire for power / a Power / Powers.
4. Beliefs about being holy or otherwise different from others and better than others; that is, being dominated by arrogance and conceit and egotism and a sense of superiority.
5. Judgmentalism, anger, resentment, and a false sense of victimization.
6. Addiction: to both control and to the power required to exercise it.
7. Mental and emotional illness as a result of having a full-blown case of the Ultimate Sickness.
8. Being driven by the key symptoms of the Ultimate Sickness (which Maharaj identified as "ignorance, stupidity, and insanity").
9. Blind faith.
10. Unquestioning acceptance of all which has been taught via "ignorant, stupid, and insane" programming and conditioning and domestication and acculturation and brainwashing and indoctrination.
11. An attachment to absolutes, including . . .
. . . a rigid sense of what is absolutely "right" and absolutely "wrong";
. . . an unyielding sense of what is "sinful" and what is "virtuous";
and
. . . a belief that "good" and "evil" both exist, that everything and everyone is either all one or all the other, and that one can know unerringly exactly who and what is "good" and exactly who and what is "evil."
11. A belief in one's assigned or assumed personality identifications and an unconscious willingness to allow all of their accompanying personality disorders to drive one's thoughts and words and actions.
12. Being dogmatic.
13.An absence of critical analysis skills and a refusal to even consider facts which challenge one's nonfactual beliefs.
14. A belief in one's assigned or assumed personality identifications and an unconsciousness willing to allow all of their accompanying personality disorders to drive one's thoughts and words and actions.
As an example of the latter, considered what Christine Hammond, MS, LMHC observed and reported in her article entitled, "The Three Personality Disorders Prevalent in Religious Environments":
If only churches, synagogues, and mosques were safe places for people to learn about God and grow spiritually. But sadly, many are not. Rather, they can become safe places for three of the most intense personality disorders. Regardless of the religious belief system that a person subscribes to, these three disorders can be found within the leadership structure of many religious organizations.
Why? Because followers of the organization come with an honest desire to grow spiritually, fellowship with other like believers, and worship God. They are not suspecting to be taken advantage of, lied to, manipulated, and coerced. They expect this behavior outside of the religious institute not inside it.
Here are the three personality disorders prevalent in religious institutions and how to identify them:
A. Anti-Social Personality Disorder (Sociopath / Psychopath). This is the most dangerous of the bunch because Anti-Social Personality Disorder (ASPD) is the most difficult to identify and the most treacherous. ASPDs frequently wear a variety of masks and have the ability to be chameleon like in nature. This allows them to make commitments (which they have no intention of carrying out) while actually doing the opposite. Their ability to deceive is so excellent that even when caught, they are able to talk their way out of anything. The best evidence of an ASPD is the wake of destroyed relationships in their past. If they will stab one person in the back, they will do it to another without any remorse. The danger in confronting ASPDs is that they are highly revengeful and will stop at nothing until a person is completely destroyed. This personality can be violent when provoked.
B. Narcissistic Personality Disorder. A person with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) loves to be the center of attention. Religious environments provide a great place for NPDs to be treated superior whether or not they deserve it. Many times they will appear to listen to the advice of others, but their actions do not reinforce it. NPDs believe they have a special relationship with God and therefore should be in complete control. Often, they will degrade, discount, or dismiss those who are not entirely loyal to them. It is easy to pick out the NPD because they are the most charming of the disorders with an unusual ability to appear harmless, caring, and generous. But at the heart of a NPD is a deeply insecure person who will stop at nothing to protect their image and fend off any embarrassment. NPDs can be confronted but only in very small doses and surrounded by excessive praise.
C. Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder. In religious circles, OCPDs are very legalistic about the rules and order to the point that they miss the real meaning behind worship. Ironically, OCPDs claim they are not dogmatic but their actions and treatment of those living outside of the rules proves otherwise. There is no compromise with OCPDs, everything is either black or white and they are the principle determining factor as to who falls into which category. By appearance, OCPDs are easily recognizable as they always look very put together and are impeccably groomed. Confronting them can be very successful if it is presented as a better and more efficient way. But be prepared to have a long exhausting analytical discussion.
Having an understanding of these personality disorders and how they thrive in religious environments helps to prevent becoming entangled with them.
So, add to our list:
15. Being deceptive.
16. Being dangerous.
17. Being willing to "break relationships" without remorse; having no empathy.
18. A propensity for violence (which can manifest in many ways and to varying degrees but which more often than not manifest in higher and higher degrees of aggression or hostility).
19. A preoccupation with image and fame or notoriety, often trying to exert oneself into a "lead role" in a movement, a demonstration, a rally, a campaign, a protest, a riot, etc.
20. Being unmovingly fixed..
On the whole, all of the prerequisites result when one is driven by the symptoms of the Ultimate Sickness, after which fanaticism will manifest and dominate.
To be continued
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Here, with those who are still driven to talk about "God," the "Son of God," the "Holy Spirit," "Buddha," "Krishna," etc., etc., etc., the invitation to them is to view those as verbs, not nouns.
THE EXPLANATION
If looked at as nouns, they point to illusions and are, therefore, a total waste of time to even discuss; if looked at as verbs which are resulting in certain sane but rare behaviors among humanity, then they are worthy of some attention during the relative existence.
Meaning? There are members of certain groups who say things such as "My concept of God in the past was of a weak God, an absentee God, A Santa Claus-type God, a mean, punishing, vindictive God, etc. Today, I am in close contact with a loving and caring God whom I worship and praise and glorify and give thanks to."
The reply to that usually goes like this: "If you are in contact with a God that wants to be worshipped and praised and glorified, then you're dealing with someone like yourself - a narcissist - and hanging out with narcissists will never bring an end to your narcissism (that narcissism evidenced by the fact that you think you are "godly").
Next, in the phrase 'loving and caring God,' any supposed God that truly had her or his act together would tell you that the totally irrelevant part of that phrase is 'God' and that the only part that is relevant is the "loving and caring" part.
"That is, a non-narcissistic god / goddess would say, "I care not an iota about being worshipped and praised and glorified by you or anyone else. How arrogant and insecure and needy would I have to be to want that? Forget the man-made, dreamed up noun 'God' and focus on the 'God as a verb' understanding and then go forth and let loving and caring be verbs - not adjectives - and let them generate the act of love and the act of caring and let those actions manifest through you."
Yeshu'a (Jesus) and Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis were spot on:
"No one shall ever see 'the kingdom of heaven.' It is within"
and
"Heaven and earth shall fade away."
--Yeshu'a (Jesus)
and
"Heaven and hell are not geographic places but are states of mind, nothing more than concepts dreamed up by men."
--Pope John Paul II
"There is no hell."
--Pope Francis, the current pope
[in an interview with journalist Eugenio Scalfari,
a writer used by the Pope to issue off the record
teachings which become a part of the Papal Magisterium]
Here's
the direct link to the VIDEO VERSION
of the "Awakening Together" satsang session with Regina and Jacqueline referenced earlier, 18 MARCH 2018
If preferred, here's
the direct link to the AUDIO VERSION
of that session.
