How many Christians or non-Christians

[Dusty Rhodes]

Hummmmm, I meditate on a regular basis, not for understanding, power, vision nor to try to get in touch with any fallacious diety,... just to calm myself down. It works wonders.

[Goodpasture]

Originally Posted by Dusty Rhodes

Hummmmm, I meditate on a regular basis, not for understanding, power, vision nor to try to get in touch with any fallacious diety,... just to calm myself down. It works wonders.

I don't do it to get in touch with a fallacious deity either.

[Jazzymom]

I am not a Christian but a Jew. I meditate, I see G-d in everything and everywere. One does not need a building to be connected to G-d. I am connected spiritually to G-d and to my people. I pray alone and in my community. In Judaism there are certain prayers that can only be said in a minyan (10 or more people). We are a communal people. To be Jewish is to be part of a family. My Jewish family spans the globe and whether religious or not religious we are all connected.

[sitonmywhat]

Christian here. Officially Presbyterian-USA, but lapsed. Unofficially Episcopalian, now.
Meditation? Never a bad idea. Mostly, I practice and nourish an awareness of the Presence of The Almighty, whatever I might find myself doing. It provides comfort, serenity. There are many times I ask for guidance. But that is not to say that I put my brain and heart and spirit on "hold" while I wait for a reply.

When I go to church, the whole idea is to come together as a congregation. LOTS of words are the way to go. But not when I'm alone. I most often do not even need words. Not even words formulated as thoughts. Just a picture, or the image of the cross will do it for me. Where I live, we have a stinky view of the parking lot. But we have a "cut-out" view between buildings, and the centerpiece is a gorgeous steeple. It's lovely to see it, whenever it comes into view.

[cb2008]

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Simply meditate as a form of "worship" or as a method of communing with your concept of God or of the Creator?

Although I consider myself Christian, and follow many of the tenets of the Christian faith, I also follow some elements of my ndn heritage........smoke as a blessing or petition, white sage and sweetgrass smudge among them.

But the fundamental element of all my spiritual practice is to do as Matthew 6: 5-8 says do:



I have to note that I do not recall Jesus ever "going into a room and closing the door" but instead he went out alone into nature....the Garden of Gethsemane, the wilderness, etc. And this is where I, too, go. A walk in the woods, a period of quiet solitude, with the presence of the creator all around me.

And in maintaining the lesson taught by Jesus as stated above, I refuse to pray in public (in front of other people) such as a prayer before a meal, a promise to "pray for you" (effectively, in my mind, a form of bragging). Although I do some charitable efforts, I do so in complete anonymity unless it is to get someone else to participate (such as adopting an abandoned animal).

But the focal point of my spiritual life is in those quiet times, in the woods and prairies where I meditate/pray.....without religious dogma or trappings.

And I was wondering how many others use this as a significant part of your spiritual life........

Praying does not have to be a public spectacle for others, it can just be for oneself even when done in public. I dont quite get this praying in secret, as if it is a bad thing. Praying is between you and the Divinity that is everywhere, there is no secret place.
I am Hindu and we rarely go to the temple. When i do go i like the elaborate worship that the priests do, the names by which the Divinity is addressed, the mages it creates in my mind. It creates a sense of majesty and also a personal intimate space within me.