I think you proved exactly what I was saying. I would bet no one else in the world has the exact same beliefs you do, or that I do. I would bet no one in this room has the exact same beliefs. No denomination has exactly the same beliefs. Even the pastors in the same denomination are different. No religion is like any other religion. Is that bad? No. So why all the different views on God if people aren't drawing "their own unique but differnt conclusions"?

Then you said pretty much what I said. "God reaches down to us and gives us just a minute peek at his awsome self" Do you think you can know all of God in that peek? Nope. So why judge what others believe unless you know everything about Gods plan, and ways? Do you think each person gets the same peek at God? Again, why judge? Do you think that even if they do have the exact same peek, they would see, learn or describe exactly the same thing? Like I said before, it's like blind men telling each other they're wrong, or like the Bible says, the blind leading the blind till they fall in a ditch.

I never said anything like "religion has cut us off God by them partaking in a one way monologue (prayer) with God". I basically said we create our own problems due to our ignorance, and it gets labeled as knowing the true God for some silly reason. If God is beyond understanding, who can really say they know God?

As to me praying, I hardly ever ask God for anything for myself. If I truly believe God provides everything I need like the Bible says God does, there's nothing to ask for. The only thing left to say in prayer is thanking God and apolligizing for being such an idiot, or asking for something for someone else. As for questions like what should I do about this or that, the answer is always the same. Do Gods will, or I believe it's better phrased by saying align your actions with Gods, because God doesn't will us to do anything, or else we'd be doing exactly that.

Also I never said God will "leave us" in any way. That's impossible. We can ignore God, but we can never leave God, and God will never leave us.

See how you got "differnt conclusions" from the same words? #50953 got the purpose from what I posted and said "Thanks for the merriment your posting brought." I was just having a little laugh at ourselves, like you said to do in your original NDE post.

Maybe the secret for success is: follow your intuition.

Descartes, Bill Gates, The guy who sells Cosmopolitan, and a farmer are just people. With their own ideas and personalities.

The problem is that some people are _constantly_ looking for role models.

Looking for idols (it could be a Rock star or Mozart)... it doesn't matter who's the idol.

I know... it is part of our psychology, specially when we are child and we observe (and absorb) to our maternal/paternal figures.

Nevertheless, I believe we should be able to remain opened to other people ideas, always listening, and always thinking for ourselves. Sounds easy, right? :D

We can learn from others. But I think we also have to try to live our own words/thoughts, in our own lives, day by day.

So, action is a must. (yes, I know the Wu Wei ideas... but you know what I mean).

What if all this game on this realm, is about making choices and just living. A joyride.
There are endless accounts of people who had an NDE, and they come back because they have 'work to do'. Although they don't know exactly what they have to do.

Best,
Inan