"My identity dictates my behavior"

OCTOBER23

New member
JAMIE GIGGILO,

FAST AND BECOME A VEGETARIAN AND YOUR PASSIONS WILL CALM DOWN.

Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
 

Jamie Gigliotti

New member
Identity by politics, identity by religion, identity by wealth, … there seems to be a real problem these days with people identifying themselves as themselves. Why has it become so difficult for people to think for themselves, and decide for themselves what they will believe and how they should behave? We seem to be becoming a nation of idiots, all freely lapping up whatever our ideological overlords tell us. From Rush Limbaugh to Bill O'Reilly to Obama, to the cadre of TV Bible idolators, the media has become the mothership, sending out it's endless stream of programming intended to tell us all what to think, what to do, what to believe and who we are, because it doesn't dare let us start thinking for ourselves. And of course we can't think for ourselves so long as we're drowning in the din of the mothership's incessant propaganda.

God made us each to be uniquely ourselves. Not to throw ourselves away to join some Bible-worshipping religious cult. Turn off the radios, shut off the TVs, and put down the Bibles, and take the time to sit with and face yourself. And to find out who you really are, without someone else telling you who you're supposed to be.

And then be yourself, as God create you and intended you to be.

Each one of us a unique glorious creation, but with self discovery comes the danger of the self wanting primacy in 'our lives'. Our selves, our passions can very much be a detriment. Self idolizing, is a barrier between us and God. Pride is the root of all sin.

Identifying as His child first with unique attributes designed to do the good God wills causes no harm.
 

Jamie Gigliotti

New member
The people of Jacob were adopted as God's nation but for the most part they were not begotten of the Spirit. They lacked the faith necessary for salvation.

We are begotten of the Spirit to be born of the Spirit at the coming of Jesus to establish his kingdom on earth.

We may think we are His children, but it is His Spirit that confirms it.
 

Jamie Gigliotti

New member
JAMIE GIGGILO,

FAST AND BECOME A VEGETARIAN AND YOUR PASSIONS WILL CALM DOWN.

Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

I'd rather fast and raise my passion for Jesus.
 

Town Heretic

Out of Order
Hall of Fame
I think anna found the heart of this and I'd like to address it.
God made us each to be uniquely ourselves.
Couldn't agree more, though I'd add that the point of our individuality isn't found there.

Not to throw ourselves away to join some Bible-worshipping religious cult.
I don't know what Bible-worshiping cult means to you. So it's hard to respond on the point.

Turn off the radios, shut off the TVs, and put down the Bibles, and take the time to sit with and face yourself.
I'll agree that the unexamined life isn't worth much. I don't know why I'd want to put down my Bible though. Seems a bit like going on an expedition without a map.

And to find out who you really are, without someone else telling you who you're supposed to be. And then be yourself, as God create you and intended you to be.
But then I can't listen to you on the point if I'm to take it. I'd say that if we trust God more than we trust our own judgment and lean on Him to do what we aren't capable of it will all work out well enough. :cheers:
 
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Ktoyou

Well-known member
Hall of Fame
Tossing out Christianity; however, I will tell you the truth, you are not as much being yourself as you are being a 'tape' about what you believe you should be.
Now bring Jesus back in your life and you have a solid belief and the Holy Spirit will guide you to an authentic sense of a meaningful life!
 

annabenedetti

like marbles on glass
For the most part, I have. But it's been a struggle because like all of us, I grew being told who I was by others, and I believed them because I didn't know any better. And once I believed them, I had little reason to question it, until life made it impossible for my to keep on believing it.

I can relate to that.

But we don't all have to wait until we're caught in dire straits. We could begin the process now, slowly, and find our real selves over time, and without so much painful struggle.

Yes, I do. But I also know that I fall into old patters of behavior and ways of thinking. And I also know that I don't know myself, fully. That there are aspects to me that I have not yet seen manifested. Life as 'PureX' is an adventure. As it is should be for each of us.

We shouldn't need to fear being honest. Even if it turns out that we're wrong. How else can we learn? Besides, we're just electrons on a screen, here, anyway. :)
Thank you for answering, I appreciate it. I think some (many? most?) go through life never really knowing themselves, let alone loving themselves. In the effort to avoid being self-absorbed, going too far the other way. And maybe just not wanting to look too closely at themselves for fear of what they might see.
 

PureX

Well-known member
Each one of us a unique glorious creation, but with self discovery comes the danger of the self wanting primacy in 'our lives'. Our selves, our passions can very much be a detriment. Self idolizing, is a barrier between us and God.
Self-idolizing: that is making ourselves out to be the embodiment of God (as opposed to our being expressions of God's love and generosity and forgiveness) is the 'original sin' of man. Because it does cut us off from the truth of our own being, and from the truth of our place within Creation. And the antidote to this 'original sin' is humility.

Humility is understanding ourselves to be no more, and no less than we are. It's the practice of keeping an honest and proportioned perspective on ourselves and on our place in the world.

I see far too much of religious Christianity that has completely disregarded the wisdom and practice of humility. And as a result, such religion becomes a mechanism for puffing up people's self-righteousness, and justifying the wholesale judgment and condemnation of others. The Christian ideals of forgiveness and generosity get discarded and replaced with an obsession with authoritarianism, and with absolute obedience to a religious dogma.

It's heartbreaking to witness, because our humanity becomes spurned as if it were evil, and our individuality is punished for it's 'disobedience to the dogma'.

And I have long since shunned religious Christianity for this reason.
 
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PureX

Well-known member
I think some (many? most?) go through life never really knowing themselves, let alone loving themselves. In the effort to avoid being self-absorbed, going too far the other way. And maybe just not wanting to look too closely at themselves for fear of what they might see.
I'm not well versed in psychology, but it seems to me that our egos are mightily invested in protecting our idea of ourselves, whether that idea is accurate or not. And so we end up having to do battle with our own egos to finally gain the courage and peace of mind needed to honestly self-reflect. And many of us will not have the tenacity to take on that battle voluntarily. I know I didn't.

But some do. And many could. And I know this because when life finally forced me to do it, I did. And although it was very scary for a time, it was enormously worth it, and became more so each day. Taking the 'self' on as a kind of life-project is actually a pretty rewarding task. As I've found that I'm funny, and smart, and generally both kind and happy. I'm also a bit weird, stubborn, and lazy, though I've come to see being lazy as it's own odd kind of virtue. I'm creative and thoughtful and courageous in a few key ways, but I wish it were true in some others. Generally it turns out that I'm a way better person than I was led to believe when I didn't know any better, and I find this is true for almost everyone I've ever known that went to the trouble to discover themselves.

So I highly recommend it to anyone. :)
 

elohiym

Well-known member
Humility is understanding ourselves to be no more, and no less than we are. It's the practice of keeping an honest and proportioned perspective on ourselves and on our place in the world.

I like your definition of humility. :)
 

glassjester

Well-known member
it seems to me that our egos are mightily invested in protecting our idea of ourselves, whether that idea is accurate or not.

How can you ever know if the idea of yourself (that you happen to currently believe) is the "real" one or not?
 

elohiym

Well-known member
If the Father says you are His son, then that is your identity. What more do you need to know? We discover the implications as we live.
 

PureX

Well-known member
How can you ever know if the idea of yourself (that you happen to currently believe) is the "real" one or not?
It's a process. It takes some time, and it requires a lot of 'rigorous honesty'. I look for instances when I experience anger or resentment toward people or circumstances in my life, and then really study them to try and find out why I'm reacting that way. (Not just immediately justify and rationalize those thought and feelings as my ego will always want me to do.) This will help me see when my reactions are out of reason and proportion with the facts of my reality. And from that I can begin to see how I am misperceiving things. I also have to watch my own behaviors, and see how they align with my intent. You know; that old saying about how insanity is doing the same things over and over while expecting a different result. The result is reality. If my intent is not aligning with my reality, I am not seeing something clearly, there, for some reason. If I catch myself doing that, I really want to know what's fueling it. I learn a lot of things about myself, and about my own thinking, just by paying attention to it. And to how it is effecting me.

The truth is 'what is'. Not what I think it is. So I have to keep an eye out for when these are not aligning.
 
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