Discussion:
Global Spiritual Summit
(too old to reply)
David Dalton
2003-08-20 05:25:29 UTC
Permalink
On my web page http://www.nfld.com/~dalton/dtales.html I have
begun to lobby for a UN-sponsored global spiritual summit with
representation from all spiritual paths and atheism and agnosticism.
Small paths would be represented on a mini-umbrella council
which would send a representative to the main council. Said
main council (perhaps enforced by the UN) would set out a
minimum set of human rights, environmental and animal rights
standards that each path would have to meet (some would
exceed them) to be recognized by the UN. Said standards
would include tolerance of other paths also meeting the standards.

Now here is a slightly edited version of the short version of my
web page:

My main messages (which I am pushing, but am not pushing other details
of my personal spiritual path, and am not in an organized path and am
not starting one) are:

--- strive to love both within our species and to members of other
species and to each species as a unit and to the environment

--- there are many possible paths up a mountain, and many do in
theory meet or exceed UN-determined loving standards and others
could easily be adjusted from within to do so. (See below for
my rough initial suggestions for such a UN spiritual summit
agenda and follow up with your own if you like.)

--- not taking up a path unless it truly resonates with you, and have
an individual connection with the path and not just blindly
follow; i.e. an individual connection to the divine (or within
society and the environment if you are an atheist),

--- individual responsibility to be a seed of good (e.g. to grow the
flame of love within you by internal and external good thoughts
and good deeds so as to make love/goodness a larger part of
all/everything)

--- believe anything that there is evidence for (but work to change it
if it is not loving) and don't believe something that there is
evidence against (but try to bring it into existence if it is
loving) and feel free to believe anything you like that is
loving and that has no evidence for or against it but don't
shove such theories down anyone else's throat. Of course I
am pushing these messages but I think there is some evidence
for and need for them.

--- some similarities between the lives (and in many cases message
overlap to some extent too) of some past pagan and non-pagan
figures; I have done very little research in this area since
1997 but do claim I am similar to some such past figures and
present my biographical data and writings so far so you can
make the decision (though really you might not for decades).
However I don`t want glory by such a claim but merely a little
backing for my messages, i.e. you may be more likely to view
such messages as inspired. However I know some are likely to
take me less seriously with such a claim. And I intend to
maintain my grounding in science and will try to explain my
lunar and solar cycles in terms of resonance with natural
cycles and if I successful in instigating change that could
be explained as a systemic focus of change or butterfly
catastrophe/chaos theory unfolding of a biological system
(our species).


Now here is a bit more on my proposed UN Spiritual Summit.

There should be a UN-sponsored global spiritual summit of
representatives of all spiritual paths (including small ones) and
atheism and agnosticism which would set out a minimum standard for
spiritual paths that would meet international human (including women)
rights and environmental standards and animal rights standards and
would require tolerance of other paths also meeting the standards. But
beyond such standards there would be lots of loving diversity, many
petals on the rose.

My suggestions so far (and you can think of your own, and follow
up with them if you like) for agenda items for such a summit are
below.

--- no human sacrifice,

--- possibly no animal sacrifice but that might be debatable in cases
of non-supermarket peoples who treat the animal humanely and
consume or use the body but I lean against it personally,

--- no clitorectomy,

--- no discrimination against women, children, or men (but e.g. it may
be acceptable to have same sex sweat lodges or even same sex
organizations such as Dianic Wicca); and ordination of both
genders in paths that include both genders.

--- ramble (will edit): no discrimination against natural same sex
sexuality or even natural sexuality in general (except rape
and sex with children and sex with animals), or against those
who choose a celibate lifestyle as long as that sexual repression
does not lead to child abuse. I also tend to lean toward supporting
allowance of committed polyamoric relationships such as those
described on newsgroup alt.polyamory . I tend to lean to some
sort of commitment/connection before sex but not necessarily
marriage immediately but perhaps the prospect
(thought/possibility) of marriage especially if the sexual fire
does turn out to be strong both ways; and use of birth control
before marriage (and for family planning after marriage; and
condoms for protection against HIV and other STDs). It is time
we dropped old military pronouncements designed to increase
population for military purposes or religious path strength; we
now have a population of nearly 6 billion. Such pronouncements
include those against loving compatible adult same sex
relationships, against masturbation, against birth control,
against committed marriage groups of more than two, and
against education of girls and women and employment of women.
But I am against sex where there is not love and lust both ways
since that is like a form of cold rape, and I am against sex as
a commodity or leverage tool though I know some individuals
are forced into that and I hope that that will become no longer
necessary. But don`t have sex unless there is love and true lust
both ways else it can cause negative effects, and I include
lustless sex for procreation only in that.

--- no environmental abuse (or at least strive towards that)

--- no abuse of other species (ideally love other species as a whole
species and strive to love individual members of other species)

--- strive to love all members of our own species, but loving
non-loving individuals may include curing them rather than just
turning the other cheek in all cases, but ideally methods other
than war can be used for
persuasion/healing/transformation/mediation/negotiation

--- no intolerance of other paths that meet the standard, and that
there are many paths up the spiritual/moral mountain and that
someone else in another loving path won't suffer for eternity
for not being in a certain path

--- again acceptance of birth control, and I lean towards acceptance
of early abortion but that is debatable and sangomas may know
more about that (whether a certain added mom aura glint/glow
comes in at conception or e.g. 3 lunar months after, or
something like that?),

--- no enforced enrolment in a path but only enrolment after an
educated choice (feeling of resonance with the path/individual
connection with the divine or if atheist, maybe within the
society and environment),

--- individual responsibility to be a seed of good, rather than just
passive dependence on other humans or deities.

--- I would lobby for recognition of similarities in the lives of
some past pagan and non-pagan religious figures and
probably in their messages though I haven't delved as
much into that (their messages) yet. The reason some
are more well known today is because they were in
more populated areas or hubs, used writing, their stuff
was later taken up by agressive evangelists such as Paul,
and their stuff may have been taken up as state religion
by imperialists such as the Romans
.
However I am not lobbying for anyone to accept the other elements of
my evolving individual polytheistic neopagan religion and I am
currently not in an organized path and am not trying to start one, but
I am a non-denominational neopagan, and am also human (and
have partly explained my experiences in terms of science and
partly explained my beliefs in terms of science and will continue
to work on that)

David
Lawson English
2003-08-20 08:54:45 UTC
Permalink
"David Dalton" <***@nfld.com> wrote in message news:***@4ax.com...
[...]
Post by David Dalton
My suggestions so far (and you can think of your own, and follow
up with them if you like) for agenda items for such a summit are
below.
[...]
You DO realize that there are "paths," major and minor, that violate one or
more of those issues (with the possible exception of human sacrifice, and I
wouldn't bet on that one).

I'd be hard-pressed to think of a path that didn't violate at least one. Do
what the Transcendental Meditation organization does. Recognize that just
about ANY human behaviior is socially acceptable someplace, and just come up
with a few "house rules" for people who have chosen to learn, and/or for
people who chose to participate under the auspices of the organization. You
can make allowances for illegal behavior outside the meeting that impacts on
participation in the meeting, also.

In other words, keep your nose clean during the meeting, and don't do
anything (or have skeletons in the closet) that might warrant police
entering the meeting to arrest you and if they DO arrest you, don't expect
to be invited back.

Anything more specific than guidelines like those will exclude participation
by most of the human race.
David Dalton
2003-08-23 18:31:39 UTC
Permalink
Post by Lawson English
[...]
Post by David Dalton
My suggestions so far (and you can think of your own, and follow
up with them if you like) for agenda items for such a summit are
below.
[...]
You DO realize that there are "paths," major and minor, that violate one or
more of those issues (with the possible exception of human sacrifice, and I
wouldn't bet on that one).
My suggestions for just standards are just that, suggestions,
though I am pushing the main messages part fairly hard and
would lobby for the "suggestions for Un-standards part"
too but they might not be adopted yet by the UN. But basically
any behaviour, including discriminationa and intolerance,
that would not be tolerated outside of religion should not
be tolerated because it is presented as part of a religion
which may have hardwired in out-of-dat legal/political codea
not meeting modern standards. So while many religions
are doing find, I want standards (a new global covenant,
forged by linked global spiritual/atheist summit with
guidance from a related UN brokered global political summit)
set down (or really just reinforced in some cases) to
some religions, such that they would have to tolerate other
religions meeting the standards. However that is not
an easy task and I doubt it will happen quickly if ever.

But obviously if some paths do violate some standards such
as no clitorectomy they would have to agree to abide
by those standards or be declared (or remain in
some cases) outlaw paths, and lose their tax free
status in some countries. But I would hope that
a Wican would still be able to cast a healing spell, e.g.

But it is hard to nudge this giant of a world.

DRD

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