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    marye
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    In one of the other topics, one of the folks seemed not to be so sure of the reception he'd get for saying he was a youth minister at his church. In my experience, Deadheads span the full spectrum from Agnostic to Zoroastrian. I've met atheist Deadheads, Muslim Deadheads, Buddhist Deadheads, Catholic Deadheads, Jewish Deadheads, and Wiccan Deadheads. My Deadhead friends are all over the map on this stuff, and as far as I'm concerned one of the real richnesses of the scene is the ability to see how things look to other folks and, sometimes, experience it from their world. Believe it if you need it, if you don't, just pass it on. But talk about it here, and please maintain a safe respectful place to do so.

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  • Hal R
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    CCj on heaven and god
    That's lots of food for thought or nonthought if I put my Zen hat on. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake
  • WalpoleChinaCat
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    this must be heaven
    Excellent composition CCJ not sure if you researched all that but my hats off to you for sharing it for the masses Peace on the Increase Mark
  • iknowurider
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    That's beautiful CCJ
    Wonderful to read & so true. Thank God for the GOGD :-) PEACE
  • c_c
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    this must be heaven
    thank heaven for the Grateful Dead, Hunter, Barlow, Dylan, and every other lyric and song writer in this grate big wide world!! Better Bad Luck When the sun hangs low in the heaven and the cold clear dew Celebration Speak it from the pits or from heaven above China Doll A pistol shot at five o'clock; the bells of heaven ring Cortical Five The boat is small, it rolls to Heaven, at a crawl Did I Mention (I Want Your Love) I want your rainbow in my sky, your Heaven in my blue Drunkard's Carol Another cup for Heaven's sake Fair To Even Odds Hear the hot sweet winds of heaven, thick and red as blood to me Gathering Flowers For The Master's Bouquet Surely it's so, for in heaven's own way Hard Time That shines from heaven through the roof of my car They say that Heaven ain't so far away Heaven Help The Fool Heaven help the fool; guess I showed the sons of bitches Heaven help the fool, professional gimme-fiver High Timberline So close to heaven, up high timberline If I Had The World To Give Or ask for the moon and heaven too? Jack Straw Took his rings, four bucks in change, ain't that heaven sent Jacob Baum (Water Witch) All the wells were long gone dry--heaven presented no sign Knockin' on Heaven's Door I feel like I'm knocking on heaven's door The Last Song Stars in the heaven, birds in the nest Let It Be Me Don't take this heaven from one Love Doesn't Have To Be Pretty It's a long climb to heaven this way Money Money Lovely to look upon, heaven to touch New Orleans And you ain't been to heaven if you ain't been there No More Do I Let me live in your blue heaven when I die, when I die One More Saturday Night I looked up into heaven, lord I saw a mighty sign Writ in fire across the heaven, plain as black and white Then God way up in heaven, for whatever it was worth The Pits Of Thunder Here in the whirlwind pits of thunder where the hounds of Heaven bay Prodigal Town If heaven has sent it or hell has just lent it Rock-n-Roll Blues God・スs in his heaven, it's like I said Rosa Lee McFall Then God way up in heaven, for her one day did call Roving Sign I may go straight to heaven when I kick this mortal shell Saint Of Circumstance This must be heaven, tonight I crossed the line This must be heaven, 'cause here's where the rainbow ends Well it's been heaven, but even rainbow's will end Sangre De Cristo Halfway to Heaven, call your name Simply Nowhere I took a trip to heaven, and I clambered down to hell The Song Remains Trying to forget the days when heaven met the world below Standing on the Moon Just looking up to heaven at this crescent in the sky A lovely view of heaven but I'd rather be with you Star Baby Gap You know I love you in heaven, I love you in hell Swing Low Sweet Chariot If you get to heaven before I do Tiger Rose Tiger Rose, Heaven knows, I just love you so Tough Changes Could it be heaven hanging low, now or never, who's to know Track 6 Track Six to heaven, baby, wouldn't that be nice Tumblin' Oh baby, you know it can be just like heaven It was heaven before, yes it was Upside Down My whole world turned for heaven's sake A Voice From On High It's coming from heaven on high Way to Go Home Like the moon in high heaven, you're just going through a phase thank God for the Grateful Dead: The Rub Said, Ive had no lovin・ since God knows when Amagamalin Street You can load up that gun but God help you, Chet Arizona Lightning You broke every law of God and man Ballad of Casey Jones Put their trust in the hands of God Ballad Of A Thin Man And you say, "Oh my God, am I here all alone?" Barbed Wire Whipping Party The other day I went to Mars and talked to God Book Of Daniel Drinking glory to himself as though he were a god Boys In The Barroom Does God look down on the boys in the barroom Brown-Eyed Women Delilah Jones went to meet her God Copper Mother of God, he didn't spend much time as a child Cupful Of Rain God bless you and keep you from harm The Devil Rode Out were it not already sold to God above and Christ below Dice With The Universe God don't play dice with the universe With the universe God don't play dice God with the universe don't play dice God don't roll no dice around here End Of The Road God knows for one time in my life, I acted with reserve Eva God knows it may shrink to fit Face Me I pray to God you find someone else, even if it isn't me Franklin's Tower God save the child who rings that bell Friday Hand God only knows what he's talking about, God only knows but he tries Games People Play God grant me the serenity to remember who I am I'll Sing Again Of busted dreams and god-forsaken men I'm A Loving Man I'll make you shout Great God Almighty Independence Day My God, you would have sworn it from the sound It Doesn't Matter Whenever Man plans, it makes God laugh Ivory Wheels/Rosewood Track Swore to God in lightning storm he'd catch her, too John Henry's Burial God rest that steel drivin' boy Jordan So let us keep in touch with Jesus and in the special love of God Just Passin' Through This little old morsel of God's sweet batter Keep Your Day Job God bless the child with his own stash Key To Your Room God damn, Buddy, whatcha talking about? Last Flash Of Rock And Roll Singing Nearer My God but Not Just Yet Let The Mountain Be My Home God writes testament in stars, believe no words you read Maggie's Farm Well she talks to all the servants about man and God and law Me And My Uncle Love my uncle, God rest his soul Morgan Montague But they wrote, here lies Montague, God got the final laugh Northeast By West If it had not of been for you, God knows how it would end One More Saturday Night Then God way up in heaven, for whatever it was worth Red Car If you run as fine as you look, God knows you must run all right Rosa Lee McFall Then God way up in heaven, for her one day did call Samson and Delilah She had good looks - God knows - and coal black hair Stagger Lee Three piece band on the corner played "nearer my God to thee" Tioga Pass Glory in the morning and God bless you Tons Of Steel Well I have prayed to God this ain't the day we meet Uncle John's Band God damn, well I declare, have you seen the like? We Can Run Like hammering blow from God's left hand The Wheel Big wheel turning by the grace of God and, thank Allah, too! Blues For Allah Lyrics: Robert Hunter Music: Jerry Garcia In "Box Of Rain" Robert Hunter notes: "This lyric is a requiem for King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, a progressive and democratically inclined ruler (and, incidentally, a fan of the Grateful Dead) whose assassination in 1975 shocked us personally. The lyrics were printed in Arabic on the jacket of te Middle Eastern release of the album." Arabian wind The Needle's Eye is thin The Ships of State sail on mirage And drown in sand Out in no man's land Where Allah does command What good is spilling blood? It will not grow a thing "Taste Eternity", the swords sing Blues for Allah, Insh'Allah They lie where they fall There's nothing more to say The desert stars are bright tonight Let's meet as friends The flower of Islam The fruit of Abraham The thousand stories Have come round to one again Arabian Night Our gods pursue their fight What fatal flowers of darkness Bloom from seeds of light Bird of Paradise Fly in the white sky Blues for Allah, Insh'Allah Let's see with our heart These things our eyes have seen And know the truth must still Lie somewhere in between Unusual Occurrences In The Desert Under eternity Under eternity Under eternity blue (note 3) Under eternity Under eternity Under eternity blue [repeat] Bird of Paradise Fly in white sky Blues for Allah, Insh'Allah and religion: Desolation Row Her profession's her religion; her sin is her lifelessness special kudos and muchas gracias to http://www3.clearlight.com/~acsa/intro.htm for making the lyric searches so easy. love and peace.
  • starsleeper
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    a new song
    I look up at the sky, sitting here watching the universe go byWe're born, we live, we die. Fill what's between with Love, and learn to fly Ane take the time to see, life's reality, there's only one way to be free, and that's to Love I walk and wonder why, we let the chance at Heaven here just pass us by We fight and then we cry, and though it seems we can't go on but still we try So take the time to see, God's diversity, there's only one way to be free And that's to Love
  • starsleeper
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    Small wheel turn by the fire
    Small wheel turn by the fire and rodBig wheel turn by the grace of God Jerry sure played a lot of Gospel music, and I am grateful for that Jerry jammin for Jesus, let your lovelight shine
  • marye
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    I am truly sorry to be missing this
    but alas I have a previous engagement. I hope to get a full report!
  • dgans
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    'St Stephen with a Rose': Ritual, Rapture and the GD Experience

    Sunday, June 1st
    'Saint Stephen with a Rose': Ritual, Rapture and the Grateful Dead Experience

    Guest Speaker: Mary Goodenough
    Guest musician: David Gans
    Worship Leader: David Dodd

    Drawing on mythologist Joseph Campbell's lecture: "Ritual and Rapture: From Dionysus to the Grateful Dead," Goodenough will discuss ritual and rapture as they relate to the Grateful Dead experience. Grateful Dead concerts were, as Campbell discovered first hand, a container for religious experience characterized by an opening of the heart. The music, dancing and participation of all present created a ritual performance that brought about a catharsis of mind, heart and senses, thus opening one both into full awareness of the self and one's relationship with the natural world. Goodenough will also consider a few lyrical images (from Grateful Dead anthem "Saint Stephen," and others), then briefly describe their personal signifiance as well as their centrality to the Grateful Dead experience.

    Mary Goodenough, a member of UUP, is a published scholar on the topic of Grateful Dead spirituality. David Gans, guest musician, is a long-time authority on the band and a wonderful musician in his own right. UUP member David Dodd has published three books about the band, and runs the Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics website. Gans/GD Hour blog
    GD Hour station list

  • c_c
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    forgiveness and apologies
    Vincent Vega: Jules, did you ever hear the philosophy that once a man admits that he is wrong, that he is immediately forgiven for all wrongdoings? Zen Story: "Is that so?" Hakuin was a famous Zen master in Japan. He lived in a remote village and was often praised by his neighbours as a man of pure living. Once, a beautiful, unwedded girl in the village was found pregnant. Being a very conservative village, the family was furious. The girl refused to confess who the man was, but after much beating and harasssment by her parents, she finally named the master Hakuin. In great anger, the girl's family confronted the master, but all he would do was calmly say, "Is that so?". After the baby was born, it was brought to Hakuin and he took very good care of the child. He begged for milk and other things the little one needed from his neighbours. By this time, Hakuin's reputation was completely destroyed, but that didn't trouble him. He was often scorned by the villagers, but that didn't bother him, either. A year later, the girl-mother finally broke down and confessed the truth. The baby's father was not Hakuin, but a young man who worked nearby. The girl's parents went to Hakuin at once and begged profusely for his forgiveness, and to get the baby back. Hakuin willingly gave back the baby and all he said was, "Don't worry about it. Go home". source: http://www.serve.com/cmtan/buddhism/Stories/is.tt.so.html
  • c_c
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    old school
    old school if Ihave to explain, you wouldn't understand is my first response. but, ok, one example, First, please try to understand the use of vocabulary from a different age or time period, there was a period of time that the term 'old man' and 'old lady' were about as endearing as you could possibly be in our world. (hers and mine) far more loving than the term wife in OUR opinion... if SHE (my old lady) don't mind and prefers to be called that, that is what I do. SO: (here is the lesson, trifecta--pretty please with sugar on top, please read carefully) the old school notion, would be, 'if they are happy with that, why should I care or disagree?' is there something wrong with being a kitchen hand?? if a person does their job well, and has self respect for doing so; than that is a wonderful thing in my book. this is also an old school idea. if a person chooses a path in life, or accepts their fate with dignity,r and does what they do well and in earnest, I respect that. something wrong with 'bad words'? did I ever say 'fuck you' or fuck those people?? nope. and if you go back and re-read the 'sock' post, you might discover that I said sock, not a punch sock. 'to shut up comments like that' talking about the 'fuck the Irish' you wrote. truth be told, I never read what you write, Trifecta, I stopped reading what you say long ago before on the old board. again, my way of thinking was, 'if he is happy thinking that, why should I care or disagree?' if others want to debate, or whatever, cool for them. now I regret I saw what you said, -- but skimming down I could not help but see that, 'fuck the Irish' and yeah, like I said, it was totally beat to see that, and totally un-cool. and 'fuck the Irish from Ireland, and I am a Conway so it is ok to say that about those people because my ancestors came from there... sheesh. I was reading The Teaching of Buddha, (893rd edition published by the Society for the Promotion of Buddhism) and I will quote from that: "We must not let wild words pass our lips lest they arouse feelings of anger and hatred." to everyone else: I apologize for putting this shit here in the religion thread because it is not directly related to religion, though I did get my cool Buddha quote which was right on target me thinks. ( I was also gonna say 'is there something wrong with being a carpenter".... but didn't want to confuse the issues more) ( -; peace
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In one of the other topics, one of the folks seemed not to be so sure of the reception he'd get for saying he was a youth minister at his church. In my experience, Deadheads span the full spectrum from Agnostic to Zoroastrian. I've met atheist Deadheads, Muslim Deadheads, Buddhist Deadheads, Catholic Deadheads, Jewish Deadheads, and Wiccan Deadheads. My Deadhead friends are all over the map on this stuff, and as far as I'm concerned one of the real richnesses of the scene is the ability to see how things look to other folks and, sometimes, experience it from their world. Believe it if you need it, if you don't, just pass it on. But talk about it here, and please maintain a safe respectful place to do so.
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Excellent composition CCJ not sure if you researched all that but my hats off to you for sharing it for the masses Peace on the Increase Mark
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That's lots of food for thought or nonthought if I put my Zen hat on. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake
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thanks to CCj for the inspiration, to Robert Hunter for the tune and all of you folks hereSung to the tune of Boys in The Barroom Heads In The Deadnet Does God look down on the heads in the Deadnet Mainly forsaken all slightly deranged? Dead, Pigpen, Ace, their ears in the vines In music to free our minds From Tapers Section, Vault, Roadtrips and box sets Dick’s Picks and studio the songs that we love Many’s the day spent on tour and listening Searching for the Sound of bliss and The Other One Jerry’s sweet guitar to Phil’s shaking bombs Who loves this music, loves it to the bone I love this bands tunes like some love who knows what One thing we wonder sometimes Does God look down on the heads in the Deadnet Mainly forsaken all slightly deranged? From Chatroom to Dark Star, Dead Hour, Forums, Truckin’ In music to free our minds
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it was really easy to get those song quotes using the link I put at the bottom of that post. be kind of cool to see them all together, and take it in as one reading, I thought. Thank God, Buddha, Allah, et al. for the good O'l Grateful Dead!! love and peace.
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Sirius radio Bluegrass channel 65 plays 6 hours of good bluegrass gospel music every Sunday morning .
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Not much going on here lately. If ,like littlebri, folks would write their thoughts in a respectful and loving manner we like reading them. Even those of us who have searched everywhere and know there is only one thing we CAN believe in. We who believe in Jesus are told by him that we will be hated. Maybe we should be put in our own little box,say, "The Promised Land: A Christian Forum". We're all in this together. Peace.
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After thinking about it, I think "Sisters & Brothers: the Christians forum,would be a better name. Almost everyone here has been very kind so far, I just think it would be nice if we had a place where we could pray for each other in Jesus name. Bless you all.
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are you asking for a topic for Deadhead Christians? Not saying yes or no, just making sure that's what you want before I make inquiries. Thanks!
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hi marye, that's what I was thinking about. Just thought I'd see if the idea had any support before I'd ask you. Whatever is decided is fine with me. Thanks for all the work you've done for this website.
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Sometimes the light's all shinin on meOther times I can barely see Lately it occurs to me What a long, strange trip it's been
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I'm not opposed to the idea; after all, the Wharf Rats topic is a particular branch of the spirituality tree as far as I'm concerned, and other branches could function in a similar manner. What I'm a bit worried about, aside from addressing any legal endorsement-of-a-particular-religion issues (which may or may not exist), is drawing energy away from a topic of diverse perspectives and the insight that entails into more or less enclaves of believers (or unbelievers, as I'm sure the agnostics, atheists, anti-theists, etc., would perfectly reasonably want THEIR topic too). I don't think the two are necessarily incompatible; think of all the different parts of our lives that run concurrently, as it were. But in practice, people only have so much energy and some discussions thrive at the expense of others. All of which is, I admit, pretty meta. But let's brainstorm this a bit if we want to pursue it, in the full understanding that any principles that evolve will also apply to topics for Wicca, tribal religion, divergent strains of Buddhism, etc. Do we want to do this, and if so, how? (Assume for the moment that the system is what it is and works the way it works now.) Might some of this need, for example, be addressed by formally scheduled chats? E.g. Christian Deadhead chats Tuesday 7 p.m.? (We've done a little experimenting with special-event chats, so this might be doable without disrupting the main chat room.) Anyway, thoughts welcome; no fast moves contemplated.
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Surely the unifying factor here is and should be a love for the Grateful Dead! I like the mix up here with so many beliefs in the same space linked by the dead family, maybe like the crowd at a show. We had a bit of a bumpy start to this forum but now its found a considerate and interested level. No disrespect intended but I find it a bit sad if the Christians (or any other group) feel they really really need their own space separate from everyone else.If that's what you really want and need then that's OK with me I suppose, but please think first; what is that saying to everyone else? There must be lots of websites where Christians or other groups can have some exclusive space if they need that.
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i think CB is correct in thinking that one space fits us all. do we really want to splinter apart, like the GREAT nations of the world, i would cross the border of differing thoughts, would i be welcome? world without borders
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and free flowing exchange of ideas in this topic as it exists right now in this time and space. I want to hear about other peoples thoughts on sprituality even though they may differ from mine in ways, we also have common ground and that is fun to explore and grow with. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake
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I would like to keep us all together too. I enjoy hearing other people's views too. It just seems there's always someone who has to come out and trash the Bible or Christianity in a very negative and hostile way. You don't see that kind of anger about other religions. After the last exchange nobody came here for a month. It would be nice if someone who isn't a Christian but sees someone attacking us here would post a comment saying "Hey, I'm not a Christian, but we don't put up with that kind of shit on this website, learn to love or take a hike." Let's all get along.
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Christianity wasn't the only religion that was having negative comments made about it here; there were also some about Buddhism and the Dalai Lama. I don't mind having my belief system questioned, it was just kind of relentless, like someone was on a campaign and wouldn't stop even after he had made his point. But that hasn't happened for awhile. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake
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I couldn't agree more. As mod, I generally don't like to come in and start smacking people around except as a really last and desperate resort. I come from the world of CC's Old School, though as a relative latecomer. Or maybe the Patrick Swayze Roadhouse School, depending on the moment. However, the aforementioned screeds were over the top, and they're also a pretty classic example of stuff that happens every now and then, and how community standards develop. If, as I would fondly hope, we're going to have this kind and congenial and welcoming outpost out here, it takes community members standing up and saying "we don't put up with that kind of shit on this website," rather than just me putting on the mod hat. This time it's about religion-bashing, but next time maybe it's Obama. Or Cuba. Or Israel. Or child-rearing philosophy. Or corporate employers. There is never going to be any shortage of things we disagree about. One of the remarkable things about the whole GD thing is that for several decades it brought together millions of people who would otherwise never have crossed paths, in this seriously intense and life-changing experience, and exposed them to adventures and viewpoints they never would have had otherwise. And by all accounts from the tours of the individual bandmembers' bands of late, it still goes on. I would hate to blow this rare gift by getting bogged down in the things that divide us, and I think finding the balance between feeling free and safe in speaking one's mind and exercising the necessary restraint so one's fellow conversationalists feel likewise--that's essential. It's also real hard to do, and I appreciate the fact.
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here visiting in the land of Zen nothingness... enjoying the sights and sounds of places visited long ago; memories have faded, but beauty and tranquility remain eternal. the fountain of life, the water of love... may it wash over all of us as we bathe together in our love of grateful philosophy, no matter what 'name' religion may have, I am quite certain that somewhere, someplace, Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Vishnu, et al are all hanging around together listening to some shows. marye, dare I ask? The Patrick Swayze Roadhouse School??! A Swayze with any other hairstyle would smell as ____________ (please fill in the blank) yuk yuk yuk... ( -; There is INDEED, plenty of room for diversity here. Diversity in Swayze's hairstyles notwithstanding... love and peace.
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Am curious too about the Patrick Swayze Roadhouse School! ;-) Tell us more about this please marye. My two cents about a Christian thread is am torn. We have threads for all kinds of things, so theoretically such a thread should fit and be welcome, as well as what Hal said about being able to read people's different views. But is also a potential hotbed, as someone's religious beliefs are a highly private and personal thing. Guess I tend to think that THIS thread, for speaking generally about religion and spirituality is just perfect for this forum, and should suffice. ********************************** Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you will still exist, but you have ceased to live. Samuel Clemens
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didn't see that coming,marye:) though i'd more perfer the sam elliott doctrine:)
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is what could safely be termed a genre movie, set in one of those bars (probably in Texas) where the band plays behinds a chain-link backstop because of all the flying bottles and the general culture is one of drunken head-bashing. Swayze, as the new boss, training the bouncers in the new regime: "Be nice. Until it's time to not be nice."
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and there I was thinking the Roadhouse thing had something to do with Dirty Dancing, the authority figure, the 'repressed' youths brought up in strict up-bringings... finally getting to cut loose. man, was I way off base. next time I'm in the world, I'll look for that Swayze film in the 'straight to video' video shop. ( -; though I do dig that line, 'be nice until it's time to not be nice' peace.
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in context, it works. I have severely mixed feelings about Dirty Dancing. Keep in mind I haven't seen either movie for like 20 years, so filter accordingly.
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Well said marye. July 12 post. Again showing a very well thought out perspective. A welcome change on issue's these days. Well worth reading,maybe bookmarking. Proud you are the mod :) peace and love,pk
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... if every group offended by a certain previous correspondent got their own forum, poor Marye would be busy for month setting them up! And even if they did there's nothing stopping mean people posting there too. I would venture to suggest that there has been quite a lot of peer moderation here, but not necessarily in the form of telling people how they should behave. As I see it, the site is pretty tolerant of anyone having a bit of a rant and pushing the limits from time to time so long as they don't go on and on; by and large we have managed to calm down by ourselves ;-). Now and then people have been gently asked to take it easy and more often than not have apologised. A common response to emerging nastiness and fights has been to flood the forum with humour and weirdness, which has often done the trick. Only occasionally has Marye had to intervene and then in a way that has been polite, firm and whenever possible constructive. I'd say we were doing quite well really.
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Let's give ourselves collective pat on the back :) Thanks for all of your patience & coolness Marye ~ PEACE
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Blessed to see there are others out there. May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. Jesus Loves You The Best! greateststoryevertold.org
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also, nice tie-dye.
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Yes, welcome gset-ben! And also yes,Marye you are way cool ( and indelibly patient) .Thanks for your efforts here. They are greatly appreciated. peace,pk
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Good to see you gset-ben. Nice website. Had time to check out the gospel of the grateful dead,nice. Will have to go back for more.
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I'm not particularily religious but I do love to learn, think and philosophize. It could be a safe area for everyone to be vocal about their beliefs and a great tool for folks like me who just want to know more. I believe there are practices from each religion that we can all learn from and appreciate in order to better understand ourselves and others just a 'lil better! Hugs, ~littlebri
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hey now! greetings folks, just want to pop in and say hey now! I took a quick peek at this website, and will look at it in more detail in a few days when I will have about 5 hours to kill in an airport in a far away land... I am not a religious person, but from what I saw here, it looks pretty cool regardless of what someone believes or not. it certainly contains plenty of 'grateful' philosophy that I try to live my life by. thanks for sharing, Ben. greateststoryevertold.org if anyone knows of a similar site that combines Buddhism or Islam or Judaism or Hinduism or whatever with 'grateful' philosophy, please post it up, too. love and peace, cc
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I believe God wants your faith to come from your heart, not your head.
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my question is what is faith and where does it really come from? there are two main definitions. the first is that it is our trust and confidence in something, and the second is that faith is the belief in god or the teachings of a religion. so does faith come from our hearts (trust) or is it in our head (teachings). anyone that has the will to believe really has to look inside of themselves and determine first what faith is to them, and there they will find the answer. In the end, any decisions you make come from your values and virtues not your faith. I believe that this life is part of a series of lives and we ultimitely have to be able to look at ourselves in the mirror at the end of the day and determine what it is that we cherish, what we value and what we can vision. To do this, is a combination of both trust in something (ourselves, religion) and our teachings. ~littlebri
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Very nice observation littlebri, for me faith is a grounding force that comes from those things which speak true to my heart and help me keep on keepin on.
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I have also spent "a lot" of time in the wilderness and have seen things in the sky a few times that I know were "not of this world". I have no doubt that humans are not the "sharpest tools in the shed". There is only one "Book" I know of that has given me a reasonable explanation of what these things might be. Boy, I'll bet everyone thinks I'm nuts now! Bless you all.
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the thing about faith, be it God, Allah, Buddha, Vishnu or whoever or whatever you believe in and have faith in... my faith in God is not nearly as important as God's faith in me, in my humble opinion. love and peace
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16 years 8 months
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faith in yourself is probably the most important kind of faith. it has the ability to make the most significant difference in your life, sometimes you just have to trust yourself. essentially, if someone has the power to believe, then that person also has faith. i think it's safe to say that we all put our faith in the Grateful Dead and can come by that honestly. in a way, it's kinda like putting faith in yourself. the music and lyrics all have a significant meaning to each individual that believes in the dead. i wouldn't call myself a very religious person, but i do listen and learn religiously, a lot of times through music. love and hugs to all ~littlebri
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16 years 10 months
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a good friend of mine always said, "Sunday night witht the Grateful Dead is a religious experience".........we had alot of fun........Gypsy Cowgirl
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16 years 5 months
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i know the fact that the GD have used many religious in lyrics in their songs but i also believe that this was not a kind of missionary thing.believe it if you need it,if you dont just pass it on....well i made the mistake of takin a look at "greateststoryevertold.org"man i have to say that i am not too happy about the fact that i cannot get this page out from my screen anymore,and i also wonder who gave you the right to use SYF with across instead of the bolt.i do not like missionaries because they have been the reason of indigenous people being wiped out,were forbidden to talk their language(because it came from satan),and i would be happy to get this page out of my comp. again.i am sure you can help me.............................
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16 years 10 months
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Hey Frankly-I totally agree with you on the missionary thing-it was the reason indigenous people were wiped out & still are oppressed. Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota is the poorest place in the USA.........don't know what else about the "greateststoryevertold.org" but I'll be sure & not go there-think I saw his writings on here somewhere........thanks for the tip!Gypsy Cowgirl
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In my travels I have met, worked with and heard about missionaries and transparently Christian organisations who work hard to help poor people and to defend the rights and traditions of indigenous groups without trying to persuade or induce people to convert. The approach appears to be to do good works because that is a Christian thing to do. Of course folks who want to convert are welcomed but that does not seem to be the agenda of those involved. These are good people. In contrast to these worthy groups and individuals are the hordes of evangelical missionaries sweeping though Asia with their fierce conviction, intense zeal and stunning ignorance and insensitivity. Their methods are not quite those of the conquistadors but not far off. Much of what they do is in my view not only unethical, it is also against the interests of the people concerned. These missionaries are so convinced they are right they do not take the trouble to learn or understand what people need or want, they wade in with their cash and their crosses and do far more harm than good. Hundreds of years ago missionaries burnt almost all the written records of the Mayan people and today they continue to desecrate cultures more ancient than theirs and far more complex and sophisticated than they know or can be bothered to find out. But as I said, they are not all like that..... in the end being a righteous person is not about what we believe but how we behave. that's my missionary position anyway ;-)
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i do agree with you.there are people who want to help and there are people who want to conquer.so i get a catch on your sentence about desecrating cultures.i know that the cultural movement that is represented by the Grateful Dead is young,but i also know that it is for sure incredibly complex and sophisticated,as it leaves to anybody the possibility to interpret freely the lyrics and to place them on whatever place in each persons spiritual context.the greatest thing is that the SYF is something like a secret symbol that shows that you are part of a BIG community which does not judge you about your believes,philosophies of life etc.but includes you because we are jerrys kids.seeing this symbol with the cross,shows me clearly that these group sees itself as something special..which gives me the idea that they might be part of the second kind of missionaries.peace:-)(-:Frankly
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I understand your point and tend to share your view of missionaries, but, c'mon. Given the cheerful abandon with which the stealie has been adapted for personal artwork of all stripes, and some of it even becoming part of the official offerings (e.g. Space Your Face), I'm not exactly surprised if Deadhead Christians fuse their two most important symbols. I'm sure, for example, I've seen Star of David stealies over the years. (Disclaimer: I do not speak for Grateful Dead Productions here...) And let him who has never dragged a reluctant friend or family member to a Dead show cast the first stone, re missionary zeal. The whole One True Path thing is a big trouble vector, whoever's preaching it.
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"the greatest story ever told" was used as a Bible/Jesus term long, long before the song Hunter insists is actually called "Moses" was written, and indeed that's part of the song's resonance.
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16 years 5 months
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for example the line "ashes ,ashes all fall down"is a recitation of the revelation of st.john also known as the apocalypse...and i am aware of the tons of recitations of this kind appearing in the lyrics.but thats what i am trying to say,everybody is free to place this words in his/her model of believe.the side i saw appeared to me like fishing for new customers..thats only my opinion and i think i have the freedom to share it on this site.likewise everybody else has the freedom to agree with me or not.thats all!!!:-)(-:Peace anyway..Frankly
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16 years 3 months
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Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying I (Jesus) am Christ; and shall deceive many.