hence my opening suggestion "if ......." which would probably also mean they wouldn't use the words "eternal" and "constitutional" in relation to god
I don't have a point, I am just interested in theists' answers to my two questions Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! And maybe a why or why not. So far it seems theists disagree amongst each other though.
the source of all sources, that consciousness upon which all other consciousness is contingent etc etc
you mean theoretically learn about the practice? .... as for the details of theory, that tends to be determined by the person inquiring. For instance, how much of practical physics would you be prepared to explain to a person who folds their arms and says "what a load of BS" all the time?
Neither of us will ever know until you try. What good is it to only explain it to people who already agree with you ?
what good is it to explain something to a person who is convinced they won't try? (actually that is the primary struggle of teachers the world over - having something they want to teach but facing a classroom of apathy)
ok then the OP of this thread is as good a place as any to start http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=71763&page=2
I don't get it, that thread mentions nothing about anything extracoporal. All the virtues etc are completely based in the corporal.
it offers a suggestion what one has to do to break free from the corporal Inasmuch as one is captivated by these three outlooks, real freedom is impossible. Thus after many attempts at finding freedom in these ways, one may become inclined to transcend matter altogether. But to transcend matter, one must transcend the interest to wield power over the material world--the power of aloofness from the world (goodness), the power to control it (passion), and the power to negate it (ignorance). These powers belong to God. The material bondage of the soul is caused by imitating the power of God, who alone is the all-powerful master. It is impossible to become God. The attempt to imitate Him brings the soul under the influence of these three states of being.
aka - ignorance Ignorance – The third is retrospective in one’s outlook, in that in one’s heart one nurses unending dismay, anger and frustration about one’s past experience. Thus one sees hope neither in the present nor future. One chooses to cancel out further involvement in this world by negating one’s personal self. There are demanding, highly disciplined philosophical systems dedicated to losing one's self; but in today's Western world, many people try it the easy way, through alcohol, drugs and suicide.