open/close minded people
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| Tue, 01-10-2006 - 6:09pm |
Hey all,
How do you deal with somebody who claims that they're so open-minded about other people's faith/belief's that in actuality they're close-minded? and they can't distinguish between spirituality and religion?
I'm asking because of my dh. I have become a very spiritual person in recent months mostly due to some deaths of some people who were very very dear to me. I had my father appear to me in a dream after his death to tell me that he's alright. And I've had other dreams of people who've passed away who have visited me. My dh sits and calls me a kook for that. But yet he's very respectful of his friends who are Wiccan. But yet Wiccans are very spiritual people.
I'm certainly not a fundamentalist or anything like that. But it's hard dealing with somebody who has such an adversion to organized religion that he lumps everything else together.
I feel as though that my beliefs are personal to me, and only to me. I'm not going to get him baptized into some church or anything. I just think it's up to me, whether I wish to study the bible/torah/koran/book of mormon or I wish to go to church. It's not like I'm asking him to participate or anything. He's made it very clear how he feels.
It is annoying though when he sits there and bashes people's faiths. It's almost as annoying as my ex-dh who used to be a real racist, which is why he's my ex. I love my dh to death! This is the only serious issue that we quarrel about.
Some of the problem is that we live in the Bible Belt. However, I don't lump all Christians as being fundamentalist bible thumpers, or Muslims all being radicals. Just because I have faith does not make me a zealot, and that's what I'm trying to get across to him.
any advice?
thanks,
Sarah

Sarah,
It sounds like you have hit a period of acceleration on your life path.
"I would strongly recommend that you not talk to him for awhile about what you are experiencing spiritually. Just live your life according to your new wisdom. He will see the change in you. You need not defend your own path to anyone, but with gentleness and being secure in what you know is your truth, he will come around to respect you for it."
I think this is good advice, having lived through it myself. ;)) My DH is Christian. When I began to discover the Goddess, as She called both my daughter and I to Her, many years ago, my DH's old programming about "witchcraft" came to the fore. It started when I was training as a massage therapist and learned about working with energy and the chi. It scared him because he was ignorant of anything he hadn't been taught as a child. He felt insecure because of his "programming" so I just gave him basic information, about the personal spiritual path, the edict "Harm None" and so on. No big details. No trying to involve him in rituals, etc. Now, many years later, he is o.k. with my path. He has seen, as you said, the change in me was for the better. While he wasn't interested in changing his path, he came to understand there are many paths, all equally valid. It took time, patience, just being myself and following my path, reassuring him of my love and commitment, without pushing anything on him, or asking him to read books, etc.
Gypsy
Blessings,
Gypsy
)O(
be the power of example, be who and what you want to be. that is the important part of spirituality. To be loving and accepting of others and situations. I agree with Bink and Gypsy. Love, Leila
those who have finished their course in mortal love and marriage. These can
understand what is being worked out in the
race,and note with joy the activities that partake of a higher spirit of love.
Marriage fulfills itself to any ego when the male and female qualities of being
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for spiritual birth and resurection. These gain the righteous concepts fo Love
and Marriage and become the means, spiritually, by which higher order may work
out in the race. People in the race
thought and love are given to do racial work that more perfectly align it to by Ida M
I agree with Bink on this.