the Animal and the Diabolical self

"Finally, though I have had to speak at some length about sex, I want to make it as clear as I possibly can that the centre of Christian morality is not here. If anyone thinks that Christians regard unchastity as the supreme vice, he is quite wrong. The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronising and spoiling sport, and back-biting, the pleasures of power, of hatred. For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become. They are the Animal self, and the Diabolical self. The Diabolical self is the worse of the two. That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute." --C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

shake, rattle, and roll

"The spiritual crisis, when it visits our lives, is the moment of profound change. It is the moment when we may come to the root of our pain, the source of our existential dilemma. We do not need to fix it, we do not need to run from it, we do not need to fear it. We do not need to do anything. In doing nothing we are left with an acute awareness of all that is occurring. An acute awareness of all that is occurring is, after all, what we are... We are in conflict. Stay with that fact. That conflict is vibrating; it is shaking our world. Let our world shake. Let it tumble down. Whatever is left standing is Life itself. Life is not in conflict.
Now, shall we live?" 
~Steven Harrison, Being One~

change, slowly but change still

 Elder Oaks:

"On the subject of public discourse, we should all follow the gospel teachings to love our neighbor and avoid contention. Followers of Christ should be examples of civility. We should love all people, be good listeners, and show concern for their sincere beliefs. Though we may disagree, we should not be disagreeable. Our stands and communications on controversial topics should not be contentious. We should be wise in explaining and pursuing our positions and in exercising our influence. In doing so, we ask that others not be offended by our sincere religious beliefs and the free exercise of our religion. We encourage all of us to practice the Savior’s Golden Rule: “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).

When our positions do not prevail, we should accept unfavorable results graciously and practice civility with our adversaries. In any event, we should be persons of goodwill toward all, rejecting persecution of any kind, including persecution based on race, ethnicity, religious belief or nonbelief, and differences in sexual orientation."

such obedience

"We have heard men who hold the priesthood remark that they would do anything they were told to do by those who preside over them -- even if they knew it was wrong. But such obedience as this is worse than folly to us. It is slavery in the extreme. The man who would thus willingly degrade himself should not claim a rank among intelligent beings until he turns from his folly. A man of God would despise this idea. Others, in the extreme exercise of their almighty authority have taught that such obedience was necessary, and that no matter what the Saints were told to do by their presidents, they should do it without any questions. When Elders of Israel will so far indulge in these extreme notions of obedience as to teach them to the people, it is generally because they have it in their hearts to do wrong themselves." (Joseph Smith, Jr. in the Millennial Star, volume 14, number 38, pages 593-595)

Now THERE is a leader!

OZY:

So the Tibetans do not need a Dalai Lama anymore?

DALAI LAMA:

No, I don’t think so. Twenty-six hundred years of Buddhist tradition cannot be maintained by one person. And sometimes I make a tough joke: We had a Dalai Lama for almost five centuries. The 14th Dalai Lama now is very popular. Let us then finish with a popular Dalai Lama. If a weak Dalai Lama comes along, then it will just disgrace the Dalai Lama. (The Dalai Lama laughs.)

OZY:

How old do you want to become?

DALAI LAMA:

The doctors say I could become 100 years old. But in my dreams I will die at the age of 113 years.

OZY:

You have written and said that you can affect your rebirth.

DALAI LAMA:

I hope and pray that I may return to this world as long as sentient beings’ suffering remains. I mean not in the same body, but with the same spirit and the same soul.

OZY:

It is said that whoever has achieved enlightenment will not return.

DALAI LAMA:

The first Dalai Lama became 80 years old. There his disciples said that he was ready for a place in heaven. He replied: “I have no desire for any of these heavenly places. I want to be reborn, where I can be of use.” This is my wish, too.

Read more: The Dalai Lama: On China + the Future of Tibet | C-Notes | OZY 
http://www.ozy.com/c-notes/the-dalai-lama-on-china-the-future-of-tibet/34231.article?utm_source=A1&utm_medium=pp&utm_campaign=pp

I care

You seem to look at our generation and think that it is wicked because of its changing fashions and styles, its messy hair, multiple earrings or tattoos. Our generation looks at yours as morally bankrupt because it seems to care more about the length of our haircut than the intentions of our heart. It seems to care more about loyalty to authority than social justice. We are pleading for a chance to make a real difference on the world, to have a real impact, to eradicate poverty, to clean up the environment, to help broker peace among nations, to reduce corruption and increase accountability in government, to innovate technologically, but instead our culture encourages us to go with the flow, to not make waves, to be loyal Republicans and loyal citizens to a corrupt government, to choose respectable status-quo professions and toe the line in our jobs and church lives. We are told not to question and not to think too hard. Our generation is currently struggling not because it doesn't care but because it cares too much, far more than yours seems to.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/athoughtfulfaith/permalink/713293088756826/