My wife knows that if theres anything said about thanking God I got to say something. They got a large sign at the end of town that says Jesus saves. Hmmm.... we got a town full of idiots.
Think there is an epidemic with village idiots.. got the same there over here too.. they must all be related.. lol
@mistymoon77. Hmmm... all screwed up..lol.
Plenty of people talk to their higher consciousness, the universe, the collective energy, etc. To start oppressing people for any private practice that's not hurting others is as wrong as religion.
It's a fine line. My wife has a shirttail relative who talks to several invisible "spirit guides". This relative has a history of mental illness but has never harmed anyone. My wife is one of the few family members who doesn't shun her as an embarrassment. That's wonderful of her and I support it. I just wouldn't want this relative making critical decisions on behalf of others.
Most people who claim they "talk" to god don't literally have a two-way conversation and understand that it is at best a personal subjective experience. I strongly suspect that most who make this claim are just trying to fit in with group expectations and it means little more than that they pray and imagine god answering them or vaguely "speaking" to them through events in their lives.
It ends up being, as you suggest, a centering, meditative practice for most and is harmless.
I would not therefore suggest mental health care for most of them. But I have met a handful who probably need it, just the same.
Why is it always god speaking? Doesn't Jesus ever have something worthy to say? How about all those other fella's up there in patriarchy land, shouldn't they be weighing in from time to time?
I also wondered the same thing... so many so called "guides" but which one is it?
The old stocks we had in England are a great idea