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Can anyone point me to writings/reflections on the role, purpose, history, efficacy, of abstaining from drugs (or weed) and alcohol from a Buddhist perspective? [more inside]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:00 AM - 11 answers

Looking for books about spirituality, prayer, questions of meaning and suffering and life, etc - that are agnostic friendly [more inside]
posted by Cozybee at 11:43 AM - 13 answers

What are some resources--articles and books--that will help me learn more about the Puritans in North America, in the context of their time, their legacy, popular conceptions of their culture, etc? [more inside]
posted by kensington314 at 11:13 AM - 8 answers

How should my wife and I address religious issues with our children resulting from years of indoctrination by a narcissistic grandparent? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 2:23 PM - 55 answers

(Some of the) big numbers in the Old Testament: 1 Chronicles 21:5. 2 Samuel 24:9. Jesus and his squad had that background. So I've been thinking lately that Matthew 18:21-22 has not been preached well. [more inside]
posted by phrits at 8:33 AM - 15 answers

When you close a life door (turn down a job, make a time commitment, etc) how do you keep that door closed? What rituals/practices do you use to commit to the life you’ve chosen? [more inside]
posted by elephantsvanish at 5:46 PM - 9 answers

I would like to virtually attend a Christmas Eve service, and it's occurred to me that I could probably watch something of higher quality than a local church and that probably churches all over the world are doing something virtual. Can you recommend a church's Christmas Eve service that fits my criteria? [more inside]
posted by kochenta at 11:26 AM - 5 answers

I started meditating during the pandemic and have found it valuable. I'm interested in going farther and would like to find a meditation class or community to join. I'd also like to learn about Buddhism and possibly become Buddhist. I live in Colorado where the Shambhala community is popular. I was looking at their classes until I found out about their sexual assault and abuse problems. Where do I look next? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 10:04 PM - 12 answers

I've run across this quote a few times recently, at times attributed to the Buddha and at times to anonymous. Assuming it is correctly attributed to the Buddha, could someone supply the original source so it can be encountered in context? Also very welcome would be secondary sources discussing its significance.
posted by bricoleur at 3:35 PM - 9 answers

Ashkenazi background, Jewish mom, raised totally secular, no bat mitzvah, I live in a country with very few Jews, is there an online, asynchronous, adult Jewish education or conversion class for me? [more inside]
posted by athirstforsalt at 6:13 AM - 5 answers

A thought experiment: Person L is a left wing random citizen who thinks of himself as a science oriented progressive/humanist and believes we should wear masks. Person R is a right wing public figure who thinks covid is something close to a hoax and no reason to change behavior. [more inside]
posted by Kevin S at 11:45 AM - 40 answers

A Facebook post has been making the rounds lately, and I'm trying to determine the actual origin of a quote that's being attributed to Baruch Spinoza. [more inside]
posted by akk2014 at 11:19 AM - 8 answers

I have a strange nook in my bedroom that I decided to put my meditation cushion in for sitting practice. Here is a picture of the nook in question. How can I make this space extraordinarily pleasant and conducive to meditation practice? [more inside]
posted by vocativecase at 9:33 PM - 22 answers

Pretty sure I read an article about this. I mean literal large wooden wheels, in I think medieval churches? Maybe later. Maybe not called wheels of fortune. Definitely don't mean wheel-like rose windows or drawings of wheels, which are the main things that come up when I search for this.
posted by lgyre at 8:22 PM - 11 answers

Like so many people, I put a lot of pressure on myself and beat myself up for mistakes. I'm trying to remember things like: failure is human, no flower blooms in all seasons, nobody's perfect, etc. Also, I'm a very visual thinker. At the suggestion of my coach, I would love a piece of art to hang by my mirror to remind me to be kind to myself. It can have words or not. (I have a reminder on my fridge to breathe, it is this print and it's great.) Looking forward to any suggestions!
posted by Threeve at 10:39 AM - 11 answers

Hi, AskMe. I ran into a particularly frustrating argument today in the context of my game accessibility work and would love to know how folks respond to it. Details below the fold. [more inside]
posted by Alensin at 7:15 PM - 22 answers

What scenario makes it okay for God to create a world like ours? I'm looking to hear from people who have found a way to live in this strange world and still maintain hope in a good God (specifically concerned with evolution and the problem of natural evil, earthquakes, disease, predation, etc.) [more inside]
posted by ygmiaa at 4:43 PM - 29 answers

Can you point me to a good book on the history and establishment of the four Marian dogmas of Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, the Assumption, and being Mother of God? (Or maybe four books?) [more inside]
posted by kensington314 at 2:09 PM - 4 answers

I've just read some of Camus, the Myth of Sisyphus. I like what he said about nature and beauty ... [more inside]
posted by falsedmitri at 3:39 PM - 2 answers

Have you ever lost your identity? How did you recover it or rediscover who you are? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 12:44 AM - 10 answers