In the Lord's Prayer, what is the "Name" of God to be hallowed

Originally Posted by FallingLeaves

exactly, everyone wants to look good (vanity) or feel good and most people won't long contemplate the opposites of that unless forced into it. But pretty much everything we know is a lie, because noone thinks the truth is beautiful enough to look upon.

The bible says many want their ears tickled--certain religions do a good job of that by assuring many--you are saved or born again and its not truth--its to tickle ears then ask for a tithe. The bible is a two edged sword. Teachings of eternal life or teachings of eternal destruction--ALL of it needs to be learned--In fact a very important truth Jesus gave to us---Man does not live by bread alone but by EVERY utterance from God. = OT--NT.

[FallingLeaves]

one of the biggest problems I had was dealing with people who wanted to just say 'no' to the possibility of contradictions. To them, the fact of contradictions voided anything that contained them.

Ironically, these same people called themselves 'scientists'... and that is ironic because if you look around the very fabric of our existance is just filled with things contradicting each other. It seems to be one of the pillars things are built on. To just out and out say no to the concept, simply on the basis you don't like them and don't want to deal with them, is a very unscientific stance to take IMO. But I'm just a plebian so what do I know?

But that is where you are if you are starting out in the bible... you take one side of the coin and quote the passages that fits where you are, and avoid all the other passages that contradict it. Then another day of the week on a whim you take the other stuff and avoid the original stuff you liked. For a long time it is just random back and forth and accepting one thing but denying the other, the only constant being that there is always something to care for and something else to dislike, and noone might be able to tell what you might choose that day.

And then one day maybe you get tired of bouncing back and forth and never really getting anywhere, and decide to take a hard look at the FACT of the contradictions... accepting both sides and denying neither... and it is only then that you can even begin to find out what life is all about.

[markings]

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

Please re-read what I wrote. For many, the process is a progression.

I never re-read (although I may quote from earlier posts). If you want me to understand you explain it in a different way to the post you ask me to re-read.

[Shivani Devi]

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

The Lord's Prayer starts with "Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name". What is your understanding of the "Name" of God that should be "hallowed" ?

I was just talking to one of my Jehovah Witness friends and he has indicated that the name should be "Jehovah". I have a different understanding but, before stating it, I'm curious to hear other thoughts on this subject.

God has no name, but is known by many names that humans have assigned to God over the ages. Even the name 'God' is a human construct to try and describe that which is beyond words. In Hinduism, God is known as Aum or the Divine Logos. It is the 'Amen' at the end of the prayer. It is the 'Namaste' in greeting. In Judaism, the name of God is unknown or without any human pronunciation. The closest they get to it is YHWH, which has been extended to Yahweh. Still, it is said that any name humans can ascribe to God or G-d or anything like that isn't the name. In the Tao Teh Ching, the very first verse states "The Tao that can be named is not the Tao" which is a conundrum in itself, since it is being called The Tao. Therefore, the name of God is sacred (relating to the Sacral). It is said that if God told us His/Her/It's real name...if God spoke to us, we'd go crazy...we wouldn't be able to handle it. Therefore anything sacred and beyond mortal mention - the experience of 'God's name' is sacred and therefore, hallowed.

[Still_Waters]

Originally Posted by Amilius777

I think the greatest modern example of the spiritual life was Mother Teresa. And I don't think we are all called to live that life since she was a very old soul, and a highly evolved one for that matter.
But her practice of prayer and contemplating the Divine and her service to others is the Way that Christ established 2,000 years ago.

There is a reason Jesus' ministry was seen as a threat to not only Rome but his own people. It was counterintuitive to the way the world works. Forgive your enemies? Turn the other cheek? Allow the Samaritan who is your enemy to dig you out of a ditch? Trust in those who you fear? My Lord no Man has ever spoken like this.

But this is the Christ Consciousness, the kingdom of Heaven that Jesus opened up for everyone. It is a combination of your own personal enlightenment, your own journey into union with the Divine but also your journey with everyone as a Whole, your service and solidarity with all brothers and sisters of the human race. In fact you are more likely to reach the goal of your choice by serving and helping others than sitting in a meditation room for 8 hours. But truly your own Spiritual Evolution is dependent on how you treat and forgive others. We are all in this together

It was interesting to hear that Mother Teresa of Calcutta is one of your spiritual ideals, "the greatest modern example of the spiritual life". It would be similarly interesting to hear about any others whom you consider to be spiritual exemplars.

You also stated that "In fact you are more likely to reach the goal of your choice by serving and helping others than sitting in a meditation room for 8 hours." It would seem that balance is important in life and that there is a time for service and a time for rest and a time for meditation/consolidation. In my tradition, our daily prayer includes the following passage:

"May Truth be our Religion
May Service be our Worship
May Knowledge be our Breath
May World be our Family
May Yoga and Meditation be our Way"

I've always felt that there must be a balance and that, depending on temperament and circumstances, I avoid saying that "in fact" one way is better than the other. All I can say is what has worked best for me and let others decide what works best for them.

In Truth, as you duly noted, "We are all in this together".


Ecclesiastes 3:1 - "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven".