OK to disagree with an IP material?

So, I'm listening to The Field, and... I'm really not buying it. Meaning no disrespect to anyone else's beliefs, it strikes me as deeply unscientific whilst masquerading as science, profoundly cherry-picked and also hugely biased to support the author's existing source of income, a newsletter claiming conventional medicine is aimed to "keep" the truth from us.

Perhaps you can understand my concern. I don't believe McTaggart has found the Force. I frankly don't believe McTaggart at all. But I do believe in the Force, I (aim to) live within it, experience it in my life every day. I also believe in the tenets, code, creed and teachings of this temple. So far I've agreed with pretty much everything else I've encountered in the IP, Joseph Campbell and Alan Watts have spoken complete sense, but this one just doesn't fit for me.

What I'm asking is am I going to be deemed not to have successfully completed the IP if one of my essays is almost entirely negative? I'm going to give reasons, and explain exactly why I feel the way I do in response to the lecture, but... is that still within acceptable temple parameters?

tzb wrote: So, I'm listening to The Field, and... I'm really not buying it. It's deeply unscientific, profoundly cherry-picked and also hugely biased to support the author's existing source of income, a newsletter claiming conventional medicine is aimed to "keep" the truth from us.

Perhaps you can understand my concern. I don't believe McTaggart has found the Force. I frankly don't believe McTaggart at all. But I do believe in the Force, I (aim to) live within it, experience it in my life every day. So far I've agreed with pretty much the rest of the IP, Joseph Campbell and Alan Watts have spoken complete sense and this just doesn't fit for me.

What I'm asking is am I going to be deemed not to have successfully completed the IP if one of my essays is almost entirely negative? I'm going to give reasons, and explain exactly why I feel the way I do in response to the lecture, but... is that still within acceptable temple parameters?

Yes.

Thanks for clarifying.

I don't believe that disagreement with any of the sections of the IP will deem you unfit to continue, so long as you express your feelings toward why you feel this way.

Perhaps you should delve further and explore the cherry picked references and see how valid they are, I would be interested to read your findings.

If you are worried, you should PM one of the council, Jestor or Ren will no doubt have an answer for you, I'm sure you'll find everyone very forthcoming with information.

(edit)
*just realized Br, John beat me to an answer to this question, Ignore my comments, though I would be interested to read your findings nonetheless, I personally quite liked the field and found it for the most part entirely believable*

Part of the reason I decided to become a Jedi is so I'd be permitted to think for myself. Now I can't say I've seen this written in any of the doctrine but to me, the whole environment of the Temple seems to be geared in that direction.

That being said, free thinkers don't always agree with each other. Especially with something as abstract as the Force.

I JUST got done listening to The Field not a moment ago and I was fascinated. But I'm one of those that go "Ooo shiny!" first unless I know something to be otherwise haha. I'm with Leon, if you ever do the research on it all, I'd love to hear about it!

Br. John wrote:

tzb wrote: So, I'm listening to The Field, and... I'm really not buying it. It's deeply unscientific, profoundly cherry-picked and also hugely biased to support the author's existing source of income, a newsletter claiming conventional medicine is aimed to "keep" the truth from us.

Perhaps you can understand my concern. I don't believe McTaggart has found the Force. I frankly don't believe McTaggart at all. But I do believe in the Force, I (aim to) live within it, experience it in my life every day. So far I've agreed with pretty much the rest of the IP, Joseph Campbell and Alan Watts have spoken complete sense and this just doesn't fit for me.

What I'm asking is am I going to be deemed not to have successfully completed the IP if one of my essays is almost entirely negative? I'm going to give reasons, and explain exactly why I feel the way I do in response to the lecture, but... is that still within acceptable temple parameters?

Yes.

I imagine the "yes" was "yes, it's okay to disagree"??
Not that, yes - you will be deemed unsuccessful.

I can't say I necessarily agreed with it, myself..

To be fair, my hideously tortured sentence there didn't help... :laugh:

Retribution! It stings!!

Reliah wrote: I can't say I necessarily agreed with it, myself..

How about the remote viewing part ?? "Force Communication" Master ?? surely you believe there must be some truth in that after all of our conversations regarding the subject.

Leandros Von wrote:

Reliah wrote: I can't say I necessarily agreed with it, myself..

How about the remote viewing part ?? "Force Communication" Master ?? surely you believe there must be some truth in that after all of our conversations regarding the subject.

Maybe I should have said: don't agree with all of it?
Or rather.. how it was presented? I think maybe both of those.
It has been quite a while since I read it, I just remember I didn't enjoy it as a whole.
Perhaps I should try it again.

LOL I have to ask Wescli, did you make that JUST for this thread? lol I love it

@ Kamizu

Yes :laugh:

I saw the OP and the idea just popped in my head. :ohmy:
So I had to follow it! :laugh:

It made me laugh! :woohoo:

I'm honoured :lol:

Wescli Wardest wrote: @ Kamizu

Yes :laugh:

I saw the OP and the idea just popped in my head. :ohmy:
So I had to follow it! :laugh:

It made me laugh! :woohoo:

Hahahahaha you get a long-distance high-five for that one! :woohoo: that was awesome! I will admit I giggled

What one would perhaps keep in mind here, is that there's agreeing (?) and "agreeing" ...

I read "The Field" and "The Bond" -- and honestly, they're not very good books. On the other hand, there's something to it ...

When one listens to what she, and others, say about her subject matter, it 'just makes sense'. Moreover, we probably know something about that anyway. Regardless of how badly it is written.

But then again, if she had just written another another Veda, it wouldn't have sold millions of copies.



As to whether or not is okay to disagree with it : it is better to be honest than to try to impress us with raving praise of what [many] of us found to be rubbish as well ...

:laugh:

Alexandre Orion wrote: On the other hand, there's something to it ...

When one listens to what she, and others, say about her subject matter, it 'just makes sense'. Moreover, we probably know something about that anyway. Regardless of how badly it is written.

hankyou for your input Master Orion, I appreciate your take on the matter, I personally found the book mundane, but the subject matter interested me greatly and I personally think there's a valid truth to it as evidenced in my journal with all the "whoa" and "my mind is blown" hahaha.

I didn't actually read it. I listened to the audio and I'm not sure how much it actually followed the book, but I found it rather interesting. It just made things that I've experienced and felt make more sense to me.

There were other things so far that I didn't necessarily agree with or found lacking something, so you're not alone in that.

In all seriousness, it is more important for you to get something from it then tell us how wonderful something is. One of the smartest people I know wrote this about The Field....

It was interesting listen to an average individual contemplate quantum physics. And kudos for the effort.

It is important for you to be honest. Not just to us, but more so to yourself.


PS, the person that wrote that really isn't all that smart... but don't tell him I said that. :whistle:

I was pretty excited after reading "The Field" and felt it was pretty good, and made logical sense.

THEN

I read Dawkins and Carl Sagan

I'm not so high on "The Field" anymore.

Kudos to tzb for being smarter than I was...