LD & Christianity

Well, i’m greek orthodox myself and I know there is a topic here on the forum already about something similar, but I was wondering if anyone (who is a Christian, preferably) could help me to understand how Lucid Dreaming of this nature differs from a religion which I consider to be evil Bashing removed. :bruno:.

When I look at Lucid Dreaming through scientific terms I see it was something we train our minds to do, and yet as this seems to be practiced in forms of ‘witchcraft’ i’m confused as to whether it is those practicers of these ‘religions/witchcrafts’ who are seeking a ‘beyond’ who are wrong, or if it is those of us who see Lucid Dreaming as simply, an experience that God would not in fact condemn.

I’m looking for understandings rather than opinions here, just to clear that up… anything you’ve researched would be great knowledge to me.

LDing is natural, just like living is natural.
The way you use the lucid dreams can vary.
You can use them for darkness or light, for innocent exploration or fun.
The way you use and view LDs would depend on what you believe etc

I completely agree with moogle.
And I would also like to add that last couple of nights I had two LD’s (my first induced LD’s), but the thing is I specifically prayed to God to help me achieve lucidness and it worked. And if He helped me to dream lucidly then I can see no harm in LD’s :content:

I still think it’s a little tough to call … even though LD’s seem harmless, are they in-fact a form of witchcraft in disguise? Magic/Contacting Spirits … Reaching for the ‘Beyond’ … all these things are evil which God has condemned … I think the only way to see Lucid Dreams as not being a sin would be to seperate it from these ‘past’ uses and see it in a modern light as a scientific term to describe one who trains their mind. I haven’t got anything against self-hypnosis/improvement, afterall.

All I know is, with anything in life we have to ‘watch our step’… i’ll certainly be watching mine. (Thanks to a good friend for this advice! You know who you are :smile:)

I guess you could say lucid dreams are like real life, except there is no - one but God to witness your misdeeds. And if you are an atheist, then you are truly free to do as you please with nobody to police you… Those dream characters will never tell a soul.

NeoMarine, don’t mix up lucid dreaming with witchcraft, there is nothing magical about it. Just a capability of the mind that’s only recently been properly researched.

I suppose from a Christian perspective it is “wrong” to want to play God in your own world, but how is that different from daydreaming where you imagine having super - powers?

I don’t think Lucid Dreaming can ‘belong’ to any one religion or belief. It’s like saying that because someone breathed the air from their lungs into a potion that breathing is a witch-craft like act. Moogle is right of course. There are many things in this world that are both amazing and mysterious and the human race has the capability to use them in an infinite array of ways.

Your god gave you that brain you dream with every night, and gave you the power to dream lucidly. What more proof do you need? :smile:

I’d just like to say that the only reason you consider witchcraft to be evil today is because way-back-when people were practising “dark arts” (which were simply forms of self hypnosis and great spiritual achievements) the church didnt want them to be stealing the lime light. They wanted everything that was powerful and mystical to remain under their domain, as a form of control. So they rounded up anyone that wasnt content to leave the spiritual just up to them, and burned them at the stake as witches, heretics and lunatics.

History has a way of twisting the truth. Paganism was once just a description of a way of beliefs that worshipped nature, and lived in the countryside. But the Church has been slandering and defacing them for so many centuries that ‘pagan’ is now synonymous with devil worship.

Buddhism is many centuries older than Christianity and deserves more respect than you’re giving it.

I’m a christian and I’ve never been closer to God than through lucid dreaming… I can’t understand how someone can think that something that is completely natural, invoked by yourself and gives so much joy and thrill would be frowned upon by God. Why would you even follow sucha god?

Dreams is the language, LD the way to understand it. Damn it I want to understand!

He also gives you the power to sin. Does that mean you have to use it? I’m not trying to flame you or anything, I thought I should point that out.

No, I do not think it is wrong, and I probbably isn’t, but, if you try OOB or more “dangerous” stuff like that, well, just be careful when you play with fire. :wink:

Bashing removed. :bruno:.
Lucid Dreaming has probably existed since before religion was made, so i dont see why it should be linked to witchcraft. The fact is that atheists practice lucid dreaming, wiccans do, christians do, buddhist do and so on…
You dont call bicycles evil just because some satanist also bicycles?

To put it simple, I’d say it has nothing to do with religion.

[is christian]

Lucid dreaming is really just one of many states of consciousness that we humans can achieve. There’s no inherent good or bad qualities to it, so what you personally believe to be good or bad, and what you do according to those beiefs is what’s ultimately going to determine whether it is good or bad for you.

NeoMarine, I don’t think that Lucid Dreaming is related to witchcraft or reaching spirits, It is simply exploring your subconscious. I don’t think that you get into contact with many spirits while you’re dreaming. LDing isn’t reallya religion, just a method of self exploration and self-understanding.

Also, I’d like to know where you got the idea that Buddhism is evil :confused: .

I’m a Christian myself, but I hold many of the Buddhist doctrines in very high regard, such as focusing on the positive things that one can do, rather than making pretty much everything evil, sinful and deserving of an instant condemnation to hell. I don’t know it just seems like a truly benevolent God would be a little more lenient.

Oh wow lots of responses here, i’ve read everyone’s and I thankyou guys for helping me clear some things up… it’s just that, with anything new (that seems magical) and has history with practices (which *I believe are evil) I will be skeptical… sorry if i’ve offended anyone by my comments or statements, i’m just trying to see more clearly what Lucid Dreaming is.

Theres really nothing magical about lucid dreaming, or altered states of consciousness. Its all basically self-hypnosis to achieve a higher level of brain function while sleeping.

Of course you do :smile: Some of the best fun you can have in this world and the next is the ‘sinful’ kind hehe.

I have a theory (which I haven’t been able to prove yet since I’m fairly new at LDing) that dreams are a sort of middle ground between the physical world and a tributary of the spirit world. I’m not sure how I’m going to prove this one way or the other but considering the pathetic state of my current LDs I seem to have plenty of time to figure that out. =0)

Well … trying to contact a ‘spirit world’ is reaching for the beyond … are you Christian?

Preface:

I’m tempted to ask how in the hell:

1- Controlling dreams is evil
2- Buddhism is evil
3- Reaching the “beyond” is evil
4- Contacting the dead is evil
5- What do point 3, 4, “witchcraft”, and “magic” (if they exist in the first place) have to do with LDing

Now that we’ve cleared that up, let me give my advice. You control lucid dreams. You decide what to do. If you don’t want to do something, don’t do it. If the dream is taking a shape you don’t like, wake up. I can’t see where the problem is. You are free to do what you believe, right?

I’m not sure I can answer all your questions, but this one I can.
If you are a Christian, contacting the dead in any way is considered to be a sin, therefore evil.

Just because it’s the spirit world doesn’t mean there will be dead people there. Yes I’m a Christian. I don’t care about dead people. I’m sure I’ll see them some day when I’m in a similar condition but until then who cares?

I think the spirit world is vast. It encompasses our own world of course, since angels can move around without being seen, as well as other things we’re probably not aware of. The spirit does not have the same constraints as does the physical and so can accomplish things however it wants. Sound familiar?

The fact is that whether or not it is a tributary our spirits can enter during sleep it IS there. It exists and (like earth) is only as evil as those who have influence over it. For all I know the dream world really is just a jumble of things in my mind throwing themselves together in random patterns. I plan on exploring this though because it’s close and easier than renting a sub to the bottom of the sea or a space ship to the universe. =0)

Edit: God Himself has used lucid dreams (obviously they weren’t called that until long after the time of Christ) to communicate with His children. Because of this I don’t believe that it’s evil. However due to your continued doubt I will bring forth the following scripture and bow out.

Romans 14:1-8