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***********Good questions, Mike. See my perspective below:
But suppose a person sits for 30 minutes with nothing in
> mind, just sits, empty mind, meditating, maybe gazing at a religious
> picture, but nothing going on in his mind. Is that religion? Does
> that give glory to God?
************ I can't say if that is religion or not. Does it matter?
Putting one's self in the presence of God is prayer. We are in the
presence of God anyway, but acknowledging the Presence is what makes
it prayerful, I believe.
> For that matter, you could do this type of contemplation sitting in a
> car in a parking lot. Is that less aesthetically pleasing than
> contemplating by a brook and listening to the calming effect of the
> water passing in the brook?
************* Pleasing to whom?**************
> If I sit in my bedroom and just listen -- there is silence. Should I
> do that 3 hours per day? If it is pleasing to God, then presumably,
> the more time I make for God and this type of cleared-mind,
>untroubled contemplation, the better.
********** Isn't God beyond time? God doesn't use a yardstick or a
time clock. What do you think is more pleasing to God -sitting three
hours in silence or spending three hours at a homeless shelter helping
to feed the homeless, or donating three hours to help tutor a troubled
student, or visiting residents at a nursing home, getting involved
with social justice groups, joining a bible study group,etc. etc.?
All, I would think.
Dolores
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