How to refute "We are all one" philosophy?

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BenSinner

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Often those with Eastern spirituality tendencies will say things like:
  • “We are all one”
  • “There is no distinction between you and your neighbor. You ARE your neighbor and your neighbor IS YOU.”
Philosophically, would this even be logical?

Is it logical for 2 different people; Person 1 (You) and Person 2 (neighbor) to possess the same mind and identity?

The two will have different perspectives of the world due to their different sense perceptions, but they are of the same mind thinking the same thoughts. (at least that is what I’m getting from this philosophy)
 
I’m not an expert in eastern philosophy but it sounds as though you might be talking about the universal mind. The idea that we are all connected to one universal mind though we are separate ‘sensors’ in a way.

It’s true that we are all children of God. And it’s true that we should and are asked to, love our neighbour as ourselves, but that isn’t the same thing. We are separate agents but we share the similarities because we are made in the image of God.
 
We are united, but we’re still all distinct. Like Paul’s example of a hand vs a foot, or an eye vs an ear.

Paul was speaking about the unity of the Body of Christ, but, just from experience, I’d also suggest there’s a unity of Created Things. So I can certainly see how someone else who had run into the unity of Created Things would be more inclined to blur things into an emphasis on the unity, and lose some of the distinction.
 
It is more about interconnectedness. The analogy of the body and its parts, as midori said, fits best.
 
Point to them that there is individuality. Each person is different from the next. This is clear given that each has a different set of skills. If we shared in the same consciousness then everyone would be able to paint a masterpiece or sing magnificently.
 
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one thing is for sure, most of us over emphasize our individuality to the point of “Me first!”
 
The title of this thread is how to refute “We are all one” philosophy.

Just ask, if we are all one, does that mean that my rich neighbor’s property is also mine? That I can have a party in his backyard? That I can use his boat to have fun with my family next weekend?

The “we are one” idea may be a nice idea, but a bad one in practice. It can get you into a lot of trouble.
 
Diversity in unity, like the Trinity.

The entire universe, with so many forms, blessed.
 
BenSinner said:
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Pantheism is ruled out by the demonstration of a transcendent being.

If all is one then God did not create ex nihilo.
If all is God and God is all, then there are no miracles since miracles are intervention outside of oneself.
Techniques are used by advanced individuals to reveal that we all are one, however we in Christianity are saved not by our own nature by techinques, but we are children of the Most High that are gifted salvation.

Psalm 81/82:
6 I have said: You are gods and all of you the sons of the most High.
7 But you like men shall die: and shall fall like one of the princes.
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See: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/p...pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html#fn60
 
BenSinner said:
Often those with Eastern spirituality tendencies will say things like:
  • “We are all one”
  • “There is no distinction between you and your neighbor. You ARE your neighbor and your neighbor IS YOU.”
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I would think that the burden of proof would be on them to prove those claims, not on us to refute them. That there are distinctions between you and me seem obvious. You are over there while I am over here. You are asking the question while am giving an answer. He believes there are no distinctions. I believe there are distinctions. He believes in moral relativism. I believe in absolute truth. She is a female. I am a male. Etc. I can make different choices than my neighbour. Etc.
 
Good Evening BenSinner: You are asking for arguments to refute something that you haven’t spent much time looking into based on some of the assumptions you make in your post . I would offer the idea that you do some very basic reading on the matter and then decide whether or not you want to argue against it.

All the best!
 
I think we can be united in charity, that’s the thing we all can be united
 
We are united in the giving of ourselves to God who brings us into being; united in Love, in the one true vine, Jesus, thereby communing within the Trinity, holding God above all else, treating our brethren as we treat ourselves. Our true nature into which through Jesus Christ we grow, might be thought of as the Atman, who is Brahman, the individual soul expressing perfect relationality, self and other joined in love, which is God. But, we are confused by sin, looking after our own self-interest, not trusting that God wants what is truly good for us, beyond the illusory and transient goods that we chase. Sin divides the body of Christ, His one holy church, in which we each as individuals, participate
 
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SonOfElElyon said:
One bread, one body
One Lord of all
One cup of blessing which we bless
And we, though many
Throughout the earth
We are one body in this one Lord
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Completely true.

We all belong to the one mystical body of Christ. However, the physical body of Christ is not my body. He is divine; I am not.
 
I agree, but we hardly know what “spirit” even is. we hardly know what matter is.
 
Scripture uses the world body for a reason. We are beings made up of both soul/spirit and body.
 
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