definition: Miriam-Webster

• 1: the experience of mystical union or direct communion with ultimate reality reported by mystics
• 2: the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality can be attained through subjective experience (as intuition or insight)
• 3a: vague speculation : a belief without sound basis
• 3b: a theory postulating the possibility of direct and intuitive acquisition of ineffable knowledge or power

definition: BrainyQuote

• Obscurity of doctrine.
• The doctrine of the Mystics, who professed a pure, sublime, and wholly disinterested devotion, and maintained that they had direct intercourse with the divine Spirit, and acquired a knowledge of God and of spiritual things unattainable by the natural intellect, and such as can not be analyzed or explained.
• The doctrine that the ultimate elements or principles of knowledge or belief are gained by an act or process akin to feeling or faith.

Hundreds of different definitions. Okay, so much for the muddle-minded.
Striker’s definition: Belief and faith in the unknown and unknowable.

adherents.com lists largest 22 religions; 33% Christian, 21% Islam, 16% non-religious. 14% Hindu…22% Jewish ranks #12. Seems that there’s a plethora of differing thought.

So how is mysticism related to morality? It depends greatly on one’s definitions. of morality, true? Objective morality requires that we rely upon rationality; upon reasoning based on that which we KNOW. A mystic’s true test of Faith might be diving out of an airplane without a parachute, believing the spirits will bring a safe landing. An objectivist, knowing better, would use the parachute.

Here in the USA, we have freedom OF religion (/mysticism), but not freedom FROM religion. Thus we are embroiled in endless diatribe which result in laws for marriage, divorce, abortion, gay rights, blue laws, holidays for Christmas & Easter, drugs & alcohol & tobacco, and so much more. Then comes the dysfunctional mystical idea that we are our Brother’s Keeper, Brother being all humankind, rather than simply our families.

Such Ideas without rational basis cannot find universal acceptance. But the mystics have found the way via Democracy and the Guilt Trip. With Democracy it takes only a simple majority to force any idea, bad or good, upon everyone. The Guilt Trip is used to intimidate everyone, thus those candidates who survive the weeding-out process become our legislators, governors and the president, all obligated to pacify the mystics if they are to survive the next election. So now universal acceptance is no longer necessary. Now politicians claim a “mandate” to pass Laws, whether rational or not, and we citizens long ago ceded our rights to government by bestowing the powers of Law and the Duty to en-FORCE those laws. Rationality becomes irrelevant!

So the government becomes our Brother’s Keeper (now Welfare and Health Care and Licenses and …) in a myriad of ways. It is a great opportunity for those with power-mentalities to make friends with the Politicians and become Bureaucrats sworn to uphold and enforce the Law. But there’s a problem – all these Government people think they should be Paid, and have Offices and Cars and Buildings with Bathrooms and Computers and Desks and Telephones.

Therefore, toward the best interests of the mystics, we have Taxes which also used to pay for Wars. We don’t pay for Wars these days, it’s put on-the-cuff and called the National Debt. And we have the Minimum Wage which has helped so many people in China while making US manufacturers less competitive in the world markets.

Conclusion? Mysticism is both a waste of time and IM-moral.

I’m not interested in carrying on debate over this subject, so it’s closed to comment.