You know me. I have no problem with accepting you as a Christian. I have a better time accepting you as a Christian than I do Donald Trump, even though I have to regrettably do so.
I’m not certain being a Christian is something you confess.
Jesus tells this story of two sons in Matthew 21:28-32. One son said he would do the work, but doesn’t. The other son says he won’t do the work, but actually does do the work.
In all my dealings and interactions with you, you have been more of a Christian to me than many Christians I know.
Call yourself what you like. Seek what you want to seek. Find the answers or be on a perpetual search.
There's a Buddhist Dharma center near me that does communal vipassina and zen meditations and serve tea and conversation after on Sunday mornings. Having recently fallen down a secular Buddhism rabbit hole, I'm thinking of trying this as a sort of replacement for church. Although the symbolism of Christianity is still very powerful for me, I often think the truth resides somewhere in between the roots of eastern and western ideals.
Practicing writing and finding my voice is changed me profoundly. In a way it is my religion. I do not owe anyone a definition. I do no not owe anyone a nice neat label. Their uneasiness towards my personal beliefs is their personal problem and not mine.
Leaving Christianity is like leaving an abusive relationship. You love Jesus, Jesus loves you, but then Jesus starts making demands, becomes all needy, needs constant praise, starts threatening you, and wants all your money, and next thing you know you are working the streets, banging on doors cause Jesus needs more and more attention and you are just not enough. Then you break it off, but you start thinking well he wasn't really that bad, and he took all your friends and you're lonely, and you there were some good times, and you forget the bad times. You start reading all the old texts he sent you, but you skip over the abusive ones cause that's not really the real Jesus. But then hopefully a friend reminds that the abusive Jesus is the real Jesus, that yes he and his father really did drown the world in a flood, really did smite a city, really did commit genocide, really did call people dogs, really said it's going to be really bad for people he doesn't like, like wailing and gnashing of teeth bad, ghosted his followers for 2000 years (and counting), and when he does come back he told a friend he's going to decimate the earth and there will be blood up to horses bridles. Really, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! And he still wants all your money. Just block him and change the locks, cause he's bad news wrapped in good PR. And don't rebound into relationships with his friends either, cause Moses, Buddha, Krishna and rest are just waiting and just as bad and they aren't too good with money either! And don't get me started on Santa, that creepy stalker
This reminds me many years back when I heard a prominent Western Buddhist teacher going through an existential crisis, or maybe a crisis of conscience? He said he didn't believe ANY of it anymore EXCEPT:
"Don't cling"
That has stuck with me and I think about it frequently. And it's this refined down essence that has made me contemplate if I was asked to boil down what's at the core of my heart of hearts, I would probably respond:
Love and compassion
This is what I believe, everything else is just noise.
What I wish the Satanic Temple would be better at is to provide a forum for secular humanists to help humanity, helping humanity for the sake of helping humanity without cramming religion down anyone’s throat.
I too am somewhere between an atheist and agnostic. I’m more a Taoist I guess. I believe in a creative force in the universe. Christianity to me has become a great force for evil. When you force women to birth brainless fetuses even if their uterus explodes, that’s some real evil.
I have to unfortunately keep up the trappings of belonging for family, although I have officially announced it online.
I deal with its influence by reinterpreting for my new religious framework, none of which willl be accepted by the orthodox (and even the heterodox), but is simply my way of holding it all together. It gets very lonely, but I prefer the loneliness to the cognitive dissonance.
Keep moving, is all I'd say. Your journey is yours alone. They can't steal you from yourself.
I get that. I've found myself back in a church for the past year, but I never expected to. I don't think I could just go to any church though. This one is really weird, totally separate from any organizational structures. The pastor is a mystic who regularly incorporates Eastern religions, secular music, and just breaks all the rules in general. We met and bonded over a love of Ram Dass, who he considers a spiritual mentor. He said the book Be Here Now is a mirror of his own relationship with Jesus. There is no concern for what you call God or what path you are on, as long as you are living a good life and taking care of others. He and the church as a whole do carry the "Christian" label, because they base everything around Christ, but it's the "Universal Christ" within everything. I can say it is very nice to have a community of spiritual seekers, but I don't talk about it with people outside of that because I know they wouldn't get it. I have Jordan Peterson and his Biblical lectures to thank for drawing me back into the stories (from a more approachable angle).
Out of curiosity, are you familiar with George MacDonald? He's a figure in the Christian tradition that I think gets across a lot of the transcendent and mythological significance of Christ and the Christian stories without being bound to all the traditional understandings of them.
His Unspoken Sermons is a great piece of spiritual literature.
"I am open to evidence for all these claims, and I am ultimately agnostic on all of them."
Believers will always see evidence where none exists, which is why I long ago stopped trying to engage with them. It is pointless, unless they are already unsure that the doctrine is valid, and the supernatural claims might be the nonsense that they are. Cognitive dissonance is a surefire way to waste a lifetime on false claims.
Jesus has in mind the numerous people who have lapsed from faith, yourself included, when he tells the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I would suggest you revisit that story in the Gospels for answers. Additionally, Christianity is as much a social community as it is a creedal faith. I was motivated to convert to Christianity mainly because I saw how compassionate Christians can be, as well as how accommodating they are to my numerous doubts about the faith.
You know me. I have no problem with accepting you as a Christian. I have a better time accepting you as a Christian than I do Donald Trump, even though I have to regrettably do so.
I’m not certain being a Christian is something you confess.
Jesus tells this story of two sons in Matthew 21:28-32. One son said he would do the work, but doesn’t. The other son says he won’t do the work, but actually does do the work.
In all my dealings and interactions with you, you have been more of a Christian to me than many Christians I know.
Call yourself what you like. Seek what you want to seek. Find the answers or be on a perpetual search.
It is what we do with our life that is important.
There's a Buddhist Dharma center near me that does communal vipassina and zen meditations and serve tea and conversation after on Sunday mornings. Having recently fallen down a secular Buddhism rabbit hole, I'm thinking of trying this as a sort of replacement for church. Although the symbolism of Christianity is still very powerful for me, I often think the truth resides somewhere in between the roots of eastern and western ideals.
Practicing writing and finding my voice is changed me profoundly. In a way it is my religion. I do not owe anyone a definition. I do no not owe anyone a nice neat label. Their uneasiness towards my personal beliefs is their personal problem and not mine.
Leaving Christianity is like leaving an abusive relationship. You love Jesus, Jesus loves you, but then Jesus starts making demands, becomes all needy, needs constant praise, starts threatening you, and wants all your money, and next thing you know you are working the streets, banging on doors cause Jesus needs more and more attention and you are just not enough. Then you break it off, but you start thinking well he wasn't really that bad, and he took all your friends and you're lonely, and you there were some good times, and you forget the bad times. You start reading all the old texts he sent you, but you skip over the abusive ones cause that's not really the real Jesus. But then hopefully a friend reminds that the abusive Jesus is the real Jesus, that yes he and his father really did drown the world in a flood, really did smite a city, really did commit genocide, really did call people dogs, really said it's going to be really bad for people he doesn't like, like wailing and gnashing of teeth bad, ghosted his followers for 2000 years (and counting), and when he does come back he told a friend he's going to decimate the earth and there will be blood up to horses bridles. Really, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! And he still wants all your money. Just block him and change the locks, cause he's bad news wrapped in good PR. And don't rebound into relationships with his friends either, cause Moses, Buddha, Krishna and rest are just waiting and just as bad and they aren't too good with money either! And don't get me started on Santa, that creepy stalker
This reminds me many years back when I heard a prominent Western Buddhist teacher going through an existential crisis, or maybe a crisis of conscience? He said he didn't believe ANY of it anymore EXCEPT:
"Don't cling"
That has stuck with me and I think about it frequently. And it's this refined down essence that has made me contemplate if I was asked to boil down what's at the core of my heart of hearts, I would probably respond:
Love and compassion
This is what I believe, everything else is just noise.
What I wish the Satanic Temple would be better at is to provide a forum for secular humanists to help humanity, helping humanity for the sake of helping humanity without cramming religion down anyone’s throat.
I too am somewhere between an atheist and agnostic. I’m more a Taoist I guess. I believe in a creative force in the universe. Christianity to me has become a great force for evil. When you force women to birth brainless fetuses even if their uterus explodes, that’s some real evil.
No need to return in my opinion.
I have to unfortunately keep up the trappings of belonging for family, although I have officially announced it online.
I deal with its influence by reinterpreting for my new religious framework, none of which willl be accepted by the orthodox (and even the heterodox), but is simply my way of holding it all together. It gets very lonely, but I prefer the loneliness to the cognitive dissonance.
Keep moving, is all I'd say. Your journey is yours alone. They can't steal you from yourself.
I get that. I've found myself back in a church for the past year, but I never expected to. I don't think I could just go to any church though. This one is really weird, totally separate from any organizational structures. The pastor is a mystic who regularly incorporates Eastern religions, secular music, and just breaks all the rules in general. We met and bonded over a love of Ram Dass, who he considers a spiritual mentor. He said the book Be Here Now is a mirror of his own relationship with Jesus. There is no concern for what you call God or what path you are on, as long as you are living a good life and taking care of others. He and the church as a whole do carry the "Christian" label, because they base everything around Christ, but it's the "Universal Christ" within everything. I can say it is very nice to have a community of spiritual seekers, but I don't talk about it with people outside of that because I know they wouldn't get it. I have Jordan Peterson and his Biblical lectures to thank for drawing me back into the stories (from a more approachable angle).
Out of curiosity, are you familiar with George MacDonald? He's a figure in the Christian tradition that I think gets across a lot of the transcendent and mythological significance of Christ and the Christian stories without being bound to all the traditional understandings of them.
His Unspoken Sermons is a great piece of spiritual literature.
Mic drop right there. Coming from an eclectic wierd pagan. 🎤 well done.
Romans 10:9
If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.
John 14:6
Jesus said to him ,” I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.No one can come to the Father except through Me.
Then Jesus cried aloud: “Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me.“
John 12:44 NRSVUE
"I am open to evidence for all these claims, and I am ultimately agnostic on all of them."
Believers will always see evidence where none exists, which is why I long ago stopped trying to engage with them. It is pointless, unless they are already unsure that the doctrine is valid, and the supernatural claims might be the nonsense that they are. Cognitive dissonance is a surefire way to waste a lifetime on false claims.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for letting Timothy know how much You love him.In Jesus Name I pray.Amen,
Romans 5:8
God proved His own love for us that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
This is patronizing and insulting. Don't "pray" for people who haven't asked you to. I am surprised you were not banned for spamming a shopping site.
I’m not the Lord. You can address me directly.
Jesus has in mind the numerous people who have lapsed from faith, yourself included, when he tells the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I would suggest you revisit that story in the Gospels for answers. Additionally, Christianity is as much a social community as it is a creedal faith. I was motivated to convert to Christianity mainly because I saw how compassionate Christians can be, as well as how accommodating they are to my numerous doubts about the faith.
If you remember, it was the older brother who forgot what it meant to be a true son of his father, not the prodigal one.