Is the Christian story a myth?

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@Mystic

We understand your faith perspective on healing and spiritual gifts. Others of us believe differently and I think that is fine.

And yes, our denomination is in decline as are other mainstream denominations.

What I have been hearing is that evangelical denominations are close behind us here in Canada. To date they have benefited from from an influx of first generation immigrants.

Is Pentecostalism flourishing in the U.S.? Worldwide?
 
@Mystic

On another thread, you expressed some cynicism about our attempt to come up with a set of community values.

In post #36 you used the following language:

Mindless pontification
Clueless
Bitter
Shrill hysterical religious bigotry
Hasty generalization
Closed minded mindset

May I suggest this is not what we are trying to achieve here? We are looking for a respectful exchange of ideas.

I am not Reporting your post because I am hopeful we can get this conversation back on track without the moderators getting involved.
 
ninj said:
@Mystic "For closed-minded mindsets like yours, I intend my posts to serve as annoying flies in the hope of at last awakening an honest and open spiritual quest."

Your witness seems a tad sour. Not helpful if your goal is to influence people to embrace your superior understanding and win souls. Opposite in fact. The bible isn't it's own proof. Is that what you walked away from Harvard with?
Click to expand...
Duh, my polemical experience-based style played a role in the conversion of 2 skeptics on another spirituality website.
And where you come up with the tired bromide that "the Bible is its own proof?"
 
I feel like the least educated one in the discussion but I will share my beliefs anyway. I do not take the Bible literally, but I do believe that the stories (some myth, some purposeful and slanted retellings, some factual) are woven together by people who believed in the Hebrew people as God's chosen people, and then believed in the ministry of Jesus as a way to move this particular religion into the rest of the world. I have always felt that there is something more to life than what we see...that there is spirit, and faith, and an otherness that some of us feel close to. My Christian faith colours within those lines. If I were born in a different culture I might have found a different faith to do that. I do not debate what is myth or fact, because it is ultimately the story (not the origin) that has impact, and it is up to individuals to seek out the most positive and generous impact of the story.
 
Mystic said:
Duh, my polemical experience-based style played a role in the conversion of 2 skeptics on another spirituality website.
And where you come up with the tired bromide that "the Bible is its own proof?"
Click to expand...
Two? Wow. Speaking of tired bromides, you certainly must know that by now most of the world has heard your message in it's current form.
 
paradox3 said:
@Mystic

On another thread, you expressed some cynicism about our attempt to come up with a set of community values.

In post #36 you used the following language:

Mindless pontification
Clueless
Bitter
Shrill hysterical religious bigotry
Hasty generalization
Closed minded mindset

May I suggest this is not what we are trying to achieve here? We are looking for a respectful exchange of ideas.
Click to expand...
May I suggest you reread Bette's insulting inflammatory post dissing without reasons the biblical "interventionist God" and notice that she offers no rational grounds for her disrespect, I suspect, because she knows she has a poor grasp of the biblical interventionist God. I'm eager to debate this issue if confrontational debate is actually permitted on this site.
m
 
This from your thread on the 8 Points of Progressive Christianity (btw, thanks for locating that web site for me, I have learned a lot from it.)

Mystic said:
I've given up hope of obtaining straight answers to sincere questions about beliefs and experiences from progressive WC2 posters. The consistent defensive reaction of freezing like Bambi in the headlights to flee challenging dialogue has now convinced me this is not my crowd and I will once again take an extended leave of absence.
Click to expand...

It seems to me, reading through this thread that the most defensive poster here is you. You cling to your theology and beliefs like Linus van Pelt to his blanket. (talk about a mythical symbol!) Any time anyone says anything that goes against your thoughts, you try to swat it down like a wasp. You tell others they shut their ears, but your ears are more tightly sealed than most, when someone gainsays you.

You want to 'defend' the Gospels. Frankly the Gospel doesn't need defenders as much as examples. Maybe you could focus more on the latter, and less on the former. Just a suggestion.
 
By the way, if you have ever read anything by Thomas Oord, or Harold Kushner, you may find real reason to question a micro-managing, interventionist God.
 
And I would note that my post did not, largely, violate our community guidelines. I believe that it is within our guidelines to describe a belief as morally repugnant. Should someone come on this site advocating female genital mutilation, I would have similar moral objections.

I think it is an important prophetic role to point out the damaging/harmful/hurtful potential of beliefs around an interventionist god. It damages humans, it actively hurts the religion that it attempts to promote.
 
Mystic said:
As eminent sociologist Peter Berger finds in his cultural research, Pentecostalism is "the most explosive phenomenon in religious history"---600 million string and growing
Click to expand...
Is this conclusion of Berger's still current? (He died in 2017)

I'm still wondering about the Canadian vs American vs worldwide experience of Pentecostalism.
 
I have limited (one congregation, very multi-cultural, on Montreal Island) experience.

From what I can tell, the beliefs are answers, and simple ones at that. The service, and the congregation, are more emotional than I am used to. Except for the repeated "he" and "father", I don't notice much meat to the messages, although there often seems to be a particular obsession with numbers (like "do not fear" is used XXX times in the Old Testament, etc.) And a bit strange-to-me obsession with missionary work abroad (my sister in law supports Samaritan's Purse, to my completely silent horror).
 
Mystic said:
May I suggest you reread Bette's insulting inflammatory post dissing without reasons the biblical "interventionist God" and notice that she offers no rational grounds for her disrespect, I suspect, because she knows she has a poor grasp of the biblical interventionist God. I'm eager to debate this issue if confrontational debate is actually permitted on this site.
m
Click to expand...
A spinoff thread might be a good idea. Let's talk about that biblical interventionist God.
 
ninj said:
@Mystic "For closed-minded mindsets like yours, I intend my posts to serve as annoying flies in the hope of at last awakening an honest and open spiritual quest."

Your witness seems a tad sour. Not helpful if your goal is to influence people to embrace your superior understanding and win souls. Opposite in fact. The bible isn't it's own proof. Is that what you walked away from Harvard with?
Click to expand...
Duh, my polemical experience-based style played a role in the conversion of 2 skeptics on another spirituality website.
And where you come up with the tired bromide that "the Bible is its own proof?"
 
Redbaron said:
By the way, if you have ever read anything by Thomas Oord, or Harold Kushner, you may find real reason to question a micro-managing, interventionist God.
Click to expand...
That's precisely one of your (and Bette's) key misunderstandings about the biblical interventionist God. OT scholars recognize that the OT God does not control the forces of chaos by micro-managing the laws of the universe.
 
Mystic said:
That's precisely one of your (and Bette's) key misunderstandings about the biblical interventionist God. OT scholars recognize that the OT God does not control the forces of chaos by micro-managing the laws of the universe.
Click to expand...

So what have you got to say about the late Kushner's or Oord's work that you think we should talk about?

I don't give too much of a shite about your academic credentials. I actually live to convince you of the evil of your beliefs, believe it or not. (And I have convinced others...)
 
Didn't we actually do a bible study here on Oord's latest book? I'm sure I actually bought it and its in my Amazon library, although I haven't re-read it.
 
Mystic said:
That's a great metaphor for your inability to respond rationally to a scholarly consensus of which you are ignorant that refutes your preconceptions.
m
Click to expand...
Like Mr. Trump, your skills of projecting on to others are highly developed.
 
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