God in our Image?

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Thou shalt not ... except if observing first to see how rough life is ...

Thus we are ... and I am ... on common ground finding out how accrued humanity can be about hating common folk as less than the subjective! After that the divers system ... tis biblical to play out the facetious in satyr ... ade vile twist ... in spell?

Word is like that ... uncommon if redacted ... and that's obvious for those that haven't noted ...
 
PilgrimsProgress said:
"Thou should not be ignorant", "Thou should not take the Bible literally " "Thou should not be a redneck" "Thou should not vote for Donald Trump".

Okay, I'm being facetious - but the truth is Progressives are as judgemental as Fundamentalists - they just choose different folks to disapprove of.
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I'm not sure about that, actually, PP. I think you'd find that most 'progressive' congregations would include a fair number of people with pretty orthodox viewpoints. The reverse is not as true, though. For instance, our fairly liberal congregation embraces both me, the non-theist intellectual, and Joan, the "Jesus was born of a virgin on December 25th, walked on water, is the second person of the Trinity, and God is definitely a He", practical quilt-maker. A more fundamental congregation would embrace Joan, but reject (or insist on re-educating) me.
 
BetteTheRed said:
I'm not sure about that, actually, PP. I think you'd find that most 'progressive' congregations would include a fair number of people with pretty orthodox viewpoints. The reverse is not as true, though. For instance, our fairly liberal congregation embraces both me, the non-theist intellectual, and Joan, the "Jesus was born of a virgin on December 25th, walked on water, is the second person of the Trinity, and God is definitely a He", practical quilt-maker. A more fundamental congregation would embrace Joan, but reject (or insist on re-educating) me.
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I correct on the quilt-maker ... it was mire lee intent maqon ... for the sake of what goes on understood there ...

Understood means within the dirt as given ... if you have a mind for it ...
 
BetteTheRed said:
I'm not sure about that, actually, PP. I think you'd find that most 'progressive' congregations would include a fair number of people with pretty orthodox viewpoints. The reverse is not as true, though. For instance, our fairly liberal congregation embraces both me, the non-theist intellectual, and Joan, the "Jesus was born of a virgin on December 25th, walked on water, is the second person of the Trinity, and God is definitely a He", practical quilt-maker. A more fundamental congregation would embrace Joan, but reject (or insist on re-educating) me.
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But isn't this just continuing the premise that this makes your church better than theirs?

Over the weekend I stayed at a friends house in Wiarton for 3 days. They insist that the Bible speaks out against homosexuality and that the lifestyle is not "godly". Very uncomfortable moment when they brought this up, as they love to discuss the bible. I could only tell them that I don't see it that way and when I tried to explain, I was shut down, by them pronouncing that I don't understand the bible very well. I was then told that is an area we should not discuss during our visit. They have chosen a church that endorses this viewpoint and a very literal view of the bible over all. Our discussion changed to how "other" churches try to change another churches viewpoint but it isn't always biblical. The irony was thick, but not for them.
 
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Waterfall said:
But isn't this just continuing the premise that this makes your church better than theirs?
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No. I think we target two different audiences. Based on degree of gnosis, really. I can see denominations, religions even, on a scale of gnosis, from "We are absolutely sure of this and YOU are going to Hell", perhaps best caricatured by the Westboro Baptists, to "An' it harm none, do as ye will" of Wicca.
 
BetteTheRed said:
No. I think we target two different audiences. Based on degree of gnosis, really. I can see denominations, religions even, on a scale of gnosis, from "We are absolutely sure of this and YOU are going to Hell", perhaps best caricatured by the Westboro Baptists, to "An' it harm none, do as ye will" of Wicca.
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Gnosis will probably stir the agnostics ... just to be counter and attempt balance .. a mental state we know little about ... or so it appears!
 
BetteTheRed said:
No. I think we target two different audiences. Based on degree of gnosis, really. I can see denominations, religions even, on a scale of gnosis, from "We are absolutely sure of this and YOU are going to Hell", perhaps best caricatured by the Westboro Baptists, to "An' it harm none, do as ye will" of Wicca.
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I edited my response.
 
But your friends' place is more comfortable for them. They need certainty more than some of their more theologically-relaxed friends?

Both my sister-in-law and my mother-in-law belong to much more fundamentalist congregations than I. I would say that both of them have, for very good reasons, from personality to early life experiences to career choices, more conservative personalities than I.

We don't shy away from differences, but we don't go out of our way to discuss them. I'm rather more gentle with their beliefs than I would be here, or in my Tuesday night group.

I go to church once yearly with my sister-in-law, and that's okay, because it's once a year. My mother-in-law's church is local, and fairly close; I only go there for funerals, lol...
 
Can people that dispose of knowledge easily in light of free will ... be sure of anything they know?

Tis an interesting condition for spirited essences ... they come and go ... thus Passovers!
 
Whether Fundamentalist, Progressive, - or anything between - it's not a person's beliefs that unsettles me......

None of us are born or live in a vacuum -we are all influenced by our environment and tend to form our beliefs accordingly. Over a lifetime we may come across different folks with different beliefs and find that, on consideration, our beliefs change. For others, their first beliefs remain solid.

What does upset me is when folks go further -instead of saying that this is what I believe - they say my belief is right and yours is wrong.

That, and when they "forget" that the faith they profess to follow is about love of God and love of neighbour. Seems to me you can disagree with a person's beliefs and actions, yet still retain a sense of care, respect and connection for the other as another struggling human being, grappling with this journey called life.
 
Jae said:
I trust that God would have revealed it to us in some other way. There is, of lesser note, just the fact that the vast majority of people who desire marriage desire a traditional one (one man and one woman for life). It seems that God has just built that desire into us.
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What? The vast majority????? When? Where?
Certainly not in the Bible. There didn't seem to be such a thing as 'traditional' marriage in much of the Bible. Arranged marriages = business arrangements between fathers and prospective husbands. Multiple wives. Forced rape resulting in the victim being 'married' to her rapist. Not to mention concubines and/or slaves.
Incest.
Wives as bounty of war.
Certainly not in many religions today, including some branches of Christianity.
Certainly not in many cultures today.
And if not 'many' wives, then a series of wives. The gospel of Matthew has Jesus allowing for divorce. Therefore not one man one wife for life.
One man, one woman - what about the many Christians who allow (or promote) one man, one child bride?

It doesn't seem so much that God built that desire into us, as evolution and circumstances, and women's rights, have developed it.
 
PilgrimsProgress said:
Whether Fundamentalist, Progressive, - or anything between - it's not a person's beliefs that unsettles me......

None of us are born or live in a vacuum -we are all influenced by our environment and tend to form our beliefs accordingly. Over a lifetime we may come across different folks with different beliefs and find that, on consideration, our beliefs change. For others, their first beliefs remain solid.

What does upset me is when folks go further -instead of saying that this is what I believe - they say my belief is right and yours is wrong.

That, and when they "forget" that the faith they profess to follow is about love of God and love of neighbour. Seems to me you can disagree with a person's beliefs and actions, yet still retain a sense of care, respect and connection for the other as another struggling human being, grappling with this journey called life.
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Pilgrim - my neighbour and perhaps closest (real life) friend is Baptist. We occasionally speak about what is going on in our respective churches - a pot luck supper for seniors, or a musical concert, in hers - an outreach program or a concert in mine - and we occasionally share what our faith in God means to us (our senior years, her recent illness, my Parkinsons) - but we don't get deep into theology (or politics - which we learned to avoid during the Harper years in Canada).
 
PilgrimsProgress said:
Whether Fundamentalist, Progressive, - or anything between - it's not a person's beliefs that unsettles me......

None of us are born or live in a vacuum -we are all influenced by our environment and tend to form our beliefs accordingly. Over a lifetime we may come across different folks with different beliefs and find that, on consideration, our beliefs change. For others, their first beliefs remain solid.

What does upset me is when folks go further -instead of saying that this is what I believe - they say my belief is right and yours is wrong.

That, and when they "forget" that the faith they profess to follow is about love of God and love of neighbour. Seems to me you can disagree with a person's beliefs and actions, yet still retain a sense of care, respect and connection for the other as another struggling human being, grappling with this journey called life.
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Pilgrims - your post made me recall this video by Jean Vanier -

 
Jean Vanier is an extraordinary person. You might enjoy his book - Becoming Human. I haven't read it myself, but just today a friend was speaking eloquently about how it impacted her life. You will also find other videos of Vanier on youtube ... lots to.ponder
 
Does traditional marriage screw up non-traditional love make in .. just for fear of religious law?

Passion can over rule that ... as observed if often messes up order in the temple and thus church rackets and bazaar behaviour ... toss in a conception or two to really stir it up ... poetic dissonance ... thus Eris in FAX! At birth the woman will cuss the man ... and then smile at the outcome ... and we believe people are not strange?
 
Different points in the Bibble where it shews our Lord knows that We are capable of being His equal and of even surpassing Him when we are Ready

(just like with children? Parents accept they have capability 2 be equal and even surpassing them?)

Co-creation
Hidden keys to the many treasures around us
We just have ta find 'em
 
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