Is It Possible............Is It Safe..........

[billsstamps]

I would come into the category of

WARNING: Going to church may damage your Christianity

I have research degrees in both anthropology and theology. Also I worked for a while in a prison as a manager of the World Faiths department, overseeing the work of Imams, Pastors, Fathers, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist ministers. So, OK, I come at this from a particular point of view.

I once spent a week in a Buddhist monastery trying to learn meditation. I didn't work well for me, but what the Buddhist Monk and I agreed on was that pilgrims coming to the temple with all the pressure to give gold leaf to put on the Buddha was just as crippling for spirituality as Christians having to raise money to repair the Church roof.

There is research about levels of christian maturity I worked on years ago, which looks at the factors which make christians grow in their christianity. Going to Eucharist every week is good because it helps christians to grow to level 3 quickly. The problem is, repeated exposure keeps christians there, they do not readily move through to level 5 in which they have the resources to make the whole of their lives christian. If you find this difficult to believe, reflect on the observation that established churches are rarely christian employers in treating their employees christianly.

I don't go to Eucharist every week. I have been enough already.

Preaching is not so good for your christianity or islam either. Congregations don't notice when their pastor or imam goes beyond what the faith is actually about and can slide into various fundamentalisms. At best congregations absorb the benign but limited world view of their minister. Methodists and others with rotating preachers have an advantage of learning to evaluate their preachers.

Yes, I am Christian, and my faith informs how I do things.
And the headline grabbing quote above says, may. A tendency, not an inevitability

[suesjools]

I probably come under the heading of "non practicing Christian"

In other words I don't feel the need to go to church........but I have faith.
I'm not quite sure what or who that faith is in, but a greater entity than we mere mortals.

Saying that, on one occasion where a life was teetering on the very edge of existence......I was drawn to the hospital chapel......why I don't know........but I prayed, much along the lines of either take him quickly without pain, or bring him back to me. My Dad survived.

On another occasion, I was put in the position (in a court) of either taking in three very young children or having them lost forever through adoption. On my way home I found myself walking into our Parish Church and by chance the Vicar (and his children) were there. We prayed together that I would make the right decision. The next day I went back into the courtroom......and brought the children home. I'm pleased to say that they have since been returned to their Mum (in better circumstances), so it was meant to be.

I have an open mind about faith / religion / beliefs etc. each to their own.
Yvonne x

You sound exactly like me. I was raised Catholic but haven't been to church in 30 years, as I have problems with a church that doesn't recognize and encourage the equality and full participation of women and gays, also I'm pro BC which many mainstream Catholics abhor. I call myself spiritual, as I believe very strongly in God and Jesus but don't feel I need an intermediary or church to communicate with Him.

That said, I'm very open minded, some of my friends are Wiccans, some are Christians, (bf is Baptist though he hasn't been to church in years either), some are Jews and some are agnostics or atheists; IMHO it's like John Lennon said, (albeit in a different context), "whatever gets you through the night"...

Best wishes for many sales to all,

[burgyeb]

I have no problem with people believing in God. I would say that I have Christian values, but you do not have to believe in some entity to think that some things are wrong. It is man who wrote the bible so in effect Christian values are actually the values of mankind.

Agree.

[burgyeb]

You sound exactly like me. I was raised Catholic but haven't been to church in 30 years, as I have problems with a church that doesn't recognize and encourage the equality and full participation of women and gays, also I'm pro BC which many mainstream Catholics abhor. I call myself spiritual, as I believe very strongly in God and Jesus but don't feel I need an intermediary or church to communicate with Him.

That said, I'm very open minded, some of my friends are Wiccans, some are Christians, (bf is Baptist though he hasn't been to church in years either), some are Jews and some are agnostics or atheists; IMHO it's like John Lennon said, (albeit in a different context), "whatever gets you through the night"...

Best wishes for many sales to all,

Have friends, family, and associates who cover a wide spectrum of beliefs. I have no problem accepting different faiths, belief systems, or cultures. I agree, each to his own; but each should be willing to extend the same to others.

[iwiw60]

I'm Christian. With that said, I will stay away from this thread as I tend to be rather outspoken on subjects such as this and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings on the matter...

[suesjools]

Have friends, family, and associates who cover a wide spectrum of beliefs. I have no problem accepting different faiths, belief systems, or cultures. I agree, each to his own; but each should be willing to extend the same to others.

Ditto this. IMHO the world would be a much better place if we could all live and let live.

Best wishes for many sales to all,

[burgyeb]

I'm Christian. With that said, I will stay away from this thread as I tend to be rather outspoken on subjects such as this and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings on the matter...

Awwww.............pez come back. Just behave.

Was poking about on levels of faith, makes for pretty interesting reading. Fascinating how people varied in their presentation of the topic. Some focused on 3, 5, 7, 13; actually they were saying pretty much the same thing. Cross referencing their points was fun.

[lakeleilani]

As humans, I think we are spiritual beings and consequently need to express that spirituality in some way. The most common way is through a religion, but it may also be expressed through creativity. We all believe in the existence of good and evil. I believe that the good in the world comes from God (who many don't believe in) and the evil in the world comes from satan (who many more don't believe in). You could ask why a God who purports to be good allows evil things to happen. My answer is that I believe God has given people freedom of choice, and you are free to choose a good way or a bad way, and your choice impacts on yourself and those around you.

[suesjools]

As humans, I think we are spiritual beings and consequently need to express that spirituality in some way. The most common way is through a religion, but it may also be expressed through creativity. We all believe in the existence of good and evil. I believe that the good in the world comes from God (who many don't believe in) and the evil in the world comes from satan (who many more don't believe in). You could ask why a God who purports to be good allows evil things to happen. My answer is that I believe God has given people freedom of choice, and you are free to choose a good way or a bad way, and your choice impacts on yourself and those around you.

So true. I also came to this conclusion about freedom of choice after many years (OK decades) of wondering and badgering my elders for answers. A good priest friend brought me to this conclusion, for which I was (and am) quite grateful.

Best wishes for many sales to all,

[burgyeb]

As humans, I think we are spiritual beings and consequently need to express that spirituality in some way. The most common way is through a religion, but it may also be expressed through creativity. We all believe in the existence of good and evil. I believe that the good in the world comes from God (who many don't believe in) and the evil in the world comes from satan (who many more don't believe in). You could ask why a God who purports to be good allows evil things to happen. My answer is that I believe God has given people freedom of choice, and you are free to choose a good way or a bad way, and your choice impacts on yourself and those around you.

This pretty much sums up my views as well.

I attended a university, and the Dean of my school had developed a theory on the whole person. An individual was defined as "a spiritual being who interacts with internal and external environments, in a biopsychosocial manner, as they quest for wholeness." The theory was accepted as a full theory of nursing in a Swedish Journal.