[Jim Ramelis]

Hi, My name is Jim Ramelis and I am here to visit.I am a featured blogger at Crosleft.org.I blogged just a little bit here a couple of years ago but can't remember what my screen name was.I read many of the posts daily.I have changed my email address anyway so I may as well as just use my real name. I live in rural Northern Michigan so no one is going to come after me in anyway. The website got real slow here a couple of years ago and I drifted off. The home page is better than ever though and I visit and read it frequently.

I describe myself as both a Progressive Christian and a progressive politically.I think the two go hand in hand actually. If we love our brothers and sisters we will take action in the world, as did Jesus, Gandhi,and Martin Luther King.We love god, we love ourselves, and we love our brothers and sisters.That is the essense of Jesus's two great commandments and the heart of all the world's great religions. Now how best to do all of that is a matter of endless speculation.

This post has been edited by Jim Ramelis: 06 December 2008 - 09:34 PM

[billmc]

Jim Ramelis, on Dec 6 2008, 08:32 PM, said:

Hi, My name is Jim Ramelis and I am here to visit.I am a featured blogger at Crosleft.org.I blogged just a little bit here a couple of years ago but can't remember what my screen name was.I read many of the posts daily.I have changed my email address anyway so I may as well as just use my real name. I live in rural Northern Michigan so no one is going to come after me in anyway. The website got real slow here a couple of years ago and I drifted off. The home page is better than ever though and I visit and read it frequently.

I describe myself as both a Progressive Christian and a progressive politically.I think the two go hand in hand actually. If we love our brothers and sisters we will take action in the world, as did Jesus, Gandhi,and Martin Luther King.We love god, we love ourselves, and we love our brothers and sisters.That is the essense of Jesus's two great commandments and the heart of all the world's great religions. Now how best to do all of that is a matter of endless speculation.

Welcome, Jim, nice to meet you. Yes, this forum goes in spurts. Sometimes there's alot of activitiy and then it goes for weeks with no one posting.

I'm with you on PC and progressive politics going hand in hand. There just doesn't seem to be much of a formal structure for PC's to make political changes. Because we sort of disdain religious institutions, I suspect we avoid political institutions as well. Of course, there are exceptions. Jim Wallis and his group is doing a good job of bringing progressive politics to the forefront. But there is no local group for me to go to, to fellowship with. I live in the bible-belt so they tend to hang progressives down here.

Of course, this website does a fine job of defining the 8 points of progressive Christianity. These help us to know who we are. But Progressive Christianity does focus too much on what we should be doing. It leaves that up to individuals. Such an approach is freeing, but it is also disjointed. I, for one, wish there was some sort of adult and children educational material that approaches Christianity from a progressive viewpoint. But as far as I know, there is none. This means our kids get conservative, fundamentalist Christianity presented to them from infancy as being "true Christianity." It can then take years of deprogramming to help them find another way (if they even elect to stay in the church).

Anyway, welcome to the forum. I look forward to your contributions.

bill

[Jim Ramelis]

wayfarer2k, on Dec 7 2008, 08:58 AM, said:

Welcome, Jim, nice to meet you. Yes, this forum goes in spurts. Sometimes there's alot of activitiy and then it goes for weeks with no one posting.

I'm with you on PC and progressive politics going hand in hand. There just doesn't seem to be much of a formal structure for PC's to make political changes. Because we sort of disdain religious institutions, I suspect we avoid political institutions as well. Of course, there are exceptions. Jim Wallis and his group is doing a good job of bringing progressive politics to the forefront. But there is no local group for me to go to, to fellowship with. I live in the bible-belt so they tend to hang progressives down here.

Of course, this website does a fine job of defining the 8 points of progressive Christianity. These help us to know who we are. But Progressive Christianity does focus too much on what we should be doing. It leaves that up to individuals. Such an approach is freeing, but it is also disjointed. I, for one, wish there was some sort of adult and children educational material that approaches Christianity from a progressive viewpoint. But as far as I know, there is none. This means our kids get conservative, fundamentalist Christianity presented to them from infancy as being "true Christianity." It can then take years of deprogramming to help them find another way (if they even elect to stay in the church).

Anyway, welcome to the forum. I look forward to your contributions.

bill

Thanks for the welcome, Bill. I have read Spong, Borg, and others enough that I haven't went diligently in search of educational material ,but I thought "Living the Questions" was some sort of educational presentation for progressive Christians? It is sold on this site, if I am not mistaken.

[billmc]

Jim Ramelis, on Dec 7 2008, 01:08 PM, said:

Thanks for the welcome, Bill. I have read Spong, Borg, and others enough that I haven't went diligently in search of educational material ,but I thought "Living the Questions" was some sort of educational presentation for progressive Christians? It is sold on this site, if I am not mistaken.

I think you're right. But it is beyond my financial resources right now. I think its around $300 or so. Inexpensive for churches but expensive for laypeople.

[soma]

Jim, Welcome! I look forward to your input and insight. May your seeds of wisdom (reading, reflecting and living the word) swell, break us out of the hard shell of our minds, and sprout our consciousness onward to a new horizon.

[Jim Ramelis]

soma, on Dec 8 2008, 10:52 PM, said:

Jim, Welcome! I look forward to your input and insight. May your seeds of wisdom (reading, reflecting and living the word) swell, break us out of the hard shell of our minds, and sprout our consciousness onward to a new horizon.

Thank you Soma. I saw some of your posts over at Crossleft and of course, here. You certainly have much wisdom to share. I always read your posts slowly and make sure I understand. We are very close to being on the same wave length spiritually.

[rivanna]

Jim,

greetings and welcome. I agree about Soma's posts, a beautiful spirit flows through.

[McKenna]

Welcome, Jim!