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tpirob

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  1. Actually, I should have been more specific: I'm not evolving away from Christianity at all, far from it -- I'm just losing any great attachment to its conventional outward forms. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I can understand that....I think most of us here would fall under that description!
  2. Thanks for the replies Altheia and Fred......glad someone is reading my stuff! Fred, we seem to be on amazingly similar paths here....although I will admit that I tend to pull toward Christianity simply because it's what I know the most about. Not to say that I agree with everything, but there are many things that DO make sense to me. My brain hurts so much from hearing what every "authority" has to say on their particular belief system.....each providing compelling evidence that their beliefs are somehow superior to that of others. Whether it's atheists, Christians, Muslims, etc...each has their "proof" for their case. Each in and of themselves provide some pretty powerful stuff, but when considered relative to each other, you start to wonder who is full of crap! Even the prospect of God without religion is amazingly compelling, which is why I might go ahead and read the book on this subject. But even an idea as simple as this will cause those adherents to say that EVERY religion is false.....which makes you wonder about the validity of the such a notion of God without religion. Sorta puts them in the same boat as every other group that says their way is the best or only way. Arrgh.....where'd I put the aspirin!? Anyway....thanks again for listening....er...reading! I appreciate your responses! -Rob
  3. tpirob

    I'm New

    Welcome, Marie!
  4. Like you, I was "away" for a while because it just felt more comfortable NOT to think about things....but as you've realized, you can't just stop thinking about it. That's God working in us and telling us..."don't give up on me." Here's my update from the last few months: I was last struggling with deciding which church to go to. I like the contemporary praise/worship style commonly found in the non-denom churches, but wasn't comfortable with the fundamentalist, "only way" theology. It seems that now I'm questioning Christianity and organized religion altogether. I feel like I'm going backwards....but am I really moving forward with this thought? There are such strong arguments for AND against Christianity that the more I investigate, the more confused I become. I love the deep sense of worship/praise that Christians exalt for God...but as you all know....they don't always practice what they preach. I just attended a Chris Tomlin concert, and was just so happy to see thousands of people worshipping God. That is part of why I've called myself a Christian.....no other religion/spiritual group lifts up the name of God so passionately like Christians do. Of course, they're also lifting up the name of Jesus....and I don't have a problem with that. In the same way that I can't say they're right, I also can't say they're wrong either. It's not my place, nor anyone else's, I think. I just join in to praise GOD.....period. And so, I start to wonder like many of you. What do I do....who do I believe....WHAT do I believe. I believe in God. That's it. Nothing else. That is the ONE thing that I believe regardless of what I read or what I am told. I guess now I just need to figure out whether or not I believe in (or need) religion. I just heard of a book by Sankara Saranam titled "God Without Religion." This may help many of you, as I think it will help me, too. It has been out only a few months, and has already been highly acclaimed by other best-selling authors. It immediately grabbed my attention because of where I stand right now in my spiritual journey. I'm certain of God....but everything else I'm not so sure about. Thank God for this board....you are an amazing group of people. I truly feel at home here, even though I don't visit often. I'll try to make it a point to. PLEASE feel free to reach out to me anytime. I'm much better at keeping in touch via e-mail than on forums! I would consider anyone here a friend, since we are all on the same journey. Heck....the whole world is on the same journey, whether or not they know it! Some of us are just at different places....but rest assured, we'll all get there. And when we finally leave this life and go to God, WATCH OUT! It's going to be awesome.....then we'll look back on this life and laugh....and perhaps wonder...."how did I not figure that out!" It really might be as simple as just believing in God with all your heart and soul...and loving your neighbor as yourself...and letting God take care of the rest. Anyone here is welcome to e-mail me at tpirob@yahoo.com if you'd like to talk outside of these forums. I'm not an intellectual or anything....just a 31 year old guy looking for his place in this world, and trying to connect to God. So, "Seeking Sissy".....keep the faith. You are not alone. None of us are, until God brings us together.....and so here we are. Praise be to God! Take care, and God Bless. -Rob Conway, NH tpirob@yahoo.com
  5. That's exactly what I was getting at when I started this thread! I think starting a new non-denominational progressive christian church would be quite the undertaking....but certainly not impossible. -Rob
  6. I can relate to what des is saying. A lot of the older people in a congregation just don't want to see any change take place. We attended a UMC back in MA, and it was mostly older people. And since they are the majority, they usually get their way. I've actually heard of people threatening to leave if the pastor did this or that. I was told of this one woman who threatened to leave if a black pastor came to the church. Well...the pastor came, and the woman left. Hard to believe this still happens, but it does. When it comes to contemporary services, older people just don't want that type of religious experience. It's not what their used to, and they don't want any part of it. Just like they can't stand listening to today's music....it's a generational thing! I can understand it to a point, and maybe that's where churches need to consider doing a second service so that everyone is happy. The problem is finding enough people to attend in order to make it worth while, which I'm sure is where most of the challenge lies. In my search for churches, I have found the most of the pastors are receptive to me. I have one pastor that I'm probably meeting with tomorrow. I told him all of my concerns (love God, hate the "hellfire" preaching, wish for more contemporary services!), and he told me that those issues were "near to his heart" and he wanted to talk with me about it! Sometimes it's just finding the right pastor to connect with. Maybe one of US will be the impetus that a church needs to make a change in their congregation. I suggest composing an email clearly stating your beliefs, likes, dislikes, etc., and that you are longing to find a church home where you will be accepted and embraced. Send it out to individual pastors and see what you get for a response. Send one or two of these messages to some fundamental churches too, just for fun! Just kidding! My point is, we will never know until we ASK. There may be a church out there that needs our visions and ideas to kick things off for them. You'd be creating a "home" for yourself, and doing God's work in the process...potentially reaching out to others who may feel as you do right now. Peace, -Rob
  7. These lyrics are pretty recent. This is just a portion of them: "God, for the life of me, I don't know why -- We hurt each other in... in the name of what is right-- Oh, what we think is right. God, for the life of me, I don't understand -- Echos every day of man's inhumanity to man-- Man's inhumanity to man. There's a river of sorrow...running through my heart....through the long night, I will follow......the glimmer in the dark.....Lord, You are the human spark." -Michael W. Smith Peace, -Rob
  8. Hi BeachOfEden, Sorry for jumping on the bandwagon so late here, but I just joined recently. Most of the info you're asking for is in my profile, but for quick reference, I am a 30 yr old guy in northern NH! And no...it's not as cold as you think up here!! Although I'd like to say to my "fundi" friends in MA that the gates of hell are frozen shut in my neck of the woods! I see you like the beach, so something tells me I won't see you up here anytime soon! Anyway...another thing I love is meeting new people and chatting away....so feel free to drop me a line anytime! Peace, -Rob tpirob@yahoo.com
  9. How's this: FIRE is for BBQ's! www.TCPC.com It would take a while, but they'd get it! I like Aletheia's better, though! Other ideas? This could get interesting! Peace, -Rob
  10. This is where I am headed as well. Regretfully, I have not participated in a church in 20 years, and like trirob I miss community and fellowship and the sharing of ritual and practice with other seekers. But my inclination is toward small groups willing to experiment open mindedly with what it means to be Christian and with vital ritual and communal practices which nourish our hunger for God. I am shy about entering an established church with established doctrine and "frozen" practices...although I am open to the possibility of finding a church where things are less rigidly defined and more open to exploration. lily <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Beautiful name, Lily! That's my youngest daughter's name, too! Anyway, thanks for the reply! I think I agree with FredP's post on this thread that finding that niche group of people may be the challenge! I've often thought: why don't we place inexpensive local classified ads with the web address for the TCPC and include our e-mail address as a local contact? Chances are good that we'd get some kind of positive feedback/response from people interested in our viewpoints! Then there's residual word of mouth "advertising" that would stem from that. I think this would be a great way to start Progressive House Churches, no? Imagine if you were to get 100 emails from people interested in starting a House Church....wooohooo! Can I get an AMEN to that!?! But seriously....I think one of the downsides of this website and/or forum is that it's not advertised enough. We should probably be doing our own ministry work reaching out to those who, like us, don't believe Christianity is THE ONLY way. Whether it's on the 'net, or in inexpensive newspaper classified ads, it would be a good idea to promote this website and thus increase the probablility of creating a "congregation" in our own backyard! The TCPC could do their part by perhaps selling items on their website, like bumper stickers advertising the TCPC. I think that it would be reasonable to say that for each one of us that would slap on a TCPC bumper sticker, there would be (at least) one person out there who would join this group. I dunno....just thoughts. But from what I've read on here, I am absolutely certain that this group could grow exponentially. There are just so many people out there that don't go to church or worship God because of the way they are being preached to. Now...for fear of sounding too preachy myself, I will shut my trap! Peace, -Rob
  11. Thanks, Cynthia! Very good words of wisdom, and I really do appreciate them! Peace, -Rob
  12. Hi Brother Rog! I thank you for your input! I noticed while reading various posts that you are a UM minister! I was married in a UMC, and my daughter was baptized there. That was back in MA before I moved north about a year and a half ago. I really liked our pastor....his name is Dogba Bass and he pastors St. Paul's United Methodist Church in New Bedford, MA. What powerful sermons he delivers! What I don't like about the church is that the mostly elderly congregation resists any change....so change has been VERY slow going. He had attempted a contemporary service, but only a handful of us were there, and it wasn't at all what I expected. I wasn't as involved in the church as I would like to be now, but it's too late to help with that ministry now that I am in NH! Anyway, I haven't looked into the UMC here yet. It doesn't seem to be a very active church (I NEVER see anything going on there!!), and it is very small. As a minister, do you know anything about or anyone from our local UMC churches, Bro Rog? I live in Conway, NH. I am more comfortable with lots of people around me in worship....especially people that we can relate to. I love the non-denominational contemporary worship services, but as "beachofeden" once posted, it's usually the coating they put on their "fire and brimstone" messages which I do not agree with. Eventually I will find my way. Someone out there please say a prayer for me....I need all the help I can get! Peace, -Rob
  13. Thanks, Cynthia. I checked out Brian's site (thanks for the tip!), but didn't find a link to area churches. I checked out his church.....sounds PERFECT for me, except it's in Maryland, and I'm not! Peace, -Rob
  14. I've read similar posts on this, and being new to this site, would like to discuss this topic to see what the general feel is on this subject. I personally do not like the threats of hellfire, nor do I want my little girls exposed to that sort of preaching. I do however love the contemporary services so often associated with the fundamentalist non-denominational churches. I attended a UCC church yesterday, but was dissapointed to see a lack of young people, and a "boring" traditionalist service that seemed almost like a funeral. With respect to all churches....I realize the purpose is to praise God. But that is not what is happening.....I don't see any praising going on...only passive participation. I am almost left without a choice but to go to a non-denominational church and praise God in my own way, and in the process try to tune out the fire and brimstone preaching! Has anyone ever given thought to starting a church that would embrace our progressive Christianity, but with a contemporary flair that seems to be attracting the youth to fundamentalist churches in huge numbers?? Or do those churches already exist, and I'm just not finding them?? I don't know where to turn anymore. I am hungry for God.....and want to worship God with others, but am not having luck in this area! Please help! Thanks! Rob Conway, NH tpirob@yahoo.com
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