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undone

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  1. I like the way you put that, Dave. I wholeheartedly agree.
  2. Well that's relieving! I didn't want another "us/them" place. I personally tend away from the notion of socialized medicine, because competition often breeds innovation (and greed, admitedly), but I don't think my way is "right"--perhaps better in some ways and less in others. Like capitalism. Thanks for the response!
  3. But many liberals also treat conservative as a bad word. I'm floundering somewhere in between. The us/them mentality that is prevalent in evangelicalism is present on both sides of the political fence, and it is tiring. I would like to consider myself a progressive Christian, but not a politically liberal one (not necessarily conservative either--frankly, nothing really satisfies me).
  4. Is it possible to be a progressive Christian without being anti-republican or socialist? I am liking a lot about the progressive Christian thing, but I consider myself purple (a term I borrow from Leif Hansen's Bleeding Purple Podcast) and am hoping it is OK to hold some non-liberal political beliefs and still be taken seriously? Because right now I feel like I can't relate to conservative Christians or liberal Christians, because it seems to be wholly either/or politically. Capitalism is not the answer, nor is socialism. They are just different systems each with different advantages and disadvantages. I lived in a socialist country for eight years, and I really don't see either system as better. The socialist country I lived in had rampant unemployment. Capitalism ameliorates that. On the flip side, I'm paying my own health insurance right now (I live in the US now) and it costs a helluva lot, whereas my mother, in her home country, gets most of her health needs paid for by the government. It's not the system that's the problem. I think if we engendered more concern in individuals for care and compassion and a sense of community, we can take better care of the poor and underprivileged and abused and neglected. No government is going to do a great job of that. I just feel alienated by traditional Christians for my heretical religious beliefs and by liberal Christians for my heretical political beliefs. Are there right-leaning progressives out there? And by leaning, I mean only slightly. I don't think either side is right, nor as wrong as each other side thinks. In fact, I think there is a ton of misunderstanding regarding purpose, intention, and reason for choosing methods. And semantics. Kinda like different breeds of Christianity.
  5. I thought democrats as well as republicans supported going to war? Is it possible to be a progressive Christian without being anti-republican? I am liking a lot about the progressive Christian thing, but I consider myself politically purple.
  6. I appreciate the responses thus far. I read through some threads on this board and it shall be very interesting to read and participate. Thanks for the welcome. At the moment, just as one aspect, I am particularly interested in spiritual experience--has anyone had similar--how shall we say--experiences of the presence of God after "deconversion"? I mean, have you been able to "sense God's presence"--whether or not defined in that way anymore--in a similar manner, similar feelings, experience, etc? You know, there were plenty of times singing praise songs at church or by myself when I felt close to God as an evangie. And I miss that. Of course, there are plenty of times I felt disconnected and empty, too, but at least there were times of deep internal peace/love/connectedness--to someone other than myself, greater than myself. I'm wondering if I could look forward to the same type of experience again, even in a different context, different interpretation, different filter if you will--but still a connectedness to a personal, loving God, still a deep, subjective, but real-in-the-gut type thing. And I look forward to reading more threads on this board! It seems like a neat place. Thanks for making me feel welcome.
  7. I was wondering if you could provide a reference to this quote from Luther. I Googled it but didn't come up with anything, and I'm curious to read more of what he had to say, to get context, so forth. Thanks!
  8. I used to be an evangelical Christian (mix of Southern Baptist and charismatic, fun huh), but about 10 years ago that began breaking down for me. I abandoned the concept of a literal hell about five years ago. I've abandoned many other typically evangelical Christian doctrines, and am completely unsure about the divinity of Christ or inspiration (even in a loose sense) of the Bible. I have felt adrift. Glad to be rid of many ridiculous (as I now see them) concepts, freed of fear of hell, but have found nothing to replace the certainty with. The thing I miss even more than the certainty is the sense of God's presence that I experienced in the context of evangelical Christianity. I tend to think it is not all psychologically explained, that there was something to some of those experiences. But ever since abandoning core beliefs, I have been unable to connect with God, to feel that sense of love, to enter into what I would have called "God's presence" with the peace and insight and so forth all that brought with it. So I've felt very very alone in the depth of my being. My question is, for any ex-evangelicals (I use that in a very broad sense, as in you were "born again" and believed the Nicene Creed, thought it was important to "witness" to others, felt connected to God during "praise & worship" music, etc.)--do you now have any similar spiritual experiences, as in do you now have moments of feeling connected to God, of feeling loved by her/him (we need a non-gender personal pronoun don't we--and not inanimate like "it"!), of feeling at awe at the sense of someone greater than yourself--a personal being; moments of insight that are similar to times you may have experienced before, just all around similar sense inner connectedness to a personal being outside (but somehow inside) yourself?
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