Yvonne

Joseph, i will definitely post this link. Thanks.

Thank you!

Neon,I agree with your sentiments exactly. and I definitely think this is much ado about nothing. It seems the American Way is to be overly-sensitive and reactive to the point of ridiculousness! I think sometimes the LGBT community gets just a bit touchy, like some women's groups, or any "minority" group. I understand that the fight for acceptance and equality can cause people to be sensitive to perceived threats. But really, who cares if the owners are still married to their first wives and love their famillies? It would be different if they had offensive names for specials or refused service or whatever. I think this whole thing is rather silly.

Okay, I'm in a silly mood - did anybody catch the reference in the topic? I don't know if this allowed or not, so I'll throw it out there and if it is not allowed, I won't take offense if the topic is removed. For a a very long time I have wanted to talk about spirituality - specifically. So, I have created a new community/forum that is specifically about spirituality (in or out of a particular religion). It is literally brand new, so I don't even have anybody else registered yet. I was wondering if anybody in this community would take an interested in it. The site is http://onedestination.hoop.la This is a temporary url until I can screw up the courage to pay for my own domain name. I'm certain that this community will not be in competition with tcpc, but rather I think we complement one another. Thanks.

I'm wondering if anyone has read this incredibly courageous book by Robin Meyers. A reviewer, Depeek Chopra, actually dares us to read the book. I don't think there is anything "new", but the way Meyers presents his ideas is, well, radical. He actually calls on us to be a little insane and foolish. He challenges both conservatives and liberals to take a good hard look at the "why' of our faith. I'm only about half-way through, but the book is both refreshing (as in a new way to look at what we probably know), and challenging (as it it makes me a little uncomfortable.) Definitely NOT for the faint of heart (or faint of faith as the case may be.) I highly recommend it - if you dare.

Today's kinda rough. I bought a new printer and am having difficulties not only "manhandling" it one-handed, but getting the darn thing set up. *sigh* It sure would be nice if I had some help! But the good news is, it looks like I might be getting ordained in October! Way ahead of schedule.

I went away and thought about this some more. For me, the search for meaning involves more personal, private searcheres; ie, meditation, prayer, reading, even sharing with my spiritual partner. I seldom (if ever) in the past found meaning in a church situation. I did, occasionally, find community. As social beings I think it is important to walk the balance between the personal and the social. Facebook and other social networking sites tend to be rather superficial. Although I use them as a way to keep up-to-date with long-distance family & friends, they are not what I could call "community". Having said that, I also cannot find meaningful relationships in a community where members are so completely opposite of myself. I can only find meaningful relationships (that is, relationships that edify) with others who have similar goals and priorities to my own. If that makes sense. Communities like that are hard to find in my experience, but well worth searching for - like TCPC for example.

I don't understand - are you agreeing with me, disagreeing with me or simply making a statement? I have to agree completely that some human experiences have transcended these categories. IMHO, it is only some who have transcended these categories - those who choose to learn and grow. Stagnation, imo, is the breeding ground for intolerance, misunderstanding, and an "us-vs-them" mentality; that includes theists vs. atheists.

I hope that "a belief in the supernatural deity as an a priori position" isn't necessary to being a Christian or I'm in big trouble. I was a non-theist long before I ever heard of progressive Christianity, yet I always managed to follow the teaching ascribed to Jesus in the gospels. It definitely causes raised eyebrows and more than a bit of ostricism among my theistic friends, though. I definitely believe in "Something Other" , whether we this "Other" God, Allah, Nirvana, Higher Power, Love, Mind of the Universe, or Ground of all Being. I believe, not because I can prove it, measure it, or touch it, but becauses I have experienced this "Something Other" when I behave in the way I think the words and actions of Jesus in the gospels suggests I should. Does that make sense? I don't know about A-theists being Christian, but I suppose one could easily enough. I don't think that the experience of this "Other" is a requirement. IMO its the following the way of compassion, acceptance, and inclusion that makes Christians. After all, "they'll know we are Christians by our love". (Funny how that one kind of slipped through the cracks.)

George, I agree with the idea. Yet, my own experience tells me that's not enough for me. The only church in my small town that is traditional but is not fundamentilist, is a horrible fit for me. While the church does not obviously condone anything objectionable (racism, sexism, etc), the members of the church do. This is kinda weird for me. We talk about a "church" but it is the members of the church that make it what it is. If members are elitest, homophobic, mysoginistic or what ever, then what "the church" supposedly teaches doesn't matter. *sigh* I agree that community is important, I just can't find one where I fit in. Of course, part of that is where I live - a rural, conservative, (dare I say it?, backward) area.

This is something that comes up repeatedly in conversation with my spiritual partner. I guess it depends on what one is referring to by "mind". I think the human mind is very much a product of the brain and its myriad neurological connections. One only has to look at how personalities can change drastically (or even in odd ways) following brain injury/illness or use of certain drugs; and the kind of consciousness that develops as we grow into from infancy to adolescent to adult. Having said that, however, I think there is a "Mind" that has nothing whatsoever to do with bio-chemical reactions of the brain. I'm not sure exactly what to call this. If our "self" can no longer be aware after the physical death of the brain, then death is complete anniliation. I doubt that happens. On what science do I base my ideas? Absolutely none. Its faith. I sometimes walk a very fine line between what science can tell me and what my "gut-belief" tells me.

Wow! That touched me so much, thank you for sharing! Believe it or not, I, too, believe the soul is in the realm of quantum biology, as you stated. I think the care of the soul is the primary objective for any believer (Christian or not). I also applaud your courage for standing up for what you believe in. Too many people would just be quiet and go with the program. Again, thank you so much for sharing that, it made my day!

Hello and welcome! I hope you wil find (as I have) a "home" among us. Sounds like you have a great support group in Nashville. Yeah! Again, welcome.

Please consider signing the Charter for Compassion: The Charter of Compassion is a cooperative effort to restore not only compassionate thinking but, more importantly, compassionate action to the center of religious, moral and political life. Compassion is the principled determination to put ourselves in the shoes of the other, and lies at the heart of all religious and ethical systems. http://charterforcompassion.org/

Here http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2012-05/just-isn-t-working is an interesting article about how churches must change and grow. I think its interesting that the congreation about which she speaks is busy living their faith - faith in action. Still, I'm reading "The Mysic Heart" by Teasdale and I think its important to have the deeper quiet to be contemplative in addition to faith in action. Anyway, an interesting article.

Paul - go fellow nerd!

You beat me to it. I was going to say, if you don't chant, I also like to listen to (or sing) "In the Stillness", it helps refocus. Here's the link if you're interested: http://www.ourstage.com/media_items/DYZLPKVWMOXF-in-the-stillness

Steve - that really touched me - thanks for that. Sometimes, especially when I've come up against something that just doesn't "ring true" for me, I have to let it go. Thanks for the reminder.

Aw Raven, The only help I can give is empathy! Meaning I know exactly how you feel, of course. I find when I'm in that funk that chant helps. Really and truly. It sort of takes m mind off things and refocuses me. Sometimes it helps. Hope you're feeling better soon!

Dutch, who' the author of "Evolution of God"? I might be interested in that. See - it's the "Christ Consciousness" that I don't get. It intrigues me, the idea of the cosmic christ, but i don't understand the concept. Thanks for your comments Joseph and Paul. It helps. A lot.

Today is Trinity Sunday. I don't know if I believe in the Trinity, and if I do, what I believe. My problem is, I just can't seem to find a comfortable (or even an uncomfortable!) place for Christ in my Christianity that doesn't play havoc with my intellectual integrity. As a part of my growth process, I have set for myself the exercise of writing my personal statement of faith. When I get to Jesus, both pre-Easter and post-Easter (Borg), I don't know what to do with the post-Easter Christ. Sometimes I miss the absolute authority of the traditional church. As a teen and young adult in a traditional church, I never questioned the Trinity or the physical resurrection. Now I do. Although I think its a good thing to occasionally wrestle with weighty questions, when I can't seem to come to any acceptable conclusion it is disheartening. Do you believe in the Trinity? If so, what does that mean for you? Is Christ separate-but-the-same as God? *sigh* I expect these are questions I will struggled with for quite some time.

Joseph - thanks for the link; though I'm not one for apologetics, this is a good resource.

That's a great resource, Joseph, thank you. But I'm not even close to that stage yet. What I'm wanting to know is how to even find those people who may need or want a new spiritual community - especially those who have been hurt and aren't sure what they want. Has anybody on the forum done that? If so, how did you go about it?

As a result of my studies something has been on my mind lately. I've thinking of so many people who have been deeply wounded or became disillusioned by their former churches. There are just over 1,000 members on this forum. What happens to all the others? Do they give up on religion completely? I imagine some do. I did. Do they give up praying altogether? Do they give up on any sort of organized religion and become “spiritual but not religious”? I definitely think some do. By our own admission, many of us on this forum don't really have a community of like-minded believers, except for this forum. I wonder how many people are searching for a way to connect with a non-judgemental, spiritual, inclusive community but either don't know their searching or don't know where to look? Quite frankly, I wish I had found this community 2 years earlier than I did – I could have saved myself some heartache and frustration. So, my question is, has anyone reached out to the wounded/disillusioned in the broader community (as opposed to church community)? If so, how did you go about it? There are an awful lot of wounded and disillusioned Catholic is my greater community. I would like to reach out to them but don't know how. Any ideas?

I'm sorry if I'm being terribly dense tonight, but what does praying (or not) in public have to do with the thread of this conversation? I just wanted to be a little clearer about my previous statement. I think prayers of petition ARE biblical. I don't see anything wrong with them. But speaking strictly for myself, I don't find them particularly useful. On the other hand, I am not above "taking my needs before God", sort of like talking to a friend about some problem - not expecting my friend to fix the problem, just getting it off my chest.