PaulS

Bill, I look forward to your return and future posts. I enjoy reading your views and appreciate your openess and willingness to discuss issues. Cheers Paul

Tonight I am doing a lot of catching up from two weeks away from this forum!

Today I am preparing for tomorrow's trip to Tasmania, with my wife and kids, for two whole weeks. We and another family with same aged kids are hiring two mobile homes and driving wherever the wind takes us. I am going to try and stay away from computers for the duration, so in advance I wish you all well and look forward to catching up on the forum when I return. Cheers Paul

Phil, I'm sorry, I don't have any proper answers for you. I'm not a 'christian' myself and have nothing to do with religion really, other than read books and participate in this forum. From what I see though, I do think Spong is on the right track when he says christianity must change or die - I do see it as dying out, albeit slowly, to the old conservative way of thinking and moving more toward a position or line of thought, more along the lines of progressive christianity. I think the prolific websites and forums that are shedding light on the old ways of thinking and of understanding the bible in a less literal way, are really making a difference to christians around the world. However I must admit my only gauge is what appears on the internet, but there does seem to be a lot more information and encouragement on there concerning a less fundamental and literal way of interpreting christianity. I don't know who took over from Spong or what the status may be of the Episcopalian church. I do hope that somebody like Spong continues his work. I too am a Spong fan though, and enjoy reading his books and newsletter.

Thanks Jenell, will do. Joseph - You're very close to the mark when you suspect I seek experience of God rather than words or ideas. I find it a funny situation to be in (although I'm not laughing alot!) - wondering if there is 'a' God, wondering if there is a way to experience this God, but then also wondering if I do have said experience will it be genuine or is it something psychological brought on by all this God-talk and wondering about God? Kinda catch 22 really. I am encouraged by a number of people that I am 'on the right path' and that 'things' will come in due course, so in the meantime I'm happy to read, poke around, ask questions, contemplate. I suspect my desire to know the 'right' answer has more to do with my fundamental upbringing and whilst I can shake that most of the time, it pops into my mind from time to time. Myron - I can appreciate that definition. Thanks for sharing it with me. Mike - I have entertained what I think you're explaining (and thanks for doing so) where I do wonder if God is us - the whole world, every rock, mineral, plant, animal, person, feeling, emotion, thought. That certainly makes more sense to me than my traditional understanding of a master controller sitting 'out there' somewhere. Whilst it is probably so cliche to say it is a 'mystery', I guess for me that is most accurate. Thanks again for your view.

Apologies in advance if I should have posted this in another category. I guess this is not so much a discussion thread about Bishop Spong's newsletter per se, but it is initiated by a sentence from his latest newsletter that I particularly identify with: "Since the church as they experienced it seemed to have no other idea of God, they wanted no part of religion." Spong was referring to the closed-mindedness (my words) of fundamental, literalist churches and how a number of christians find the God espoused in those churches to be 'too small' for the world they live in. I guess like so many members here, this was the situation I found myself in when at 18 years of age, I was unleashed onto the big bad world of adulthood and employment, where for the first time I became seriously exposed to relationships with respectable adults outside of the confines of my fundamental, literalist church family. These relationships and experiences in life led to me simply rejecting the God of the bible I had grown up believing in. I did not consider much of an alternative. I pretty much threw the baby out with the bathwater. 25 years on and I have been so distanced from religion and God that I genuinely question whether God exists at all. To me, it feels like God doesn't exist. But then there's a little niggle that makes me asks if I might me missing something. Admittedly, part of it still might be the fear that "He' is waiting for me on the other side and I am trying to convince myself that this is nonsense, but a part of it also is that I do genuinely question whether there is something spiritual to our world. So I find myself here, possibly 'hoping' that I'll come across some magic answer, but moreso simply acknowledging that maybe there is something that I've missed and so I'll see what others have to say about the matter and ask them about their experiences. So I wonder if anyone would be prepared to sum up in only a few sentences, just what they think God is and why do they think God is real? I realise such a subject matter could go on and on, but I'm asking you not to try and convince me, but if you would be preapred to put out there as succinctly as possible, just what & why you think about God.

Ignorant, challenged, guilt, anger, loneliness, reconstructing, curious, wishful. Sorry, that's 8.