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Some more questions (1) What denomination of church do you attend, and how regularly do you attend? (2) What other religious practices do you observe (e.g. prayer, fasting, meditation, volunteering, etc.)? (3) Are you able to openly express your progressive beliefs, or must you keep them private?

Thanks, everybody, I think I'm getting a better picture of Progressive Christianity. Until recently, I was convinced through visions and other psychotic experiences that Jesus and God existed, but I couldn't reconcile that belief with a Christian/Jewish theology that seemed to be historically false, contradictory, obsessed with blood, etc. I wondered if Progressive Christians were like that - Christian due to their personal experiences of Jesus through visions, miracles, etc., but non-Christian in their rejection of theology, traditions, etc. After reading more, I think Progressive Christians are different - Christian due to their appreciation of church traditions, community, activities, teachings, but non-Christian in their disbelief in a Jesus who is humanity's Lord, Master, Good Shepherd, etc?

thanks, I am still confused about these Progressive Christians. I guess they are harmless.

Thanks for the responses so far. JosephM, the thread you linked has an interesting summary by Eric333 (post #16). One difference between Buddhism and Christianity is that Christianity believes every other religion is wrong (to varying degrees). I assume this attitude in Christianity comes from the belief that Jesus revealed the truth, and the truth was preserved (imperfectly) in the Bible and Holy Tradition. I guess I'm trying to understand what is "Christian" about Progressive Christianity. Based on the 8 points, it seems to me that an atheist could be a Progressive Christian even if he/she is 100% certain that metaphysical naturalism is true. (Maybe I missed something though.) Personally, I have always thought that the goal should be to see God and talk to God. I became psychotic a few years ago, and I actually thought my goal was finally within reach. Then I became confused and skeptical and gradually accepted that I had been mentally disturbed. I have always hoped to meet God personally and learn the purpose of my life straight from the source. I'm a simple person, so Progressive Christians are hard for me to understand.

Sorry if this is covered in other threads. I am an atheist, but I grew up as an Episcopalian. When I was a Christian, I believed that Christianity had been defined by Jesus's life and teachings. Christianity was a revealed truth instead of an evolving truth. I thought any changes to these original teachings were corruptions of the truth, so the goal for Christians would be to recover the true teachings - either through archaeological research or personal spiritual contact with God. So I'm trying to understand how Progressive Christians feel. If you could go back in time and hear Jesus's original teachings, would you follow them - even if they might seem socially backwards, harsh, etc.? Maybe Jesus expected everybody to convert to Judaism? Maybe Jesus expected everybody to live as beggars or share all their property in communes? Maybe Jesus was opposed to homosexuality? Maybe Jesus was opposed to all forms of sex - even for married couples? How important are the actual historic teachings of Jesus to Progressive Christians? As an atheist, I have lots of ideas for improving Christianity, but why should any Christian listen to me? Shouldn't Christians be looking for the revealed truth from God instead of defining the religion like you are engineering a new car? BTW I don't mean to be criticizing Progressive Christianity. It's just hard for me understand what makes you guys tick.

Thanks That is good that I'm not the only atheist. I'll look around and maybe start a thread to brainstorm.

Thanks, I will try to start a thread to brainstorm some ideas. Many Christians today seem to feel like they can't be Christian unless they believe silly things that invite ridicule from non-believers. I see it a lot on atheist forums. Most of my family and friends are Christians a various stripes. I know their beliefs help them in many ways, so I wish the silly things would be dropped.

Thanks

I'm curious about progressive Christianity. I grew-up as an Episcopalian, but I lost faith. A few years ago I became Orthodox, but that only lasted a couple of years. (I had psychological issues.) Now I am an atheist again. Most of my family and friends are Christians. As an atheist, it is hard for me to respect the faith of my family and friends - even though I like and respect these people. I pretend to believe in Christianity, because I don't want to disturb a faith that seems to work for them. Progressive Christianity interests me, because I think Christianity needs to be modernized so that people can believe without hiding from science and reason. Buddhism is an example of a religion that isn't so obviously flawed. A modernized Christianity would be easier for atheists to respect in the same way that they respect Buddhism. I hope that makes sense. I have a lot of ideas about improving Christian theology, because I struggled to make it work before finally giving up. I don't mean to be obnoxious, and I understand if you want to restrict membership to believers.