JosephM

To me, Love is a non-judgmental acceptance of the other. It is not an emotion or particular action in itself but rather an awareness of the connectiveness and interrelationship of all things. It seems to me, any actions that take place in Love flow from the expression of the that awareness and for the most part are unpredictable to the thinking mind in advance.

The questions for all Ages begs to be answered by people. What is Love?

Software upgraded to 4.4.3 today. Please report any new problems that may arise. Thanks , Joseph

Welcome intuition, Thanks for the introduction. Retired here also with traditional Christian upbringing. While i don't particularly like labels and fixed concepts, progressive on the front end of Christianity seems fine to me but as you will find out there is no set in concrete dogma or doctrine that comes with it. The 8 points are brief and not limiting to ones journey. That's a good place to start. Post any topic you would like to discuss in debate and dialog section as long as you are not offended by differing views. Again, welcome, Joseph

Seeker, Sorry if i offended you. Your post seemed to be looking for advice on an issue that was troubling you. I was just offering mine. There is no need to take it as the official opinion or view of the forum. I thought i made that clear in my post as i was only speaking for myself with words such as ... ("in my view" / "i am of the opinion" / "for me" / "Myself"). Anyway, wishing you the best on whatever you decide. Joseph

Hi Seeker, There seems to be quite a few shows that i am of the opinion are less than desirable to watch. Seems we have little control over the media except to avoid watching and hope they go away from lack of interest. Myself i watch very little TV other than the discovery channel , the history channel, and nature programs. Programs such as the one you referenced don't get my attention. Life is too short for me to watch what i might consider garbage and in my view it is best to not allow oneself to be bothered by such things that we are given little control over. Peace, Joseph

Thanks Burl for catching that.

Deadworm, If you will check our main site here https://progressivechristianity.org/ and search our global network of churches you will find 35 pages of them. PC is by no means dead, but perhaps you are not aware of its sharing and global outreach programs. You post a lot on this Discussion Board site which is self-sustaining from members and we allow you to share your journey and criticisms of it , perhaps you would be willing to share in its expenses so we can continue to do so.

Deadworm, She got no answer not because this site is dead but because we don't know who she was asking. All participants at the time of thread identified at least in principle with the tenets of progressive Christianity which is, if dead, is perhaps dead only in your mind. Progressives in my view, do not seek to proselytize the world so only personal support and individual growth through sharing is in our purpose here. We have no private agenda to advance or need to grow a church system.. Joseph

Well i think studies show top causes of homelessness among families were: (1) lack of affordable housing, (2) unemployment, (3) poverty, and (4) low wages, in that order. One might also add catastrophes even though it wasn't mentioned in the study. The questions you ask are tough and complex questions because i personally don't view these as the real causes of homelessness. Rather to me these are just common sequences that usually precede homelessness and are not the real causes. To me there is no real cause except if you want to say there was an original cause and it cannot be seen with the eyes of flesh. Fault is also a tough question without an answer because it is all about the universe unfolding and the evolving of consciousness and the balance of the dance. Yes, the homeless can be helped. Yes, i am doing what is my unique particular purpose in life to help. Some of it includes temporary relief through giving financial aid. The rest is hidden in my life story which contributes to the dance we call life. Probably not the answers you were looking for but rather a view from a different perspective. Joseph

Yes. While i have studied numerous religions my journey started with Christianity and, if i am compelled to take on a label, it is Progressive Christianity . I have no rituals and no belief system. Some may say that is a belief in itself but i look at it as a choice to not have beliefs. I do have views that i can express but i view it advantages to me to live outside of beliefs. To me, God is an ever present reality that is self evident and requires no belief. It keeps me mostly in the moment. Joseph

Dee, I perceive God as the substrate of "being" which while an abstract term fits well. Other words that to me fit well are All in All, in and through all things, All that IS, and Creation itself. As Paul's post above i don't see God as external but in contrast i definitely see God as supernatural as in " a force or energy beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature" also as without locality . Joseph

Hi Dee, Here is an interesting thread with posts by members on what the progressive Christianity label means to them. Hope you are able to click on the link. Joseph

Welcome Dee, I hope Paul chimes in here as he is also from Australia not far from Perth. Joseph

That is true but this is not a court and we are not here to convict people that especially we can't prove might be misunderstanding what they are testifying. Just because mass delusion can or has occured doesn't seem to prove anything concerning the posts. Perhaps dialogue and questions would be better than debate on such issues. Skepticism can be healthy but trying to explain away that which we don't understand as a general rule most of the time, seems to me, might be counterproductive and antagonistic. Don't you think that might seem that way to the poster? Or at the least give the appearance of cynicism? Just my view, Joseph

Deadworm, Interesting story. Had one similar story in my life but not with as tragic as death for an ending. Another that provided a word to another to visit a person that i knew was not getting out of the hospital from a routine operation and numerous other words that were verified and came to pass through out my life. The word of knowledge is a very special gift and works best with the gift of wisdom. In my experience, many times one might receive a word of knowledge but not have the wisdom to know what to do with it. Were you suppose to intercede? I believe if so you would have had an unction to do so or compelling urge to pray in spirit (tonges). Perhaps it was for both of your benefits that you received a word or premonition. One can only work within their limitations at the present moment. You did your part and the rest is not in your hands nor is there ever a need for obsessing over any possible different action on your part. Joseph

Thanks for the story Deadworm. My experiences have been similar to both the story and conclusion.

Updated bug fixes in 4.4.1 by updating to 4.4.2

Just a note, In my view, eyewitness or personal testimony while not always accurate is still evidence. Sometimes scientific evidence is not plausible, possible or even practical. If i were traveling on an unknown road i had not traveled before, and a number of people told me that were coming my way, said they encountered a bridge out and no other way around so they returned, i would not refute that testimony unless i knew differently for a fact. Why refute NDE's or claim they are just imaginings unless one knows for certain. This topic would probably have been better posted in Personal Stories and Journeys which is a safer place to share from the sharks . Joseph

Yes, boring debate but interesting stories, 🙂

The NDE's of others is the only evidence we have. It seems to me there is nothing that cannot be explained away if one is so inclined to do so. In my view, there is no need to form a conclusion for or against on the evidence which is the words of others except to be open and note it is a possible authentic experience.

Nothing personal to you Paul. Discussing authorship and such is a perfectly legitimate thread. I was only offering my personal point of view or 2 cents on the matter with tongue out and smiling. 🙂

Software upgraded today to Version 4.4.1 which includes some bug fixes and security issues. Please report any new problems that may arise. Thanks , Joseph

Just to chime in, I don't know who wrote the Gospels . I assume the Apostles were the source but it doesn't really matter to me if they were not. To me, there is either useful teachings in them or not that i can put in practice and check for any personal positive benefit they might or might not have for me. It's my opinion that those authors such as Ehrman, etc are spending a lot of time for their personal benefit and the seeming appearance, or possibly some real benefit to others, that, in my view, in the name of scholarly research is irrelevant to the real teaching content usefulness. Admittedly, it does give us something to talk about or debate but at the expense of any useful teachings. 😛😄 My 2 cents

It seems to me these experiences happen more often than one would think as many times they are subtle and not at the forefront of our consciousness. To me, "being here to be able to behold" (your words), or just being here is personally a subtle self-evident experience of God's presence, awe inspiring, and beyond any conceptual definition even in the sometimes mundane experiences of life . Joseph