David Brubaker Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 "Introduce Yourself!" seems like an appropriate place for my first post here at TCPC. I'm a Silicon Valley geek (technical writer, currently unemployed, and formerly a software engineer) and a life-long spiritual seeker. I have a BA in mathematics and an MA in consciousness studies. The MA is from John F. Kennedy University in California. It was a bit of a midlife adventure, to go back to grad school in my late 40s. My spiritual life is very eclectic. I sometimes joke that I belong to the Church-Temple-Ashram of Eclectic Syncretism--a real spiritual mongrel. I grew up in the old Evangelical and Reformed Church (merged into the United Church of Christ). During college and the army (drafted in 1969), I drifted away from Christianity, mainly because I just couldn't believe the meme that the God of love would send people to eternal torture for the thought crime of wrong belief. During the "drifting away" time, I explored Eastern religions and learned meditation. Nearly forty years later, I still meditate regularly, almost every day. I spent some very good years in a Religious Science church in southern California and even longer as a neopagan in northern California. I'm still a neopagan, but I've recently been going to a UCC church too because I feel the need for a spiritual community--pagans aren't numerous enough or organized enough to have the sense of regular and frequent community that I want. Some of my other influences include various forms of mysticism and nature spirituality. My strange obsession--strange for a progressive, at least--is the book of Revelation, which I've studied since high school. After I figured it out (nothing about doomsday, everything about spiritual growth and personal and societal transformation), I wrote the book From Fear To Love: Transforming Revelation. What I've been discovering recently is that, for the most part, I never really abandoned the teachings of Jesus. I only abandoned the teachings of churches. Through all of my eclectic wanderings, my ethics and spirituality have been grounded in "love God (however you perceive Her) and love your neighbor as yourself." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Welcome to the TCPC forum, David! We're glad you're here! Sounds like you've had a wondrously varied journey! What I've been discovering recently is that, for the most part, I never really abandoned the teachings of Jesus. I only abandoned the teachings of churches. I like the way you put this! Regards, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Brubaker Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 Thanks for the welcome, Bill. BTW, I checked out your blog--good start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephM Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Welcome David, Your book sounds very enlightening for those who try to take the book of revelations so literally. As one also very familiar, at least in the past, i share your perspective interpretation (symbolic and historical) of the book of "The revelation of Christ" Perhaps you will share some of your insights on the subject with others here on the forum from time to time? Joseph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Brubaker Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 Thanks for the welcome, Joseph. Your book sounds very enlightening for those who try to take the book of revelations so literally. As one also very familiar, at least in the past, i share your perspective interpretation (symbolic and historical) of the book of "The revelation of Christ" Perhaps you will share some of your insights on the subject with others here on the forum from time to time? I will share some insights or bring up some points for discussion. I've been reluctant because I don't want to spam the board about my book. On the other hand, I've come to consider Revelation the most progressive and probably the most intellectually sophisticated book in the Bible and would love to get progressives to talk about it and counter the prevailing doomsday notions. I guess if I just bring up ideas or point out things that nobody else seems to have noticed, without talking specifically about my book, it wouldn't be spamming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soma Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 David, welcome and I don't think ideas are spamming. We are all trying to decode ourselves and the sacred world scriptures left for us to decipher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 David, Welcome to the marketplace of ideas. Your intro is quite interesting therefore you must be quite interesting too. I would not consider the ideas you bring to the table as spamming. Is you book available on line? Paz Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Brubaker Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 Thanks for the welcome, Harry. The book is available online, as an ebook and as a paperback. My signature has a link to my personal website, which has a description of the book, a free excerpt to download, and links to various online places which sell it. BTW, I just posted some introductory ideas about Revelation in the "Progressive Christianity" forum, with the subject "Two Kinds of Heaven in Revelation." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Welcome to the forums David. Consciousness studies sounds very interesting to me. Looking forward to your sharing your views here. Peace, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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