Pete Posted September 12, 2011 Posted September 12, 2011 Hi everyone. My name is Pete and I am glad to meet you all. I consider myself to be a Liberal Christian and I presently attend a meeting of the Quakers in Bristol in the UK. I used to belong to the conservative wing of Christianity until some years ago, The reason for my change came about when I attended a Christian Counselling training organisation. I was warmly welcomed and thought well of until I came across a disagreement. I was told that should a Gay person come in for counselling I was to counselling them to get over their gay inclinations before I was to work on anything else they had come for. I felt that this would betray my ethics as a counsellor because it would mean that I was working on my agenda as a counsellor instead of that of the client. I mentioned that I did not believe that a person being gay was commiting any sin and I disagree with the bible that says God does not love Gay people. I said one can hardly believe in a loving God and persecute people because their sexuality. Needless to say I was treated with a very frosty reception and they isolated me unitl I left. I felt very alone and upset at the time. However, I did not know it at the time but this was good thing to happen to me as it allowed me to question what I truly believed without fear of guilt or coercion by other conservatives. I read books written by John Shelby Spong, Robert Van de Weyer, and other books on the bible and church history. I also started to attend a Quaker meeting where I warmly welcomed and I quickly felt included in a unconditional positive way. This period of discovery allowed me to question the things I had previously been told as a conservative Christian and in the process made Christianity and Jesus more in a real way that I could relate to. I now realise if God is not love then God is not a God worth praising. I also began to realise that the writers of the bible were far from perfect in everything they wrote but they were inspired by their experience of God and expressed that according to their own understanding. Much more than that I began to realise that God did not stop his revelation 2000yrs but continues today to inspire people and writers. God is much more alive for me now.
tariki Posted September 12, 2011 Posted September 12, 2011 hi Pete, pleased to welcome you. Tariki (Derek)
GeorgeW Posted September 12, 2011 Posted September 12, 2011 Pete, Welcome. I am pleased that you have found a place in which you are comfortable. Evangelicals need to reexamine their position on homosexuality, not only on moral grounds, but pragmatic as well. This is an issue on which they are standing on sinking sand. I know of a number of people who have left with this being the final straw. George
Pete Posted September 12, 2011 Author Posted September 12, 2011 I know some have with Acts 10:28 "He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean." NIV Sadly we still get those who say God is love (1 John 4:8) with one breath and then in another say it was righteous of God to say Gay people should be stoned to death in Leviticus 20:13 and then say they see no conflict in the bible. I believe Jesus died trying to bring a message of love and God never asked anyone to stone anyone.
GeorgeW Posted September 12, 2011 Posted September 12, 2011 Pete, This begs the question of why we don't stone insolent children, eaters of shrimp, wearers of mixed fabric garments and the like. If one wants to literally apply a three-thousand year old text written for a bedouin society, the list goes on and on. George
Pete Posted September 12, 2011 Author Posted September 12, 2011 Exactly (IMO). I saw also that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an infinite ocean of light and love, which flowed over the ocean of darkness. George Fox. Now I say that light and love is the true word of God.
soma Posted September 13, 2011 Posted September 13, 2011 Pete welcome and salutations to the light within you that is strong enough to shine on everyone.
Pete Posted September 13, 2011 Author Posted September 13, 2011 It feels great to be a part of this forum of wonderful people. Thanks for such a warm welcome
JenellYB Posted September 14, 2011 Posted September 14, 2011 Warning...this place can be addictiive..... Welcome! Jenell
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