Hi From Alberta

[apexcone]

Hi Everybody

 

My name is Terry Johns an ex pat from Poole in the UK, now living in Alberta, Canada.

 

I'm excited to be joining this community and learning and sharing from others who are on a similar journey. In thinking what to share about who I am, I thought I'd share a letter I sent to a friend yesterday. Some of the personal comments have been removed.

 

 

Hi Robin

You asked an interesting question about what I believe, so I thought I’d spend some time letting you know, thanks for your concern and friendship, we both value you very much.

One of the things I have learned in my Life Coaching business is that most people’s beliefs are directly related to their culture, socialization group, parents, peers, time & space and personality.

Most people go through life investing very little time into evaluating what they believe, therefore the masses including religious people rarely question anything because their beliefs are supported by their World View, which is assumed to be a given. To believe something different creates conflict with our World View and opens the door to Cognitive Dissidence, which creates insecurity, fear and inner turmoil, therefore the masses rarely ever question anything and those that do are seen as either rebellious or odd.

So firstly let me clarify what I don’t believe.

1. I don’t believe in or support organised /institutional religion

2. I don’t believe that Christians have a franchise on the answers to life’s most difficult questions

3. I don’t believe that the Bible should be interpreted literally

What I believe

1. I believe that all people should be treated with respect dignity and honor

2. I believe in the legislation of same sex marriage because to believe otherwise assumes peoples life style choices are wrong not different, I may not believe in gay people’s life style choices but I would defend their right to be treated equally. (If someone is a having an affair with his neighbors wife should he be denied unemployment benefit?) the logic is the same.

3. I believe that the Bible is a dynamic spiritual book that needs to be interpreted based on time & culture

4. I believe that through ages many people have spoken some very power words that have brought transformation to the human race including, Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad and Baha'ullah

5. I believe in the supernatural

6. I believe that the Bible is a spiritual book and needs to be interpreted spiritually NOT literally

7. I believe that there are many ways to experience spiritually enlightenment

8. I believe that there are lots of things that I don’t understand and to assume I have the answers to life’s most difficult questions including our destiny is arrogance beyond description

9. I believe that truth whatever that is relative to time and culture

10. I believe that institutional religion has had a profoundly damaging effect on people’s ability to connect at a spiritual level

11. I believe that most people are lost, NOT because they haven’t found God, but because of destructive personal belief’s they have about themselves, reinforce by a society values based on appearance and success

I could go on, but I think you probably get where I coming from.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/marcusborg/2013/10/christianity-and-the-modern-world-view/

Edited May 28, 2015 by apexcone

[PaulS]

Welcome Terry,

 

There's a very good reason why most Christians come from Christian countries, most Muslims come from Muslim countries, and most Buddhists come from mainly Buddhist countries, and it certainly has nothing to do with one being right and the other wrong!

 

Welcome to the forum and I hope you enjoy discussion and participation here.

 

Cheers

Paul

[soma]

Terry, Thank you for the introduction and it seems you will fit right in with the diversity on this forum. I look forward to reading your views.

[apexcone]

Thanks guys I appreciate the welcome.

 

I am am very fortunate as a Life Coach to sit down every day with people who are trying to move their lives forward, its very interesting that MOST are very interested in spirituality, but like myself have zero interest in organized religion.