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I've been developing my feelings about being a Christian for about six years now. I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ 6 yrs ago after years of trying to understand Buddhism, Tao, the concept of godhood within us all. There were no clanging bells, no astral lights or feelings of enlightenment or anything such as that when I gave my heart to Jesus. I was just as in love with creation and amazed by God's wonder after accepting the lord into my heart as I was before! Hmmm- I said to myself- I truly and honestly invited Jesus to be my personal saviour and decided to embrace all of the trappings and biblical principles involved with that decision by attending church every sunday and tithing and praying diligently and looking for insight into god's plan for me through prayer and communion with Jesus. Well, after a few years of this, I thought- nothing is different for me know. Sure, I got the benefit of our God in heaven's inspired word as set forth in scripture, and a lot of it was quite inspiring to me, but, I get the feeling there's something missing- something not included in the Sunday sermon that is the actual and absolute truth. The gnostic texts of the bible started jumping out at me and upon firthur reading, it turns out that what we get in Sunday service is only what the church decreed back in 636 when Contstantine convened the Council of Lodecea to decide what to include in accepted scripture and what didn't really benefit the church as an institution and so should be left out.
There's more to it than that, but , in a nutshell, the Catholic Church embraced certain scripture and discarded lots of other inspired books just to suit it's needs as a powerful institution.
So, I find myself thinking of myself as a Wholeistic Christian. Someone in search of absoute truth. Not just accepted dogma.
I accept Christ's divinity as God's Son. We needed him to reveal truth to us so we could proceed to evolve into what God created us to be- but, what we get in church is not the whole story.
My father is christian, but he lives his faith in nature. My mother is a catholic, but she prays only for mary. She teached me the storys about the great goddess.
For myself, i adopted some parts of my father and some of my mother. To find my way in the church, i visited may different churches, graveyards and a spent a time in a monastery living with the monks (Capuchin). finally i left the established regional church.
Some call me a pagan, some call me a asatru. Perhaps it's because i adore mother nature and some views about life. personally i don't care ... i can do it my way
Religion is for those who are afraid of going to hell. Spirituality is for those who have already been there.
I think I read that quote somewhere on this site once. I really like it!
My journey has been a long dark one but I have settled in the church of my ancestors, Scottish Presbyterianism. My church actually was started by immigrants that came to America the same time my clan did and shares the same beliefs.
I read the King James Version of the Bible every night and I pray many many times a day. My family came to America from Ulster Ireland in 1732 which says that I am Protestant. I am a Southern Bapatist that believes the Lord Jesus died on the cross at Calvary for my sins and rose the third day. Do I fall short of God's Glory? Yes! Do I sin? Yes! Do I struggle in life? Yes! I have HOPE. I have a Redeemer that loves me requardless of my short comings.
TandVH-if you like reading the early stuff check out the early church fathers like Polycarp.
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Unavoidably Detained by the World
"Irishness is not primary a question of birth or blood or language; it is the condition on being involved in the Irish situation, and usually of being mauled by it."-Conor Cruise O'Brien
I am Catholic (my mothers side of the family.) My father was Presbyterian (from Scot Jacobite ancestry.) As I got older, I joked that I was the product of a mixed marriage. I guess this upbringing has made me tolerant of most religions. Then, maybe it is just old age. I belive religions that promote peace and co-operation will be accepted in the after life. Though some Catholic practices I can not justify, I do not intend to change.
Slàinte,
Patch
P.S. No spell check errors! It's GREAT when that happens!
Pantheist. (God and the Universe are one in the same). I was born and raised a Catholic but walked away from that and all organized religions 48 years ago at 17.
I am an atheist, I was never baptized or christened, and I have only been to church 3 times. When I was forced to go as a child by my school.
I find all religions equally repulsive, especially islam and pentacostal, evangelism (disney christianity) christianity.
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"You cannot be both sane and well educated and disbelieve in evolution. The evidence is so strong that any sane, educated person has got to believe in evolution." -- Richard Dawkins,
"What the f*ck was that" - Mayor of hiroshima 1945
I was a Christian when I was younger but the more I learned about Christianty the more I didn't care for it. I've been calling myself a Pagan for the past 10 years, the last 6 months I have been studying Druidism. I love it but because those before me have been wiped out & typical they praticed oral tradations, so nothing was written down. So most of what you read about Druidism is based on reconstruction. My wife I a Witch not Wiccan I think anyone who calles themselves a Pagan knows the difference.
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I worship the old Gods because my heart tells me too, not because I am told too.
Non-Denominational Christian. I believe God created scientific laws and that God rules over nature. I also believe the beauty of nature is Gods painting for us to love.
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ALL4114Christ!
343 Their blood cries out! NEVER FORGET 9/11!
The 2nd Ammendment. The original Homeland Security!
"To those who would follow laws; laws need not apply. Those who would not follow laws; laws will have no affect upon."
Plato
I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. C. S. Lewis