It seems to me there is a lack of connection in these discussions. That is; for some reason I do not feel we are on the same page, or that we are concerned with the same aspects of the issues, or perhaps we just do not understand one another accurately. I have tried to discern the source of this and have a few thoughts and a request.
First, I confess that I do not watch TV and rely on word of mouth to receive ‘news’. Often I am hearing of the issues we discuss for the first time on the Wired Word and my knowledge of the circumstances and details is limited to what is printed there. I do not understand many of the jokes and references that are used in our conversations and perhaps this is because I am fairly illiterate when it comes to pop culture and current events.
Second, friends over the years have informed me of a weakness which I cannot observe in myself but which, in response to their loving feedback, I have come to accept as one of my authentic character flaws. It has been called naivety, cluelessness, bluntness and extreme literalness and is the tendency of my mind to think, speak and receive words according to their plain meaning without awareness of the subtle but common social or emotional nuances of what is communicated. Because of this, I can sometimes miss the point of things or come across as blunt, disrespectful or offensive. If such has been the case, I apologize.
Third, I have come to Christ by what appears to be an unusual path. Having had a significant religious experience wherein I was called to faith outside of any church setting, and being compelled by life circumstances to attend several different denominational churches in my short 10 year walk with the Lord, I have been taught primarily by the Holy Spirit and my doctrine is non-standard. Though some may be leery of this, I truly believe it was by Divine appointment and intent, and that a good portion of my calling in the Lord is to labor for the unity of THE Church, the entire Body of Christ… that is, to work toward an authentic and fervent love among ALL those who claim the name of Jesus.
As it is written in John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” I understand this to be a statement specifically about relationships withIN the Church… meaning, among ALL those who profess faith in Christ… and believe ‘ecumenicalism’ is a fundamental duty for Christians to actively pursue. Similarly, I am motivated to develop a sense of unity with each brother or sister in the Lord and am disturbed when such does not seem to be the case. In an effort to improve the situation, I would like to request… from Henry again and from any others also… a statement of perspective so that we may understand one another better and perhaps engage in more fruitful dialogues.
Specifically, I ask…
What are your personal beliefs and views about religion in general?
Why do you come to church?
What view of the Bible do you hold?
Blessings in Christ.
I will take the questions in the order that they are presented.
ReplyDelete1. What are my personal beliefs? I am sure that a supreme being created the universe as we know it. To consider that the order of the universe occurred by accident is the opposite of everything we observe or encounter. The observations that the universe was formed due to natural laws that we are gradually discovering only transfers the question to "What or who created the natural laws?" Having said that, I have some question regarding what interest the supreme being, God that is, has in us. The separation of capabilities, talents, etc, is so great between us and God in my mind, I would suggest it is greater than the separation between us and bacteria. However, within my own experience, guidance or a "second voice" has offered caution a number of times. I do not pull references from the bible because I don't have a talent for interpretation, and I don't take it literally. I generally follow the concept of the Golden Rule and the Commandments.
I go to church as a reminder, a refresher and a learning process.
My view of the bible is uncertain because I cannot take most of it literally and I have almost no capacity for interpretation. However, many other people seem to have the same shortcoming as evidenced by the number of religious sects that exist.
Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you believe about Jesus? Is He God also? If you don't take the Bible literally; does that mean you do not take the accounts of Jesus' life, death and resurrection as real?
If not, would you say then that you consider 'religion' a particular brand of moral philosophy? And would church then be a reminder to live morally and to think about others?
Do you have any views about life after death?
Thank you again for your participation.
I believe Jesus is a part of a Supreme Being that enters all sentient societies in a manner/person that is consistent with each society's comprehension. I think it would be extremely presumptive of us to think that he has favored mankind only in the last 2000 years and then only the Caucasian peoples, omitting eastern societies.
ReplyDeleteI view the Bible as a book that was written by inspired people who also included ideas and concepts important to themselves. I take the accounts of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection and factual.
I don't have any meaningful views of life after death.