till next time -john
]]>Not for a second do I think that all religious people– be they overt or covert– are crazy. It seems to me that the impulse to religiosity is hardwired in all of us, and that we all look to a unifying, ordering presence. Some do this exclusively through science, or art, or scripture, but in their own way I think everybody is pointing in the same direction.
The Charismatic Christians in our midst strike me a self-serving in their supernatural beliefs, choosing a way of thinking that’s exclusionary rather than inclusive. In my opinion, religion is coming to a crossroads and must now confront much of what has been so clearly out of synch for so long. Knowing now what we do of the provenance of The Bible, it’s next to impossible to square first century morality and philosophical thinking with the 21st century world that we live in. I could go on about this forever, I think, but instead I will link to a debate (10 minutes) that Sam Harris was engaged in. It’s a very difficult video for people of faith to watch, I think, as there’s an unflinching brutality to his analysis, but it’s a very, very good analysis:
]]>Your stories always make me chortle but… jeez… some among us believe in The Holy Trinity, staying clear of any ‘organized religion’. Posts such as this one reinforces the stereotype of all Christians as weird, religious zealots and it is somewhat painful to be lumped into the same batter as the ‘Christian Right and ‘Religious Extremists’, to be baked into the weirdly misshapen, many layered cake known as ‘The Church’.
My efforts have been concentrated upon telling the only true story I know: God has saved my life and the lives of my daughter and her mother.
I do not proselytize and only discuss religion when the topic arises. I only ask that you remind people that we who believe in God are not batshit crazy.
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