Comments for ...whole life

Comment on Who says? Retrospective by Jeff

Jeff — Sat, 05 May 2012 18:04:11 +0000

I’m really appreciating this dialogue from someone who can speak the same language of doubt still within the context of belief, still wanting to believe, as do I. I like your view of the Bible and how it is more of a story from which truth can be drawn as opposed to a direct line of communication from God himself.

I think for me the struggle is to find faith that is mine and not what is fed to me through others. This is a difficult thing for a guy so easily influenced by the thoughts and ideas of those around me. Forging a newer and hopefully more authentic relationship with God is my aim. It would be great to experience God without the “Christian” filter and see Him for who he really is as opposed to what the church and other humans have created Him to be.

Comment on Who says? Retrospective by Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:41:40 +0000

Jeff, it is a hard place to be. I hope it is easier for you.

Even now it is difficult to verbalize the process because I know it could be difficult for friends and family to hear sometimes.

Gradually, my perspective towards scriptures became what I would like to think is more human. They are significant records of humanity’s interaction with God, written by men, through their individual perspectives. They were still men, and just like writers today, were subject to their own cultural influences and perspectives. To me, this makes them more valuable. They really are stories, poetry, sayings, histories, and letters, first and foremost. They do not tell the complete story, but they create a framework for the narrative. The biggest change though was to stop interpreting, and start reading. If the epistles are letters, we should just read them as letters. They are to a specific community at a specific time, for a specific reason. This is part of a story, not an instruction manual. We should not be pulling chunks from a letter, a story, a history and squishing them together as if they were a unified message to us here and now.

Partly it is the language that separates us from the humaness of scriptures. Even the term scripture simply means writings. Bible means book. The original term used for the apocryphal books (Anagignoskomena) means “recommended reading”, or “things that are read.” We have imbued these things with transcendent and esoteric qualities that do not allow us to engage them for what they are. I don’t contend that they are not holy, or sacred, only that we have elevated them to a less useful position.

Comment on Who says? Retrospective by Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:29:11 +0000

Wow! It’s like you knew what I’m going through. I feel this way right now and it’s pretty confusing to me. I don’t really know how I feel about the Bible being inerrant and the Word of God. Is it a black and white Bible or is there more gray than we thought on a number of issues? It’s great to hear of someone else’s journey through similar territory. Thanks for sharing. I, too, feel like it’s part of discovering something deeper.

Comment on Who says? by Who says? Retrospective at …whole life

Who says? Retrospective at …whole life — Wed, 02 May 2012 03:03:49 +0000

[...] question became THE QUESTION for me in my twenties. Any time a claim was made, in my head I thought “Who says?” [...]

Comment on Religion as culture by Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:16:38 +0000

Daniel-I appreciate your thoughts about your church experience. I’m struggling with similar feelings now as I struggle to fit in to church here and see its worth in my life beyond my experience of God in the physical, relational world that I live. Thanks for sharing this.

Comment on Religion as culture by Dad

Dad — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:03:29 +0000

This article was carefully and honestly thought through and beautifully expressed. It was encouraging to hear the ‘inside story’ of what you were going through those years, then the assimilation process into the ‘new culture’ and finally the benefits to you and your family. Like Ariana, I am very glad you feel at home in the church community. We have been blessed the times we have worshipped with you.

Comment on Religion as culture by Ariana

Ariana — Tue, 01 May 2012 08:18:54 +0000

Thank you for describing your process of finding a home within the church culture– much of your issues with American church really resonates with me, and I am so glad that you have found yourselves at home with a spiritual community. What an incredible blessing.

Comment on Religion as culture by Nathan

Nathan — Tue, 01 May 2012 02:44:00 +0000

I agree with what you have described. Our journey towards the same place has seemed as natural as discovering the place where we belong in a different land.

Comment on Choruses from The Rock – T.S. Eliot by Purple Poet

Purple Poet — Tue, 01 May 2012 01:57:43 +0000

To Judith in Dublin! i have some of my sculptures in a few different countries, but i do not think any of my Poetry has ever been shared in another country… Is there any way i could share some of my poems with You, to see if any of them could be considered? My website has a page of my Poetry and some thoughts about them. please look for “Mindsurf” and “Getter Than and Best”.
http://www.touchingtheimpossible.com/and_then_there_is_the_poetic_facet

Comment on Choruses from The Rock – T.S. Eliot by Judith Leonard

Judith Leonard — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:58:10 +0000

We have a poetry group that meets once a month in our house (Dublin.)

Something special is delivered in the second half of the evening.

I will deliver this Poem when it is my turn next.
Think it a fabulous poem.