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Deinonychus
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29 Sep 2013, 10:12 pm

Former Christian... and I wish I still was one but I don't see reason enough to believe. I'm planning to start studying the Bible and see how it checks out historically and then some other major religions and we'll see what happens. I'm definitely not hostile to it or its adherents though and I've had a pretty good overall experience with the people in my life who claim to be Christians.



Cash__
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29 Sep 2013, 10:42 pm

I used to be a Christian. It served well at a particular point in my life. I have since out grown it and moved on.



aspiekelly
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29 Sep 2013, 10:54 pm

I am a Christian and I would say I regularly attend one church and sometimes visit another. Some Sundays I even go to both, I like them each for different reasons. They both have really good music, and I like the pastor at my main one a lot.



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02 Oct 2013, 2:25 pm

octobertiger wrote:
I suppose I am a Christian; I use the word 'suppose' because I came from a part of Ireland where religion and politics made a stinking cocktail, so I was always shy about my beliefs - especially when it comes to organised religion.

A Course in Miracles speaks most strongly to me, and I'm surprised it's not more well known than it is (maybe because it's a difficult thing to take in). However, I really don't think the small issues matter - loving God and Jesus and yourself and other people for who they really are underneath the surface, not because of how they might behave to yourself, surely has got to be what it's all about.

I'd rather people did this, and actually demonstrated their beliefs practically, than talked about it ad nauseum (I am not saying that any posters here are doing this, by the way) or rammed their beliefs down anyone's throat. I don't like the idea of anyone being indoctrinated into anything, and I don't think Jesus would have done, either.

I don't think ACIM is difficult to take in. Its just a mix of Christianity and new age philosophy. I just don't agree with it.



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02 Oct 2013, 3:40 pm

Personally, I'm not interested if it is a mix or it's not a mix of anything. It's talking about God and reality - not exactly going to get points for complete originality, is it. I mean, by its own admission, it's not covering new ground.

Maybe 'take in' is the wrong expression - perhaps 'accept' is more appropriate.

I find a lot of it makes sense to me, in the way that I have seen it, and the way that I have experienced life. Depends how you take it in, where you are in your life, and depends how you see it. I think the vast majority of people would reject it - so be it. If my experiences were so, and I had read it years ago, I might have dismissed it as being another attempt to mislead. And maybe I might have more insight and dismiss it in the future, who knows.



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05 Oct 2013, 1:31 pm

Christian, but I hate what often passes for Christian 'culture' these days. Usually this 'culture' is a blend of Republicanism and cheesey 'wholesome' bastard versions of whatever the secular folks are doing. :?


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05 Oct 2013, 5:46 pm

restlesspirit wrote:
I am a follower of Christ, I say that instead of the Christian label as that label has a lot of negative connotation against it because of fanatics.


I don't agree with what you're doing here. You can't redeem the image of Christianity this way. Not by hiding from it and identifying yourself some other way, not by pointing and tattling and saying "Yeah I'm a Christian, but I'm not like THOSE Christians", not by ignoring the problem. Stand up, be seen and known and judged and stereotyped, and prove people wrong. Only by acting to represent Christianity properly will you remove that negative connotation.



timf
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17 Dec 2013, 12:37 pm

Quote:
Christian, but I hate what often passes for Christian 'culture' these days. Usually this 'culture' is a blend of Republicanism and cheesey 'wholesome' bastard versions of whatever the secular folks are doing.


I had to laugh when I read this. I see "Christianity" in the US as 80% liberal, ritual and inertial activity that would evaporate in a second if there were any real persecution. The other 20% of Christianity I see as various forms of trying to do or be good. This usually involves hitting each other over the head with various rules and voting Republican.

I was raised LCMS Lutheran and lost interest in my teens. When I was 30 I read the Bible and slowly started to find my way closer to Jesus. The problem was that churches usually interfere with this process.

For example, we visited one church and struck up a conversation with an elderly lady at the fringe of the usual bustle of church activity and I asked her how she was doing financially. She admitted that things were a little difficult and we were able to help hel a little. What struck me was that she had attended the church for over 30 years and even her best friend did not know she was having trouble. I am sure the church leaders would have been angry at her for not telling them of her difficulty. But to me, this highlights the problem with churches, they are by definition organizational and run as systems when Christianity was always intended to be relational and reflect the actions of individuals.

I am Christian and if I can answer any questions for anyone, please feel free to PM me.



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17 Dec 2013, 3:56 pm

I have been a Catholic all my life. However, I wish a Catholic church that was only a few blocks from my house didn't become part of a retirement community in the early 2000s. I had my First Communion there. My family and I had to attend services at the Catholic church we attend services at to this day.

However, at the Catholic church we currently attend services at, I have been an usher for the past 3 years, even though I have had to deal with:

-Shallow 1 percenters, in terms of personality.

-The d-bag male lead singer of the choir, who believes people with ASDs are "natural sinners."

-A rude middle aged couple who believe in prayer over medicine.

-A creepy elderly woman, who often tries to grab my hand while reciting the Lord's Prayer.

To be clear, when my sister and I were younger, we were OK with holding hands during the Lord's Prayer, but our mother kept telling us off for holding her hands too tightly. Now, my mom sits close to the altar, my sister sits in the back of the church, and I usually sit in the middle.

Overall, being an usher has been a great experience. It has helped improve my social skills, though my mom often tells me to never talk to anyone from the parish.


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19 Dec 2013, 7:12 pm

I love Jesus because he made that sacrifice on the cross for my sins. I accept him as my savior.
I like to go to church because our church is really fun to go to, we sing songs about God and the lectures are great.