tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.comments2023-11-05T02:30:36.729-06:00Contemplations of an Unconventional ChristianTeribear68http://www.blogger.com/profile/00521963493128758920noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-2840334359457346512014-05-28T01:58:38.062-05:002014-05-28T01:58:38.062-05:00Terri reminded me that I'm also a contributor,...Terri reminded me that I'm also a contributor, here, when I responded to the beta of this post. I responded with some heat, and much conviction, and more than a little fury. What follows are my thoughts on this matter, in the raw, as it were, over the course of two nights. Reader Discretion Is Advised:<br /><br />The first evening's response...<br /><br />As an outside observer, the UMC is, more and more, resembling certain nationalist organizations which promoted purity at any cost, in the 1930s.<br />Racial, sexual, religious.... no matter what type of "purity" you espouse... you have no right to persecute and marginalize groups you deem to be less than your ideal.<br /><br />Emotional terrorism can do more damage than conventional - because the victims can just disappear silently.<br /><br />No BBC reports. No UN taskforces.<br /><br />And the next night...<br /><br />I had an additional epiphany overnight. The victims of this sort of organized abuse can also pass on the damage, either wittingly or not. This is how this insanity moves from place to place, and generation to generation. It takes true courage to snap those chains.<br /><br />It's why speaking out is so hard. You're not the only ones within reach of these fanatics. Often, relatives (both by blood and by choice) are in the line of fire, implied hostages.<br /><br />In so many ways, it's like trying to leave a gang.<br /><br />And if they've convinced themselves there's no bloodshed involved in their persecution, they need to be forced to attend every funeral of every suicide related to it. Every kid shoved into a dead end alley. Every person denied care, every assault to "teach a lesson", every involuntary confinement, every piece of the Constitution hack-sawed away by politicians, legislators, and judges "serving their constituency".<br /><br />This madness has to stop, before we turn into Iran or Syria.<br /><br />And now, an addition as I'm posting this, here:<br /><br />This is serious. This is real. This affects ALL of us, whether or not we think so at first blush.<br /><br />Anytime one of us is stripped of a right- human, citizen, or otherwise- we all lose not only that right- but all the parents, siblings, or children of that right. You feel that the fellow down the road shouldn't be allowed to kiss his boyfriend in public? Think twice before you run to a lobbyist group that feels the same way, and throw your resources at them.<br /><br />Because if they manage to bribe (yes, I said it- it's bribery, plain and simple) a legislator to pass your pet law, you can be certain that the next time you kiss your mate in public, the people you've removed that right from will be calling the local PD on YOU.<br /><br />Stop it. STOP IT. Before it's too late. Before the hate and fear and anger make us sew uniforms, and build camps... and chambers. That's where this is headed. We're ALL responsible for this. How long before we find a sufficient excuse to take it that one step too far? That step outside of humanity. The step that reduces us, as a race, to mere pack animals.<br /><br />Devolved. Inventing stories to cover our delusions, and calling it "science". Using this madhouse creation to justify heading further down the rabbit hole of "my god told my leader that X is true, so anyone who doesn't agree must be punished".<br /><br />We're already seeing it blossom, all over the globe. This beast doesn't care what it clothes itself in. Turbans, robes, commando masks, beige shirts, or... three-piece suits and hairspray.<br /><br />What are you going to do about it?Commodore Rasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06140271826596056662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-53138100532130001912012-09-05T10:42:12.665-05:002012-09-05T10:42:12.665-05:00I am a Christian supporter of equal rights, includ...I am a Christian supporter of equal rights, including same-sex marriage. I think what most people want to forget is that while Chick-Fil-A reaped the monetary benefits, the whole "Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day" was a political move by Mike Huckabee. NOM was, and still is, the driving force behind this. <br /><br />I was deeply saddened by the church's response to this whole issue. The LGBT community did not feel the love of Christ that day. The wedge between them and the church was only widened. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-55026604468932820432012-08-10T00:24:48.015-05:002012-08-10T00:24:48.015-05:00There's SO much truth in this. I realized sev...There's SO much truth in this. I realized several years ago that the popular "Last Days" teachings were priming us to consider ourselves persecuted over the least little thing. This has produced that persecution complex, and, as a result, an aggressive and defensive attitude. Sadly, the "church" is persecuting those who say LOVE is the key. We may not agree on everything, but LOVE has to be the bottom line.<br /><br />We are NOT supposed to go around FIGHTING for our rights or defending ourselves. That is the exact opposite of what Jesus and Paul taught. God help us to be more like Jesus!Robynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11174186340984996047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-6391088939894370942012-02-25T22:41:26.491-06:002012-02-25T22:41:26.491-06:00One thing you don't mention that is of importa...One thing you don't mention that is of importance is that early manuscripts of Mark and Luke cite the Father's words at the baptism as "Thou art my beloved son; this day have I begotten thee" quoting Psalm 2 (obviously this is the true reading). The church changed the words when they decided to get rid of adoptionist christology and insert the birth narratives.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-79120403596682214072011-04-08T22:20:41.772-05:002011-04-08T22:20:41.772-05:00I'm sorry sweet girl. Jason lost his grandmoth...I'm sorry sweet girl. Jason lost his grandmother this past week too. Too much sadness.Teribear68https://www.blogger.com/profile/00521963493128758920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-33485874490917209182010-11-29T13:34:12.332-06:002010-11-29T13:34:12.332-06:00I fully understand and appreciate that!I fully understand and appreciate that!Alanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16720359445477278652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-67378317630404491612010-11-02T23:14:34.660-05:002010-11-02T23:14:34.660-05:00While you were at Baker I was at West and there we...While you were at Baker I was at West and there were NO black kids at West. I don't think there were any at Findlay either. I transferred to East in 4th grade and had black classmates for the first time...I don't remember any awareness that they were any different than the rest of my classmates. That awareness wouldn't come until 5th grade when I had the misfortune of being assigned to Mevolyn Haston's homeroom. Our class had some discipline issues and John Alan Wilson, Leon Elligan and I were brainstorming solutions to that problem that wouldn't involve the whole class losing privileges. As I recall we came up with some kind of club and a behavior pledge that went with it...kid stuff. At some point during our conversation though Leon told me that he loved me and Mrs. Haston overheard. She kept me behind when the class went to recess and she took it upon herself to explain why it wasn't ok (in her opinion) for Leon to love me. I remember being first baffled then furious. Leon was my friend and what we had been talking about wasn't anything wrong. That was when I first became aware of race as an issue. When my teacher, the person my parents entrusted with my education, took it upon herself to inject me with her own racism.Teribear68https://www.blogger.com/profile/00521963493128758920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-12267069105377044882010-09-13T23:08:04.036-05:002010-09-13T23:08:04.036-05:00I will try to track it down. It appears that Inter...I will try to track it down. It appears that Internet Monk continues.Elizabeth Mahlouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00334700057953625321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-66221179501143777882010-07-05T21:51:37.220-05:002010-07-05T21:51:37.220-05:00To deal with a truly manipulative person is like s...To deal with a truly manipulative person is like swimming against a riptide. - Truly! I haven't thought of it in exactly that way but I love the analogyTeribear68https://www.blogger.com/profile/00521963493128758920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-70632126988261061662010-07-05T18:19:24.176-05:002010-07-05T18:19:24.176-05:00omg i was just listening to that song!!! so good :...omg i was just listening to that song!!! so good :)<br /><br />also i'm totally with you on that rule. hindsight is definitely 20/20, and now i know i need to start taking this advice. so cheers to no more manipulative people, and thanks for the post to remind me!Lizahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05723522058603680389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-51173784757841298662010-03-07T15:32:30.347-06:002010-03-07T15:32:30.347-06:00If you are not in the Southern United States W, yo...If you are not in the Southern United States W, you may not have a picture of how prevalent the practice of corporal punishment is in this culture. It is rare that I leave my home without hearing a child threatened with it. Most recently, just two days ago in fact, I witnessed a mother insist that the child remove his own belt for her to hit him with. To find a church that DOESN'T preach this is a rarity here. I'm not sure I know of any. That is the short answer to why I stay. <br /><br />The longer answer is that church people have an annoying habit of only being willing to take advice from other church people. In far too many cases anything "secular" is considered suspect and dismissed out of hand. The only way to change the institution is from within. Having an older child now puts me in a position of influence I would not have had as young mother with a toddler or preschooler. Hence the decision to start speaking the truth we have been living all these years. There is now a fighting possibility of being heard because "the proof is in the pudding" as the saying goes. <br /><br />I wish I knew more about whom I am addressing. I'm not sure where you got the idea that I believe anything other than that there are myriad ways the Bible can be interpreted. If that were not the case there wouldn't be all the denominational differences within the universal church. I get the impression you're not a fan of the institutional church. My goal in this blog is not to defend either the idea of scriptural inerrancy or the institutional church. It is merely to make observations along my own faith journey and to dialogue with others along the way. Thank you for joining the conversation.Teribear68https://www.blogger.com/profile/00521963493128758920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-63744441349548078082010-03-07T13:27:41.477-06:002010-03-07T13:27:41.477-06:00I don't understand why you would remain in a c...I don't understand why you would remain in a church that preaches this kind of stuff (corporal punishment) from the pulpit when you have been disagreeing with it all along. Why have you remained among these people? Now that you have an older child, you are willing to speak up? Why not just get out of this hypocritical institution altogether? Then maybe you would be truly "unconventional." Furthermore, I think that as a Christian you need to face up to the fact that there are a myriad of ways in which the bible can be interpreted. The Pearls will see it one way because they find things that support their twisted predispositions. Others will find things that support their more liberal viewpoints in the SAME BOOK. That's because the bible is a collection of human writings and not the direct word of God. That's why Lydia Schatz is dead - because the mind looks for things to justify its ignorance and stupidity in the form of what it thinks to be GOD in a book.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08173921195362533305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-40952727513948642262010-02-17T19:16:23.721-06:002010-02-17T19:16:23.721-06:00What I so wanted to post as a comment to Person X&...What I so wanted to post as a comment to Person X's comment (in part to mock her passive agressiveness)<br />@ Terri- It is most unfortuante that Person X clearly hasn't been fortunate enough to read much modern scholarship on the subject of homosexuality and the Bible, and that she has her copy of the NRSV shoved so far up her ass that it's preventing her from speaking in a remotely Christian manner, making a logical argument, and even from using proper capitalization and punctuation. Perhaps she might consider rethinking her own leadership role, should she have any, if she's going to be so blindly judgmental and so readily display such a disparity between true Christian kindness and her Bible-thumping blindness and utter lack of tact.Lil Spoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06316660479322734527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-24916072509919074852010-02-17T12:21:44.908-06:002010-02-17T12:21:44.908-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Lil Spoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06316660479322734527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-46373503679818666302010-01-24T23:16:42.175-06:002010-01-24T23:16:42.175-06:00Welcome to the Blog my friend.
It astounds me th...Welcome to the Blog my friend. <br /><br />It astounds me that well meaning Christian people post stuff like this status without fully thinking through the implications of what they are saying. It basically says "We've got our own problems, Screw Haiti!" <br /><br />The thing is, while I don't deny that those problems do exist in this country, the poorest of our poor are wealthy in comparison to the majority of the citizens of Haiti and that is before this disaster struck. It is not an either or situation. Yes, we need to do more and better to take care of the "least of these" in our own country but when devastation on the order of what is happening in Haiti occurs we rightfully need to pause in that and deal with the more immediate situation.Teribear68https://www.blogger.com/profile/00521963493128758920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-121351700190805752010-01-21T12:13:27.242-06:002010-01-21T12:13:27.242-06:00Its my understanding that ONE of the reasons that ...Its my understanding that ONE of the reasons that Judas betrayed Jesus was that Jesus was not radical enough. The messiah that was expected and the one that came were far different. <br /><br />I also think the truth or fallacy of the statement "Jesus was a Radical" has a great deal to do with perception of the word radical. I think that word, like many others, has lost meaning from casual overuse. <br /><br />Keep stepping up on your virtual soap box. We'll get some discussion going around here yet.Teribear68https://www.blogger.com/profile/00521963493128758920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-79842496557374903522010-01-14T12:01:08.942-06:002010-01-14T12:01:08.942-06:00Names are important. God often re-named people in ...Names are important. God often re-named people in the Old Testament when he interacted with them. Think Abram/Abraham and Jacob/Israel. I want to ponder on this some before I go off on a tangent but I do rather think you're on to something here.Teribear68https://www.blogger.com/profile/00521963493128758920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-58340173363123441572010-01-13T22:52:42.008-06:002010-01-13T22:52:42.008-06:00So agreed. He comes across as a rather giant dingl...So agreed. He comes across as a rather giant dinglebunny.Lil Spoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06316660479322734527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-68384782590362299832010-01-11T00:09:12.810-06:002010-01-11T00:09:12.810-06:00Oh! The younger one! That's me! I'm the yo...Oh! The younger one! That's me! I'm the younger one!<br />Some part of John says the truth will set you free, but a lot of times the truth is really hard to deal with. We have trouble dealing with certain truths in our personal lives, and the greater truth is even scarier than our own personal truths, I guess mostly because it is so much larger than we can even fathom it to be.<br /><br />Sometimes I realize that I'm just this teeny little thing, and one day it'll be like I was never here, and then I kind of freak out a little bit, because then what do I matter really? But I like to think we matter because we are trying to find the truth, and everyone is - their own greater truth. (which is why I believe there are so many different religions and whatnot - everybody's got a different chunk of "truth-ness".) So those are some of my thoughts, but right now it is midnight and I have to go to sleep, otherwise my personal truth to contend with tomorrow will be limited to "I'm sleepyyyyyyyyyyyy," which would kind of suck!Lil Spoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06316660479322734527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-18522643981423444152009-11-21T17:03:50.057-06:002009-11-21T17:03:50.057-06:00This is SO hard. If you are part of an active, vi...This is SO hard. If you are part of an active, vital community that is involved in loving and serving,and you have Christian friends in your life that you see outside the church walls, pulling out would be ok to do.<br /><br />Sadly, much of the damage done in our lives during our son's teen years was done by families and teens involved in church youth groups and the "Christian" homeschooling community. He was lied about to the point of having his reputation destroyed. He was persecuted for not being just like everyone else. His political and theological views are more deeply through out and don't fit in a cookie cutter niche, so he has been attacked for that over and over. Also, in a community where they have banquets to celebrate purity, a young man can be ostracized in a heartbeat for warning a young lady or her parents that the guy she is hanging out with is not of good character and would likely have less than honorable intentions toward their daughter. So... a young person of who has both integrity and intelligence can end up being pushed FAR to the edges and never really find a place to belong in the conservative Christian community. I certainly hope your family has a different experience than we have had. We ended up pulling out of the "game" about 3 years ago. We had chosen a church and hoped it would be a place our son could grow attached to and consider his "home" whether he went to college locally or moved away... a place possibly to have his wedding... to go away from and come back to... a community of foundation. From the outside, it seemed to be deeply committed to ministry. From the inside, it became obvious that it was programs and agendas... a pretty performance, but no real building of relationships... just cliques and politics and show. We tried to "break in" for 3 solid years and left as outsiders, lonely and feeling more rejected than ever. <br /><br />Our son, now 19, desperately needs to be a part of SOMETHING... but we still have no clue where to turn. Even just a few friends we could bond with could make a difference. But, inside the church that wasn't happening, and outside... well, all the people we hope to spend time with are committed to church programs. Inside or out, the programs RULE and there is no time for God or people. Maybe we are just worthless mutants. That's how we've been left feeling, as far as the church community goes.Robynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11174186340984996047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-53335882687087577242009-11-13T14:54:54.752-06:002009-11-13T14:54:54.752-06:00I don't think so. I've been trying to do t...I don't think so. I've been trying to do that for awhile and it isn't working so well for me. I don't know what the answer is. Just at the time that I'm ready to start shedding "churchianity" my daughter is finding a place in youth group where she is excited about serving and loves to be and I don't know how to pull her away from that just because I see all that is wrong with the whole mega-church structure. So I'm trying very hard to see things through her eyes instead.Teribear68https://www.blogger.com/profile/00521963493128758920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-6967622803756688992009-11-09T19:50:35.853-06:002009-11-09T19:50:35.853-06:00You know... not being in church has been very much...You know... not being in church has been very much a spiritual renewal for me. Not being TOLD what I must think or feel or how to vote.. or any of that stuff. So many voices competing against HIS voice. In the silence, the scriptures rise into my heart and mind.... and in the middle of the noise of life and politics... walking among the homeless... in a doctor's waiting room... it is HIS voice I hear, not the voices that judge me and make me feel like giving up. Those voices are getting quieter and further away. Yes... I am looking for fellowship, but the kind that strengthens, not the kind that drains. Otherwise, I'm better off alone. Life is hard enough w/o just INVITING people into your life to rape you spiritually & emotionally... or going to them and asking for it 3x a week or more. <br /><br />I do need community. Right now... about all I get of that is at Kroger... LOL. But, those people at my little neighborhood Kroger are real people and they have big smiles for me.<br /><br />Jesus is closer to me than ever. He has less competition. The beach does sound like a nice place to spend time with Him.... LOL. But maybe not during hurrican season!Robynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11174186340984996047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-36163945718283108592009-11-03T18:52:27.847-06:002009-11-03T18:52:27.847-06:00It all sounds good. The last quote is hopeful... ...It all sounds good. The last quote is hopeful... I need for my youth to be renewed like the eagle's... I need to be healed, reborn... in every possible way!Robynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11174186340984996047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-35472706231463671502009-11-03T18:47:43.585-06:002009-11-03T18:47:43.585-06:00Sounds like you miss being part of a believing com...Sounds like you miss being part of a believing community. But you're getting a good look at how "we" can look from the outside, and that is a good thing.<br /><br />I don't "do" Sunday mornings any more due to a family that runs a second shift lifestyle and also personal illness that made it (first) unbearable) and (2nd) undo-able. I tried going on Sunday nights, but have discovered that those who skip Sunday mornings and come on Sunday night instead are judged as suspect (just not quite as holy as the A.M. crowd), and that churches who have gotten past that judgmental notion have dropped Sunday nights altogether. Which is ok if all your people are MORNING people! LOL<br /><br />Anyway, college is a good time to learn to find the "body of Christ" in unexpected places and look for ways Christians are forming community in ways you've not experienced before. Meanwhile, there is much to learn and unlearn while sojourning among the unaffiliated. <br /><br />God bless you, Lil Spoon!Robynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11174186340984996047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1148291610321991733.post-85725622482399262672009-11-03T18:39:03.723-06:002009-11-03T18:39:03.723-06:00That's what it boils down to OVER and OVER, T-...That's what it boils down to OVER and OVER, T-Bear. I cannot get away from it. As you quote, Jesus says "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself," sums up the whole law and prophets. Paired with Micah 6:8, this is the whole foundation of the teachings of Christ, as far as I can tell. Sadly, that seems to be the antithesis of the message currently being sent by the "Christian community," as I've come to call the visible church as I know it. How can we have "accepted Christ" if we want no part of His message?Robynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11174186340984996047noreply@blogger.com