Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

[leswp1]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

Depends on what kind/style of "Christian music" you are talking about, I suppose. I've heard a few good tunes over the years.

Me too.

Do you remember any of the other 4?

The last 4 things tRump posted? Sorry. Couldn't help myself.

[FredsDeadFriend]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

leswp1 - what are your favorite bands? I was really into Flyleaf for awhile. Was surprised to find out that they were a Xian band. Another one was Mortal I think? Had a friend who was totally into Xian music and always tried to get me to listen to stuff. Oh, Larry Norman from WAY back in the day.

[leswp1]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

leswp1 - what are your favorite bands? I was really into Flyleaf for awhile. Was surprised to find out that they were a Xian band. Another one was Mortal I think? Had a friend who was totally into Xian music and always tried to get me to listen to stuff. Oh, Larry Norman from WAY back in the day.

NOt sure- I teach the HS group at my church and the kids will sometimes play music, esp when they come back from the National Youth Gathering. I like what they play, it is catchy and lots of ear worms. Then I am also a sap for the VBS stuff the kids sing. It is like folk music

[FredsDeadFriend]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

NOt sure- I teach the HS group at my church and the kids will sometimes play music, esp when they come back from the National Youth Gathering. I like what they play, it is catchy and lots of ear worms. Then I am also a sap for the VBS stuff the kids sing. It is like folk music

So what is your view or perspective or maybe your churches, when it comes to evangelism? I personally find the vast majority of evangelism to be not only uneffective but counter productive even. It seems to me those that respond to it were at a point in their lives when they were just ready for it, so the effectiveness of the person doing the "sharing the gospel" thing almost doesn't matter as much as they just happened to catch the person at the right time or in the right circumstances? Otherwise modern day evangelism seems to me to do far more to push people further away and to turn them off towards Christianity in general, and it is Christian evangelism that I am talking about specifically.

Do you share your faith with others?

[leswp1]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

So what is your view or perspective or maybe your churches, when it comes to evangelism? I personally find the vast majority of evangelism to be not only uneffective but counter productive even. It seems to me those that respond to it were at a point in their lives when they were just ready for it, so the effectiveness of the person doing the "sharing the gospel" thing almost doesn't matter as much as they just happened to catch the person at the right time or in the right circumstances? Otherwise modern day evangelism seems to me to do far more to push people further away and to turn them off towards Christianity in general, and it is Christian evangelism that I am talking about specifically.

Do you share your faith with others?

Do I share my faith with others? Yes. Do I beat them over the head with it? No. I say my experience, how it sustains me, how I came to believe what I do and what it does for me. I do it if I have opportunity and if it fits the situation. DId this before I belonged in a church. If I had patients who were struggling I would ask them if they had a faith and if the answer was yes we talked about if it might help them. SOmetimes they forgot to lean on it and it could help them.

I came into organized religion late. I always believed but when I was little my parents (who had both rebelled and joined the Unitarian Church) decided they were p1ssed at the church and left. When I was 28, working as an FNP and seeing the underbelly of humanity one of my patients invited me to her church after I asked her if her faith mught be helpful to her. She told me she thought I would like it.
Summary- I went for the first time on Pentecost (cue creepy music) on a whim. The whole thing was about how humans didn't have to fix everything, that was God's job. Just what I needed.
Never stopped going after that. Fills my Pitcher as my Auntie would say.

My church believes in inviting without strings. They are open, accepting and have no problem with people questioning things (ELCA church). We do outreach that isn't heavy on Bible thumping. More show your Faith by showing you you live, participate in society, etc. Lots of service things- serve at shelters, work day where we all go out into the community to do various things needed, open the building for meetings, that type of stuff. They call it 'Come and see' , 'porch' opportunities. Sort of like when you were a kid and could go visit on the porch if you weren't comfortable going into the house. If you are open, friendly and willing to let the person in, even if they aren't sure of what they want maybe it will fill their pitcher too.

mr les is Catholic. That seems to be another world. Lots of rules, requirements and pay to participate (they charge for CCD??!! and people compete for the prime schedule)

IMHO Jesus went out to gather in all the 'undesirables', he was inclusive and preached against rigidity and obsession with the letter of the Law instead of the Spirit. Maybe it is my UU background but I think God is more interested in engaging as many people as possible, not judging and looking for ways to exclude them or obsessing with what humans decide is important. I have had some fascinating discussions with people of all faiths- I had a pt who was a rabbinical student, another few who were Deacons in Catholic, Episcopal, Presby churches. Never stop learning or thinking. Faith is a living, breathing, changing thing. If it is stagnant something is wrong.

[leswp1]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

THe wacko Fundies give Evangelism a bad name. THey aren't Christians as I understand Christianity.

[FredsDeadFriend]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

Do I share my faith with others? Yes. Do I beat them over the head with it? No. I say my experience, how it sustains me, how I came to believe what I do and what it does for me. I do it if I have opportunity and if it fits the situation. DId this before I belonged in a church. If I had patients who were struggling I would ask them if they had a faith and if the answer was yes we talked about if it might help them. SOmetimes they forgot to lean on it and it could help them.

I came into organized religion late. I always believed but when I was little my parents (who had both rebelled and joined the Unitarian Church) decided they were p1ssed at the church and left. When I was 28, working as an FNP and seeing the underbelly of humanity one of my patients invited me to her church after I asked her if her faith mught be helpful to her. She told me she thought I would like it.
Summary- I went for the first time on Pentecost (cue creepy music) on a whim. The whole thing was about how humans didn't have to fix everything, that was God's job. Just what I needed.
Never stopped going after that. Fills my Pitcher as my Auntie would say.

My church believes in inviting without strings. They are open, accepting and have no problem with people questioning things (ELCA church). We do outreach that isn't heavy on Bible thumping. More show your Faith by showing you you live, participate in society, etc. Lots of service things- serve at shelters, work day where we all go out into the community to do various things needed, open the building for meetings, that type of stuff. They call it 'Come and see' , 'porch' opportunities. Sort of like when you were a kid and could go visit on the porch if you weren't comfortable going into the house. If you are open, friendly and willing to let the person in, even if they aren't sure of what they want maybe it will fill their pitcher too.

mr les is Catholic. That seems to be another world. Lots of rules, requirements and pay to participate (they charge for CCD??!! and people compete for the prime schedule)

IMHO Jesus went out to gather in all the 'undesirables', he was inclusive and preached against rigidity and obsession with the letter of the Law instead of the Spirit. Maybe it is my UU background but I think God is more interested in engaging as many people as possible, not judging and looking for ways to exclude them or obsessing with what humans decide is important. I have had some fascinating discussions with people of all faiths- I had a pt who was a rabbinical student, another few who were Deacons in Catholic, Episcopal, Presby churches. Never stop learning or thinking. Faith is a living, breathing, changing thing. If it is stagnant something is wrong.

Wow, that doesn't sound too bad. I grew up ELCA, and even went to a Lutheran college. Parents still are ELCA. Sister married a Catholic.

Not to pat you on the back too much, as that is not what I understand Christianity is about, earning rewards or pats on the back, but you do sound like "one of the good ones", or "one of the better ones", lol. Depending on your overall view of Christians I guess.

Maybe we can have an in depth discussion sometime? After the hockey season maybe?



And yeah, some of those wacko Fundies are pretty bad. I've met some "good ones" though. Not good wacko Fundies, but just non-wacko Fundies maybe? lol Is there such a thing? Yeah, there is actually, you just don't hear or read about them on the news because they aren't making all of the noise the "wacko" Fundies are.

[MissThundercat]

I came out as bi and trans in May.

Most Christians became allies, and I became a daughter to them.

To fundamentalists like my aunt and my ex best friend, I'm sinning, I'm confused, I shouldn't dare have sex with a man, and these people stopped talking to me. My aunt disowned me.

Why do they tell me I'm sinning as they walk into Red Lobster? Is it the biscuits?

[joecct]

I came out as bi and trans in May.

Most Christians became allies, and I became a daughter to them.

To fundamentalists like my aunt and my ex best friend, I'm sinning, I'm confused, I shouldn't dare have sex with a man, and these people stopped talking to me. My aunt disowned me.

Why do they tell me I'm sinning as they walk into Red Lobster? Is it the biscuits?

You can't eat seafood without scales. Fish is OK. Lobster is not. Leviticus, I believe.

[FredsDeadFriend]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

You can't eat seafood without scales. Fish is OK. Lobster is not. Leviticus, I believe.

Unless you LOVE Lobster, and bacon, then you join the churches that say this verse and that verse means now its ok to eat whatever you want.

[leswp1]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

Wow, that doesn't sound too bad. I grew up ELCA, and even went to a Lutheran college. Parents still are ELCA. Sister married a Catholic.

Not to pat you on the back too much, as that is not what I understand Christianity is about, earning rewards or pats on the back, but you do sound like "one of the good ones", or "one of the better ones", lol. Depending on your overall view of Christians I guess.

Maybe we can have an in depth discussion sometime? After the hockey season maybe?



And yeah, some of those wacko Fundies are pretty bad. I've met some "good ones" though. Not good wacko Fundies, but just non-wacko Fundies maybe? lol Is there such a thing? Yeah, there is actually, you just don't hear or read about them on the news because they aren't making all of the noise the "wacko" Fundies are.

I think some of it is coming into Faith as a person who was older. I tell the kids in my HS 'class' at church that they grew up just doing things without thinking about them. I didn't. WHen I started in the church everything was new and I thought about what was said and what I was doing. Probably my UU background. I like that Luther challenged and thought about things. He thought the same things I think so all is good. I don't think the FUndies are bad people so much as they don't seem to really read what I am reading when I read what Jesus said and did.

[Kepler]

Re: Religion Thread: ...and suddenly, everyone's a theology scholar

Alabama high school gives its kids one more lesson.

[MissThundercat]

Churches are scrambling to reach young people

Or you could just let em go...

[MissThundercat]

You can't eat seafood without scales. Fish is OK. Lobster is not. Leviticus, I believe.

I guess I'll burn for eternity. Meanwhile, you shouldn't be wearing a cotton shirt with polyester pants.

[joecct]

I guess I'll burn for eternity. Meanwhile, you shouldn't be wearing a cotton shirt with polyester pants.

If you're Jewish it applies. For me as a Catholic it does not apply.

As for clothing, I have no coordination genes.