|
Post by fionah on Jan 19, 2009 12:31:10 GMT -5
Just because you are mixed? I've always pushed it off to the side. Both of my parents are from different denominations. I've recently been embracing the idea of how it's all the same God but just different faiths/sects makign up the world. Look at this article they actually talk about this >>> blendsphere.com/chameleon
|
|
|
Post by betahat on Jan 19, 2009 15:34:16 GMT -5
All branches of my family are surprisingly unreligious. On my mother's side she is a second generation atheist, and on my father's side is just a mixture of buddhism and chinese superstitions. I am forever grateful to my parents for letting me watch cartoons on Sunday mornings instead of church. This topic has only come up in my life because I'm married to a Jew and when/if we have kids I suppose there will be some hard choices.
Fionah, were you raised in one denomination or the other? Usually I thought parents just picked one. If you did both, did that mean 2X the church services?
|
|
|
Post by asianwhite on Jan 20, 2009 8:30:34 GMT -5
Mixed people AC-CHUU--ALL--LEEE have religious issues on top of the other 100 billion social issues? I can not believe putty cat!
|
|
Dirt
Junior Member
Historian
Posts: 154
|
Post by Dirt on Jan 20, 2009 9:50:34 GMT -5
I don't believe in religions but i love the stories about it and it fascinates me of the power and control it has over it's believers.. xD
|
|
|
Post by DivaDancerLara on Jan 20, 2009 11:23:45 GMT -5
I became a dedicated Christian when I was twenty but its a hard journey but a fofilling one. I am with some of the most sweetest, sincere , down to earth people and we are like family in the best sense of that word. They are grounded people who don't judge but have convictions and put it into practice in there lives. We've messed up but these people are not proud to say sorry. We change always to meet the needs of the people. I like it. Here is our website: And its international so you can find one in your city www.centralregion.ca/1108/
|
|
|
Post by ChickenSoda on Jan 21, 2009 0:31:15 GMT -5
I don't believe in religions but i love the stories about it and it fascinates me of the power and control it has over it's believers.. xD As a child, I was very into Christianity, up until the point that I had the thought: "Wait, people actually BELIEVE this"? Totally ruined Bible camp for me .
|
|
|
Post by blunthammer on Jan 22, 2009 13:10:21 GMT -5
Eh...I just see a post about martin luther king, sure it's the right address??
|
|
|
Post by betahat on Jan 22, 2009 13:15:40 GMT -5
Actually, the amount of God-talk and prayer associated with Obama's inauguration kind of annoyed me. As Jon Stewart said last night, how many times do you need to pray for God to bless America already? You think he might get annoyed by prayer service number 12. Is God a 90 year old Jewish woman who is too vain to get a hearing aid?
|
|
|
Post by blunthammer on Jan 23, 2009 16:52:55 GMT -5
Yeah that and the whole "black" thing. Actually, the amount of God-talk and prayer associated with Obama's inauguration kind of annoyed me. As Jon Stewart said last night, how many times do you need to pray for God to bless America already? You think he might get annoyed by prayer service number 12. Is God a 90 year old Jewish woman who is too vain to get a hearing aid?
|
|
|
Post by rob on Jan 24, 2009 2:02:37 GMT -5
Actually, the amount of God-talk and prayer associated with Obama's inauguration kind of annoyed me. As Jon Stewart said last night, how many times do you need to pray for God to bless America already? Good point. I find it a bit disingenuous for him to appeal to religious conservatives, invoke God at every opportunity and then first day on the job, strike down a rule that used to prohibit of US money from funding overseas abortion clinics. My friend wrote a nice article the other day... a short snippet (sorry for taking us further off topic) Stories are the stuff of symbols and surely, America’s 44th president must have a story—a story in the tradition of St. Joan of Arc, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Pope John Paul II, St. Paul, or Augustus Caesar--since these are true stories. I suppose, Obama also has a story. That he is African-American with a diverse background within the context of America’s racial past can be the stuff of stories to catapult one into a symbol. But there is an obvious difference between the Obama story and all historical figures previously mentioned. The latter is a symbol based on a borrowed story (slavery and America’s racial history) and is thus, premised on a potential while the former became symbols as a consequence of specific acts. In the case of Obama, the symbol precedes the story and the story precedes the acts.
|
|
|
Post by Subuatai on Jan 24, 2009 3:10:00 GMT -5
Hard to find true liberal Christians these days, especially when the so-called liberal ones still say that you are going to hell because you aren't like them.
|
|
Fiona
Junior Member
Posts: 124
|
Post by Fiona on Jan 24, 2009 5:08:33 GMT -5
so-called liberal ones still say that you are going to hell because you aren't like them. A little bit off topic but.. My best friend is quite a dedicated Christian, and I am not at all. (My family is Buddhist). It's never effected our friendship. But one day I asked her if she thought I was going to hell. [obviously I was told her that would not get offended and I just wanted to know her opinion] And she shyly said yes. Dang. (btw. this was a few years ago. We are still mega close )
|
|
|
Post by Subuatai on Jan 24, 2009 5:36:02 GMT -5
Yup, that's a saddening thing, same justification that sends them into foreign lands to commit cultural genocide. They target the poor and vulnerable too, using the biblical parable 'a rich man can not reach heaven' to justify this. Now however note that I still can't misjudge the intentions and good-nature of these Christians. They only wish to serve their interpretation of God and also in their own way 'serve' you by leading you to Christ hence 'saving your soul'. A friend of mine told me of one case where his friend broke down and cried in front of him. When he asked 'why are you crying?', his friend replied 'because you are such a nice person, I don't want you to go to hell'. O.O Christians claim to not follow a religion, but rather -> a 'relationship with Christ' - attempting to reverse all the stereotypes assorted with religion while at the same time they practice the same traits of religion itself (hence enforce the 'hypocrit' label even more). In the end I guess what you call yourself doesn't really matter, it's what you do. I attempted being outspoken once, not to condemn them, but to confront the issues of their intolerance face to face, but they would have none of it. They ask me in return "You are asking us to be tolerant of religions that send people to hell?" Heh, oh well I've tried. When I asked why they fear even listening to another person's point of view, my girlfriend who is Christian replied to me, "it is because their faith is weak". So I guess you get the "Christians", and then you get the Christians. There are many small branches and Christians inside the various Churches who do have their own individual thinking and really practice a 'relationship with Christ' rather that following a text/religion which has been historically revised for political reasons throughout Roman Catholic history. They believe that spirituality is a path with choices that each individual has to make for himself/herself. So intolerance is out of the question for them. These Christians are rare though, in fact, their mentality if outspoken has the potential to alienate them from the rest of the community. Hence these branches are not as widespread either. They live very humble lives as well, their ministry never asks for offering (unlike mainstream churches that ask every service and even ask for 10%, etc). They don't have the material resources to afford expensive buildings, sports cars for the pastors/ministers, high class living accomodations, brilliant musical performances, etc. But their message is pure, and believe or not (I've seen it happen), God provides somehow. Heh sorry for this lengthy post, but I just hope I can bring some understanding as well behind Christian thought, intolerance, and the fact that Christians, like any people part of any group -> are still individuals. (I'm trying to be fair I guess )
|
|
|
Post by blunthammer on Jan 24, 2009 13:22:13 GMT -5
Wow I very much so bump this quote.. As for the conservative talk couldn't resist.. www.chrisbyrne.com/images/SmallLiberal.pngActually, the amount of God-talk and prayer associated with Obama's inauguration kind of annoyed me. As Jon Stewart said last night, how many times do you need to pray for God to bless America already? Good point. I find it a bit disingenuous for him to appeal to religious conservatives, invoke God at every opportunity and then first day on the job, strike down a rule that used to prohibit of US money from funding overseas abortion clinics. My friend wrote a nice article the other day... a short snippet (sorry for taking us further off topic) Stories are the stuff of symbols and surely, America’s 44th president must have a story—a story in the tradition of St. Joan of Arc, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Pope John Paul II, St. Paul, or Augustus Caesar--since these are true stories. I suppose, Obama also has a story. That he is African-American with a diverse background within the context of America’s racial past can be the stuff of stories to catapult one into a symbol. But there is an obvious difference between the Obama story and all historical figures previously mentioned. The latter is a symbol based on a borrowed story (slavery and America’s racial history) and is thus, premised on a potential while the former became symbols as a consequence of specific acts. In the case of Obama, the symbol precedes the story and the story precedes the acts.
|
|
|
Post by betahat on Jan 24, 2009 16:04:59 GMT -5
It's like the more you show outward religiosity the more you can implement policies that contradict some of the core Christian beliefs. I always knew Obama was quite religious but I suspect that the level of religiosity surrounding the inauguration would be the same regardless of who was President. There's a prayer service the morning of, then an invocation and benediction before the swearing in, then another prayer at lunch, and then another prayer service the next morning with religious leaders of all faiths. I can't imagine any other Western country is like this - it's more about the US in general than Obama.
|
|