Recent content by Spinnaker4469

I think the concept of "Satan" is a somewhat primitive construction in people's minds to externalize evil rather than accept that we all have the capacity for evil within us. Despite our lofty intelligence and magnificent accomplishments made by manipulating tools, we are still animals. And as...

Good point. But when you're 60+ up, you may be able to agonize more over the isolation.

This is an interesting discussion about generational issues that just isn’t found much in the mainstream. I think social media have made it easier for us to communicate with each other but, unlike a generation ago, we can now choose our “friends,” and we usually choose friends who are within our...

Hey there, niffer-- I'm in my 50s and have five children--one in his 30s and the rest in their 20s. I was in a meeting Friday with a group of 20-somethings and totally enjoyed the experience. Here's what I've observed: there's a big difference between the 30-somethings and the 20-somethings. I...

Yes, I have struggled with my early upbringing too. I very much wanted to be a Christian for a variety of reasons but found it almost impossible to believe the things that were required of me. Tillich is wonderful. As is Marcus Borg and a host of others that have been students of Tillich. There...

Christianity, and any other religion for that matter, can't help but change as society and culture changes. Sometimes it's good; sometimes not. In studying Christian history, as apparently you have as well, I am struck by how the cloistered monastic communities seem to end up being the...

Hi Chickensoup-- I've actually dated quite a bit--I'm older than you. When I was younger, I would often find myself sabotaging first and second dates by saying "dumb" things mostly because of anxiety and ignorance...and partly because I'm an INFJ. (During one first date, while driving to the...

Hi Vandyke-- At the outset, I am a Christian. I'm rather serious about it too. But I'm a "liberal" Christian and don't believe I have to check my brain at the door to enter a church...or enter a discussion about religion or Christianity. So I don't believe that the Bible is the literal word...

Yeah, me too. A prime example is "religio-political" consultant, Ralph Reed who, a few years back, had amassed a gigantic mailing list of fundamentalist Christians willing to donate their money to their particular causes (biases). So when American Indians wanted to build a gambling casino, Reed...

Hi there. I'm glad you found some of my journey interesting. I come from a background similar to yours and struggled to make sense out of stuff that just didn't make any sense. Being told to "just have faith" never cut it for me, and still doesn't. I was listening to NPR quite a while ago and...

Hello-- Here's my attempt to answer your question about seminary/congregation disconnect and my own spiritual journey. Within the Christian faith, seminaries, or pastor training schools, vary widely in their curricula, doctrine and even the amount of time required for ordination. There really...

Hi there– I have a few random thoughts that I thought I’d share on this thread. This venue seems to be a good place to work out some ideas that have been bouncing around my head for a while, so thanks for getting things in motion. You asked me: Of course, I conceptually agree with your...

Thanks, Rift. At some point, you stop counting...

Hi Rift– Once again, I discover that exploring the viewpoints of atheists is infinitely more interesting than doing that with most religious folks, including Christians. Atheists, particularly younger ones, intensely question their place in the universe and struggle to answer the same innate...