Posted on 12/14/2021 10:53:32 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
Nathalie Charles, even in her mid-teens, felt unwelcome in her Baptist congregation, with its conservative views on immigration, gender and sexuality. So she left.
“I just don’t feel like that gelled with my view of what God is and what God can be,” said Charles, an 18-year-old of Haitian descent who identifies as queer and is now a freshman at Princeton University.
“It wasn’t a very loving or nurturing environment for someone’s faith.”
“It wasn’t a very loving or nurturing environment for someone’s faith.”
After leaving her New Jersey church three years ago, she identified as atheist, then agnostic, before embracing a spiritual but not religious life. In her dorm, she blends rituals at an altar, chanting Buddhist, Taoist and Hindu mantras and paying homage to her ancestors as she meditates and prays.
The path taken by Charles places her among the religiously unaffiliated -- the fastest-growing group in surveys asking Americans about their religious identity. They describe themselves as atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular.”
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
“What you believe is not necessarily your religion.”
True, and not formally choosing a set of religion beliefs does not mean you are not open to the idea that there is a spiritual realm that we can’t see.
I know tons of people who (like me) are in awe of the miracles of nature and creation, and have huge respect for the boundless things beyond their knowledge - but they aren’t interested in choosing a specific set of beliefs to fill that knowledge gap.
Instead, they are fine with not knowing things that can’t be known.
Too many religious people present a false choice: namely, that you must either believe exactly what they believe, down to the finest detail, or you are in denial of the spiritual realm.
I am not in denial of anything - I just believe there is a great deal we can’t know. I imagine there are lots of unknown things that are infinitely amazing and wonderful - but I don’t see much point in people pushing their imaginings on each other as though they know everything.
The person in the article, I believe, was chosen because of her particular remedy for her individual chosen lifestyle quandry.
A lot of televised preachers shift to “the issue of money”. As George Carlin said, ‘the god that created, scheduled, brought this whole world together, cannot handle money! Never enough and always asking for more.’
A lot of churches have taken up this social justice quagmire (my word), and has crested political schisms, of any definition. The person in the article could be a “schism refugee”, ( gosh, where the heck do I go now?)
So, they found ‘a tucked away foxhole’ on the schism battlefield, and created a sense of spirituality to deal with the world.
Now I know some of y’all are gonna throw ‘not of the world’ stuff. And some of y’all ain’t exactly liking their personal choice of life, neither.
I expect both reactions to be poured out from your old w(h)ine pouches.
So, I ask you:
“Which would YOU do? Ignore this person, since they represent a lot of what y’all don’t like? Do the usual ‘come to my church’? Have a sit down over coffee, learn about this person, maybe let them learn a little about you, and agree, possibly, to another cup at another time, to exploree a little more?” (I think that might be under the category of, ‘come, let us reason, together.)
(and, by the definition provided in the article, you are dealing with a witch.)
My temple now has a rabbi who plays guitar during sabbath services. It is a conservative temple.
That’s why the country is going to $h*t
That sounds like the earliest Christians of all.
Well said.
Their religious affiliation is “Sodomite.”
My church never closed but we did try to follow the ever changing rules. About a month into it our pastor said "enough" and we went back to normal. The local police got called a couple of times and told the callers they had more important things to do then harass the local churches.
Keep close tabs on your local elections and who is in power.
It makes all the difference.
One county over they locked everything down tight.
Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess. This person is in for a rude awakening at the Great White Throne judgement.
I would identify as a King James Bible-believing Baptist that lives by what Paul the Apostle (the apostle to the Gentiles) taught . . . and my marching orders comes for the most part from Romans to Philemon.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
That folks have neglected this truth is the reason we are in the mess we are in . . . that and the proliferation of Catholic Bibles (ASV, NKJV, NIV, ESV etc.)
The KJB is my final authority; not a pastor, not a professor, and certainly not myself.
‘
To: (use semi-colons to separate multiple recipients)
enumerated
Your Reply: (HTML auto-detected, see help for more information)
Tagline: (optional, printed after your name on post):
Hope coming from Florida
I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.
Loose lips sink ships.
In the News/Activism forum, on a thread titled What’s your religion? In US, a common reply now is “None”, enumerated wrote:
“What you believe is not necessarily your religion.”
True, and not formally choosing a set of religion beliefs does not mean you are not open to the idea that there is a spiritual realm that we can’t see.
“I know tons of people who (like me) are in awe of the miracles of nature and creation, and have huge respect for the boundless things beyond their knowledge - but they aren’t interested in choosing a specific set of beliefs to fill that knowledge gap.
Instead, they are fine with not knowing things that can’t be known.”
Thank you.
>>>with my view of what God is and what God can be<<<
Truly the words of an idiot. God is what He is and it is our job to follow His truth - and not expect Him to follow ours.
“My temple now has a rabbi who plays guitar during sabbath services. It is a conservative temple.
That’s why the country is going to $h*t”
Do you prefer fire and brimstone? Just askin’.
AMEN!
Is she really representative of what’s going on now? Maybe look at body who checks different boxes or no boxes at all.
Is it None, as in None of your business??
Hah! They are the tribe located next to the Cellulites.
“What you believe is not necessarily your religion.”
I do know there are many idols and false gods.
"They were all, like, judgmental when I suggested erecting a golden calf". /s
“None” might very well mean practicing no dogmatic religion, or belonging to an organized church.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.