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Author Topic: Anyone Go to Church/Synagogue/Mosque this morning?  (Read 1684 times)

Jaxxie

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Anyone Go to Church/Synagogue/Mosque this morning?
« on: April 19, 2015, 01:36:35 pm »
My father is a Christian pastor, so I attend his church to support his ministry. It's an affirming contemporary church, which means it accepts all people from all races, genders, sexual orientations, etc., but there is still a lot of emphasis on the Scriptures and Jesus as the Savior. I sing along, enjoy fellowship with the people there, and follow along in the Bible as my dad teaches. I take from it what I can (as I do believe Jesus, as a man, lived a as a great example, much like Gandhi) and sort of push aside the rest, mentally. Sometimes it feels a bit weird knowing I'm the loner in the bunch, but at least it's family.

Anyone else attend Non-Pagan religious worship this morning? Any thoughts on the Bible and Jesus from the Pagan perspective?

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Re: Anyone Go to Church/Synagogue/Mosque this morning?
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2015, 07:59:18 am »
Quote from: Jaxxie;174137
Any thoughts on the Bible and Jesus from the Pagan perspective?

The Bible: A book of myths about a deity I don't follow -- one of a large number of such books in the world.

Jesus: A good man with an interesting, general positive philosophy. In general I like the Jesus described in the Bible far better than many of his followers.
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Jainarayan

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Re: Anyone Go to Church/Synagogue/Mosque this morning?
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2015, 09:55:58 am »
Quote from: Jaxxie;174137
Any thoughts on the Bible and Jesus from the Pagan perspective?

 
The Bible: a collection of texts about a specific time and place in history, not unlike the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Poetic Edda, though having an effect to this day.

Jesus: a wise teacher who tried to bring the people of his time back to their God. He's worthy of respect and perhaps reverence and veneration, but not worship, as I see it. He didn't say anything new, though. What he taught was already in Judaism; it was forgotten or paved over by the ones in power. Many of the things he said also parallel Krishna's sayings in the Bhagavad Gita centuries earlier.

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Re: Anyone Go to Church/Synagogue/Mosque this morning?
« Reply #3 on: April 20, 2015, 10:27:00 am »
Quote from: Jaxxie;174137
My father is a Christian pastor, so I attend his church to support his ministry. It's an affirming contemporary church, which means it accepts all people from all races, genders, sexual orientations, etc., but there is still a lot of emphasis on the Scriptures and Jesus as the Savior. I sing along, enjoy fellowship with the people there, and follow along in the Bible as my dad teaches. I take from it what I can (as I do believe Jesus, as a man, lived a as a great example, much like Gandhi) and sort of push aside the rest, mentally. Sometimes it feels a bit weird knowing I'm the loner in the bunch, but at least it's family.

Anyone else attend Non-Pagan religious worship this morning? Any thoughts on the Bible and Jesus from the Pagan perspective?

 
I have Christian aspects remaining in my practice (including some Gnosticism), for lots of reasons. I tend not to talk about it with Pagans, because I find that they're often so negative about Christianity that I don't want to expose myself to their reactions to me. I think a lot of Pagans need to look at some of their assumptions and ideas about Christianity. On the internet, I mostly encounter people who only know about American Christianity. In person, I tend either to meet people who are mostly aware of the more insipid parts of the Church of England, or have only encountered Christianity through the established church (which certainly has its major issues).

I'm going to church almost weekly at the moment, for my research (into sociology of religion). I do find the range of Christian practice I encounter very interesting. One week I'm in a high Anglican, Catholic-style ritual. Another, I'm in a church with guitars and drums. Another, I'm in an 'alternative' service with multimedia presentations and Taize-style contemplative, meditative worship. Fascinating range.
"We're all stories, in the end. Make it a good one, eh?"
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Jaxxie

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Re: Anyone Go to Church/Synagogue/Mosque this morning?
« Reply #4 on: April 20, 2015, 03:26:17 pm »
Quote from: Naomi J;174169
I have Christian aspects remaining in my practice (including some Gnosticism), for lots of reasons. I tend not to talk about it with Pagans, because I find that they're often so negative about Christianity that I don't want to expose myself to their reactions to me. I think a lot of Pagans need to look at some of their assumptions and ideas about Christianity.


Agreed. I think a lot of the perspectives and stereotypes people have, by and large, come from where they live. I know that my exposure to Christianity, in regards to being a Pagan, have been a mixed bag. Fundamentalists flat-out call me a devil worshiper, but those belonging to a more progressive denomination are very much willing to engage in civil discourse about religious ideologies.

Quote
On the internet, I mostly encounter people who only know about American Christianity. In person, I tend either to meet people who are mostly aware of the more insipid parts of the Church of England, or have only encountered Christianity through the established church (which certainly has its major issues).


Kelly-Ann Maddox (The Four Queens) touched on this in one of her most recent YouTube vlogs. She was speaking about how she once dated a man who was raised fundamentalist, charismatic Christian, which she acknowledged is very rare in the UK.

Quote
I'm going to church almost weekly at the moment, for my research (into sociology of religion). I do find the range of Christian practice I encounter very interesting. One week I'm in a high Anglican, Catholic-style ritual. Another, I'm in a church with guitars and drums. Another, I'm in an 'alternative' service with multimedia presentations and Taize-style contemplative, meditative worship. Fascinating range.


That sounds utterly fascinating. I find studying religion and theology very interesting, so long as the people I'm discussing these issues with is respectful. There's nothing worse than trying to discuss ideology with someone who is so rigid in their belief that their chosen dogma is the only correct path and refuses to see anyone else's point of view.

Just to answer my own question in my OP - I see the Bible as a collection of stories. Some of it is historical. Some is poetry. Some is lore and allegory. I don't, obviously, see it as "God's word", nor do I use it as a personal guide book or for the purposes of studying alleged prophecy. I've known those who are obsessed with "end times" prophecy and study it from every angle.

Jesus I see as being a teacher and peace maker, much like Gandhi or the Dalai Lama. Perhaps a martyr, but I'm not 100% sure on that. I do not see him as a messiah, God in the human flesh, nor do I believe he died to supernaturally "cleanse me from my sins".

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