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THE CHATTER BOX

	The Chatter Box : Blathering On
	Messages 1 2 3 4  Re: Friendly Q: religion~ can someone explain to me please the difference between... by George on 25 May 2005 5:14pm   Well, Protestantism began during the Renaissance when people started questioning the authority of the Catholic Church and the Pope. As a general definition, a Protestant is anyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ under any banner seperate from the Catholic Church, as we commonly know it. Your joke about the differences in the denominations is hilarious because it is all too true. Until about 50 years ago, if a person said they were "Methodist", you could correctly assume their church could trace its roots directly back to John Wesley, its founder. Now, you can't make that assumption at all. Sorry to say, the "splintering" of denominations is actually growing. The causes are simple, if you consider money, politics, and geography, simple. At one time churches found strength in affiliating with denominations. Even though individuals may prefer different styles of worship and had slightly different beliefs in doctrine, there was a stronger need to share resources. Now, that's simply not the case anymore. With prosperity and the growing mobility of our society, people feel freer to find a "congregation" who share their same tastes in church music, general beliefs, styles of worship, and how the church spends its money. The denominational labels don't mean much anymore. Many large congregations today adamantly refuse to be labeled in order to attract people of all denominations. In my experience, the majority of people join a particular church or congregation because they enjoy being with the other individuals and families who attend. It's their common interests, rather than some specific doctrinal belief that make a difference. So, in my view, it's a "regrouping" rather than a splintering, that's going on. It's not necessarily a bad thing, to me, at all.   Re: Friendly Q: religion~ can someone explain to me please the difference between... by canaveralgumby on 25 May 2005 7:43pm   Recently, I see television advertising for denominational churches in which they are trying VERY HARD to DISTANCE themselves from fundamentalism. You'll see a montage of people from every ethnic group and walk of life, including some images that infer gay couples. Maybe this is a backlash from the current administration (in the US) which has been enthroned by the Southern Baptist Convention. I think other denominations are seeing a drop-off in attendance because of the incorrect assumption that they, too, are tunnel-visioned, superstitious, homophobic and xenophobic. I thank the Goddess every day that I'm not one of those! Thank you everybody, for sharing your knowledge.   Re: Friendly Q: religion~ can someone explain to me please the difference between... by Dr. Piglet on 25 May 2005 10:32pm   cori, are you pagan? *perks up ears at mention of the goddess*   Re: Friendly Q: religion~ can someone explain to me please the difference between... by canaveralgumby on 26 May 2005 6:52am   Like I said, I don't know! There are 2 pagan books which have been very helpful to me - "Lid Off the Cauldron" (Crowther?) and "Witchcraft for Tomorrow" (Valiente, whom I also quote on my personal page). I don't practice anything, in terms of ceremony or holy days. I'm not sure about the Goddess - wouldn't she have given MEN menstruation? :^) And if so, would it be called womenstruation? :^D When I was young, I had ideas about how I believed life, death and the universe worked. I didn't have the ability to articulate them, even for myself. Turns out most of my ideas are Hindu. I TOTALLY believe in the infinite stream of incarnations. I believe in the laws of Physics - matter and energy are neither created nor destroyed, they just change form. You can't die. The energy that is your lifeforce, or your consciousness, or your soul, whatever you want to call it, has to go somewhere when the matter of the body disintegrates, but it cannot just cease to be. The body's just a space suit, meant to enable those souls who have landed here for a while to exist on this planet, or plane. I also believe that the next form you take depends on the karma you put out each go-round. Depends on how much you still have to learn. Some people have to be reduced to some kind of cosmic ameoba and start all over again, while others may become pure light. (Those are two extremes.) Sometimes I believe, probably only because I cannot cope with the horror, that, for instance, an abused animal was once a person who abused animals in a past life. I have to believe that, rational or not! Stuff like that. But usually not that literal. And finally I believe that dogs are a higher form of life than us in terms of spiritual evolution. I can't believe I just wrote all that! What a pretentious pompous ass I am! Anyway, what do YOU think, Dr. Piglet? P.S. And finally, "I BELIEVE IN THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL......."   Re: Friendly Q: religion~ can someone explain to me please the difference between... by Dr. Piglet on 26 May 2005 3:42pm   that's hilarious, cori. "What a pretentious pompous ass I am!" well if you are, then so am i. :))) email me!   Re: Friendly Q: religion~ can someone explain to me please the difference between... by missfrog on 26 May 2005 6:08pm   Ken Buddah, a smile, two bangs and a religion!   Re: Friendly Q: religion~ can someone explain to me please the difference between... by canaveralgumby on 28 May 2005 4:21am   Very good, missfrog! LOL Don't know your email, Dr Piglet. Mine's [email protected] Drop me a line anytime.   Re: Friendly Q: religion~ can someone explain to me please the difference between... by Wild in Africa on 9 June 2005 5:22pm   Can I keep this one going as it was about to slip off the page? Of course the whole concept of Male God or Female Goddess when referring to a 'deity' is superfluous. How can a supreme being who is self created and Maker of All things have a gender at all when a gender is a biological requirement to procreate? It's been an interesting discussion so far with some valuable contributions which I'm sure has helped a lot of us understand a lot more. I was brought up Catholic and while I have no problems in general with the need for a moral framework in society, and Christianity is as good as most. I do have real problems with the theology. In a lifetime search the most rational and sensible set of beliefs I have found are those of Buddhism, which stresses that redemption is personal and does not come about through appeal to a deity. It's up to you in the end and if you get it wrong in this life you have a potentially infinite series of future lives to keep trying, though not necessarily as a human being. The other fundemental tenet of Buddhism is that everyone is actually already a Buddha. We just don't realise it yet and full realisation is enlightenment and the expression of Buddhahood in us all.   Re: Friendly Q: religion~ can someone explain to me please the difference between... by bsh1878 on 9 June 2005 5:58pm   i must admit that this thread has been brilliant and long may it continue. Some of the other religions that are out there fascinate me. Does anyone know very much about Islam by any chance? Bruce.   Re: Friendly Q: religion~ can someone explain to me please the difference between... by harvey123 on 9 June 2005 8:28pm   i amazed..i thought that when i asked the question no-one would answer but thanks all that have taken the time to contribute .. i love reading the replys :) ~Nicola   Messages 1 2 3 4
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