Guest Valk0010 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 This is not, what you think it is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Valk0010 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 I due to some life difficulties, refusing to go away, am getting into liberal theology. Yes, I am still and very much a atheist. But I am just looking, I guess for something to give me spiritual satisfaction and nonrational satisfaction. This made me cry, hope you enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblueep Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Thanks Valk. I still think there are beautiful things in religion and even in the bible, e.g. description of love in I Cor 13. It's people that are beautiful, and different stimuli are required to bring it out. I say take what you need for your own satisfaction. I believe that you are rational enough to know what is helpful and what is not. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Great speech. It is possible that I might still be a Christian if I had heard more like this and less of end-times apocalyptic trash and anti-evolution nonsense. Christianity is not one thing - it is many - and churches pick what they want to emphasize. Yes, there are some good things in it. It has at times been an inspiration for good work. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryper Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 well Valk Hedges is a great one to go to. He has a Masters in Divinity and a Phd in the classics I think. However he was never ordained. He is very much a liberal christian but you wouldn't be able to tell most times. He writes a weekly column on www.truthdig.com I first found out about him through his book War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning and American Fascists both are excellent books. Though don't read War if you are having a depressive episode. It is a very depressing book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugene39 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 I due to some life difficulties, refusing to go away, am getting into liberal theology. Yes, I am still and very much a atheist. But I am just looking, I guess for something to give me spiritual satisfaction and nonrational satisfaction. This made me cry, hope you enjoy it. I applaud you for this. I have been stewing for some time about the same thing for myself. I find good things in the moral code of Judaism and Christianity, as long as I don't have to believe everything they stand for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TrueFreedom Posted May 16, 2012 Moderator Share Posted May 16, 2012 I don't think Hedges actually believes that stuff either. He just respects the heritage and relates to those who still hold some belief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 I don't think Hedges actually believes that stuff either. He just respects the heritage and relates to those who still hold some belief. I find this quite plausible. I don't know much about Hedges. I've only recently seen a few things about him. But he seems to be a thinking person, and I don't see how a thinking person can accept Christianity as anything but metaphor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryper Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 He actually goes into it. His father was a presbeterian pastor, I think. He was raised in church with the bible and all that. But he was taught that while that is all well and good, we can't really know god or know his mind. Therefore, you should use Jesus' example of helping the poor and downtrodden to make life better for your fellow man. He stated when he was in college in 60's his father found out the school didn't have a LGBT organization on campus. He was told by his father to start up the group. From that day forward the counter lady in the dinning hall would take his card swipe it and hand it back to him saying "Faggot". So social justice is big on his list. He hates fundementalism in all its forms. He fights against the Fundies on the right and he argues against the rising "New Atheist" fundementalism on the left. Fundementalism in all its forms is what he fights against. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 You can cherry pick and find good things in the gospels. That is what he is doing. He is omitting a lot of other stuff that doesn't jibe with the justice motif, that's for sure. If it did, I would be on board for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Social justice. Whatever. Yeah he's pretty much a Leftist. I wonder how at odds he feels with the Left's leadership which is devoutly secular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Valk0010 Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Social justice. Whatever. Yeah he's pretty much a Leftist. I wonder how at odds he feels with the Left's leadership which is devoutly secular. Anything better then a snicker. He feels the left, as it is known today is a failure and there hasn't really been a left wing in this country since before nixon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryper Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Social justice. Whatever. Yeah he's pretty much a Leftist. I wonder how at odds he feels with the Left's leadership which is devoutly secular. Anything better then a snicker. He feels the left, as it is known today is a failure and there hasn't really been a left wing in this country since before nixon. Exactly. He has said on many occasions that the Left has failed us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Social justice. Whatever. Yeah he's pretty much a Leftist. I wonder how at odds he feels with the Left's leadership which is devoutly secular. Anything better then a snicker. He feels the left, as it is known today is a failure and there hasn't really been a left wing in this country since before nixon. Exactly. He has said on many occasions that the Left has failed us. Interesting. I may have to look into him further. Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeelHappy Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 god I wish more christians were like this, we'd get along fabulously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RintrahRoars Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 If I had balls I would post this on my FB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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