What is Contemplative Christianity?

[Windwalker]

It's the pot calling the kettle black

No, it's you judging someone by how they believe. That's the issue.

 

[sassysam29]

No, it's you judging someone by how they believe. That's the issue.

I am so over this argument....I have not judged anyone. You hate what I believe regardless. Even if I am not harming you in any way shape or form you would be offended.

 

[Windwalker]

I am so over this argument....I have not judged anyone. You hate what I believe regardless. Even if I am not harming you in any way shape or form you would be offended.

Why do you make all these assumptions. I don't hate what you believe. I understand it for you. I just don't share it anymore for myself. Why are you unable to accept that for me?

 

[sassysam29]

Why do you make all these assumptions. I don't hate what you believe. I understand it for you. I just don't share it anymore for myself. Why are you unable to accept that for me?

As I said, It's not my place to accept or reject anything for you. It's our own personal choice. I respect honesty.

 

[Windwalker]

As I said, It's not my place to accept or reject anything for you. It's our own personal choice. I respect honesty.

I respect honesty as well. If you go back a least starting at post 541 forward, you will see an awful lot of animosity being expressed towards me. I have not attacked you like this. You accuse me of many things, reject my experience and faith in God, and so forth. I am learning much from this discussion about how people react to differences in such ways. It's too bad actually, It misses the point, as I understand the entire message of faith to be about. It makes me sad.

 

[sassysam29]

Umm, you are seriously thinking way too deep on what I think about you. I have accused you of nothing. I simply said your speaking out both sides of your mouth in supporting your meditation practices on something you don't believe is true. it's an oxymoron.

Oxymoron
An oxymoron (plural oxymora or oxymorons) is a figure of speech that juxtaposes elements that appear to be contradictory. Oxymora appear in a variety of contexts, including inadvertent errors (such as "ground pilot") and literary oxymorons crafted to reveal a paradox.

 

[sojourner]

Well...

This thread has taken a nasty turn. Apparently driven by a sense of exclusiveness and literalism. That's too bad.

 

[sojourner]

Umm, you are seriously thinking way too deep on what I think about you. I have accused you of nothing. I simply said your speaking out both sides of your mouth in supporting your meditation practices on something you don't believe is true. it's an oxymoron.

Oxymoron
An oxymoron (plural oxymora or oxymorons) is a figure of speech that juxtaposes elements that appear to be contradictory. Oxymora appear in a variety of contexts, including inadvertent errors (such as "ground pilot") and literary oxymorons crafted to reveal a paradox.

I don't believe Windwalker ever said he doesn't believe in the bible. You must have misunderstood something.

 

[sassysam29]

I don't believe Windwalker ever said he doesn't believe in the bible. You must have misunderstood something.

So, he does believe it? Which parts? The ones that are convenient? The partially inspired verses or wait, did God actually have a partial hand in it, what part? So I can jot that down. Help me to know which to keep and which to trash cuz I'm not sure.

 

[Windwalker]

All or nothing. With me or against me. Black/White. One or the other. Live or die. True or false. No partial truth. No in between. No multiple points of view. My view, or you're damned. Period.

This is the difference, in a nutshell. I am of the mind which sees colors in the spectrum of light. Not merely one or the other of sharp contrasting back and white.

"By their fruit you shall know them". Let the rainbow of colors explode. Thank you.

 

[Windwalker]

Well...

This thread has taken a nasty turn. Apparently driven by a sense of exclusiveness and literalism. That's too bad.

Unity within the scope of common belief. Is that unity? Once upon a time, back when I was part of a fundamentalist church, I watched this unity, this "band of brothers", as it were. Even at the time in my very naive youth as I was looking for answers in "simple, clear language", promised as it were by those who had the "truth from the Bible", I saw that this unity they shared, this bond, was based upon common beliefs. It bothered me, even as I hoped to find that Love of God in this religious culture. I fought against what my gut was seeing, not wanting to accept it.

This "unity" was really about "rallying around the flag" of our group's beliefs, their self-identity. This is in fact, exactly what the sort of unity of ethnocentric identity is about. We were right, and others were wrong. We were God's "true believers", and others were deceived. Through this "us versus them" mentality, we became close with one another. And that bond was strong, and felt quite good. But it also seemed false in some way.

A true unity sees beyond difference in points of view to the heart of the other. It does not judge or condemn. It seeks to unite in the bonds of Spirit, not that of doctrinal beliefs and differences. Seeing others as "lost" or deceived is about the ego. It is not about love. It is not about compassion, as it judges based on whether or not points of view agree with your own. The person truly hurt, is the one who does this.

 

[sojourner]

So, he does believe it? Which parts? The ones that are convenient? The partially inspired verses or wait, did God actually have a partial hand in it, what part? So I can jot that down. Help me to know which to keep and which to trash cuz I'm not sure.

It's really not an "all or nothing" proposition. Neither is this about convenience. Nor is inspiration an "all or nothing" proposition. Why trash any of it? You can accept the parts of it that are not factual as "non-factual" and still accept it for what it is. Literalism isn't the only (or the best) approach to the texts.

 

[sassysam29]

http://theconversation.com/no-youre-not-entitled-to-your-opinion-9978

"Secondly, I say something like this: “I’m sure you’ve heard the expression ‘everyone is entitled to their opinion.’ Perhaps you’ve even said it yourself, maybe to head off an argument or bring one to a close. Well, as soon as you walk into this room, it’s no longer true. You are not entitled to your opinion. You are only entitled to what you can argue for.”

A bit harsh? Perhaps, but philosophy teachers owe it to our students to teach them how to construct and defend an argument – and to recognize when a belief has become indefensible.

The problem with “I’m entitled to my opinion” is that, all too often, it’s used to shelter beliefs that should have been abandoned. It becomes shorthand for “I can say or think whatever I like” – and by extension, continuing to argue is somehow disrespectful. And this attitude feeds, I suggest, into the false equivalence between experts and non-experts that is an increasingly pernicious feature of our public discourse."
​

No, not all opinions are valid. I loath this sort of "bow out" of a discussion. His opinion has tremendous credibility that bears considerable consideration. I hear a cop out with this lame, "so we part with an irreconcilable opinion." It was not a discussion of opinion at all. It's an escape out stage left, nothing more.

This is what you posted to me as I was trying to end our conversation. I'm sorry, but if you think this is ok, then you are the one being judgmental and very very very...did I say very? Egotistical

 

[sassysam29]

There's really nothing I can bring to the table that hasn't already been offered up, so we part with an inreconciable opinion

This was my last comment before things turned and you sent me your high minded link, so please don't talk about me against you, black or white yada yada....because you are what you accuse

 

[Windwalker]

This is what you posted to me as I was trying to end our conversation. I'm sorry, but if you think this is ok, then you are the one being judgmental and very very very...did I say very? Egotistical

You were actually trying to end your conversation with WellNamed, not me. I just personally loath that sort of "We agree to disagree" condescending cop out in conversations, not matter who the person is having it with. Sorry. I grates against my mind like the sound of fingernails down a chalkboard.

So you felt it necessary to go on the attack against me in response to my criticism of this tactic in discussions? That's not so nice, but at least I know where it's coming from. Sorry I offended you this much.

 

[sassysam29]

You were actually trying to end your conversation with WellNamed, not me. I just personally loath that sort of "We agree to disagree" condescending cop out in conversations, not matter who the person is having it with. Sorry. I grates against my mind like the sound of fingernails down a chalkboard.

So you felt it necessary to go on the attack against me in response to my criticism of this tactic in discussions? That's not so nice, but at least I know where it's coming from. Sorry I offended you this much.

Wow. I was trying to end a conversation in hopes of preventing this, and I guess when YOU loathe something it' gives you license to do/say whatever you want. But I'm the self righteous one? Simply laughable.

 

[sassysam29]

Yes, you know where it's coming from, I'm sure you've "tapped" in so to speak

 

[Windwalker]

I'm all for the conversation ending if that's what you want. But I won't let you just say something false about me and walk away satisfied about it. In either case, it's clear there is no point in continuing this.

 

[Yoshua]

Sure, and what you have today has passed through plenty of hands is not exactly what was originally said, or written necessarily. And then "whose" scripture are we talking about? The King James Bible? There are lots of collections of scriptures out there, so which collection are you referring to? And are they without error?

Again, I may believe through faith my gas tank is not empty is denial of the fact that it is. But that's not faith, IMO. It's denial.

Hi Windwalker,

I think you are getting confuse & disturbed with the translations of the Bible. In our current time, we have all those technology through internet, printed books(updated), interlinear text, and you name it. You tagged the Word of God as error in your sight. If you tasted the Word of God in you life, I don't think you will doubt about it. If you don't have the Bible, what do you have now? Whom will you trust?

Thanks

 

[Yoshua]

I don't read the Bible as an owner's manual. That's how. The Spirit guides into all Truth. There is a difference between truth and facts. The Spirit does not guide you into discovering the truth of mathematics or chemistry. It guides you into the knowledge of Self. All truths, it says, which means there are many ways to understand things, many perspectives, and they can all be valid, even if they seem to contradict one another. The nature of Truth to God, is paradoxical, not black and white binary equations of true/false.

Hi Windwalker,

Show me your basis and evidence that the Holy Spirit guides you the knowledge of Self?

Thanks