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....people are just tryin' to find their way, the best way they know how. Know what I mean?
Firstborn: June thinks she knows what you mean, and let me be the first to say that I don't have a clue. I don't have all the answers and ain't gonna pretend like I do....
I will keep this short because I think this is a great topic and do not want to unintentionally derail it.
As do I.
Quote:
When you say the exclusive teachings of Jesus Christ are you suggesting that we may be better off not trying so hard to decifer the whole bible into a doctrinal box and simply focus upon how Jesus represented LOVE?
Perhaps love would do it. Maybe how He represented the Father? Or perhaps how much He desired to bring in the Kingdom?
But how can a society go wrong, if we take the Beatitudes, and apply them in our lives. How could a society go wrong, if we put how we treat each other as a first priority.
The reason I place it first, is because of loving people like June who have not have the pleasure of a revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. But, not unlike the 'Good Samaritan', June's heart represents the Kingdom quite well.
IOW, if we just leave off the doctrinal disputes, not unlike the early settlers of America, who formed their own territories, but were ABLE to come together and form a 'more perfect union' between those they disagreed with.
We cannot even get neighbors to treat each other these days, much less communities, cities, or states. Sadly, for sure.
Jesus gave the world at large, the perfect system by which to live. The perfect government. The perfect constitution. The perfect plan. And how to live within that plan, be anyone believers of whatever they believe in, if they can accept that love conquers all.
June,
Perhaps if you didn't continue to refer to yourself in the third person, I would be able to take your post more seriously. The fact that you only refer to yourself as "June" is equal parts odd and equal parts really pretentious. Sophiasmommy doesn't understand why June would write like this. Sophiasmommy doesn't like this.
June,
Perhaps if you didn't continue to refer to yourself in the third person, I would be able to take your post more seriously. The fact that you only refer to yourself as "June" is equal parts odd and equal parts really pretentious. Sophiasmommy doesn't understand why June would write like this. Sophiasmommy doesn't like this.
It's a habit of June's which she has adapted when posting. Doesn't quite understand it altogether herself, but let it not detract from the sincerity of her OP, or ocassional posts.
Sorry you don't like/agree with the 'third person' thing which is by no means intended to be disingenuous what so ever, nor at all...
If someone says that they are a Christian and yet has no regard for what God's Word says, they live a life of sin and not consistent with Biblical living, they do things that God's Word plainly says are sinful, then that person is NOT a Christian, it's that simple.
By that standard, there are NO Christian's because none of are sin free.
some churches are like that here (the yelling and screaming) and some are not.the more cultured ones aren't.they behave in a civil manner.
then you will find others (I think mainly the smaller churches) where the congregation themselves yell out "amen!" at every little thing the minister says (ppl like that just want attention,imo),and wave their arms in the air and such.quite a show,imo.
it all just depends on where you go.
June's question is this: How does one account for the vast divide that would clearly seem to exist across demographics? Why such a difference in mindset in the bible belt as opposed to here, up north?
--And yet, June is confused as regards what the northern ministers would have to say versus what she experienced in the south. (And NO disrespect is meant or intended here to anyone who resides in the south. Truly!)
If you all really have ONE God, then what accounts for such vast variations in terms of your understanding of him, and how do you all reconcile that?
How do YOU all reconcile the differences that exist, and how do they matter and translate into one's real life as a Christian?
#1 - Christ should be the one consistent theme in all churches - north, south, east, west, Middle East, Far East, Africa - doesn't matter. There are other non-negotiables in my opinion that I won't get into now.
#2 - Once you get beyond the non-negotiables on the faith, there is no ONE way to live out Christianity. We are all different. Different cultures focus on different things. Yet God sees fit to use all of us to advance His kingdom through Christ.
#3 - Galatians 5:1 - It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Mankind is made for freedom - not a superstrict list of rules and regulations. Colossians 2:16-23 stresses the fact that no one should judge how one views various days on the calendar, or what we eat, or what we do in general with our lives. Christians are supplied with the Holy Spirit, who dwells inside of us and helps guide us when we get off track. Other Christians can be used (in union with the Spirit) to help also.
some churches are like that here (the yelling and screaming) and some are not.the more cultured ones aren't.they behave in a civil manner.
then you will find others (I think mainly the smaller churches) where the congregation themselves yell out "amen!" at every little thing the minister says (ppl like that just want attention,imo),and wave their arms in the air and such.quite a show,imo.
it all just depends on where you go.
What you described is precisely what June was (is) getting at. Even given the two or three times that June was invited by her minister friend (along with another friend to attend her church) June felt she went into the services with as open minded of a view as any nonbeliever could have, and simply observed what the experience of the service was all about. It was very nice; people were all calm and friendly to one another...There was music, some preaching, and that sort of thing, but nothing that particularly surprised June, even as a non-church goer. She felt like she was just observing believers who were gathering on a Sunday to worship. June felt like an observer.
In contrast, the service in the south was dramatically different. People did shout out a lot of "amen's" and the like, which (although June did not fully understand it) nonetheless didn't strike her as being that unusual given the fact that this was a nondenominational, southern service. What DID catch June totally off guard, though, was the minister's yelling (and quite loudly, June would add) at the end of the service. To be honest, it jolted June as she stood there, and instilled in her (initially) a bit of fear. June isn't used to being yelled at quite so passionately as this minister was obviously in the midst of. She found it interesting, by contrast, in terms of comparing this sort of church service to those she had encountered in the north. Again, she suspects that this is all attributable to her having been in the bible belt, but was nonetheless somewhat intrigued and taken aback by the diversity among services. As well, the message conveyed was of a much harsher tone; what little time June had in speaking with the pastor it was made very clear to her (albeit, in a polite but subtle way) that she was, in fact, destined to hell should she not accept God and the ways of the teaching of the bible and this particular church.
In the end analysis, June can respect both her experiences --that of having attended a service in the north, as well as the south-- but again can't quite piece together what accounts for the variance of the two experiences other than demographics. Which intrigued her, but left her somewhat confused, as welll....
What you described is precisely what June was (is) getting at. Even given the two or three times that June was invited by her minister friend (along with another friend to attend her church) June felt she went into the services with as open minded of a view as any nonbeliever could have, and simply observed what the experience of the service was all about. It was very nice; people were all calm and friendly to one another...There was music, some preaching, and that sort of thing, but nothing that particularly surprised June, even as a non-church goer. She felt like she was just observing believers who were gathering on a Sunday to worship. June felt like an observer.
In contrast, the service in the south was dramatically different. People did shout out a lot of "amen's" and the like, which (although June did not fully understand it) nonetheless didn't strike her as being that unusual given the fact that this was a nondenominational, southern service. What DID catch June totally off guard, though, was the minister's yelling (and quite loudly, June would add) at the end of the service. To be honest, it jolted June as she stood there, and instilled in her (initially) a bit of fear. June isn't used to being yelled at quite so passionately as this minister was obviously in the midst of. She found it interesting, by contrast, in terms of comparing this sort of church service to those she had encountered in the north. Again, she suspects that this is all attributable to her having been in the bible belt, but was nonetheless somewhat intrigued and taken aback by the diversity among services. As well, the message conveyed was of a much harsher tone; what little time June had in speaking with the pastor it was made very clear to her (albeit, in a polite but subtle way) that she was, in fact, destined to hell should she not accept God and the ways of the teaching of the bible and this particular church.
In the end analysis, June can respect both her experiences --that of having attended a service in the north, as well as the south-- but again can't quite piece together what accounts for the variance of the two experiences other than demographics. Which intrigued her, but left her somewhat confused, as welll....
Take gentle care.
Hi June,
They may not have hell-fire preachers in Boston, but I know they have them in middle America (Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, and even plenty in Michigan). There are also hellers (as some call them) in Australia and Africa and certain parts of Europe. Screaming, maniacal preachers are not limited to the South. For example, Obama apparently had a screaming pastor in Chicago. Last time I checked, Chicago was not considered part of the south. Granted, there are a lot of rednecks, racists and bigots in the South who profess to know Christ - but I assure you that the South does not have a corner on all that crud.
Granted, there are a lot of rednecks, racists and bigots in the South who profess to know Christ - but I assure you that the South.....
June fully suspects, in fact realizes, that we in the north have our own fair share of rednecks, racists, and bigots. She is guessing that the only difference is that they don't scream and yell as much (if at all) up here...
Lastly, let June just say that she found the overall population and people she encountered in the south to be exceedingly pleasant people; far more curtious and kind than those up north. A vastly different culture, indeed, on a number of levels. Apart from the screaming and yelling in church, June's experience of those living in the south and their helpful kindness was something that genuinelly impressed her, leading her to come home wondering if we aren't just plain rude up here!
(Except for June, of course!)....
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