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Northeastern Pennsylvania Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area
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Old 07-24-2010, 04:57 AM
 
Location: Pike County, PA
1,162 posts, read 3,007,134 times
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No, not really. It's a small fragment, relatively speaking. We were meeting with a couple other families for a while but I ended up going back to my traditional church for various reasons.

I probably would not attend another traditional church again apart from my current one, and also the little Baptist church in Blooming Grove. They are the only churches I personally would be involved in. I send my kids to Vacation Bible School at the Baptist church - have done so for years. Love that little church...but that said, I feel out of place in 99% of traditional churches no matter what the denomination.

I picked up a book a few years ago called Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and I've not looked at church the same way since. It's not what you think - lol - a lot of people think it's a way to blend pagan beliefs w/ Christianity but it's nothing of the sort - rather it shows the pagan influence over the ages in what has become the modern church. It's an interesting read...

But I won't harp on that -that's off topic from your thread.
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Old 07-24-2010, 05:05 AM
 
Location: The New England part of Ohio
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The book does sound interesting though!
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Old 07-24-2010, 05:08 AM
 
Location: Pike County, PA
1,162 posts, read 3,007,134 times
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It is - very interesting. It's somewhat fundamentalist but many, if not most typical fundamentalists would hate it. LOL

I used to be a fundamentalist - have no idea now what to call myself, because many ideals that most fundamentalists hold dear I reject....I'm not able to be pigeon holed.
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Old 07-26-2010, 06:08 AM
 
Location: NE PA
7,931 posts, read 15,815,234 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sheena12 View Post
GoPhillies and Karen - where do you attend?
I will be living in Wilkes Barre.
Just curious.
I did not want to be rude to the Mormon woman - I guess her post was deleted but honestly I have handled worse.
the facts are the facts and I am quite open among Christians in my accepting them as Christians but I can not buy into the book of Mormon.
Right now, I'm Catholic...but not much into it anymore. I haven't gone in a few months, basically since my kids CCD was done.....I was Methodist when I was a kid and didn't mind it....the problem with churches around Scranton though, is that the only active churches either seem to be Catholic or super-fundamentalist, which I don't feel I fit into either.
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Old 07-26-2010, 01:58 PM
 
Location: The New England part of Ohio
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I think that's true anywhere you go. True on Long Island as well.
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Old 11-02-2010, 04:34 PM
 
Location: The New England part of Ohio
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We found a wonderful church in Wilkes-Barre!
We thought that our last church would be a tough act to follow, but we were wrong!
Good Shepherd Lutheran - Evangelical Lutheran Church of America - right here in the Diamond City has been so warm and welcoming!
The co-pastors are a husband and wife team, and the congregation is diverse, friendly and open!
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Old 11-02-2010, 07:04 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,616 posts, read 77,579,178 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sheena12 View Post
We found a wonderful church in Wilkes-Barre!
We thought that our last church would be a tough act to follow, but we were wrong!
Good Shepherd Lutheran - Evangelical Lutheran Church of America - right here in the Diamond City has been so warm and welcoming!
The co-pastors are a husband and wife team, and the congregation is diverse, friendly and open!
Yes. I'm a lifelong Lutheran also (Missouri Synod), and I've always heard great things about Good Shephered. I'm so happy you've found a welcoming new home!
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Old 11-02-2010, 07:14 PM
 
539 posts, read 1,068,365 times
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As far as pagans, and other religions go, I do feel they all fit under the umbrella of our heritage, as you can see from some of the links below.
Many of the more progressive churches, like the Unitarians, Unity Centers, and others, embrace a much more progressive view, and even allow Buddhists and others in their fold, as their tenets (Buddhists, etc.) do have values such as a submission to an openness to higher consciousness, if not a traditional theistic/dogmatic view.
Way back in the middle ages, if not earlier, the Christian tradition, which was sort of a missionary and/or "patriarchal" tradition, tried to wipe out local beliefs in Europe and elsewhere and create sort of a "state" based on Christianity. Besides the political states based on emperors and the hierarchal political rule, the Christians created their own domains (parishes, etc.).
Basically, since the old culture was so embedded in the old pagan holidays, the Christians eventually used the same pagan holidays and added new meanings of their own, but they were the same dates (pretty much) that were embraced by the former cultures all across northern Europe.
I'm no expert on any of this, but wanted to share some links on the information I have heard, based on the links below:
Many of the Christian holidays we have today were former Pagan holidays made to coincide with Christian holidays, like Feb 2 (Imbolc)= St Brigid's Day:
Imbolc - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Easter (Ostara) --(and there are many other resources on this):
Easter history : holiday traditions and their origins, from the goddess Ishtar (Inanna)to the Easter Bunny.
MayDay (Beltaine):
May Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Midsummer (Litha) (summer solstice)
Midsummer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lughnasadh (August 1)
Lughnasadh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mabon (Fall equinox)
Wheel of the Year - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Halloween (Samhain)
Samhain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christmas (Yule)
Yule - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Old 11-02-2010, 07:23 PM
 
Location: The New England part of Ohio
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Thanks Paul! Yes I remember that you were raised LCMS.
Another Lutheran - I knew there was something I liked about you! :-)

My son was baptized in a Missouri Synod church btw.
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Old 11-02-2010, 07:27 PM
 
Location: The New England part of Ohio
24,097 posts, read 32,437,200 times
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Frank thanks for the interesting link! I know plenty of Pagans - some are members of UU fellowships.
I have attended both UU and Unity Churches from time to time and I enjoy what they have to say as well as their spirit of inclusiveness.
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