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Old 01-30-2008, 03:36 PM
juj
 
Location: Too far from MSG
1,657 posts, read 2,633,152 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Padgett2 View Post
Agnosticism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Take time to read the link to the above article. I think that you will find a lot of churches that have many members that fit the descriptions of various degrees of Agnosticism, but go to that particular church because of the people that it happens to serve. Pick a church where you feel that you could be comfortable with the congregation. Then, you can search more deeply in what is taught from the pulpit and bible studies. Remember, that some ministers don't always agree with what the greater percentage of that denomination thinks is proper.

It's important that you decide for yourself about what is or what isn't.

We go to a fairly small church, maybe about 500-600 members, including children, but besides our church affiliation, we enjoy a close community spirit. Sunday morning will probably see about 200. No one gets upset when it's a big football weekend and attendence is down. Some churches have excellent choirs. This was important to us when we were younger and still had decent voices. I suspect that there are many in the congregation question and wonder from time to time. We don't worry about that. We teach that God understands the heart.

We're going to a covered dish supper there tonight. We have weekly suppers that are prepared by the various groups. Now and then, there is a covered dish. Things like this are important for the spirit and health of a church. Lots of good food, lovely people, fun and conversation. This Sunday, we are going to recognize the folks that are over 80 years of age. There will be a reception afterwards. We are supposed to get our families to come if we can, but let's face it, by the time someone reaches that age, the family would take up two pews.
This is just a bunch of stuff lying on the ground at the south end of a north facing bull. You need to find out where the truth lies, NOT where you feel most comfortable because many times the truth is very uncomfortable, but we must seek it anyway.
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Old 01-30-2008, 05:09 PM
 
Location: Mississippi
6,712 posts, read 13,460,010 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mooseketeer View Post
I would strongly recommend the Quakers ( The Society of Friends), they are incredibly progressive, tolerant, liberal, and yet very spiritual. To me as an Atheist , I have never met a Quaker who I did not feel immense respect for. They live Christianity rather than preaching it and are very inclusive.
( the ones in the UK anyway).
I have to agree 100% with Mooseketeer on this one. I've always felt enormous respect for Quakers because they seem to have been the only variant of the Christian religion that seemed to actually live for/by Jesus' word without getting hostile. If you are a believer in the Christian God than I would have to say that, to me, as a religion despising atheist, that the Quakers are indeed a small shining beacon of hope in the pool of darkness that world religion brings. You may want to check them out if you are really firmly rooted in your belief in the Christian God.

P.S.- The guy on the oatmeal canister is a Quaker!
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Old 01-30-2008, 07:48 PM
 
Location: DFW, TX
2,935 posts, read 6,716,398 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GCSTroop View Post
I have to agree 100% with Mooseketeer on this one. I've always felt enormous respect for Quakers because they seem to have been the only variant of the Christian religion that seemed to actually live for/by Jesus' word without getting hostile. If you are a believer in the Christian God than I would have to say that, to me, as a religion despising atheist, that the Quakers are indeed a small shining beacon of hope in the pool of darkness that world religion brings. You may want to check them out if you are really firmly rooted in your belief in the Christian God.

P.S.- The guy on the oatmeal canister is a Quaker!
I'll add that liberal Quakers don't have a dogma... you're just as likely to find people of all beliefs at a Quaker meeting from agnostics to deists to Christians to Buddhists.

What brought me to the Quaker religion was how they lived their lives very closely to how I would imagine Jesus would want people to live their lives. Materialism isn't highly regarded, but you're not shunned or criticized for driving to the meeting in a new BMW either. But the meetinghouse itself is typically a small house or even in a conference room in a business. Quakers feel that you don't need stuff to be closer to God, it only gets in the way.

Maybe I'll kick up another thread on why I started attending and my experiences so far. Thanks for your kind words GCS.
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Old 01-30-2008, 08:06 PM
 
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I wish that we had a Quaker group here, but we don't. I think that their acceptance of others is an outstanding trait. I don't believe that the Truth is hard. If anyone finds that it is, then perhaps they are looking at something false and Truth is fighting back.
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Old 01-30-2008, 08:11 PM
 
13,640 posts, read 24,509,987 times
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Maia, Quakers are also known as the Society of Friends..For several years when I was growing up, my mom took us to the friends meetings place (church)..It was calm, it was peaceful, it was full of love..My advice would be for you to visit churches in your community several times, and get to know some of the people..I would do my research when I got home on the computer about their doctrines..You will probably not find a place exactly intune with what you believe, but the main thing as far as I am concerned is that you let your conscious or the spirit be your guideBe very aware of churches that have a lot of rules, and are not involved in the community in such things as charities, etc.
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Old 01-30-2008, 08:16 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TravisW View Post
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America pretty much allows you to believe as you prefer concerning the creation of the universe.
And many other things, e.g. death penalty, drinking alcohol (in moderation), smoking, etc.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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Old 01-30-2008, 08:30 PM
 
Location: Mississippi
6,712 posts, read 13,460,010 times
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I wanted to go back and edit something in regards to my previous post but I suppose time ran out. James Michener, a historical fiction writer, wrote a book on the Chesapeake Bay aptly called Chesapeake. It's a history of the area starting from about 1500 up until modern day (around mid-70's) and it deals with everything from how religions, slavery, crops, etc... influenced the area and early America. There are massive amounts of references to the Quakers, how and what they believe, and the practices that they have. The story behind the characters may be fiction in his book but the actual historical accuracy of "the way" in which things occurred is astonishing. It's a fantastic book for anybody interested in the early part of American culture, or just looking for a lot of "adventure" in a book as well. I think that perhaps anyone interested in Quakers would find it interesting. It was one of the best books I have ever read in recent years (albeit close to 1000 pages) and I highly recommend it. Ok, sorry to make that so long, especially for what was to be an "edit" or a "P.S."
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Old 01-31-2008, 07:40 AM
juj
 
Location: Too far from MSG
1,657 posts, read 2,633,152 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Padgett2 View Post
I wish that we had a Quaker group here, but we don't. I think that their acceptance of others is an outstanding trait. I don't believe that the Truth is hard. If anyone finds that it is, then perhaps they are looking at something false and Truth is fighting back.
It's not that the Truth itself is hard, but it maybe harder to look in the mirror knowing the Truth. You may find that you need to change some things about yourself that you have grown accustomed to.
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Old 01-31-2008, 09:45 AM
 
Location: New England
8,155 posts, read 21,006,712 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maia160 View Post
For a long time I've been very hostile towards religon. Without going into too much detail, I grew up in a fundamentalist Baptist home and was very turned off by the way the Bible was used for control. There wasn't alot of conversation about issues; we only heard you can't do this or this is the way it is, "because the Bible said so." Needless to say, I grew up in an angry and cold home. I now know this isn't what Christianity is about but is has colored my perception.

Recently, I've become interested in religion again as I want that influence in my life. I believe I have lost my way and need the moral guidance and community religion can offer. However, I don't want to go to a church that preaches "evolution is evil" and that "the earth is 6,000 years old". I personally believe that God and evolution are not mutually exclusive ideas.

I've searched for a church that aligns with my beliefs but cannot find one. Unitarianism seemed to be promising but the more I read about it the more I felt this is not for me. Does anybody know of any church's or groups that fit within this belief system? Is anybody out there searching for something similar to me?
I havn't read through all the replies and just wanted to say "my piece."

My suggestion would be to find a non denominational church that focuses on Jesus, and his message.

Paul admonishes us to not get caught up in geneologies and "details" to the point that we loose focus on the main point. Christ came, Christ forgave, Christ died, He rose again and offered it to all who will believe.

The rest is IMO noise and afterthought.

Knowing whether the earth was created in 6 literal days or 6 "God" days while fun for some doesn't mean anything compared to knowing the Savior and his love and forgiveness.

Blessings to you in your search. May the peace and love of God guide you.
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Old 01-31-2008, 12:22 PM
 
7,099 posts, read 27,184,501 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by juj View Post
It's not that the Truth itself is hard, but it maybe harder to look in the mirror knowing the Truth. You may find that you need to change some things about yourself that you have grown accustomed to.

What Truth are you talking about?
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