Christianity gives you.........umm.......uh.............................................? (page 5)

AllTimeJeff

In my opinion, what many seem to be angry about isn't the feeling of hope, or the opportunity to reflect and thus "be spiritual" (which is something very rough to define).... I think those are good things.....

Labels suck. If I am a Christian, am I a Ted Haggard Christian? Catholic? Sarah Palin Christian?

Why can't I just follow Jesus? Or imitate him? Or just read the gospels and have my own go at interpreting what they mean to me?

Group think is the danger, and Christians aren't the only one who have to deal with the mob mentality that often trivializes and ridicules minorities. (still) Not that this will change in my lifetime, but we are heading in a decent direction on personal autonomy being more important then what a church says.

What people get upset about are the claims men make. So yeah, if you go to a church, or choose to identify yourself as a nominal Christian, to a certain degree, there is baggage that comes with it, about 2000 years worth or so of it.

But even at that point, it has to be allowed that amazing changes in the liberalization of attitudes have occurred regarding religions and churches in the last 200 years. So while I agree with much of what Terry said here, Terry, there is an evolving of what it means to be a Christian today.

Don't read too much into that for me. I am reporting what I see. I didn't get a revelation or anything.... ;)

JeffT

Upon reflection I have decided to share something of what I "get" from my faith has a Christian. I cannot now discuss my religious faith apart from my involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous. One of the precepts of AA is to acknowledge that as an alcoholic I can not fight my addiction on my own, that a decision of turn our lives over to a higher power is required to regain our sanity. My higher power is Jesus Christ, I know a lot of other AA's with different concepts of God. It is a personal matter for each of us.

My problems with alcohol (and a few other drugs when I was younger) runs back at least forty years. In 2005 having wrecked my family's finances and facing some large legal issues I went to rehab and got sober. I have not had a drink since, something I could not manage on my own. Since then the legal issues have been resolved through hard work and honesty; and my family relationships are largely healed. I get along better with my parents and siblings now than I ever did. My wife and I have managed to stay together. You may say that this isn't evidence of a higher power, only my belief in one. You may be right, but what I'm doing works for me.

You ask what I get from Christianity. I got my life back.

StAnn

I'm just posting here so that the entire Active Topics page will have my name at the last poster running up and down it!

Night all!

PSacramento

I think Terry mentioned he wanted a list, well:

What my relationship with Christ has given me and to those around me:

Peace and for someone like me, you can't begin to understand what that means, just suffice it to say that it is a very goods thing indeed.

A desire to be a better father, husband, brother, son, person.

I care far more for others than I ever have before and I give far more of myself than I ever thought I could.

An understanding of love that is on a level I never dreamed possible.

Forgivness, for myself and for others.

Tolerance, accepteance and an understanding that I am no more and no less than any other of God's children.

Admiration for all that have done so much good when I have done so little.

I can go on and on and on, but I won't :)

Could I have gotten all that through something else?

Yes, perhaps.

The point is that I got it when I found my Lord Jesus and realized he had been there all along.

Terry

I think Terry mentioned he wanted a list, well:

What my relationship with Christ has given me and to those around me:

Peace and for someone like me, you can't begin to understand what that means, just suffice it to say that it is a very goods thing indeed.

A desire to be a better father, husband, brother, son, person.

I care far more for others than I ever have before and I give far more of myself than I ever thought I could.

An understanding of love that is on a level I never dreamed possible.

Forgivness, for myself and for others.

Tolerance, accepteance and an understanding that I am no more and no less than any other of God's children.

Admiration for all that have done so much good when I have done so little.

I can go on and on and on, but I won't :)

Could I have gotten all that through something else?

Yes, perhaps.

The point is that I got it when I found my Lord Jesus and realized he had been there all along.

Thanks for a thoughtful reply.

I personally didn't become a good father or a good anything until I completely abandoned religion/christianity/god/the supernatural.

I kind of got on with REAL LIFE for the first time.

I guess I can't handle more than one universe at a time:)

JeffT

A question back at you.

Do you believe that each of us has to find his own way through life, that what doesn't work for one might work for another? I didn't get on with real life until I turned my will over to a power greater than myself.

Terry

A question back at you.

Do you believe that each of us has to find his own way through life, that what doesn't work for one might work for another? I didn't get on with real life until I turned my will over to a power greater than myself.

This may sound like a Fortune Cookie reply, but, it is sincere.

Each of us has to become what we really are.

Some of us are serial killers. Some are benevolent idiots. Others are really good ordinary people. Some a mixture of good and bad. Etc.

We can only become what we are after we let go of TRYING TO BE what we think we SHOULD BE.

Religion delays our maturing process. Sometimes for a lifetime!

There are people that are born to be followers; doing as they are told.

Others are born leaders.

But, most are somewhere on a grayscale in life.

Once we get to where we are really WHO we are our head clears and we aren't compelled externally any longer.

Quentin

Do you believe that each of us has to find his own way through life, that what doesn't work for one might work for another? I didn't get on with real life until I turned my will over to a power greater than myself...JeffT

Not answering for Terry, he will give his own thought on that question......You do however, in my opinion, raise a valid point. I didn't get on with life until I centered on myself. Examined who I was. Then applied what I had to living a better life, keeping in mind others came first. There's more to it than that, but you must start with yourself, then go forward.

Quentin

Sigh...just not quick with the keyboard...

watson

...um, great networking opportunies?

Christianity gives you.........umm.......uh.............................................?

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