Hi - from Aletheia

AletheiaRivers · 05-09-2006, 02:30 PM

I've been meaning to do this and since Luna encouraged it, here I am.

Let's see. My name is Aletheia, I'm female, married and in my upper 30's.

My religious history is quite varied.

I was raised somewhat Mormon and JW, by osmosis. My father and all of his side of the family are LDS (active or no). My mother was Mormon until I was about five years old, at which time she started studying with her brother, one of Jehovah's Witnesses. After about a year, due to pressure from my father's family, she stopped studying. So, I grew up pretty much agnostic, not baptized in any faith, but my only theological input was from these two groups. Heck, I'd never even heard of the Trinity until I was 20.

When I was a senior in highschool I discovered Wicca. I followed that for about a year, until January 1989, when I had a conversion experience that led me to study with the Witnesses. I was baptized in 1990. And I left in 1999.

I was agnostic/atheist for a while. Went back to Wicca for a while. Dabbled in Zen and Taoism (philosophical) for a while.

Eventually, on the recommendation of a friend, I read Marcus Borg's books, which led me back to Christianity. As time has passed, I've become more theologically traditional and a bit more conservative. Overall, I probably fall into the mainline area of the spectrum the closest, if only because it seems to be fundamentalism that defines what is on the right side.

It's ironic what that spectrum does to Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Anyway ...

It's very nice to be here. I look forward to the conversation.

Jeannot · 05-09-2006, 03:00 PM

Hi, I'm John Green, aka Jeannot. Aletheia tipped me off about this board, and so here I am.

I was raised and educated RC all the way, but lately have been attending, off and on, an Evangelical congregation, mainly because my son preaches there (and very powerfully, I might add).

Despite this, I'm more liberal than not, and am not a Biblical literalist, and see no reason to be one. I think that allegory, and even fiction, are contained in the Bible, and this in no way takes away from its authority.

I'm into ecumenism and convergence--as in Teilhard de Chardin's statement, "Everything that rises must converge."

Glad to be here.

wil · 05-09-2006, 03:07 PM

Namaste Jeannot and Aletheia,

Awesome to have you both here. The paths you have taken must have provided a wide understanding and have to be valuable to you now.

Your thoughts, input and contemplations will be so appreciated.

Looking forward to it.

peace and blessings,

wil

lunamoth · 05-09-2006, 04:00 PM

Welcome Allie and John, nice to meet you both.

Allie, I now see why your posts are striking a chord with me. We've gone through a similar pattern of religious outlooks. After many years of agnosticism I studied the Baha'i Faith and then was a Baha'i for five years. Marcus Borg's The Heart of Christianity helped me a lot while I was rediscovering Christianity, and while I am not a Borg-apalian, I'm a little bit more mystical/contemplative than he, his views helped me gain my appreciation for the sacred in balance with reason.

I'm on the Denver side.

luna

AletheiaRivers · 05-09-2006, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunamoth

Allie, I now see why your posts are striking a chord with me. We've gone through a similar pattern of religious outlooks. After many years of agnosticism I studied the Baha'i Faith and then was a Baha'i for five years.

I considered Baha'i for a while, but never did more than that. Don't know why. Must have gotten sidetracked by something else.

Quote:

Marcus Borg's The Heart of Christianity helped me a lot while I was rediscovering Christianity, and while I am not a Borg-apalian, I'm a little bit more mystical/contemplative than he, his views helped me gain my appreciation for the sacred in balance with reason.

I used to be a Borg-apalian, but am not any longer. I owe him a huge debt though. Through his writings and through my conversations at TCPC, I have been introduced to so many great Christian thinkers. As the years have gone by, I moved past the liberal literalism (that throws the baby out with the bathwater), and into a more traditional view.

I often describe my Christianity as esoteric, but it just dawned on me that is not quite the right description. Contemplative is. Ala Thomas Merton. Aquinas. Eckhart. Moore. Francis.

I'm on the Denver side.

luna

lunamoth · 05-09-2006, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AletheiaRivers

I considered Baha'i for a while, but never did more than that. Don't know why. Must have gotten sidetracked by something else.

I used to be a Borg-apalian, but am not any longer. I owe him a huge debt though. Through his writings and through my conversations at TCPC, I have been introduced to so many great Christian thinkers. As the years have gone by, I moved past the liberal literalism (that throws the baby out with the bathwater), and into a more traditional view.

I often describe my Christianity as esoteric, but it just dawned on me that is not quite the right description. Contemplative is. Ala Thomas Merton. Aquinas. Eckhart. Moore. Francis.

I'm on the Denver side.

luna

Glad you're here. Check out some of the threads by Thomas. Catch you later!

luna

I, Brian · 05-09-2006, 07:39 PM

Hi AletheiaRivers, and welcome to CR.

flowperson · 05-09-2006, 11:19 PM

Hi from flow....

I'm here at Aletheia's suggestion since things were a little slow for me at TCPC where we met in numerous converations.

I guess you would say I'm in late middle age, early dodderiness, but there are days when I still feel pretty good. I used to license technology for a class I research university in the midwest of the USA, but I moved out west to the desert to help out my folks in their twilight years. Dad left us a short while ago, but Mom's doing fine at 89.

I find your site a bit overwhelming for me as I still work a 50 hour week and don't have a lot of spare time, but I still read everything that interests me, and write occasionally on matters concerning religion and science.

I was affiliated with UCC churches for most of my life but was pretty much nudged out after writing and passing around some essays concerning the nature of belief in the context of what we are turning the world into through the utilization of science and technology. In my opinion, the world's belief systems, while esthetically satisfying for many people, are simply not preparing us in practical ways for the moral dilemmas that the future is bringing to us and are already here in some ways, whether we want them to be or not. Much of the social turmoil today, IMO, has this phenomenon at it's roots.

I am a firm believer in redemption and grace, and that good works are the avenues towards those shining lights.I also believe that G-d is the most talented genetic engineer in the universe, has the fastest quantum computer in the universe, and has the most effecient time manipulation devices in the universe.

I look forward to discussing many interesting matters with you all in the coming months and years.

flow....

lunamoth · 05-09-2006, 11:35 PM

Hi flow, welcome to CR.

I'm interested in issues where science meets religion as well.

peace,
lunamoth

I, Brian · 05-10-2006, 08:39 AM

Hi flowperson, and welcome to CR also.

Gnosteric · 07-25-2006, 01:24 AM

Hi Aletheia!

Thanks for sending me the link. I look forward to reading your posts over here.

Abogado del Diablo · 07-30-2006, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gnosteric

Hi Aletheia!

Thanks for sending me the link. I look forward to reading your posts over here.

Welcome Gnosteric. I look forward to reading your point of view on things.

AletheiaRivers · 07-31-2006, 02:42 AM

Hi Eric. I'm glad you got the link. I don't know how much I'll be posting, but I'll check in regularly.