What is your belief?

[path_of_one]

Yes, most of these are really open to interpretation. I voted, but I doubt the statistics are showing what I really meant. For example, I believe that, when read with the Spirit, the Bible is infallible 100% truth. But I don't mean that the message I get is the same one you will get. Yet if we are in the Spirit, our particular message/meaning from a passage will be truth and what is needed at that moment. The Bible is truth when it is a conversation between humans and God. People can muck it up by interpreting it incorrectly, which is a result (I think) of blindly following other people's beliefs without personal study, reflection, and most importantly- connection to and communion with God and Jesus Christ through the inspiration of the Spirit.

Seemingly inconsistently, I also chose that the Bible contains allegory, metaphor, and myth. But only if "myth" is defined the way it is in anthropology: a sacred narrative.

I also chose that the Bible is problematic if merely interpreted literally. Surely no one interprets those passages in Song of Solomon literally- even the literalists know some of the Bible is metaphoric.

Others I didn't check because they were too vague. For example, that God and I (you) are One. One in what way? How? I think we are, and we aren't (I'm more or less panentheist). I don't think all of us make up God, or that God was split into a gazillion little bits to experience being or something, but I do think each of us carries within us the divine spark, given to us by God. God is all creation, and something More. The whole Being and Ground of Being and Beyond Being thing...

[taijasi]

(So much for succinct, lol ... and I was even trying to be this time! )

In my better moments, I aspire to live in such a way as I believe a true follower of Christ should live, specifically, as an active altruist, a person of good character and high morals, and as a wielder of the force of Goodwill. Other times, I give embodiment to perhaps the other extreme in our dual human nature. But most of the time I can be found wandering the samsara somewhere in between. Thus I hesitate to presume to claim the honor of “being a Christian,” so I will comment in due proportion:

I agree with you, path_of_one, regarding the infallible, 100% truth part and the Bible. I would go on to say that other, more accurate, and more recent writings exist, of greater value & relevance for some people when it comes to the spiritual journey. The Bible sufficiently serves for some, while for others, the Koran, Kabbalah/Zohar, Adi Granth, Pali Canon, Zend Avesta, or Bhagavad Gita (Mahabharata) are more helpful and appropriate. Plenty of people derive Wisdom, guidance, inspiration, meaning, and a sense/call to Purpose in Life from each of these sources. Acknowledging this does not make me any less Christian, for in my better moments (referenced above), I am not confused, misled, or uncertain about the presence of Truth in each of these writings.

Thus, allegory, metaphor & myth being present in the Bible, as in most (all?) of these other writings, is a good and necessary thing. This helps to reach people who would otherwise be clueless (pretty much all of us). That said, I am not one of these people who simply believes stories like the Creation Myth, the tale of Jonah, and the episode with Noah’s Ark should be viewed as allegory. I would say that the deepest wisdom of the Holy Bible (and other Sacred Scriptures) is arrived at only when the proper keys of Symbology and Symbolism are applied. Is there anything “between the lines?” You betcha.

Is this “hidden meaning” contrary to Christ’s Mission, the Living Testament which was his LIFE, and the chief message of the Bible, The Sermon on the Mount? Umm, no. That’s just the point. The path of purity, aspiration and service (plus prayer/meditation, and study/contemplation), when pursued though the earliest stages, leads naturally to the unfoldment of the abilities, and to the acquisition of the psycho-spiritual keys, which allow one to enter into closer Presence with The Christ and His Church, with all the Mystical connotations and literal significances which go with that phrase.


I am convinced from my experience in life, that the Buddha’s final instructions to His pupils, is not contradictory to Christ’s own instructions to His. Specifically, the Buddha says:

Seek ye for that which is permanent, and work out your salvation with diligence.

I would find myself in shock & horror to learn that the Divine Justice (which is the antidote to wrath, and never a synonym) that has always maintained the balance of this Universe … might ever be supplanted by arbitrariness and unaccountability. We teach children to be accountable for their actions, i.e. responsible for their own behavior, from the earliest age! And we reward or punish them along the way, but not as a buildup for the removal of their greatest Responsibility and Accountability of all – which is for themselves, this being granted to them as they move into adulthood. And whether they like it or not (!), I might add.

Last I recall, it was my own struggles to accept Responsibility which produced the chaos & disorder in my life, and pushing it farther away does not seem to be what God wants of me. He does not stand, beckoning me to abnegate that which forms the very fiber of my Being!!! Rather, with relevance to this survey, He points to the last four statements and smiles, though reminding me that each statement is as limiting as it is revealing.

But if words, beliefs, even prayers count vitally in the buiding and development of character (hence Salvation, or Destiny) … then they are but a small percentage, where actions determine our actual tomorrow. Faith demonstrates through all of these, yet if there is no action, faith will not save the drowning man.

This is just how I see things, nothing more, nothing less.

In Love, Light, and mutual Respect,

taijasi

[wil]

definitions and polls are tricky things....yes you could check as many blocks as you wished...one or ten or anywhere inbetween....I tried to compose it so we could choose typically one or the other...ie the bible is 100% accurate or contains... is the source...or has been modified to be questionable....not an easy task...

If this is invaluable...someone could possibly create one more valuable...I was just trying to glean the range of Christians here...seems mainstream is shifting...

as for definitions...I agree most will not agree with #3 or #4 but will agree with 1a and 2....


mythn.1. a. A traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a people, as by explaining aspects of the natural world or delineating the psychology, customs, or ideals of society
b. Such stories considered as a group: the realm of myth.

2. A popular belief or story that has become associated with a person, institution, or occurrence, especially one considered to illustrate a cultural ideal: a star whose fame turned her into a myth
3. A fiction or half-truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology.
4. A fictitious story, person, or thing

[taijasi]

Originally Posted by taijasi

Thus, allegory, metaphor & myth being present in the Bible, as in most (all?) of these other writings, is a good and necessary thing. This helps to reach people who would otherwise be clueless (pretty much all of us). That said, I am not one of these people who simply believes stories like the Creation Myth, the tale of Jonah, and the episode with Noah’s Ark should be viewed as allegory. I would say that the deepest wisdom of the Holy Bible (and other Sacred Scriptures) is arrived at only when the proper keys of Symbology and Symbolism are applied.

Ah shoot! I think I mucked this part up, and your myth definitions post helped me to see it, Wil. What I meant to say was that I agree that the Bible contains allegory, myth and metaphor, in addition to such direct accounts as the Synoptic Gospels. I don't think anyone would be confused about the meaning of `myth' in this case. The life's work of Joseph Campbell, with contributions from folks like Bill Moyers, has certainly helped us to gain a new appreciation for mythology (both oral and written storytelling) as a medium for the conveyance of even the most profound religious teachings.

Clearly the Gospels and other books of the New Testament give us literal accounts of the life, ministry, and final days of Christed Jesus. I do not question the historicity of this presentation of the life of Christ, but I certainly do question the "infallible accuracy!" I am of the opinion that large portions of the true Bible are missing, and at least half of what exists should be relegated to the dustbin (for reasons of non-relevance to our practical lives, while certainly they are of historical and anthropological interest). The "proper keys of Symbology and Symbolism" which are necessary to unlock deeper meanings in the Bible are hidden in plain sight. Anyone who simply continues to ponder familiar or favorite scriptural passages in an effort to understand his or her own life's situation, for example, is already using one of the most valuable of these keys!

Color, iconography, ritual, position/placement, light, beauty, geometry, mathematics, rhythm, movement, and sound ... all provide additional tools which can assist us, whether these be conveyed & observed through art, liturgical service, or contemplative meditation.

I realize that the focus of the survey is about beliefs, Wil, but something helpful (even vital) that I think might be included would be a question or two about (one's feelings on) the importance or type of liturgy/worship across the different forms of Christianity. Easily that could be a survey or thread of its own. Equally, a question about the importance of belonging to a faith community, since in some cases this will overlap with (or substitute for) liturgy/worship. Quakers/Society of Friends, for example, might fit into the latter category, with their `Meetings.'

Respectfully,

taijasi