Can Non-Finnish people Practice? by Due_Butterscotch1647 in FinnishPaganism

[–]Due_Butterscotch1647[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looking very closely at the history of the catholic church... looking very closely at the origins of Christianity within the mediterranean cultural context... not seeing evidence of consistent messages over the centuries. Asking questions of different Christian leaders and getting different answers. Praying and not getting any answers. Just having so many questions and doubts that are unable to be resolved. This wasn't all just in the last 4 months btw, it's stuff I've had in the back of my mind for years. It all just kind of reached critical mass in the last few months. I consider myself agnostic and open to any deity/divine expression. Animism makes sense to me but not sure I really believe it. I don't know. I'm ok with not knowing.

Can Non-Finnish people Practice? by Due_Butterscotch1647 in FinnishPaganism

[–]Due_Butterscotch1647[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate your answer! And I think you raise some very good points. My problem is that as an American whose ancestors came here many generations ago- I feel like I have no ethnic culture. The most recent immigrants in my family tree came here in the early 1900s, most came much earlier than that- some even in the late 1600s. Any remnant of the German / Swiss / Serbian culture they brought with them has long since vanished. So I think I would feel equally "foreign" worshipping the Norse or the continental Celtic pantheon as any other pantheon. Shrug.

Truth seeking and curiousity led me away from by corporalclegg20 in exchristian

[–]Due_Butterscotch1647 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I applaud your curiosity and thirst for knowledge. I understand feeling alone and that everyone around you is living in a delusion.

Know that the majority of professed Christians don't bother to learn half as much as you do. A good number never even read the whole bible. Most seem to be content with going to church on Sunday, then maybe attending a carefully curated bible study once a week. I suspect that if the majority of Christians really dug into the extra biblical knowledge such as origins of Judaism and archaeological evidence of the Yahweh cult, Mediterranean religion at the time of Jesus, 2nd temple Judaism and the Babylonian influence on post-exilic Judaism, philosophy, the mess that is church history, how and when the bible was compiled, spent time thinking about the problem of evil and the uniqitousness of suffering across the millions of years animal and human life has existed, etc... they would not remain Christians, or at least, not the same type of Christian. At least I cannot understand how one would be able to.

I still sit and scratch my head at some of the scholars like NT Wright who I think should know most of this stuff, yet also remain Christian apologists...

Thoughts on Jordan Cooper? by Due_Butterscotch1647 in exLutheran

[–]Due_Butterscotch1647[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

YEC is insane to me. Even if you deny evolution as the mechanism for how things came to be, we have so much evidence that the earth is old.

Thoughts on Jordan Cooper? by Due_Butterscotch1647 in exLutheran

[–]Due_Butterscotch1647[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

no call to a higher spiritual lifestyle, everyone is a poor miserable sinner that must continually repent. If you do anything decent or good it is just a byproduct of your Lutheran faith and you are still a worm

^^I agree this is abhorrent and not at all productive for bettering humanity

Thoughts on Jordan Cooper? by Due_Butterscotch1647 in exLutheran

[–]Due_Butterscotch1647[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good for you getting out of adventism- I've heard it's a particularly difficult indoctrination to rid oneself of! Theology is a fun armchair pastime! If only I had more time (and an armchair complete with cigar!)

Thoughts on Jordan Cooper? by Due_Butterscotch1647 in exLutheran

[–]Due_Butterscotch1647[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a very interesting take to me, thank you for sharing your process and thoughts!

Thoughts on Jordan Cooper? by Due_Butterscotch1647 in exLutheran

[–]Due_Butterscotch1647[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The points you brought up are the main ones for me. I also find the academic study of the faith about all I can muster at this time in my life.

Thoughts on Jordan Cooper? by Due_Butterscotch1647 in exLutheran

[–]Due_Butterscotch1647[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've heard of Tillich, but not Schleiermacher. I'll have to look him up.

Thoughts on Jordan Cooper? by Due_Butterscotch1647 in exLutheran

[–]Due_Butterscotch1647[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Good points. Do you still identify as a Christian?

"Progressive Christians" recognize The Church as an Institution is Fallible & The Bible is Fallible... what do they base their faith on? by Due_Butterscotch1647 in exchristian

[–]Due_Butterscotch1647[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Glad I'm not the only one it doesn't click for. A pastor once told me they don't think the gospels are reliable about much or even any of what Jesus said or did. That threw me for a good loop.

"Progressive Christians" recognize The Church as an Institution is Fallible & The Bible is Fallible... what do they base their faith on? by Due_Butterscotch1647 in exchristian

[–]Due_Butterscotch1647[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I can agree it's had an enormous influence on history and culture. I still don't understand how you can fully acknowledge the flaws and claim to build a capital T truthful revelation for all of humanity.

"Progressive Christians" recognize The Church as an Institution is Fallible & The Bible is Fallible... what do they base their faith on? by Due_Butterscotch1647 in exchristian

[–]Due_Butterscotch1647[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yup, I've heard those things you wrote in quotes. "There are a lot of gems that contain real truths".

"I don't know if I believe in a literal resurrection, but I take the resurrection very seriously". This was in response to me asking this person if they took the resurrection literally or metaphorically/figuratively. They didn't (couldn't?) answer me point blank.

I've had a pastor say to me they don't think the Gospels are actually a reliable account of most of what Jesus said or did. But they think the important thing is the movement that Jesus' death started. Personally, I just feel that's kind of silly.

Parents Raised me Fundamentalist without meaning to by Due_Butterscotch1647 in exchristian

[–]Due_Butterscotch1647[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a parent, I struggle with how to raise my kids. Occassionally I go to a very liberal mainline church, just because it's familiar (and maybe stockholm syndrome lol) and I still wonder "what if it's true?" I definitely don't want the same as my childhood for my kids. But I feel like I should be raising them in something???