In Reply to: Re: Buddhist Christian Dialogue posted by Acheick on January 01, 2004 at 21:18:00:
I'm not really interested in Buddhism, though I was as a teen. But I am very interested in other exmembers who have gone through the same nightmare journey in the Family that I have, be they now Christian, Buddhist or a mix inbetween. This doesn't mean I need to endorse what others believe, and like war vets, it means I do respect every person's journey. Since you're an exer, Susie, I respect you and your spiritual journey or lack of one. We as exers, of all people, should and do understand that toxic 'Christianity' of the Family is a major turnoff. That's why I would never push my faith on others on this board, though I might disagree with statements made. There's room for open dialogue, disagreement and discussion as long as it's done respectfully.
Sometimes we say things that we don't realize offend others, simply because we are so wrapped up in our own worldview. A Christian who spends most of his time with other Christians and doesn't rub shoulders often in the world will assume that his worldview is a given, and that basic Bible verses are widely accepted as a standard. Whereas an anti-church, anti-evangelical person who only rubs shoulders with other anti-evangelicals will assume that it is a given that all 'fundamentalists' are either dumb or fit with the general stereotype. I'm not saying either you or Alan or NC fit these two examples, I'm just giving them as broad examples.
All that to say, I'm fine if you want to talk about Buddhism, tho I don't follow that myself, simply because you're an exer. If the dialogue is related to our common cult experience, it's welcome. We all want affirmation in our self-worth and acceptance of who we are now, and we can be respected by each other though we're all far different creatures now in our individuality than we were in the cookie-cutter cult we were once in.
Strong beliefs don't have to be expressed strongly.