Posted by Thinker on April 30, 2011 at 16:13:37
In Reply to: Re: is a different spiritual perspective a threat? posted by long time exer on April 30, 2011 at 12:43:16:
Please feel free to share your faith and speak your mind. Everyone else does too.
I reluctantly identify myself as "Christian" because that describes a significant portion or foundation of my belief system. However, calling myself a Christian is not without complications. I automatically get misunderstood for what I really believe in, what I really stand for, and what side I'm supposed to take in a conflict or political issue.
To compound the matter, I have a hard time identifying with other Christians, and in fact I often identify quite well with atheists and agnostics and even those of other faiths. Perhaps it's because deep down, I respect spirituality, humanity and the personal journey more than membership in some social grouping. I'm especially allergic to religious dogma. Someone saying they belong to this or that club with an exclusive corner to the truth doesn't impress me. I think spirituality supersedes religion, and that personal faith and religion are worlds apart.
Just because someone calls him/herself a "Christian" does not tell me he/she is a good person, or that we will get along great or even have that much in common. Ironically, I often discover that people who claim to be atheist are not without spirtuality--far from it. I have met really good people who are from all walks of life and who identify themselves as belonging to all kinds of religions, or having no religion at all.
The question that then arises in the mind of Christians since I have the audacity to state the above, is whether I think all spirituality is equal, and I will answer a flat NO to that. I won't elaborate any further since I am not trying to start my own denomination, and I will not reply to any inquisitions either.