Theos-Talk Archives (March 2006 Message tt01262)

Jerry-

I'm pretty much in a similar boat in my own kind of way.  My 
personal experience has been that I had formerly attended Christian 
fundamentalist churches for many years, and so I am quite well 
acquainted with Christian fundamentalist doctrines.  However, a 
vital inconsistency then occured.  When I actually went and read the 
Bible for myself, I began to find that it said things completely 
different than what my former Christian fundamentalist teachers were 
telling me.

I therefore concluded that my former Christian fundamentalist 
teachers were actually misrepresenting the Bible, even though they 
claim that it infallibly validates their interpretation of absolute 
truth.  When I began asking the leaders questions about various 
inconsistencies in their biblical interpretations, I was then deemed 
a threat for asking too many questions which may potentially upset 
the religious faith of their converts.

Vince

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, Jerry Hejka-Ekins <jjhe@...> 
wrote:
>
> Dear Vince,
> 
> I'm glad to know that you did not throw out the baby with the bath 
> water.  There is a lot of value in the Biblical texts, but they 
have to 
> to be read from perspectives other than traditional theology. In 
our own 
> study group, we are into our second year of seminars on the 
historical 
> origins of Christianity. We began with the classical Roman, Greek 
and 
> Egyptian religions, philosophical schools and cultures (we already 
put 
> three years into the origins of Judaism and Kaballah).  Now we are 
> looking at both the canonical  and the gnostic texts in light of 
the 
> prevailing beliefs of the time. What we discovered turns 
everything one 
> ever learned in Sunday school on its head.  We will be ending the 
class 
> with an historical overview on Christianity's progress from the 
1st to 
> the 6th centuries.  Keep up your reading.
> 
> Best
> Jerry
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Vincent Blazina wrote:
> 
> >Jerry:
> >   
> >  I've pretty much made a separation from the Christian groups, 
insofar as they have deemed me to be a bit too sinful for them, due 
to my metaphysical interests.  I still read the Bible quite a bit, 
even though some Christians have told me that I have no business 
doing so, if I am not strictly aligned with their own belief systems.
> >   
> >  Vince
> >
> >Jerry Hejka-Ekins <jjhe@...> wrote:
> >  Dear Vince,
> >
> >I understand what you are going through with the Christian 
communities 
> >out there. We live in a very conservative town in California 
where most 
> >of the churches are evangelical in nature. But we have found lots 
of 
> >individuals within the community who have been quietly looking 
for the 
> >kind of study we offer. It sounds like you already have developed 
close 
> >ties with those church groups over the years. Some may try to 
make it 
> >difficult for you to separate from them. I will be very 
interested in 
> >learning how your situation progresses.
> >
> >Best
> >Jerry
> >
> >
> >vblaz20042004 wrote:
> >
> >  
> >
> >>Hi there, I'm Vince and I am new to the group. I have recently 
been 
> >>attending the Theosophical Society of Wheaton, Illinois for the 
past 
> >>month, and have been enjoying the various teachings and 
discussions 
> >>at that facility.
> >>
> >>My life has been rich with metaphysical experiences, but the 
> >>Christian Fundamentalist churches that I had previously attended 
for 
> >>twenty years got very judgmental towards me when I might venture 
to 
> >>reference them. I also began finding many inconsistencies with 
the 
> >>way that many Christians were representing the Bible, and my 
> >>questions about Christianity were often deemed dangerous to 
people's 
> >>religious faith.
> >>
> >>I am looking for a place in the Theosophical Society wherein I 
may 
> >>potentially freely discuss metaphysical issues as they directly 
> >>pertain to my life, with people who are more open to such 
> >>discussions. I am very well read with the Bible, although my 
> >>interpretations of it are more metaphysical versus orthodox.
> >>
> >>I look forward to constuctive discussion with the people here, 
and 
> >>would like to learn more about the Theosophical Society and it's 
> >>perspectives, insofar as many of them are brand new to me.
> >>
> >>Thank you,
> >>
> >>Vince
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>Yahoo! Groups Links
> >>
> >>
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> >>    
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
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> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
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> > 
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
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