tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756920.post2179909126826804011..comments2024-01-08T06:21:35.864-08:00Comments on Notes in Samsara: This is what they do with used fitness centers in my area...Mumon Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116967568502451788noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756920.post-61764742566269701802010-06-09T14:52:44.498-07:002010-06-09T14:52:44.498-07:00As a Christian I can Assure you that even Jesus Ch...As a Christian I can Assure you that even Jesus Christ was against organzied "religion". Christianity is about loving God, loving others and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the rest of the world. Mumon you seem to be very leary of any group that doesn't fit into your fundamentalist "box". How is promoting Gods genuine love corrupting Vancouver and the greater Clark County area? If anything Christianity is bringing back moralistic ideals to an already declining society. I welcome you with open arms brother, you don't have to like me or my beliefs but know that regardless how angry you are right now, God still loves you! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756920.post-2628743915822965062010-05-03T05:09:50.027-07:002010-05-03T05:09:50.027-07:00David:
Most Christians, in fact, would make the d...David:<br /><br />Most Christians, in fact, would make the divisions in Christianity that I do (except for Pentacostals).<br /><br />Everyone has some kind of tradition, and the idea that some Christians promote that their style of Christianity is "just like that of the apostles" makes as much or as little sense as when the Catholic or Episcopal Churches make the same claim.<br /><br />Then why my emphasis about heritage? Because you <i>know from where they're coming</i>. Furthermore, by having some entity that gives a stamp of approval on things, you wind up with less of the really Crazy Jim Jones Kool Aid Adi Da Weird Sex stuff. The Catholic Church I'd say is the exception that proves the rule.Mumon Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01116967568502451788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756920.post-12865304511275677942010-05-02T22:54:34.705-07:002010-05-02T22:54:34.705-07:00Mumon – thanks explaining. I’m pretty dumb about h...Mumon – thanks explaining. I’m pretty dumb about how they do things in Christianity. I’ve always sort of had the impression that it wasn’t really necessary to associate with a tradition. That’s it kind of wide open. In fact, sometimes I wish I was a Christian. I think there is a large group of people who would respond to an alternative to the fundamentalist movement, because one thing I’ve noticed over the years is that while many don’t want to have anything to do with organized religion, they don’t really want to let go of God. I think I could come up with a cool angle. Maybe become rich and famous.Davidhttp://theendlessfurther.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756920.post-88173974045472800102010-05-02T11:56:15.436-07:002010-05-02T11:56:15.436-07:00David-
One other thing: I would typically use the...David-<br /><br />One other thing: I would typically use the word "cult" here as meaning that it is a breakaway sect, and I would describe pretty much everything since the Methodists that way; that's just my generic model. So Baptists (Southern, Northern, whatever) I wouldn't designate as a cult, but the Mormons, well...they're pretty much on the cult side, especially given their disfellowship propensities. Jehovah's Witnesses are in the same boat.<br /><br />The Assemblies of God date from the 1920s; they would typically describe my path as a cult, (if they're being polite - if not they'd use words like "demonic"), so I can't but see why they'd take umbrage at my use of the term to describe them. The "<a href="http://www.foursquare.org/" rel="nofollow">Foursquare Church</a>" has also been around since the 1920s, and if you read their <a href="http://www.foursquare.org/landing_pages/8,3.html" rel="nofollow">history</a>, well, uh...what other term would work?<br /><br />So given this group, and their reluctance to associate with a tradition, I would use the term based on the above scheme.Mumon Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01116967568502451788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756920.post-87921572535353119232010-05-02T11:44:18.627-07:002010-05-02T11:44:18.627-07:00Hi David,
I too, after going through stuff there ...Hi David,<br /><br />I too, after going through stuff there got a bit of their background as well, and it ain't mainline Protestant to be sure. In my neighborhood <i>every single school</i>, from grade school to high school has some kind of fundamentalist church group using it on Sundays, and sometimes they have more than one group.<br /><br />One of the things these folks have typically done is to downplay their beliefs, usually you can dig it up on their websites, but you have to look for it. I was just surprised that theirs was scrubbed virtually clean of the stuff like the bible is inerrant, etc. etc.<br /><br />Typically when one of these groups moves into my neighborhood they send a barrage of fliers on every house in the neighborhood, which is just dandy if you happen to be a burglar and you see these and some pizza joint fliers attached to the front door of a vacant house. The fliers typically have the tone that the reader has never heard of <i>their</i> kind of Christianity. This goes on about 3 or 4 times per year, with special leafleting around holidays of course.<br /><br />So maybe I'm predisposed to this kind of thing, but basically these guys are trained to do this "church planting" thing, and one of the features of this church planting thing is the reluctance to state the nasty bits up front.Mumon Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01116967568502451788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756920.post-53311799096119487142010-05-02T11:30:23.886-07:002010-05-02T11:30:23.886-07:00Hmmm, I didn't pick up on a lot of anger in th...Hmmm, I didn't pick up on a lot of anger in this post. At the same time, I visited their web site and didn't see anything that struck me as fundamentalist. <br /><br />They are a little vague, but that might just be bad communication skills. If you read the pastor's bio it does give you an idea of his background.<br /><br />What do Christians practice? Do they have a practice? Don't they just believe? I don't know. I've been out of that for decades.<br /><br />You're there, so you certainly know more about it that I, but I am wondering what about this group makes you describe them as fundamentalist and cultish?Davidhttp://theendlessfurther.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756920.post-62606794048517816862010-05-02T11:14:19.141-07:002010-05-02T11:14:19.141-07:00One other thing or two:
Perhaps you take umbrage ...One other thing or two:<br /><br />Perhaps you take umbrage at my use of the word "cult." Please look it up.<br /><br />But anyone who's followed this blog knows that if there is one thing that gives this blog fodder it's spiritual hucksterism, and if the lack of disclosure of beliefs and practices and heritage doesn't set of some kind of warning detector with you, I'm not sure what would, but that bit there clearly is a failure of one of my main religious/spiritual "kicking the tires" tests.Mumon Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01116967568502451788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756920.post-58563208071801185552010-05-02T11:04:35.646-07:002010-05-02T11:04:35.646-07:00How might asking how we can live together not be r...How might asking how we can live together not be right speech? How would any of what I've written be taking "anger" as a concrete entity?Mumon Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01116967568502451788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756920.post-2293734667191637732010-05-02T09:20:52.716-07:002010-05-02T09:20:52.716-07:00Are your questions examples of right speech or do ...Are your questions examples of right speech or do they reify your anger?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com