11 Jul 10
1 edit
Originally posted by Grampy BobbySecond issue:
[b]Please analyze this...
Please analyze this one issue: the seeming disconnect in play on a popular cyberspace
spirituality forum, in which an overwhelming majority of active posters profess atheism.
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Why all the false focus and frenzied fixation on denominations, given the fact that independent local assemblies
were established for the sake of geographic convenience in the early church? Practical format hasn't changed.
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11 Jul 10
Originally posted by Grampy BobbyI like this quote:
[b]Please analyze this...
Please analyze this one issue: the seeming disconnect in play on a popular cyberspace
spirituality forum, in which an overwhelming majority of active posters profess atheism.
.....................................................................[/b]
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or immaterial reality;[1] an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of their being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.”[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituality
1 Ewert Cousins, preface to Antoine Faivre and Jacob Needleman, Modern Esoteric Spirituality, Crossroad Publishing 1992.
2 Philip Sheldrake, A Brief History of Spirituality, Wiley-Blackwell 2007 p. 1-2
Spirituality is not limited to theistic belief. There is no disconnect.
11 Jul 10
Originally posted by Grampy BobbyOne could argue that this extends beyond just denominations. Why are the world's major religions so tied to certain geographical areas? Why is Islam popular in the Middle East and Christianity popular in the US?
[b]Second issue:
Why all the false focus and frenzied fixation on denominations, given the fact that independent local assemblies
were established for the sake of geographic convenience in the early church? Practical format hasn't changed.
................................................[/b]
11 Jul 10
Originally posted by SwissGambitPremise seems to suggest 'spirituality' is just another subjective effort or inward search
I like this quote:Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or immaterial reality;[1] an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of their being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.”[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituality
1 Ewert Cousins, preface to Antoine Faivre and Jacob Needleman, Modern Esoteri ...[text shortened]... Blackwell 2007 p. 1-2
Spirituality is not limited to theistic belief. There is no disconnect.
for relativistic values on a horizontal plane, rather than an absolute vertical connection.
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12 Jul 10
Originally posted by Grampy BobbyKind of a constrained definition of spirituality don't you think?
Premise seems to suggest 'spirituality' is just another subjective effort or inward search
for relativistic values on a horizontal plane, rather than an absolute vertical connection.
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Its a thing shared by all of us, hard to constrict it with your own biases
12 Jul 10
Originally posted by Grampy BobbyTo Grampy Bobby
Premise seems to suggest 'spirituality' is just another subjective effort or inward search
for relativistic values on a horizontal plane, rather than an absolute vertical connection.
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Spirituality, is ones eternal darma, which is absolute and unchanging, but religiosity, is like the weather, it constantly changes by the whim of the practitioner.
vishva
12 Jul 10
1 edit
Originally posted by Grampy Bobby================================
[b]Second issue:
Why all the false focus and frenzied fixation on denominations, given the fact that independent local assemblies
were established for the sake of geographic convenience in the early church? Practical format hasn't changed.
................................................[/b]
Why all the false focus and frenzied fixation on denominations, given the fact that independent local assemblies
were established for the sake of geographic convenience in the early church? Practical format hasn't changed.
===================================
The error lies here. In each locality we see one church established. There is no instance of plural "churches" in one city.
As soon as you have one city with multiple churches you deviate from the New Testament model. And this is an indication of the work of the flesh - schisms.
One city was matched with one local church in the New Testament. Elders were appointed according to cities (Titus 1:5). When we compare this passage to Acts 14:23 we can see that the team of elders were established to care for all of the Christians in a city.
(No limitation on the number of elders is given, other then the fact that it was always a plurality, a team)
There are four occurences of the mentioning of a church in someone's house. But I believe on closer examination these were also city wide churches which usually started in someone's home.
The clearest word concerning how God viewed the establishment of practical local assemblies is in Revelation 1:11. There again the virtual name of the church is the name of the CITY. One city matched with one church:
"What you see write in a scroll and send it to the seven churches:
to Ephesus
and to Smyrna
and to Pergamos
and to Thyatira
and to Sardis
and to Philadelphia
and to Laodicea." (Rev. 1:11)
One city matched with one church. Denominationalism divides the local city wide church into several kinds of churches within one city. This is man's idea. God's way cannot be improved upon. His way was one city matched with one city wide church.
(One city wide church does not necessarily mean one meeting facility. One city matched with one church does not necessarily mean one physical meeting place. The singular church in Jerusalem met in the temple and from house to house. And conservatively, the church in Jerusalem may have well consisted of 10,000 believers at least after Peter's two gospel messages.
The one church in Jerusalem met from house to house. The thousand some Christians in Jerusalem were viewed by God as one church in Jerusalem.
12 Jul 10
Originally posted by SwissGambityeah. I thought it was like 45/45 .. and then the rest
Is it really an overwhelming majority of atheists? What about jaywill, robbiecarrobie, galveston, ConrauK, freakyKBH, josephw, epiphenias, zahlanzi, etc. - seems like there is a solid core of theists here too. I'm sure there are several more names available just by scanning the first page.
12 Jul 10
Originally posted by AThousandYoung"Please analyze this one issue: the seeming disconnect in play* on a popular cyberspace
I like to analyze stuff, but what you want me to analyze makes no sense. Do you mean "play" as in number of chess games or rating or something?
spirituality forum, in which an overwhelming majority of active posters profess atheism."
* Idiom 'in play': simply the ball in play, part of the game, on the table, frequent focus.
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12 Jul 10
Originally posted by Grampy BobbyThere are far more theists than atheists in the world. The atheists are just louder.
"Please analyze this one issue: the seeming disconnect [b]in play* on a popular cyberspace
spirituality forum, in which an overwhelming majority of active posters profess atheism."
* Idiom 'in play': simply the ball in play, part of the game, on the table, frequent focus.
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12 Jul 10
1 edit
Originally posted by PinkFloydI'm not sure about that. Fundamentalists seem to be quite loud.
There are far more theists than atheists in the world. The atheists are just louder.
If others doesn't protest about the desinformation spread by the fundamentalists, then we would regress to biblical times science, quite soon.