Rooted
A few of us bloggers (Andrew and Julie in particular) have been discussing ways to still find our home in our native Christianity, while not feeling trapped in exclusive language and also having the freedom to have unorthodox experiences and conversations. If the many religions, paths, and traditions are like wells that lead to the mighty underground river, we can either choose to make many and varied shallow wells or follow one or two very deeply.
I know I've mentioned this before, but this is one site that ya'll may want to check out: The Center for Progressive Christianity.
Also, I was reading a little Catherine Doherty this morning with my coffee and thought I'd share:
"When I say 'God begins to speak,' I mean that the mind is purified, the heart is at peace, and out of the depths of both come forth the gifts or the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Quietly, imperceptibly, out of this overshadowing of the Holy Spirit comes a word, a thought, a sentence, as the case may be. Someone might say, 'All this sounds very mystical.' There is a difference between what the East means by mystical and what the West means. I think the East would call normal many things that the West might term mystical. If you are in the poustinia (internal "desert" or solitude) and God knocks on your door and speaks to you, that doesn't sound mystical to me; it sounds quite normal."
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general spirituality
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5 comments:
That's a wonderful quote; fits well with the Merton I've been reading.
I'll check out the Progressive Christianity site. I have skepticism going in, though, because in my experience, "progressive" or "liberal" Christianity can be just as shallow, egocentric, and closed-off to real spirituality as "traditional" or "conservative" Christianity. I used to put a lot of emphasis on the conservative/liberal and progressive/traditional dichotomies, but more and more I find them mostly useless, because the differences are so small.
(anonymous) Andrew
Andrew -
I can understand your skepticism. I would love to hear any feedback you might have regarding their site and/or philosophy.
In particular, check out THIS PAGE as it is the "8 points" that define who they are.
Oh, I love this lady! Love this quote- and yes, yes! Thanks so much for introducing her to us.
Just popped over from Andrew's place, commenting on this post, now back to add a line or two here....
The word "God"... it's very much a part of the foundation upon which I am held together, my being cannot ever escape what I was taught of God...and I'm so very, very thankful for all that I was taught, even if I've moved beyond it now. Catherine say's exactly what I choose to evoke when I drop the "G" word. Should we feel responsible for what it evokes in another? The word "God" encapsulates so little and yet, expands the room, the notion for so much more.
Making a home in Christianity while moving into more mystical experiences is the future of Christianity- of any religion. Expounding and exploring should be encouraged while respect for all notions of God and Mystical experiences held paramount.
Thanks for being here with this quote and your thoughts. Sometimes as a Christian we feel we need to move away, beyond the level that many others hold to...and it's the exact opposite....we need to embrace and be inclusive of all levels and as we are inclusive and open, the way is paved for others to feel comfortable moving into and beyond concepts.
There's so much more I want to say, but Catherine says it all, so much better than me....
Tommy :)
Thanks for your thoughts, Tommy. Glad you're here too. :-)
Thank you for the jumbo/LARGEquote.
More commentary in two posts over on my blog... it was getting out of hand. :)
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