Alternative believing - make it your own

[Mark5588]

Hi all,

I'll be brief and if there is interest in discussion I can elaborate.  I "inherited" mainstream protestatism veered to early 90s evangelism after high school.  I even attended a very conservative bible college for semester - the memory scars of which I will always carry but have faded.  Later in life I discovered several 40s era authors who were supportive of christian beliefs but critical of how they were practiced (and society in general).  Consider quotes from the widely esteemed christian author CS Lewis:

"The world is so little used to seeing a believer that it is easy to see him as an oddity." from the preface of "A Mind Awake"

and

"It took me as long to acquire inhibitions as others (they say) have taken to get rid of them. That is why I often find myself at such cross-purposes with the modern world: I have been a converted Pagan living among apostate Puritans."  Surprised by Joy, ch. 4

Lewis also had generous inter-faith (other religions) leanings documented in Mere Christianity and Abolition of Man.  It seems odd that one of his books was a staple of Evangelism when he was so openly critical of it's practice.

From the 70s and later is the (very?) alternative christian writer M. Scott Peck who has advised that we make our beliefs your own - even "hitting pause" for a time.  His Stages Of Spiritual Growth may be helpful to some. 

Lastly, what has helped me is to learn to read critically, think and be respectfully discrete among those with rigid or opposing views.  They have to decide for themselves as well.

Best to all!

Mark

PS Great message board software. The formatting options and that it saved my post even when I switched pages to log in are super!

 

[TheRedneckProfessor]

Hi, Mark; and welcome to our forums.  I tend to agree about Lewis; and, when I was a christian, found great appreciation for his intellectual approach to the faith.  I still enjoy his writing, though obviously from a different perspective now.  

 

I believe you'll find many of us here who hold to the "believe however you want" viewpoint.

[midniterider]

Welcome , Mark.

[Joshpantera]

I have a copy of Mere Christianity on my book shelf. I went through a phase of researching in the early 2000's and read Lewis. But my take away was that Lewis was mistaken in a number of ways. Which lead me further along. I read Strobel's Case for Christ and was quite let down by the book, actually. But it oriented me to the fact that minimalist's exist and that there's question of the historicity of the jesus myth. Both books played a role in what became a deeper search for truths. Even though I largely disagree with the content of both books. It helped orient me towards a broader opinion based on an awareness of the playing field that I was not aware of previously. 

[Wertbag]

On 12/31/2020 at 10:02 AM, Mark5588 said:

"The world is so little used to seeing a believer that it is easy to see him as an oddity."

What a strange thing to say.  Christianity has always been the majority in the western world, and belief in general is the norm throughout the world.  Does the text around that quote clarify why he felt alone?

[◊ Weezer ◊]

On 1/6/2021 at 8:42 PM, Wertbag said:

What a strange thing to say.  Christianity has always been the majority in the western world, and belief in general is the norm throughout the world.  Does the text around that quote clarify why he felt alone?

 

Interesting that Mark posted this topic and never returned.