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About H4367 I was raised pretty much a fundamentalist Christ- ian, non-denominational kind. But I have changed in growing older, wandering around a bit; but as Daniel Boone supposedly said when he was asked if he were ever lost (paraphrasing), I don't know if I was lost, but I was a bit bewildered at times. Sometimes Catholicism seemed more my style, as I found myself agreeing more with their viewpoints, such as including the apochrypha as scripture. And disagreeing with them on some issues, such as perhaps the confessionals. I do not claim to have had God speak directly to me and surely do not claim infallibility. But I feel I do have some insights and would like to share some as a Judeo/Christian, not hostile to Muhamedism. *****my beliefs Actually, my beliefs are still evolving. I don't feel that Judaism and Christianity are incompatible (as they are now generally interpreted in today's versions of their religeons) and I have not studied Muhamedism very much. I think that Jesus' call to the kingdom of heaven was a call to a extreme dedication to God where the top religeous leaders of his time were inadequate in comparison. In fact, he called John the Baptist the greatest among those born of women, but the least in the "kingdom of God" was greater than him. I feel that it is possible to have a somewhat compatible multiple belief system including some apparently incompatible elements. I believe that doing this in a right way can strengthen certain aspects of one's religeon, which may be very important in these times. *****incompatibles (?) Some of the more prominent incompatibles include the following: In Judaism, there are strict restrictions against mixing in foreign elements or altering the religeon. And there are statements which suggest mixing of unequal elements is not good (such as the command not to plow with an ox and a donkey and the command not to use mixed fibers). And the concept of a man claiming to be God is offensive to many who believe in Judaism, though Muslims generally accept (as I understand it) that Jesus was a prophet. I think there is room for debate on what was meant by the "son of God" title but there are definite appparent incompatibilities. And the Catholic church I believe also frowns upon cafeteria style selection of what one chooses to believe. ***** But I am not asking anyone to change their reli- geon or commit what seems to be sacriledge. To me it is possible to integrate incompatible elements, but I don't ask anyone else to necessarily accept this. I believe there are spiritual "stances" which can be held independent of intellectual viewpoints. And that the deeper levels of spirit- ual feeling are very important. I probably get some of my greatest spiritual inspiration from reading Psalms by David while not necessarily agreeing with his literal words and not completely accepting his intellectual and emotional viewpoints of his situations. Also my feel for Christianity is different from mainstream versions of Christianity, as I feel Jesus was a lot closer to Judaism, than is commonly taught today. Though I do not follow all the Judaic precepts, I do feel I am in this tradition as well as and perhaps more than Christianity and I get a lot of strength from the "sort of Judaism" which I do not normally get in Christianity. And I also do get some things from Christianity that I don't get from Judaism. So though on the surface they are not compatible, by keeping intellectual level things separate, I feel I strengthen myself religeously. But my differences with most standard versions of Catholicism and Judaism make me an ousider if not an heretic. But I feel the differences are useful enough that I use them. My beliefs in Christianity and Judaism are not a "homogenized blend", but separate, compartmentalized views, including parts which appear incompatible. I liken it to cobblestone or conglomerate rock. I believe this can be done to advantage, though it appears to have incompatible elements. I feel the elements are compatible enough at a deeper level, and provide additional strength with possible weaknesses such as things not meshing well and perhaps being a bit awkard. I liken the combining to using a two-handed shot in tennis, which while it does have its disadvantages, can be very useful. *****separation of mental, emotional and spiritual I believe that one can and maybe should compart- mentalize one's mental, emotional and spiritual views so that one can more easily integrate spirit- ual feelings ignoring the different intellectual and emotional viewpoints. As I stated above, I get a lot of inspiration from David's Psalms, while not agreeing completely with his mental and emotional outlook in situations. For example, when I am reading that he states "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" I may not at that time feel exceptionally forsaken, or feel emotionally depressed or down, but spiritually strengthened very much.Thank you for visiting my page at Angelfire. Please come back and visit again!
