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Welcome!
Mahatma Gandhi said, "I believe in the fundamental truth of all great religions of the world. I believe that they are all God-given and I believe that they were necessary for the people to whom these religions were revealed. And I believe that if only we could all of us read the scripture of different faiths from the standpoint of the followers of these faiths, we would find that we're at bottom all one and we're all helpful to one another."
It would be difficult to say it any better than Gandhi. It would be extremely arrogant to believe that how God is revealed to me is the same way that God is revealed to everyone. As any teacher knows, all children do not learn in the same manner. It is, therefore, necessary to use different methods that match the learner. After all, are we not God's children? Are we not learning continuously?
I further believe that every religion has had things added and deleted parts to suit the purposes of those in power at the time. An example of this is King James choosing to translate the word 'deaconess' as 'servant' when it referred to a woman - Phoebe.
It is, therefore, my journey to discern the good from the garbage - to return to the old way. If you would like to join me as I walk my path, I would be glad of the companionship of a friend. |
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I am a Christian, a Baptist, a mystic, and Wiccan.
Some might say, "This is impossible These ideas and philosophies are too different. You don't know what you are saying. Are you insane?" I, however, do not see these philosophies as contradictory.
At its simplest level, mysticism is a search for enlightenment -- the ultimate goal being union with the Divine. Mystics have been found in many religions, including Christianity.
Wiccan philosophy teaches that the Earth and all her elements have a powerful affect on religious rites and rituals and the Wiccan Law states "an' ye harm none, do what ye will";.
Let's begin with rituals. All Christian holidays are centered around the seasons. Examples of this are Christmas and Easter. Most traditional Christians just ignore this fact.
Next, there is "an' ye harm none..", is this not what Jesus taught - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35 NIV)
Now we get to the Baptist part. Before we start, I must say that I believe in the principles originally set forth by the Baptist. Forget all the women submissive stuff and "the believe like me or go to hell" stuff. These are not part of the 1925 or the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message. I do not accept the changes in the 1999 or 2000 versions of the above mentioned publication.
I agree with the original beliefs which set Baptists apart from other Protestant denominations. The first of these is Separation of Church and State. Yes, you read that right -- Baptists. The second is the Universal Priesthood of the Believer. This means that I, as a believer, am just as able to converse with the Divine as the Pope, a Rabbi, or minister. The third belief on which the Baptist denomination was founded is the Autonomy of the Local Church which means that each church is a separate entity, only loosely joined to the large state and national organizations.
So, you see that these philosophies can work together. They are not exactly the original of each, but they can work very nicely together as something unique. |
