September, 2006

Being a Dallas Cowboy fan and living in North Texas can be a mixed blessing. This week has been no exception.

For anyone who doesn't know, Terrell Owens is a very controversial wide reciever for the Cowboys. His exploits are many and well documented. His behavior has earned him a infamous reputation. Many love him, but just as many HATE him. Here is a synopsis of the latest incident:

link

continue reading "TERRELL OWENS"

The Valentinian Gnostic idea of a counterfeit world or religion developed by the minions of an arrogant, ignorant creator god is just too useful to cast aside.

While reading the threads started by Chip and Brian and the comments, I was reminded again of how humankind tends to turn faith into religion, and the real thing into the counterfeit. Faith morphs into burdensome religion from liberating truth.

continue reading "Counterfeit Faith"

I just recently got Karen Armstrong's book "Buddha". I have not made it very far do to time constraints, but I have read enough to be intrigued by something. The original Buddha (I cannot remember his name) apparently abandoned his family, a wife and an infant son, to set out on a spiritual journey. Armstrong claims that this fits in with Jesus' teaching that one should leave their families in order to be one of his disciples. This notion clearly doesn't square with the current doctrine of family values that so many Christians teach.

continue reading "CULT OF FAMILY VALUES"

The Idolatry of Scripture

I was reading and posting on a fundamentalist blog recently, and one discussion really caught my attention. I tried to post my thoughts on that blog, but my article was never posted (I don’t know if was because of content or technical difficulties). Regardless, I felt that my ideas would be received in a more constructive manner on fatihcommons. I look forward to any replies made to my post.

continue reading "The Idolatry of Scripture"

One of the problems with church is that it is just like most other human organizations: competitiveness rules.

In our market driven, liberal and free society, we champion the champions, fight for freedom to choose, and liberate the markets. Liberal, by the way, does not mean take-care-of-the-marginalized. No, it means the opposite.

continue reading "The Problem With Church"

It seems that many people may be more comfortable starting threads and discussing topics within a forum than they are posting comments to a typical blog post. Forums are usually less formal and usually not posted to the front page of a web site. Responses may be shorter and less formal.

Also, forum topics are usually less wordy and less complicated

continue reading "A Switch in Focus and a Shift in Gears"

Yesterday I received email from the webmaster of a legal services advertising group asking that faithCommons link to his website. He had picked out just the right page—among several thousand currently published here—and proposed putting a link to his site on that page. The page he thought best suited to advertise his client's legal services is a chapter in Reido's Church Without Walls. Why he found that page suitable, I have no clue. But cluelessness didn't start with me in this matter.

Below is an edited version of the email—edited to avoid giving search engine page rank—I received and below that is my reply.

continue reading "Web Link Spamming and Sharing the Commons"

South Pacific Centre for Human Inquiry

This site contains some very interesting articles and e-books by John Heron. I won't attempt to categorize Heron's spirituality teaching. Some Christians would dismiss his approach and writings offhand. But, if your looking for evocative reading on spirituality by someone with decades of research and experience, check it out.

In an article titled Spiritual inquiry as divine becoming, Heron writes the following.

continue reading "Center For Human Inquiry"

What exactly is art? Is it pretty, or just an expensive rarity? Is it merely the output of someone who claims to be an artist? Or is art only art when the art authorities declare it to be so? Similar questions could be asked about spiritual truth. Do we need “experts” to tell us what is truth? Is truth spoken only by those with the proper training? Can truth only be recognized by those with special training or titles? The answer to all is NO. And I hope to convince you that you not only have the ability to recognize truth and true creativity, but that Christianity started off as a heresy that claimed just this.

continue reading "What is Art? What is Truth? And Who Desides?"

Is the New Testament book called 1^st John a polemic against gnostics and Antichrists? Does the writer warn of dangerous false prophets—heretical teachers of docetism—or is he reassuring his beloved students and reminding them of important concepts in the wake of a community schism? It's time to take another look.

continue reading "Sentiments On First John: Against Gnostics Or Literalists?"

I have an issue about this site which i wish to raise with the owner or somebody 'in charge' so to speak. Is there someone who I should Email?

Much of what we discuss here, folks might think of as equivalent to fixation on the study of belly buttons -- kind of egghead stuff that the REAL world doesn't get overly concerned with.

This topic may not be so docile. It concerns the fact that humanity has its greatest difficulty getting along with those it is closest to. That is, our greatest fear should not be obliteration by those who are opposites on the Square of Opposition, but those right next to us. Take Islam, for example -- not just Christianity's relationship to it, but its relationship to Christianity. Theologically, one might think in terms of brothers -- alike in many ways...even disliking the similarities.

continue reading "Love Thy Neighbor"

This idea surfaces in many Emergent writings -- I saw it again at Malcolm Chamberlains website. Some may think that Emergent represents a bunch of people who believe they have the answers. No...they may have some of the answers for some of the people, but most I have conversed with will freely admit that they have more questions than answers.

But, if asked to respond to a question of belief, it is likely that many of us will think in terms of "not." That is, I am not a believer who follows the linear patternistic approach to Faith. Subjective Faith makes a lot of Objectivists uncomfortable, but in fairness it only equals my own discomfort with the ball and chain of their own chosen expression of faith.

continue reading "Non-Linear Faith Development"