Communal Dimension of Faith

[illuminaut]

 
Mark Galli, managing editor of the Evangelical magazine Christianity Today, said:

"It's a cliche now to call institutional religion 'oppressive, patriarchal, out of date and out of touch.' So what else is new? I feel sorry for those people who don't think there's anything greater than themselves. It must feel like a lonely and frightening

Comments

In Whom Do You Put Your Trust?

[contentlove]

I would agree that community is required in order to have community and peers. However, I know from experience that membership in an institutional religion is not a requirement for such community.

If it works for you, that's wonderful, but there are many ways to get the juice. The choice is not an either/or between people who don't think there's anything greater than themselves and people who are members of an institutional religion, that's my only point here.

Re: In Whom Do You Put Your Trust?

[illuminaut]

If you note my emphasis, you will see the communal aspect as the crux of my agreement, not the institutionalized religion. You can absolutely have a community without institutional religion. Though it is more likely that an organized religion will be where you find such a community, there are spirituality centers and meet-ups all over this country that could fill the same role

Danger Will Robinson!

[stevensteven]

Fortunately, we live in a country that allows the outlet of personal lone ranger spirituality.

If one is part of a community, and accepts the statement above as being true, wouldn't that create a very dangerous feedback loop?

If people could reach a greater depth of divinity through community, wouldn't that encourage individuals if not out of obligation out selfish self interest to want to grow that community, to both nurture and push forward that community so that they as individuals could reach to greater depths of God?

I advise you to delete this post immediately as this is the type of dangerous information that can turn small groups into large groups with beautiful temples full of enlightened members.

Ask

[shepjoe]

Austin Spare- but lo and behold he did have a community aroun dhim- we are Social Beings and all of us are a part of the whole- the more people you meet the more of IT one gets to KNOW - AH