Snarfblat asks;
> are very many of you religious? In my experience, organized
> religion is a very patriarchial and constrictive environment,
> which I would imagine, would put off most people here.
> Is there a near mutual exclusion between open minded women
> (or men) and the church?
First off, as many have already pointed out, organized religion
need not mean Christianity. That said, it seems you are asking
if very many people are put off by mainstream organized
western religion (i.e.; Christianity in its various forms).
Speaking for myself...
I've recently unplugged from The Matrix (Christianity). As a
child and into early adulthood, I went to church like a good
little sheep and believed what I was told because I'd always
been told to believe it. It took a long time to be able to step
outside of myself and my upbringing and look at the Church
objectively.
x = Christian doctrine states clearly that Christianity is the
only path to righteousness; that it is a sin to practice, or
acknowledge any other religion, god, or practice, including
non belief / atheism.
y = Nearly every creed and tradition in Christianity is plagiarized
from the very pagan religions it abhors, including many details
of Christ's life as celebrated in the cannon bible.
Where then do x and y intersect? How does one practice a
religion built on other religions that it is a sin to practice?
I have spoken to people who claim to be fully aware of these
facts, yet have somehow found an intersection. I have not.
x = I believe in equality of all peoples, regardless of race,
gender, sexual orientation, etc.
y = The Christian Bible and especially Church doctrine is filled
with themes of racism, sexism and homophobia.
Again, I personally fail to find an intersection between x and y.
Add to that the horrifying amount of violence, bloodshed, war,
oppression, and persecution found in and advocated by
Christianity, and -my- answer to your question is yes; I see
open mindedness and the Church as mutually exclusive. Note
the word -I-. I know people whom I consider very open minded
and whom also claim Christianity (I'd like to think that -I- was
pretty open minded while I was still going to Church like a good
little sheep). But now, having been unplugged from The Matrix,
when I hear the phrase "Open minded Christian" I can't help but
think "Black Klansman" ... "Jewish Nazi" ...
*** Note also, I am referring to organized Christianity, not
Christ the person. Of what little is known about Yeshua
of Nazareth, I find pretty cool. He was a street preacher,
preaching equality between race class and gender (and speaking
-against- organized religion, ironically) during a time when it
was extremely dangerous and unpopular to do so. I find very
little commonality between Yeshua, and the religion that his
executioners eventually formed in his Greek name.
- Mary; hoping she threw enough disclaimers and qualifiers
on this post to avoid total barbecue.
--
"The dream dreams the dreamer"
- Talaxian proverb
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