DISQUS

Dad1939 · 1 year ago

Mike, I really appreciate your accepting and loving attitude. I think of those liberal Christians as more open, loving and healthier. I think of fundamentalists as more rigid, judgmental and smug about their belief that they are superior to anybody else in their views. I'm much more comfortable around someone who knows what she/he believes and is willing to listen to and consider differing views. It kind of scares me when someone is not willing to believe that they could possibly be wrong or that someone else may have an equally valid point of view.

Mike aka MonolithTMA · 1 year ago

Thanks Dad! I totally agree! As my faith evolved I became much less judgmental. It's very important to me to acknowledge that I could be wrong. As Socrates said: "The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. "

Dad1939 · 1 year ago

I'd noticed that you had become much less judgmental and more accepting. Now
GO TO BED;-)

Love 'ya!!!!
Dad

Mike aka MonolithTMA · 1 year ago

Robyn went to see Mama Mia with her friend Raeanne tonight, I had to wait for her to call. I'm heading to bed soon.

Love you too!
Mike

Doubting Foo · 1 year ago

I wonder if they are simply complacent about their belief, so much so that it doesn't occur to them to make an official break from religion. They neither go out of their way to become MORE religious nor do they make an effort to become LESS religious.

Mike aka MonolithTMA · 1 year ago

I think some are like that, yes, but the ones I speak of lead active spiritual lives, but are not tied to the dogma of orthodoxy. They are very aware of what they believe, but their belief in the Bible is much more practical, take the good, and ignore the bad.

DB · 1 year ago

I think that they just keep it private more than anything. I find that liberal Christians are more loving of others and tolerant of different opinions than fundamentalists. They are just as devout, just not as self-righteous as the fundys.

Mike aka MonolithTMA · 1 year ago

I do see evangelism attempts from liberal Christians, but they never use scare tactics, it's more of them just wanting to share this wonderful thing they are experiencing. I find that leads to some interesting discussions, but seldom to the angry debating that happens with fundamentalists.

Karla · 1 year ago

I appreciate your honesty and your mission of this blog to create real interchange in a respectful way. That's awesome. You ought to be disconnect with religion when you don't experience God. Christianity has often become distorted to be more about religion (rules and laws) than about Christ. That doesn't mean embracing permissiveness. But when morality comes through man's attempt at following laws versus Jesus indwelling a person and changing them from the inside out we move out of what real Christianity is about. Be careful though to not through out truth along with the legalism. I have experienced God's presence and His presence is available to experience. Keep seeking truth and you will find Him. I'm sorry your experience with church has been one that did not lead to knowing God intimately. I hope you will continue to look to know God in this manner and not allow your church experience to hurt your journey to Him.

I would like to continue to visit your site and participate in the interchange here. I will always be respectful.

Mike aka MonolithTMA · 1 year ago

You are most welcome here Karla, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!

beowulfs_kin · 1 year ago

In my view, liberal Christians see no need to deconvert since their views are largely the same as the world's views on things.

Mike aka MonolithTMA · 1 year ago

That was my view as well when I was a Christian. I did not see them as true Christians. Today I view them quite differently.
Jesus said "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself." Liberal Christians do this, the world does not. Jesus said "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Liberal Christians do this, the world does not. The difference between liberal and fundamentalist Christians, as I see it, is that liberal Christians tend to throw out the judgementalism.

beowulfs_kin · 1 year ago

Oh, I agree that liberal Christians care more about their neighbor than the world. I don't know what fundamentalist Christians believe (because that term is used so loosely as to be completely divorced from any definition), but as for people who are evangelical Christians (which I consider myself one) it isn't judgementalism that is the issue. It is commitment to the teachings of the Bible as a whole and within context -- not the parts that one chooses to believe.

Mike aka MonolithTMA · 1 year ago

Everyone chooses which parts they want to obey. Do you know any women that you would consider good Christian women who wear gold jewelry? As far as I know only the Mennonite women are obeying that rule. 1 Peter 3:3

beowulfs_kin · 1 year ago

Yup, that's what I expect. Look, I'm not going to get into the details of Biblical interpretation here. Needless to say, that's why I said a commitment to the "teachings of the Bible as a whole and within context". Those in the more liberal community tend to either dismiss parts they don't like or make arguments like you just made -- picking out a verse (a favorite to use is the prohibition against cooking a kid in its mother's milk or the prohibition on sexual relations during a women's menstreul period) and try to say "Isn't that silly?" Both are simply means of avoiding the hard work of understanding the "teachings of the Bible as a whole and within context".

Mike aka MonolithTMA · 1 year ago

There are wonderful teachings in scripture, but really, there are some silly parts too. To me, that doesn't make the wonderful parts any less wonderful. To me, it is the whole that matters, and not the parts.

I didn't choose that verse because I think it's silly, even though I do, I chose it as an example of one that is ignored or rationalized away.

Dan · 1 year ago

This is the exact reason for me Doubt itself, the Catalyst for Atheism

Like you Dan Barker said he started to loosen up his beliefs and became more of a liberal Christian to one day waking up blam, an atheists.

This sounds just like you Mike. When we start compromising our beliefs and thoughts to not be liars to ourselves but to be in denial of the truth. The Devil takes hold and smacks you down a path of destruction . Be depressed and be afraid because you just went down a path that will destroy you. Please come back to the correct path of Salvation. Put Christ on like a parachute please.

Mike aka MonolithTMA · 1 year ago

Dan, it was only in an attempt to retain my belief in God that I became more liberal in my beliefs, and even then, my core beliefs about Christianity were traditional evangelical ones like you hold. For 99.9% of my time as a Christian, I was a hardcore biblical literalist.

If your site, and your buddy Ray Comfort's site, were not about attacking atheists I might come back, but why would I subject myself to attacks?

Jesus only attacked high and mighty religious folks, to the rest of us he did his best to be a servant and teacher.

LuckyCurse · 1 year ago

You know, Dan, the more I read from you the more blinded by faith I think you are. If you had been born 6000 years ago in Asia, you would be just as devout to another deity or animistic spirit as you are to your current god. You would say to have faith in the spirits, or your ancestors, or the sky god, or whatever. You're a victim of your time and place, and you believe without doubt that you are correct.
This thing called faith is a blinder for you. It limits your ability to think. It causes you to believe in evil angels called Satan, and causes you to say things like, "Be depressed and be afraid because you just went down a path that will destroy you". You have no evidence for this idea. You have no proof. You simply want to believe you are correct, because if Mike is the one who is right? Well, you have so much to lose. An afterlife, seeing all of your friends and family again, your imagined control of your fears -- all of that is gone. Poof.
Talking with people like you is not easy. It is the reason why Atheists begin to call your god an 'invisible friend'. We see zero proof for the supernatural, and yet you want so badly to see it you look into a beautiful sky and pretend that is enough proof for you.
Atheism is the natural result of logic and reasoning. One day Christianity will be what we in the business call Mythology.
It's been said before and I'll say it again: You're just one god shy of Atheism.
Come on over to our side. We have cookies.
- LC

Mike aka MonolithTMA · 1 year ago

Mmmmm...cookies. :-)

Dan · 1 year ago

Correction: reason for "my"

Mike aka MonolithTMA · 1 year ago

This commenting system should allow you to correct any comments you make, for future reference. :-)

ahermit · 1 year ago

I think it takes longer for a liberal Christian to deconvert; they have an easier time living with the secular world, so the cognitive dissonance tends to be less pronounced than it is with more literally minded believers. I was raised in a pretty liberal minded branch of the Mennonite faith; took me years to let go of that last vestige of faith; but I had rejected the literal, exceptionalist kind of faith a long time before that.

Mike aka MonolithTMA · 1 year ago

And some never deconvert because they manage to glean positivity out of their faith, well that, and they still believe. Honestly, I'd still be a Christian if I still believed in it all, despite what Dan says.

matt · 1 year ago

Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck just released a great book on the growing Socialist Christian movement and what a load it truly is. Why We're Not Emergent. It is a must read.

Mike aka MonolithTMA · 1 year ago

Sounds interesting. I need to read more about the emergent church before I read that one though.