Disqus - Latest Comments for Lorena

Re: Discombobula: The Uncreated?

Lorena — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:09:29 -0000

For a long time I've been thinking of reading Thomas Merton. Which is your favourite book of his? Is it Catholic or just mystic?

Re: Discombobula

Lorena — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 23:49:29 -0000

I like that poem. It makes me feel happy! I wonder why? Could it be that by pointing out details I seldom take time to observe, it makes me live in the now?

Re: Discombobula: Back in the Land of the Living

Lorena — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 19:46:52 -0000

I'm sorry to hear that you're under the weather. I have been feeling about the same as you. I'm feeling better. I hope you are too. Visit my knew blog when you have a minute I won't advertise it on my current blog, so I hope to see you there. I think you will like it.

Re: Discombobula: Sunday Selections

Lorena — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 21:47:15 -0000

That's adorable!

Re: The OTHER Sexual Abuse Scandal in the Evangelical Church

Lorena — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:32:23 -0000

Wow. It sounds like you could write one steamy book, Bruce.

Re: Sexual Abuse in The Evangelical Church

Lorena — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 17:45:38 -0000

"
. When someone new comes into the church and tells them about how Jesus changed their life they rarely doubt the person’s testimony. People are taken at face value. "

Unless, of course, the person is a woman who wants to be in ministry, or a person of a visible minority.

Re: Should You Forgive Someone Who Has Anger Issues?

Lorena — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:17:15 -0000

I think that the most important question we should ask ourselves is, "Am I doing this person a favour by taking his or her crap?"

More often than not, what we're doing is enabling them, allowing them to stay blind to the damage they cause us.

I have a sister who thinks it's alright to scream at me and to put me down whenever she wants. After one such incident I told her to stay away from me, and I've made good on the promise I made to myself of not contacting her. She needs to know how much she hurts me. Because it isn't good for her to go around hurting others.

Re: Should You Forgive Someone Who Has Anger Issues?

Lorena — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:13:27 -0000

Wow! Thank you for writing that last paragraph. I needed that today. Thank you. Thank you. As you may know, I have issues with my entire file of origin. And I struggle with "Should I keep in touch with them should I not" thing.

But you've reminded me that I can forgive them, yes. I can sweep what they've done to me under the rug by rationalizing that they don't know any better, yes. But ... I can't let them hurt me again. Because the cost to me is too high.

Thanks again.

Re: A Tragic Tale of Abuse in Broken Arrow Oklahoma

Lorena — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:59:57 -0000

I had a hard time following the Kiera Feldman article, so I googled the case. I found this oh-so-sickening timeline.
http://www.lipstickalley.co...

Re: Yes You Do, Now Shut Up and Own It

Lorena — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:33:50 -0000

I felt sick when I watched that video. To me, it was child abuse.

Re: Why It Is So Difficult for Pastors to Leave the Ministry

Lorena — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 22:39:50 -0000

To the point. Nicely said. Interestingly enough, a number of those reasons are the same ones that made it hard for me to leave the faith. After I had left, the same reasons made it difficult to tell my extended family.

Re: My Growing Problem With Liberal Christianity

Lorena — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 21:05:37 -0000

First, sorry, but I couldn't understand your comment. It went completely over my head. I have no idea what you're trying to say.

Second, I didn't say I believed the stuff. I just described it. I see it as a feel-good alternative for those who need some sort of god. I don't know if I believe it because I'm not sure I understand it. That's why I won't argue with anyone about it :-)

Re: My Growing Problem With Liberal Christianity

Lorena — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 17:49:01 -0000

"
I am of the opinion that a fair number of liberal Christians are actually agnostics or atheists who just so happen to like going to church on Sunday. "

Exactly ... you got it. They are. They truly are.

That's why I like Science of Mind.They down right tell you that there is NO GOD outside the material world. And that what they call GOD is the universe. Everything is GOD: flowers, dust, you, me. When you see it that way, a lot of Bible verses can be adopted, for example, "for in him we live and move and have our being." Or, "The Father and Me are one." (Basically, they teach that every person is an incarnation of god, just like Jesus is said to be, but in my opinion, it is just a way to interpret the world).

They use the Bible sometimes, as a metaphor only, ALL OF IT. They don't believe in redemption or in heaven or hell or sin or any of that non-sense. They just help you learn positive thinking principles to live your life by, while accepting evolution and gay rights and women's right to choose, etc.

Whereas people like Grace, have this complicated view in which, yeah we're sinners, but not really. Yeah, the Bible is the word of god, but sometimes.... blah, blah, blah. Oh my gosh, it makes me ill just to think of it.

My belief is that at least the leaders are agnostics. The followers don't really know. They just go to church on Sunday and have no interest in taking it any further.

Re: Through the Glass Clearly

Lorena — Thu, 31 May 2012 14:49:45 -0000

Very interesting insights, I must say. To me, when I see the jar reflected in the mirror, I think the mirror is other people's opinion's of me. Such an image is on my way to a better future for myself. So, I would have to crush the mirror and go forward. Because often, other people have no clue, so I have to ignore them.

Re: The Superstars of the Skeptic Community

Lorena — Wed, 30 May 2012 18:04:48 -0000

I only average about 150 readers a day, but that's still quite a few people who are searching. Around where I live, I started the first atheist meet up in 2006. Now we have all kinds of skeptic groups. So, yeah, the ball is rolling and there is no turning back.

Re: I Don’t Want to Die

Lorena — Tue, 29 May 2012 17:56:58 -0000

I wish I could say the same. There are days when becoming dust is an excellent option. But there are others when life is good and I so want to stick around.

Re: Is God Punishing Me for My Sin?

Lorena — Sat, 26 May 2012 11:26:42 -0000

Unfortunately for me, I haven't been able to shake off the conformist, fatalist state of mind I had as a Christian. I am referring to "Whatever will happen will happen because God is in control."

In other words, Christianity made me lazy. I'm trying to have a spark, but I'm finding it hard ;(

Re: The Day Two Rule

Lorena — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:20:37 -0000

You know, Bruce, I been thinking about that recently. As a child, I wasn't allowed to play without guilt. I wasn't even six when mom said I was lazy and my husband was going to beat me for it. If she was around, we had to be on our feet pretending to do something.

Guess what! Nowadays I sit starting at blank space for entire days-- and I feel guilty the whole time. I can only function with external pressure. And the stress of the guilt is killing me health-wise. Isn't that crazy?

Re: A Time to Trim

Lorena — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:09:47 -0000

I haven't trimmed out very much. Same all boring stuff.

Re: Dear Mom and Dad

Lorena — Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:13 -0000

"After decades of living under the thumb of Jesus we are now free to embrace who we really are. We are free to be Bruce and Polly without any modifiers added to our name. We have had a rebirth, a rebirth that allows us to freely embrace life as it is and this us allows to be authentic human beings."

Bruce, that paragraph made me think that if there was a loving god in heaven, that's exactly what he would want you to do. You know, religion doesn't necessarily have to be awful. But people make it so. I always say that if we have to make up a god, we should create a nice one.

Re: http://discombobula.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-dont-know-and-i-dont-care.html

Lorena — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:40:15 -0000

I love this post. There is so much honesty, soul baring, and truth in it.

Re: Discombobula: Myth and Reality

Lorena — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:12:59 -0000

I love the word archetype. Thank you for bringing it into the conversation. I was reading Ernest Holmes yesterday, and he said this, "An inquiry into truth is an inquiry into the cause of things as the human race sees and experiences them."
I like that, because if we see religion as an explanation of how we see things, as an illustration of our understanding, then it becomes wisdom. Then our religion can evolve as our understanding evolves. Then it becomes a repository of the human experience through the ages; and therefore, it helps us understand ourselves.

Years ago, I tried New Thought (Science of Mind, Unity) and dismissed it. Why? Because when you go to their churches you find out that the parishioners don't understand anything and just believe it and parrot it in a traditional religious manner. (Who can blame them, to understand Ernest Homes and Charles Fillmore one has to smoke something)

I threw the baby out with the bath water, thinking there was no baby, but I've started to think that there was. Some of us are mystics and need "something," which New Thought does offer, by explaining the Bible and other sacred books as mythology and metaphors.

Re: The Hamites Respond

Lorena — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:31:37 -0000

Amazing how arrogant and know-it-all Christians are. Just like I used to be. Sigh.

Re: Stupid Church Sign of the Week | The Way Forward

Lorena — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:26:30 -0000

I like that you say the glory or the blame. Believers give him the glory and spare him the blame. Christians accuse us of blaming god, not realizing that we can't blame someone we don't believe exists.

Re: The Problem With Moving Away

Lorena — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:01:23 -0000

I find it difficult being different when I go home. But I still love it. There are so many people there that I see, that it doesn't matter if I am different. I see everyone briefly enough so that we don't have to meddle on each other's business very much. But... I don't come from a small town. More than a million ppl in my town, so it is different.

Do I shock them? Hell I do. But it is good for people to be shocked, even if they don't come to think like you, their minds are pried open just a little. My hope is that I am leaving some sort of legacy behind in my family, that the next person who decides to step away from the faith will have me to think of for strength.