tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post4317565526169311439..comments2024-03-26T16:24:34.218+00:00Comments on Meeting The Masters: More on Different Spiritual PrioritiesWilliam Wildbloodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231219533755925897noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post-51989572305249626832022-08-05T08:50:24.719+00:002022-08-05T08:50:24.719+00:00Excellent comment, Lady Mermaid. I agree with what...Excellent comment, Lady Mermaid. I agree with what you say about the path of Peter. We will always need an outer body to manifest the inner soul but sometimes the form of the body has to change to come to terms with a greater understanding of the soul.William Wildbloodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13231219533755925897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post-38331617782494715492022-08-05T01:53:32.263+00:002022-08-05T01:53:32.263+00:00I wholeheartedly agree that Satan is laughing at b...I wholeheartedly agree that Satan is laughing at believers tearing each other apart again. The inability for Christians to remain united was a major factor in Islam's triumph in North Africa and the Middle East. Satan is quite pleased indeed. <br /><br />The "birth factor" is something that resonates w/ me to a certain extent. I was born and raised a Baptist in the American south. I went through a long period starting in late high school of questioning my faith. I finally found an assurance of my faith three years ago and embrace the religion of my family. I found Christ separately from my church, but my church helps develop my understanding if that make sense. I love my church, but if I were to ever lose it my faith in Christ will still abound. <br /><br />While I agree that consciousness has changed, I don't think this is necessarily the whole story of the triumph of modernity. Consciousness has always changed from the time of Adam. It's also true that our ancestors did have easier access and greater awareness of the supernatural than us moderns. <br /><br />However, the breakdown of tradition also played a factor. I pointed out on Francis's blog that when discussing tradition v. intuition, the large elephant in the room is which tradition? Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholicism both claim the be the true Church. Orthodoxy further divides into Oriental v. Eastern. Adding Protestantism into the mix will really complicate matters. It's hard to say "follow tradition" when there are competing authorities. <br /><br />Jesus prayed for His body to be as one so the world will come to know Him. That prayer obviously remains unanswered at the present time. However, the feebleness of modern institutions presents a great opportunity. While the path of John has always been necessary, I don't believe that the path of Peter is finished yet. While the inner church will always be primary, an outer will eventually arise from that inner. The current outer churches may fall, but something will arise from the ashes as God separates the wheat from the chaff.Lady Mermaidhttp://www.twitter.com/mermaid_2007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post-14518751782130745862022-08-04T13:35:38.491+00:002022-08-04T13:35:38.491+00:00The only real Christians are the ones that try to ...The only real Christians are the ones that try to forge a personal relationship with Christ never mind what church they are in or none. A church only exists because of Christ. He is what matters and not the church.William Wildbloodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13231219533755925897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post-34770502545205868772022-08-04T11:51:34.680+00:002022-08-04T11:51:34.680+00:00"This looks like being another sad story of b..."This looks like being another sad story of believers fighting each other instead of seeing that there are bigger fish to fry nowadays. "<br /><br />I agree; because 1. most Christians are in churches; 2. the real/ serious Christians (in The West) are spread across many churches/ denominations (as well as no church). But 3. they seem to be a pretty small minority in all churches. <br /><br />If strict traditional-orthodox definitions of who-is-a-Christian apply, then the situation is extremely bad - whichever kind of Christian is assumed to be The One True Church, there are very few of them. <br /><br />I cannot ignore that (by all appearances, from what I can discover) a large proportion of church going Christians ceased to practice from the birdemic (it seems that church attendance has probably gone done some tens of percent since the birdemic lockdowns which is about a ten-twenty-fold increase in the rate of decline).<br /><br />So if all churches are in decline and Christians are indeed spread across many churches and no church - then it seems more important than ever that those who follow Christ recognize and support each other. <br /><br />This can only be a robust and genuine alliance, however, if 'Christian' is understood in a way that cuts-across the denominations which contain good Christians, and if real Christianity is recognized to be possible for current and future non-church members. <br /><br /> Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1513199068907090344.post-15395363884514180692022-08-03T15:25:34.391+00:002022-08-03T15:25:34.391+00:00"This debate is irrelevant to God because he ..."This debate is irrelevant to God because he looks at the heart."<br /><br />Word. <br /><br />The issues at stake are more political-cultural than religious.High Atlantisnoreply@blogger.com