Recent content by TheOldWays

i used the RSB back in the day.

don't put so much pressure on yourself. God is understanding. You don't have to fire yourself up to 'praise and worship' if you don't feel it. Allow yourself to feel 'flat' in church. Allow yourself time to figure out your faith. Allow yourself to take a break from serving. Allow yourself to...

My kind of belief in the afterlife is a huge motivator for me to do good in the world here and now as well.

Agree with you on the length. Always found Orthodox services a bit drawn out. Catholic services are a bit more concise, which I like.

well put. that is the point of liturgy. When you attend mass, it is the bringing heaven to earth. a meeting of the the two realms. you are in the presence of the divine.

I agree. I think liturgy is a key concept to Christianity. It is a deep well where Christian's can drink as much water as they require. I feel spiritually refreshed after mass. When attended more Protestant churches in the past, I was still spiritually thirsty when I left. I remember an Orthodox...

Yes, the gnostic gospels have a lot in common with Buddhism. I don't subscribe to them anymore but I can't deny they were a big part of my spiritual journey once upon a time.

The practices can be. Anything meditative I think can be used in all paths. The teachings of zen are probably not. Zen will say there is a god and there isn't a god and it doesn't matter if there is or isn't. Obviously not an orthodox Christian mindset. Although it's a mindset I still hold.

Mainly what my learned from practicing zen budhhism. Allows me to just 'chill' and enjoy the experience without getting caught up in the what if's, but's and why's. :)

Ya. Buddhism has a version as well, where a 'supreme' creator god thought he was....God...turns out he wasn't and died. Demiuge is the same idea. The true God was called the God above god. Black Iron Prison was the idea that humans are stuck in a prison of samsara, endlessly reborn under the...

been a while. Gnostic thought was my road out of Christianity and expanded my spiritual path. i think the main aspect of gnostic Christianity that grabbed me was it's view on the demiurge (god who thought he was god but wasn't really) and the idea of the Black Iron Prison. 10 years later i...

That was my first step out of orthodox Christianity many years ago. Got into gnostic thought and the Nag Hammadi scriptures. was an interesting time.

I hear ya. I hit the early mass on Sunday. 7:30am. Quiet. I get a whole pew to myself. :)

Don't overthink it cloudy. Just go to mass or divine liturgy to experience it. Don't worry about what you believe. Just experience it. That's the beauty of the mass or divine liturgy compared to a regular protestant sunday service.

You could tell her that you would rather not take it right now. You want to speak to a priest and have confession or something like that. At mass I notice a lot of times people won't take communion who normally do. It's personal for everyone. That's why I go to mass. I don't hold myself to...