- Apr 30, 2018
- 2
- 2
- 32
- Country
- Netherlands
- Faith
- Freethinker
- Marital Status
- In Relationship
Dear all, and individual reader,
Great to encounter a forum like this, in which many people and diverse subjects can be spoken about openly.
I feel lots of subjects deserve the right questions: and all of our individual attention and contemplation with it.
But first a small introduction:
I'm a 24 year old male living in the Netherlands close to Amsterdam.
I've come in contact with Christianity through my girlfriend, whom is a Christian.
I was never open towards scriptures, or the message of the church (although I didn't have particular bad experiences with the people representing them); I've been grown up to think for myself, and associated the church with supression, narrow-mindedness (in the form of stimulating mass discrimination), and suffering through the less secular years that were present in medieval times.
Although my past atheistic worldview, and succesful growing as an individual through my teenage years up until my years on the university (therefore not feeling I 'needed something'), I felt compelled to start at least reading scriptures when I become close with my girlfriend.
Fascination started from there onward, because of many connections and symbology I've tend to encounter within stories and especially the New Testament.
Christianity to me has many different faces, not only is there the church, but the many different aspects of scripture, and the word of Yeshua itself. To me, the essence of Christianity, which should be reflected in the lifestyle of each born-again Christian, is:
- Connection. The truth connects: always.
If you tend to feel disengaged from society, there must be something wrong with your worldview, since the truth will make humanity one, as all is a part of One.
- To overcome ourselves and our selfish desires.
Christ renews the mind, which should be self-evident in each individual, whenever the fruits of the spirit are flowing out without effort.
The true Christian, which lives in alignment with Spirit, should have more ease in becoming free from the flesh; less susceptible to our daily (habitual) patterns of behaviour and desires. Christianity to me, is therefore, renewal, a (symbolic) crucifixion of ourselves and sensuality (that is, that from the five senses), and resurection into becoming the best versions of ourselves, which should have ease into living as a true Christian would in the eyes of Yeshua his image of sharing, caring, and charitability.
- Humbling ourselves.
Take no thought as immediate truth. Those of us who don't discriminate phenomenon, thoughts, and humans as directly one or the other (binary); are open. The associative mind and resulting discriminating tendencies (social psychology speaking here), are there in each of us, but not always to identify ourselves with. We can rise above natural tendencies which don't lead to the good.
I'm interested in symbology, psychology, scriptures, Yeshua, history, the different schools around in the second temple period (Essenes etc), antropology, and participating in discussions relating all of these.
I hope we can all learn from each other, and this isn't a too big of a introduction post.
Kind regards, and a piece of mind,
Gerard
Great to encounter a forum like this, in which many people and diverse subjects can be spoken about openly.
I feel lots of subjects deserve the right questions: and all of our individual attention and contemplation with it.
But first a small introduction:
I'm a 24 year old male living in the Netherlands close to Amsterdam.
I've come in contact with Christianity through my girlfriend, whom is a Christian.
I was never open towards scriptures, or the message of the church (although I didn't have particular bad experiences with the people representing them); I've been grown up to think for myself, and associated the church with supression, narrow-mindedness (in the form of stimulating mass discrimination), and suffering through the less secular years that were present in medieval times.
Although my past atheistic worldview, and succesful growing as an individual through my teenage years up until my years on the university (therefore not feeling I 'needed something'), I felt compelled to start at least reading scriptures when I become close with my girlfriend.
Fascination started from there onward, because of many connections and symbology I've tend to encounter within stories and especially the New Testament.
Christianity to me has many different faces, not only is there the church, but the many different aspects of scripture, and the word of Yeshua itself. To me, the essence of Christianity, which should be reflected in the lifestyle of each born-again Christian, is:
- Connection. The truth connects: always.
If you tend to feel disengaged from society, there must be something wrong with your worldview, since the truth will make humanity one, as all is a part of One.
- To overcome ourselves and our selfish desires.
Christ renews the mind, which should be self-evident in each individual, whenever the fruits of the spirit are flowing out without effort.
The true Christian, which lives in alignment with Spirit, should have more ease in becoming free from the flesh; less susceptible to our daily (habitual) patterns of behaviour and desires. Christianity to me, is therefore, renewal, a (symbolic) crucifixion of ourselves and sensuality (that is, that from the five senses), and resurection into becoming the best versions of ourselves, which should have ease into living as a true Christian would in the eyes of Yeshua his image of sharing, caring, and charitability.
- Humbling ourselves.
Take no thought as immediate truth. Those of us who don't discriminate phenomenon, thoughts, and humans as directly one or the other (binary); are open. The associative mind and resulting discriminating tendencies (social psychology speaking here), are there in each of us, but not always to identify ourselves with. We can rise above natural tendencies which don't lead to the good.
I'm interested in symbology, psychology, scriptures, Yeshua, history, the different schools around in the second temple period (Essenes etc), antropology, and participating in discussions relating all of these.
I hope we can all learn from each other, and this isn't a too big of a introduction post.
Kind regards, and a piece of mind,
Gerard
