Why do you consider yourself a 'liberal' Christian?

Rising Tree said:

Because

1. I came onto CF seeking answers that I had realized that I did not have, and

2. Almost every time I got into a heavy discussion, my views shifted to the left a little. That's right, folks, CF is the primary reason I'm a liberal now.

It's funny...the other day, I took an inventory of my core beliefs, and virtually every one of them except for a few were liberal in nature. It wasn't that happened in one swing of the bat; I just started changing, and after awhile, I realized, lo and behold, I'm a liberal. :o

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This is what we call "being born again!"

Well, I'm still a work in progress. I'm nearing completion, I think, but I still have a little ways to go.

Rising Tree said:

It's funny...the other day, I took an inventory of my core beliefs, and virtually every one of them except for a few were liberal in nature. It wasn't that happened in one swing of the bat; I just started changing, and after awhile, I realized, lo and behold, I'm a liberal. :o

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Yeah, when all those line drives kept landing in left field it was probably a good clue!

It's been a long time since I have lurked here at CF. Like Rising Tree, it has made me more liberal.

When I first came here I was involved in an conservative-evangelical church and my views learned toward conservative. I was only liberal in that I had a heart for the poor. I know some conservatives work with the less-fortunate (good!) but...they tend to be the poor person's worst enemy.

I found that as I got involved in discussions (on anything) I was constantly aligning myself with a more liberal viewpoint, meaning more open-minded about asking questions that good conservatives fight against.

I also got disgusted with the way in which a sizable number of conservatives argue their views. It seems that many (not all!) take pride in being disagreeable at best and hateful at worst. I began to wonder if a conservative viewpoint creates certain personality traits-traits that I was not comfortable emulating. Or mabe it's the other way around...or both. They seemed to follow the thinking of the phrase by E Hubble "If you can't answer a man's arguments, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names."

I began to get depressed as saw some of my liberal and/or "free-thinking" friends get banned for asking "bad" questions.

The more I interacted on CF the more depressed I became because I felt that conservatives were arguing from personal psychology rather a love for God.
For these and other reasons, I stopping trying to be conservative and quit my church. When someone at church told me I was asking questions "like a liberal", I knew it was time to jump ship.

I'll say this much, taking a liberal stance on issues is difficult. It requires so much more then cookie-cutter theology. I don't like it a whole lot. As a conservative I was not required to actually love people in practice but just to give lip-service to that concept. I could tell my foes, "I love you in the Lord" when they made me mad and I could do that just to upset them. As a conservative, I was not required to ask questions about or try to look at both sides of an issue.

The historian Richard Hofstater said that conservatives have "a single minded commitment to to one idea, hostility toward liberal inquiry." (They will) "tolerate ambigities, no equivocations, no reservations and no criticism" -From "Anti-intellectualism in American Life"

BTW, When I speak of conservatives, I don't mean to speak of every individual that takes that name. I think of the conservative reponse to the world as a tendancy or a habit of mind. In this way there is no differance between the Catholic or Protestant. If you criticize thier theology, they both get paranoid and whine that you are anti-catholic or anti-protestant and they "know" the truth.

Anyway, CF has changed my life a lot and not for the better. I would rather follow the pope, Calvin or the latest theological hotshot. I do not enjoy inquiry-I would rather have cut-and-dry answers to all of my theological questions.

Thanks for reading this. I'm just venting and trying to figure out what my time at CF did for me. I AM a liberal now!

You must always distinguish between "conservative positions" and "conservative methodology".

seebs said:

You must always distinguish between "conservative positions" and "conservative methodology".

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Is this in reference to theology or what the conservative folks gets up to in bed?

Anyone for the missionary position?

Sorry, couldn't resist....

Boy, James Sez' post reflects my situation with alarming accuracy....

Basically because I don't believe in the inerrency and infallibility of the Bible, and because I don't want to be considered a Fundamentalist.

Rising Tree said:

Boy, James Sez' post reflects my situation with alarming accuracy....

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I'm not sure if this thread is concluded. I did not want to derail it but I have a last comment. It's nice to have a place to say things where CFers can't tell you your a fool and a bad (or no) Christian.

1) One of the things that make me look at my own tendencacy toward "liberal" thought was that Rising Tree was on a personality profile kick a few months ago. I began to wonder if there was a tendancy for certain profiles to lean toward more open or closed belief systems. I loved the tests and found that my profile looked like it would be conducive to a liberal kind of thinking. For example, I'm not fixated on one way of completing a task, I'm not given to strict mode of thinking, often I don't like holding other people to the rules I live by, I don't like to spend my life judging others, etc.

"Liberals" and "conservatives" come in all types of personalities. I suppose you can't look at these test and tell a liberal from a conservative, but you might be able to tell who would make a quality liberal thinker.

All of this made me wonder if there are some non-religious reasons that people adopt certain views.

2) I was just on a "Christian" Psychology site that said "How could anyone who follows Christ suggest that we can learn about the mind from an atheist like Freud or secular thinkers!" I think most conservatives would say "Preach it brother". I have seen this a lot on CF. Since my personality doesn't do well with closed categories and narrow thinking, I found that guys statement to be counter-productive.

3) I have found that many conservatives don't enjoy having to throw stones at sinners. They don't want to tell Godless liberals like me that God wants to spit them out of his mouth- it does not fit well with their personalities. They do it because the Bible demands it of them. I had one guy tell me that he felt guilty because he didn't respond strongly enough to sinners. He was a nice guy-liked by sinners and saints alike-but a poor conservative Christian.

4) Like all people, I do "judge" others at times-we all do. I'm glad that I don't have to make it a lifestyle because of my liberal reading of the Bible does not mandate it.

James Sez said:

1) One of the things that make me look at my own tendencacy toward "liberal" thought was that Rising Tree was on a personality profile kick a few months ago. I began to wonder if there was a tendancy for certain profiles to lean toward more open or closed belief systems. I loved the tests and found that my profile looked like it would be conducive to a liberal kind of thinking. For example, I'm not fixated on one way of completing a task, I'm not given to strict mode of thinking, often I don't like holding other people to the rules I live by, I don't like to spend my life judging others, etc.

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Perhaps the distinguishing feature of "liberal" Christianity is that it is not commandments-based. In my mind, it is based on that scary concept of "situational ethics"--the application of the general statements ("Love your neighbor as yourself", etc.) in new and evolving situations.

I think that change from a commandments-based relition to a principles-based faith is the purpose of the critique of the Law in Matthew 5 & 6.

bump

Karl - Liberal Backslider said:

Me?

Because "The Bible says..." is the beginning of debate, not its end.
Because all language used about God is imprecise, metaphorical and provisional, and therefore old ways to talk about God can become misleading as our frame of reference changes, and we must find new ways.
Because conscience cannot be taken prisoner by literalism
Because inerrancy and infallibility are not useful concepts, because even if the Bible texts were one or the other, none of our interpretations are.
Because God is a rational, reasoning and creative being, and made us in His image.

Just some reasons.

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if there is any reason to think of me as a Christian, this right here is why i take the stances that i do. great post karl!