mercurialbliss said:
"Christian Mystic" probably describes me best, but I find it confuses most people.
Yes, it confuses me, but only because it could be a lot of different things. I have never heard anyone refer to themselves as a Christian Mystic since maybe John of the Cross in the 1500s . What an interesting phrase, though. What does it mean to you?
Also, I read what you said about groupthink, and I think there are plenty of cases, such as in fundamentalism, where that is not even a strong enough word. Its more like brainwashing. There is a dilemma, though, between that and being a "church of one". Neither extreme seems to work. When left to our own devices, we tend to invent whatever god we want. So I find myself torn between resisting indoctrination and studying the great traditions intently. Is there any hope for me, Bliss?
It appears you have given a lot of thought to all of this. So I hope you will forgive me if I point out that Jesus did allude to having a special relationship with God plenty of times. I spent most of my life as what one might call a secular humanist with a notion that Jesus was my hero of secular humanism. So I used to think like you did about Jesus' view of his own divinity, until somene ruined my day by pointing out all the passages to the contrary.
Tell me more about Christian Mysticism.
By the way, this is a great thread. I like these religious freeforalls. I think the range of opinions expressed here is warranted. Some aspects of all religions should be adored, and some aspects should be reviled. In fact, here is the
most ridiculous religious thing I have seen in a while. The comments that follow the ridiculous thing are even funnier. Here is a case where the reality is funnier than any parody. What's wrong with these people?