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Gakpoinia · 11-18-2007, 10:37 AM

Clearly you're right. So much of the doctrine and dogma around Christianity has its sources in the other "pagan" religions of the ancient near east and, beyond that, in what Jung called the "collective unconscious" that provides source material for all of the world's myth systems.The question for me is what does it mean to be a follower of Jesus without being a believer in Christ. In other words, I define myself as Christian, but to me being Christian is about struggling to follow (and at times argue with) the way of living articulated by Jesus, not because I think it is better than any other way and not because I'm afraid of going to hell, but because I find it to be a meaningful, life-affirming way to live that has helped me connect with a transcendant reality that I call God. I am inviting other similarly-minded people to consider joining a new group I have created-"faithfulunblievers-Christianity without Rules." This is a forum for intelligent discourse, ethical discussion, theological dialogue, and spirited debate. It is also a forum to build a community among people who struggle to define what it means to be "Christian" without dogmatics or doctrine.If you are interested in being a part of this emerging community, please e-mail me.

11-18-2007, 10:37 AM	#12 (permalink)
Gakpoinia Junior Fisherman Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 14 Rep Power: 7	I would believe in Jesus...but I think? Clearly you're right. So much of the doctrine and dogma around Christianity has its sources in the other "pagan" religions of the ancient near east and, beyond that, in what Jung called the "collective unconscious" that provides source material for all of the world's myth systems.The question for me is what does it mean to be a follower of Jesus without being a believer in Christ. In other words, I define myself as Christian, but to me being Christian is about struggling to follow (and at times argue with) the way of living articulated by Jesus, not because I think it is better than any other way and not because I'm afraid of going to hell, but because I find it to be a meaningful, life-affirming way to live that has helped me connect with a transcendant reality that I call God. I am inviting other similarly-minded people to consider joining a new group I have created-"faithfulunblievers-Christianity without Rules." This is a forum for intelligent discourse, ethical discussion, theological dialogue, and spirited debate. It is also a forum to build a community among people who struggle to define what it means to be "Christian" without dogmatics or doctrine.If you are interested in being a part of this emerging community, please e-mail me.