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RE: My Christian Faith - A Favorite Analogy
Greetings fellow #steemitblogger! I grew up in a Southern Baptist household. Couldn't agree more with you that the old school hymns are where it's at.
Well, unless the pastor doesn't get the type of turn out he's looking for at the end and decides to have the choir sing a few more rounds of 'How Great Thou Art' to coax the wishy washy folks on up to get saved ☺️
I'm very happy to read your thoughts on how your connection with Christ has enriched your life. Thanks for sharing!
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Hey there @abhaya504! Southern Baptist, eh? That's the high-octane version of Christianity for sure! Depending on the pastor they're a little too "fire-and-brimstone" for my tastes, but I agree that doctrinally they are closer to my own personal interpretation of the Bible than most other denominations.
Do you still go to a Southern Baptist church today? I'm always fascinated to hear about people's journeys across the spectrum of Christianity. My wife grew up Lutheran and I started out Methodist, and we're both more more on the evangelical side of the spectrum now, attending an independent Christian church that's probably farther to the more conservative side of the doctrine scale.
I stopped attending Baptist services at 16 years of age--the time when my mother an d I agreed that I could decide for myself. I converted to Catholocism at the time, and attended services daily throughout high school. The chaplain at my school was my best friend at the time. He was a Jesuit, and increadible man. I consider him to be my first spiritual teacher. He died about six months after I graduated.
I began attending services at my local churches, and honestly, ther magic wasn't there. I walked away from Christianity alltogether, and went into a six year bout of agnosticism.
One day while be driven through Houston I had a strong inkling that I need to check into Buddhism, so I did. I sat with a Zen center in Dallas for about a year--great people, but Zen is super boring, and the instruction was mediocre.
Then I met my current teacher and everything went back to high school levels of dedication. I no longer identify as a Christian, although I have deep respect for Christ, and His teachings. His actual teachings, and not necessarily the beliefs and values of His followers.
While my current teacher is a tantric yoga master, I don't identify as a yogi. I consider myself to be an esoteric occultist drawing inspiration and practices from many of the hidden traditions of the East and West.
I'm sure the word 'occult' might be startling, but I assure you that in reality the teachings/practices don't live up to the hype of the Church.
What I've found that at their core, all True traditions teach the same thing. The only differences are the methods used to approach developing the ability to weave the teachings into daily life.
Hope I didn't pyt you off there. I know ho my mom reacts to the word 'occult,' even when I expalin to her that the word simply means "hidden," and even in it's early days, Christanity would have fallen under the auspices of occultism (practiced in secrecy).