In times of trouble when demons mount an attack and things look grim, who you gonna call?
The Ghostbusters!
But after you call them, who are you gonna call? Do you have a God, someone or something that’s bigger than demons, larger than life to give you a hand (metaphorically speaking of course). Is life just one big chance after another? When your child gets sick, can you get help from someone other than a doctors?
If you do believe in a God, how much influence do you have with him or her, or it? Can you call upon this Force (as George Lucas called it in the Star Wars films) with any degree of certainty? Is everything pre-programmed, set in concrete, pre-ordained, or do you play a role in how your life turns out?
Does FREE WILL go beyond choosing the make and color of your next car?
Open Theism says that God is personal and open to influence through your prayers. God is able to anticipate the future, yet remains fluid to respond to mans free will and those acts or decisions contrary or advantageous to God’s plan.
Are we stuck in personal and collective karma fields or can we escape?
Wouldn’t it be nice to have the for-sure answers? Or how about just some darn good logical arguments backed up with some personal stories that give evidence to your paradigms? It is one of life’s critical questions. Who are you gonna call- in time of need?
Inclusive or Exclusive?
Several years ago we discovered something that caused us to ask if MEMBERSHIP was right for our CHURCH.
Deeper yet, the question arose as to if being a spiritual community might be more of the journey that we were on than that of a traditional church where so many CONTROLS dictated what could or could not happen. I mean, could a Jew or a Buddhist be a MEMBER of a Christian Church?
Methodists could be in a Baptist church and no one would care.
But, what do you do when you discover that one of your families with two beautiful children doesn’t fit the norm? How can a Christian wife and a MUSLIM husband be part of the MEMBERSHIP. That was the question we had to ask, an answer. Were we going to be EXCLUSIVE or INCULSIVE?
Membership in a Christian church for a Muslim caused many questions; however, there were no problems with such in a “spiritual community”.
So, we dropped the concept of MEMBERS and membership (where much is about control) and took on the paradigm of PARTICIPANTS. Whomsoever wants to participate (your choice) can jump in and BE whatever you ARE! We’re not here to change or control you, but to journey through life with you.