Coming out of our last discussion on Salvation (thank you everyone who answered!) more questions have arisen. I have read some other writings of other religions - doing a comparing thing. Some I find very beautiful and even inspiring. For example, the Bhagava Geeta. What it says about Krishna I could easily apply to the Cosmic/Resurrected Jesus - no problem. But would that be heretical of me?

Fealty (fē′əl·tē) n. pl. ·ties 1. The obligation of fidelity owed to a feudal lord by his vassal or tenant. 2. Faithfulness; loyalty.

Fidelity (fī·del′ə·tē, fə-) n. pl. ·ties 1. Faithfulness to duties, obligations, vows, truth, etc.

Someone asked the question on another thread, along the lines of:

Is faith accepting everything everyone says, and developing your own truth?

If it's a fair question to ask, What is faith?  (Not so much the content of what the faith is in, but faith in and of itself)  Is it belief?  Trust?  Hope?  What does the word 'faith' mean to you?

Have at it.

In a recently shut down thread, there was an exchange like the following...

As I wander from table to table here at the Cafe', I find Christians declaring various levels of belief regarding Jesus.  At one end of the pole  there is a  "Jesus as myth and metaphor" group, while at the other end, there is a "Jesus is the divine son of God and the only way to salvation" group.  Between those two poles there is an amazing array of diverse beliefs.  This is understandable, given that we all approach God in different ways and are at various points in our journey.

Marcus Borg estimates that 10-20% of Christians have met the actual 'spirit,' ghost if you will, of Jesus of Nazareth.

How do you react to something like that?

How does it affect you?

Have you met Him?

Are you afraid to talk about it in the Church?

What role does God play in your faith, life, church?

This isn't terribly "new" of course, but for me, it pretty much sums up the crux of the debate that generally divides the so-called  traditional and emerging paradigms of Christianity.

Rather than interpret our relationship with God through Scripture, Jesus shows repeatedly that we have to interpret Scripture through our relationship with God. And that we must see that relationship as extending to all.

In 2012 all United Church congregations will be able to vote on an important doctrinal remit. This is interesting for a whole bunch of reasons. It is the first use of the ter "subordinate standard" in our polity in many years. It clearly places the various statements of faith in context of each other, the Basis of Union and, most importantly, scripture.

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