Comments on: The Golden Dancer http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/2009/06/01/the-golden-dancer/ travel to new places in your spiritual thought life Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:42:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Jon H. http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/2009/06/01/the-golden-dancer/comment-page-1/#comment-971 Jon H. Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:57:49 +0000 http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/?p=313#comment-971 I could not agree more. I'm currently doing a project for my high school on The Power of Knowledge in Inherit the Wind. I am writing from the agnostic perspective and wish that more people were smart enough to think before confining to any single religion or set of beliefs. I could not agree more. I’m currently doing a project for my high school on The Power of Knowledge in Inherit the Wind. I am writing from the agnostic perspective and wish that more people were smart enough to think before confining to any single religion or set of beliefs.

]]> By: jj http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/2009/06/01/the-golden-dancer/comment-page-1/#comment-214 jj Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:04:34 +0000 http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/?p=313#comment-214 Great video. Along with the choice/freedom to love God came the freedom not to. Also the freedom to ask anything (whew! what a relief). I guess because my Dad is such a questioner I got it either through nature or nurture. As I searched I found it fascinating that so many "doctrines" formed out of just such a process---questioning the status quo. One of our pastor's favorite quotes from his old seminary professor is that Paul preached for the "renewal" of your mind, not the "removal" of your mind. How can you know what you believe if you don't examine your faith? There's a lot of false junk floating out there in Christendom, it takes questioning to dodge to nonsense yet hold on to the gems. Great video. Along with the choice/freedom to love God came the freedom not to. Also the freedom to ask anything (whew! what a relief). I guess because my Dad is such a questioner I got it either through nature or nurture. As I searched I found it fascinating that so many “doctrines” formed out of just such a process—questioning the status quo.
One of our pastor’s favorite quotes from his old seminary professor is that Paul preached for the “renewal” of your mind, not the “removal” of your mind. How can you know what you believe if you don’t examine your faith? There’s a lot of false junk floating out there in Christendom, it takes questioning to dodge to nonsense yet hold on to the gems.

]]> By: Paul http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/2009/06/01/the-golden-dancer/comment-page-1/#comment-176 Paul Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:29:08 +0000 http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/?p=313#comment-176 Thank you Benjamin for being so honest and humble in sharing a piece of your story here. I'm really honored that you allowed this ideas of this piece stir something up. I've also been truly wrestling with the question of "evil," and there is really no satisfying answer for me yet but I will say that there have been some conversations I've had recently that have been hopeful. I don't imagine God even wants to answer this question. How would we comprehend the perspective? Because one thing I guess I really do believe is that his perspective is different that mine... really different. The story I'm going with right now is that God wanted to create a love relationship outside of himself. He knew that He could not do this without also creating true freedom and by consequence, pain, which by consequence created evil. This means to me that God saw the cost of love (pain, evil, suffering) and still chose love. So God DID indirectly created evil and suffering. The question I'm wondering about is, is suffering and pain essential to what it means to have a meaningful relationship with God and can you truly have a relationship without those components? If so, then what? Anyway, thanks for being brave. Paul Thank you Benjamin for being so honest and humble in sharing a piece of your story here. I’m really honored that you allowed this ideas of this piece stir something up.
I’ve also been truly wrestling with the question of “evil,” and there is really no satisfying answer for me yet but I will say that there have been some conversations I’ve had recently that have been hopeful.
I don’t imagine God even wants to answer this question. How would we comprehend the perspective? Because one thing I guess I really do believe is that his perspective is different that mine… really different.
The story I’m going with right now is that God wanted to create a love relationship outside of himself. He knew that He could not do this without also creating true freedom and by consequence, pain, which by consequence created evil. This means to me that God saw the cost of love (pain, evil, suffering) and still chose love. So God DID indirectly created evil and suffering. The question I’m wondering about is, is suffering and pain essential to what it means to have a meaningful relationship with God and can you truly have a relationship without those components? If so, then what?

Anyway, thanks for being brave.
Paul

]]> By: Dan http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/2009/06/01/the-golden-dancer/comment-page-1/#comment-148 Dan Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:08:47 +0000 http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/?p=313#comment-148 I guess I'm a little late in seeing this video. One thing I have struggled with for years is supernatural healing. I think I believe. I know people I think have been healed of both minor things and major things. But I struggle with a lot of unbelief as well. I'm not sure whether I don't believe it can happen when I pray for someone or whether its a wider unbelief. The funny thing is that I want to believe it and I know the bible talks greatly about it. But it has definitely been one of my toughest issues to handle. I guess I’m a little late in seeing this video. One thing I have struggled with for years is supernatural healing. I think I believe. I know people I think have been healed of both minor things and major things. But I struggle with a lot of unbelief as well. I’m not sure whether I don’t believe it can happen when I pray for someone or whether its a wider unbelief. The funny thing is that I want to believe it and I know the bible talks greatly about it. But it has definitely been one of my toughest issues to handle.

]]> By: Benjamin Ady http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/2009/06/01/the-golden-dancer/comment-page-1/#comment-129 Benjamin Ady Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:53:43 +0000 http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/?p=313#comment-129 Thanks for the video, Paul, Craig, Dan. It's interesting to me because when I finally got permission to really question and really feel anger, fury, rage toward God, it became a part of the process that led me to not being a Christian anymore. The questions I asked started out being about myself: "God, how could you let me be abused? How could you let my mom be raped for years by her father?" But they moved to wider questions: "God, how could you create a universe when you knew about all the starvation, disease, famine, war, rape, abuse--the untenable weight of the suffering of billions, stacked up through the years, in so many cases with no redemption anywhere even remotely in sight?" I never heard any answers. And I finally got tired of the one sided conversations. Thanks for the video, Paul, Craig, Dan.

It’s interesting to me because when I finally got permission to really question and really feel anger, fury, rage toward God, it became a part of the process that led me to not being a Christian anymore.

The questions I asked started out being about myself: “God, how could you let me be abused? How could you let my mom be raped for years by her father?”

But they moved to wider questions: “God, how could you create a universe when you knew about all the starvation, disease, famine, war, rape, abuse–the untenable weight of the suffering of billions, stacked up through the years, in so many cases with no redemption anywhere even remotely in sight?”

I never heard any answers. And I finally got tired of the one sided conversations.

]]> By: Tracy Simmons http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/2009/06/01/the-golden-dancer/comment-page-1/#comment-67 Tracy Simmons Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:34:51 +0000 http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/?p=313#comment-67 I just love this video. You've packed so much in there in just a few short minutes. I agree that God not only is okay with questions, but welcomes them, because he wants to be known. Great stuff. Now I'm off to put this link on Facebook! I just love this video. You’ve packed so much in there in just a few short minutes. I agree that God not only is okay with questions, but welcomes them, because he wants to be known. Great stuff. Now I’m off to put this link on Facebook!

]]> By: Recycle Your Faith » Blog Archive » choices http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/2009/06/01/the-golden-dancer/comment-page-1/#comment-57 Recycle Your Faith » Blog Archive » choices Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:20:54 +0000 http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/?p=313#comment-57 [...] Romig-Leavitt and her husband Paul run a ministry called Torn Curtain Arts. Music by Greg [...] [...] Romig-Leavitt and her husband Paul run a ministry called Torn Curtain Arts. Music by Greg [...]

]]> By: Craig http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/2009/06/01/the-golden-dancer/comment-page-1/#comment-53 Craig Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:46:31 +0000 http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/?p=313#comment-53 Yeah, I find the listening part challenging as well. Sometimes I seem to get "answers", but more often I just get a sense of peace within the questions, which would be faith. Yeah, I find the listening part challenging as well. Sometimes I seem to get “answers”, but more often I just get a sense of peace within the questions, which would be faith.

]]> By: Bill http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/2009/06/01/the-golden-dancer/comment-page-1/#comment-52 Bill Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:19:34 +0000 http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/?p=313#comment-52 Interesting video. I believe that entering into any relationship unquestioning limits that relationship, questioning God is not a lack of fatih but rather a natural part of the conversation. The listening for the answers to the questions is the difficult part... not always the answer I want to hear but God's answer to me. Interesting video. I believe that entering into any relationship unquestioning limits that relationship, questioning God is not a lack of fatih but rather a natural part of the conversation. The listening for the answers to the questions is the difficult part… not always the answer I want to hear but God’s answer to me.

]]> By: Arch Cunningham http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/2009/06/01/the-golden-dancer/comment-page-1/#comment-51 Arch Cunningham Sat, 06 Jun 2009 21:21:14 +0000 http://www.recycleyourfaith.com/?p=313#comment-51 Thanks for helping me to not get relaxed in my beliefs. Our faith should always be worked at. Thanks for helping me to not get relaxed in my beliefs. Our faith should always be worked at.

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