HelenM

ReasonableDoubt, I think JSS calls himself a Christian because he has some special regard for Jesus as one who uniquely revealed God* to the world and also because JSS continues to align himself with Christian tradition and practices even though he's greatly redefined and reinterpreted many things according to his own nontraditional beliefs. For example, he has redefined 'prayer' as 'good deeds', if I recall correctly.

*JSS defines God as the 'ground of our being' rather than as an Omni-everything Person.

VP, I've found that liberal Christians tend to have similar values to atheists which is probably because they all derive their values in similar ways i.e. based on what makes sense to them rather than based on what the Bible says.

As RD's post implies, nontheists do wonder why liberal Christians don't go the whole way to atheism since they don't consider the Bible authoritative or even historically true, necessarily.

There are probably many reasons for that just as there are many reasons why atheists are atheists.

Helen

admice

Jumping in midstream here. I hope this post isn't inappropriate, but I've met several people who believe in 'the spririt of the universe' or they somewhat make the universe personified. Others sort of gather up that which is unexplained or inexplicable (science does have limits) and call it 'god'. While this isn't any more defensible by reason than other definitions, hey, it works for some people and I can accept that (tho I dont' ascribe to it). Some people have to believe there's a benevolent or encompassing force in the universe.

diana

It can mean the abstract concept you've always known it means, or you can redefine it as you wish. It's been my experience that "god" is an an objective word that is, in common usage, subjective.

How sad for her that her love and devotion to you is conditional. She'd use emotional blackmail to control you into "believing in god," or so it sounds.

I hope you can find a happy medium. It's obviously important to you to not be lying to her, just to make her happy. So...you're trying to figure out how to lie to yourself instead. Interesting.

If it helps, no thought or effort to better define our knowledge, thoughts and beliefs is a waste of time, IMO.

d