Chip Ingram

[JacenParticipant]

Chip Ingram is a Christian pastor that I’ve been listening to over the past 6 months.  Typically you might think that Jedi Realism and Christianity don’t go well together, but my experience (with Chip’s messages at least) has been that even when there seem to be conflicts between the two ways of life, I’ve been able to use and apply most of what he teaches.  His messages hit on some of the most fundamental problems we face in our lives, and I’d like to invite you all to give him a try.

Simply follow the link below.  The messages come in 3 formats: WMA, Real Media, and MP3.  If you’re thinking to yourself that there’s no way to find anything in common with Christianity, I’d like to challenge that way of thinking, and ask you to have faith, in my judgement that you can benefit from this, and that the Jedi have more in common with Christ than you think.

Step beyond your comfort zone and try listening to a message.

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Living_on_the_Edge/archives.asp

[inariParticipant]

Recognising that the Jedi Academy is not endorsing Jacens post and this site is religion neutral.

Inari

[JaxKeymaster]

I disagree with:
*this is a fallen world
*this view takes away any personal power a person has.  Rather than empower, this would make me feel even weaker.  Sure, it helps bring you to their view of god, but that doesn’t help me very much.
*that god takes care of my needs.  God doesn’t actively do anything in my life, because life is about freedom of choice. 

I agree with:
*There are some similiarities with sheep that I agree with. 
*The way God takes care of my needs is from me.  My higher self, which has the wisdom of God’s perspective, and the understanding of what I’m trying to experience and learn in this life, guides me to where I need to be.  But God, that overall consciousness that is made up of the sum of everything that exists, does not do that.  There is no need, because our higher self does that for itself.
*Psalms can be useful.  But their usefulness has to come from my interpretation, not someone else’s.  This interpretation, while there are some useful parts, is also based upon so many falsehoods (in my opinion) that it isn’t very helpful at all.

I understand that for some people, this is what they need.  But it doesn’t work for me, at all.  I know my power.  My power is God’s power.  I don’t need to draw on God, because I’m not separate from God.  My higher self is always connected to this greater wisdom.  All I have to do is connect to that higher self. 

I do see some similarities, but I have to draw a lot of lines to connect my view and beliefs to this stuff.  If it works for you, that’s fine.  That’s why there are so many religions and versions of individual spirituality – we all need different things to help us.  But Christianity didn’t really work when I was a kid, and it works far less as an adult.  It’s based upon so many misunderstandings and illusions that it’s not worth dealing with for me.  I get purer messages from other sources.  And in time, I will get that information directly from the source, without needing a translater.  But that’s all in time. 

I’m only listening to the first track, because quite simply that’s all I’m going to force myself to sit through.  I’ve heard these ideas for my entire life, because I went to a Lutheran school through 8th grade, plus saturday school (aka sunda school) through around 6th grade.  Now, through my adulthood, I’ve learned to transcend the stuff that I find incorrect, and and finding that which resonates with me as truth.  Everyone has a different level of truth, based on what they are capable of understanding at this point in their spiritual development, and based on where they’re at in their life right now. 

That having been said, this could be useful for people here as they face their own crisis, and if it helps them, that’s great!  Because what matters is that a person can get through their crisis in a healthy way. 

[JacenParticipant]

This thread has had it’s intended effect. 

My mission, so to speak, was not to convince you to agree with Chip Ingram, but to at least see another side of things, and then the effect being that, whether you agree or disagree, you manage to have a better understanding of what you believe in.

It’s Yin and Yang.  You must know one to know the other.  You must know evil to know good… cold to know warm, etc.  This is why I feel my destiny is to learn from many faiths, to get a better sense of the balance between them, to truly understand what I believe.

[JaxKeymaster]

Yes, that is definitely useful.  For me, it’s very hard to get anything new from christianity, or to even look at it anymore because of all the damage it attempted to do to me.  But, there is good in all religions.  So I don’t want someone else to look at my opinions and issues and then say Christianity is bad.  That’s not my intent ever.  However, I try to explain myself with a bit of background so there is context for my beliefs. 

And there is not better teacher than disagreement.  It doesn’t take much thought to agree with something.  But when you disagree, how much time to you spend thinking about it?  It can be quite a lot.  So we shouldn’t shy away from things we disagree with.  Come to them with the right mindset and you can come out with the greatest awakening of your life! 

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