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History and Religion

2024-04-04T16:26:58-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Why Do We Believe What We Believe?

Last updated on: April 4, 2024 at 4:26 pm By Larry Jordan

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Sometimes, we believe things because they are comfortable, not because they are sensible. Often, we hold these beliefs, irrespective of whether they are supported by evidence or experience. We might say things like this: “I believe that there is a God or a Supreme Being who loves me, because I would feel lonely and unloved otherwise.” “I feel that this God creates rules and monitors our behavior, because the Universe would feel unfair and unjust otherwise.” “I hope that... Read more

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Education and Religion

2024-03-28T09:27:14-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Is Free Will an Illusion?

Last updated on: March 28, 2024 at 9:27 am By Larry Jordan

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Surely, it seems like we have free will, but is free will an illusion? Most of us believe that we have free will, until we realize that our thoughts come to us. We do NOT decide to think thoughts, any more than we decide to breathe air or to digest food. Scientists tell us that 95 percent of our thoughts come from our subconscious minds. Most of the thoughts that come from our conscious minds derive from either nature or... Read more

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Education and Religion

2024-03-25T13:39:20-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Leaving Church, Maintaining Spiritual Practices

Last updated on: March 25, 2024 at 1:39 pm By Larry Jordan

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Many people are leaving church over questions of belief or doctrine. How are people who are leaving church maintaining spiritual practices? In the West, most people might say that their spiritual practices consist of attending church, praying, and/or reading the Bible. According to Pew Research Center, most Americans actually have little or no spiritual practice: Almost one-third of adults seldom or never attend church, and almost two thirds attend church less than once a week. Almost one-quarter of adults seldom... Read more

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Education and Religion

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spiritual but not religious

2024-03-15T07:03:48-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Leaving Church, Finding Community

Last updated on: March 15, 2024 at 7:03 am By Larry Jordan

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Many people are leaving church because of some speculative doctrines, supernatural beliefs, and unkind practices that they found in church. Where are they finding community after leaving church? Leaving Church Churches can have some insular and parochial ideas about community. In a paper called “Sense of Community in Churches,” the author emphasized developing the notion of membership: “Churches should maintain strong boundaries to emphasize who is in and out of the community and what one needs to do to get... Read more

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Unitarian Universalist

2024-03-25T13:43:18-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Christianity: Creeds, Exclusive Claims and Evangelization

Last updated on: March 25, 2024 at 1:43 pm By Larry Jordan

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Christianity uniquely emphasizes creeds, exclusive claims and evangelization, compared to many other religions. Most Religions are NOT Creedal There are NOT extensive Buddhist or Hindu or Jewish or Muslim creeds: For Buddhism, Buddha is reported to have said, “Don’t blindly believe what I say; don’t believe me because others convince you of my words; don’t believe anything you see, read or hear from others, whether of authority, religious teachers or texts; don’t rely on logic alone, nor speculation; don’t infer... Read more

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Education and Religion

2024-06-25T10:43:31-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

No Self? No Soul? No Worries.

Last updated on: June 25, 2024 at 10:43 am By Larry Jordan

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In the Eastern worldview, there are some people who believe that self is a construct, and soul is a fiction. These are some of the most challenging and interesting ideas that we will encounter in our journeys. These ideas are difficult for Westerners, steeped in a culture that stresses individuality. Also, many Westerners consider psychology to focus on self-actualization and spirituality to focus on self-improvement. But, what if there is no self? Psychologist Abraham Maslow outlined a hierarchy of needs,... Read more

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Education and Religion

2024-03-25T13:43:58-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Are We Separate from God and from Each Other?

Last updated on: March 25, 2024 at 1:43 pm By Larry Jordan

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Are we separate from God and from each other? Many religions, particularly Eastern religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism, embrace nonduality. Christianity, too, has been interpreted in nondual terms. Shankara, is an eighth-century Hindu philosopher, sometimes called the Plato of the East. He outlined the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, Advaita meaning nondual or “not two” and Vedanta meaning “the end of the Vedas” or “the end of knowledge.” Advaita Vedanta is the foundation of many Hindu beliefs. Nonduality suggests... Read more

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Education and Religion

2024-02-29T21:15:08-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

All Religion is Cultural. All Theology is Speculation.

Last updated on: February 29, 2024 at 9:15 pm By Larry Jordan

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There are many paths to the top of the mountain and many ways of looking at things. All religion is cultural. All theology is speculation. Often, desert cultures are monotheistic; forest cultures are polytheistic; hunting cultures are patriarchal and shamanic; farming cultures are matriarchal and communal. Patriarchal cultures worship male deities, and matriarchal cultures worship female deities. Some anthropologists believe that we create God in our image, not vice versa. Many Christians believe that God is omnipotent, omnipresent,... Read more

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Education and Religion

2024-02-29T21:34:44-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Why I Always Say, “You Might Be Right.”

Last updated on: February 29, 2024 at 9:34 pm By Larry Jordan

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“You might be right” emerged as an unscripted theme during my first author talk in Crestone, Colorado. This disarming phrase has become one of my catchphrases. In Crestone, a friend said that the earth is 6,000 years old, that dinosaurs and people lived at the same time, and that everyone (except Noah’s family) died in the great flood. “I don’t think so,” I said. “We’re at 8,000 feet elevation. Did the water get this high?” “Where did all of... Read more

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Education and Religion

2024-03-27T12:35:23-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Welcome To “You Might Be Right: An Interspiritual Journey”

Last updated on: March 27, 2024 at 12:35 pm By Larry Jordan

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Welcome to “You Might Be Right: An Interspiritual Journey,” my column on Patheos!! Thanks for joining me on an interspiritual journey and for reading my column. I lived a conservative, Christian life. In midlife, I asked the big questions. Is there a God? How are we to live? What is the meaning of life? What happens when we die? I questioned the answers that Western Christianity offered and resolved to discover Truth with a capital T, even if it took... Read more

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Education and Religion

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