Bro. Hex

Thank you, to the Hensleys, both past and present, to our moderators, to our forum members (current, past and future), to all who are members of this fine organization, and to all those who simply wish us well

Did your quest include the Church of the FSM* ?? Infinitely more attractive, IMHO, than any of those just mentioned above!! *(Flying Spaghetti Monster,... Blessed Be His Name !)

Would Murph really do that?? I haven't posted in a long time.

Well, that depends upon your understanding (btw, I would be the last one to uphold any bible verse "as a prediction", but nevertheless). Consider logion 113 from the Layton Translation of The Gospel of Thomas (my favorite gospel, and one which is at least as old as Matthew): (113) His disciples said to him, "When is the kingdom going to come?" <Jesus said>, "It is not by being waited for that it is going to come. They are not going to say, 'Here it is' or 'There it is.' Rather, the kingdom of the father is spread out over the earth, and people do not see it."

I see this a bit differently. I "believe" that evil exists, but not as "an article of faith". I don't think that I have any articles of faith, in religious terms, that is. I have, of course, many secular articles of faith, such as "the sun will rise tomorrow" for example. I see "belief" in good and evil as more a matter of philosophy.

I think we have already seen this, at least twice that I can readily think of (in addition to the ULC, of course!) : the Unitarian Universalist and Quaker paths.

. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO MURPH, AND TO ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS HELPED (OR WILL HELP) WITH THIS PROBLEM !! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

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Coolhand, I want to affirm what all the other well-wishers above have said to you. I am glad that you still feel "welcome and not put-upon" here in the ULC. Congratulations on having made a difficult decision. Your friend, Hex

Of course I will.

. I guess then, that CATS and TEENAGERS fall into the "animal" classification!

I agree... and, like Pete, I also do not accept the factuality of the Catholic Church's claim of unbroken Apostolic Secession. (and consequently, I do not accept their claim of "authority" which rests thereon). However, I do understand (and really have no quarrel with) that church's mythology which includes this same claim. Most churches have "a story" that is central to their "self understanding", and that "story" can be an edifying one that is useful in explaining its world view. For example, I believe that most Christian churches have "a story" that is used to teach and to make understandable their particular point of view. I am referring here to the "story" of Adam and Eve. That story is also a mythology with which I have no quarrel, so long as it is not presented as a factual event.. Mythology is a very useful component of human culture, and should not be denigrated.

I do have to say that I have more faith in the current pope (Francis) than I have had in any pope since Pope John XXIII who died in the early 1960s. The current pope seems to be "larger than the office" that he holds. I believe he is a true humanitarian.

Excellent observation Pete (and Barrie) The "Apostle's Creed" apparently contains NOTHING that the Apostles themselves did in fact "profess". Rather it is a device constructed by the Church, over an extended period of time, as a vehicle for conveying core tenets of the Church, and undergirding this vehicle with "the authority" of the Apostles.

Interesting post, Pete... Thanks for sharing, and thanks for the background information on Barrie Wilson. I was not familiar with him.