It’s probably easier to find ways to get some people together to talk about the differences and similarities in their beliefs, than some others. This site presented Hemant’s observations on services and other gatherings at some Christian churches, and generated alot of discussion between a bunch of people who, for their own reasons, are interested in being involved in this type of interchange. It’s probably easier to do this interchange of thoughts and beliefs online than face-to-face, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
Marty is already involved in Interfaith interactions, including a group that meets quarterly, and has mentioned here that he is in the early stages of planning how to bring people interested in this type of dialogue, Christians and atheists/agnostics (and maybe others), together in his area to talk. He has mentioned that an early step in this is thinking about what such gathering(s) would look like.
Jim has said, ‘I read today that “conversations are the key to change” – That’s why I believe in keeping the conversation going and in the small and even brief interactions we experience on this blog and in real life.’
And Peter has said here, ‘I’d love to see a mixed “community group” with Christians and Atheists… a kind of “non-virtual” version of what we do here… THAT would be so super-cool I can hardly imagine it!’
Would you have any interest in trying to find ways to purposely continue this type of dialogue, online or in your community? What might be the benefits, and drawbacks, and purpose?
How might people interested in these interactions be alerted, and gathered? What difficulties might come up, and how might those be addressed?
And, or: do you think some of your interactions with other people might be different now, and in the future, as a result of your involvement here?
Posted in A Cacophony of Posts, Atheist/Christian Dialog, Eliza | 27 Comments »Children develop and lose beliefs that adults don’t even know they have. Children have to make sense of a world that is unfolding for them, and they don’t yet have the adult capacity for discernment that Marty has written about on the Discussion Board. An excerpt: Discernment is the choice of what to believe, what to reject, who to listen to, what to read or study, what not to read or study and how to interpret all of this information. Discernment can be a part of the process whereby beliefs become knowings.
We’ve discussed here how true and real a person’s beliefs feel to him/herself, and how people can react when their beliefs are discounted or challenged by others. It strikes me that belief-loss must happen frequently to kids. Mulling this over, I remember 2 episodes from childhood in which a belief of mine was shattered, and how these episodes felt:
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We’ve talked here about Making the World a Better Place (MTWABP), which people of different backgrounds and beliefs have expressed interest in working towards.
Do you think you, or a group you are part of, would/could find a way to get together with people whose beliefs are different, to work together on a project to MTWABP, without either side trying to challenge/change the others’ beliefs?
Does this seem like a worthwhile ‘interaction’ to try?
If so, how might you or your group go about it? If not, why not?
If you’re already doing this, or have done it before, do you have any outcomes or tips to share?
Posted in A Cacophony of Posts, Atheist/Christian Dialog, Eliza | 56 Comments »