Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobblehead
To take your "one with the earth" example, does that mean Native people's beliefs are "fluff"?
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To be quite blunt, to Christianity, ultimately any spirtual idea that is not deemed Christian in origin, or even deviating from whatever the particular sect or denomination views as orthodox or dogmatic...is basically fluff yes.
I believe the "one with the earth" idea is what many modern Christian institutions would label New Age (lump in astrology, enviromental spirituality, hippies, mystic healing, etc.)
My particular issue with Christianity and many religions in general is that there is no final authority but one's own discretion. How can so few people all claim they are right and the majority of other groups and peoples in the world to be wrong? I think that's human nature at work and a great deal of short-sightedness or egoism.
Anyway, this Alpha Course is just a pre-packaged way for Christians to reach out and prosetylize. If you want to use your brain rather than be brainwashed, why don't you go along and then actually challenge people's beliefs and see if they really understand what they are believing in the first place. I find that many Christians don't or have an overly romanticized or selective interpretation for themselves.