Posted by Dinah on March 23, 2003, at 8:43:21
In reply to Re: I've been eating pig lately. And shrimp too. » Dinah, posted by WorryGirl on March 18, 2003, at 19:19:41
Hi Worrygirl,
Sorry not to answer. I haven't visited this board for a while. My actual denomination is a mainstream Protestant one, I was raised in two non-Protestant churches.
It was in reading the bible and various and sundry books on church history during my search for "the" truth, although I ended up finding only "my" truth, that I read Leviticus and the books written by Jewish scholars on the "why" of dietary restrictions. I was impressed by the idea of bringing holiness to our everyday activities, including eating, and decided to do the same as an expression of my love of God.
I consider my own personal faith to be Jamesian rather than Pauline Christianity because I try always to keep in mind the Jewish roots of Christianity, and I try to evaluate church doctrine that arose after the death of Jesus and after Paul brought the religion to the Hellenic community in light of what the historical Jesus said and would, as a Jew, have probably meant by what he said.
I don't in any way believe I have a lock on the right path to God, and this is just what works for me.
If you feel that spirituality would enrich your life (as it usually enriches mine) I think it would be great to do as you suggested. It has been my experience that even churches that demand a lot from their congregants also leave a lot of room for human frailty. Perfection is usually not required. :) I'm impressed that you can separate the pain caused by your mom's perfectionism from your church and from God.
The good news is that I haven't eaten pig lately. Or shrimp. I've again started asking for my meals to be prepared without them. But darn, bacon and ham are so hard to live without! Sorry. My human frailty is showing. And today I work on keeping the Sabbath holy.
poster:Dinah
thread:207994
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20021227/msgs/211718.html