After a day of frustrating procrastination and ‘stuckness’… I have written 400 of the 2000 I am meant to have on a “Bible Study” of the book of Job. *black look* What a way to spend a Saturday.
I did get questions back from Melina. Practical Evangelism essay thing… and they are incredibly interesting, so I’ll post them here. The idea is to get a feel for their world view and then write up a report on culturally appropriate methods of explaining Jesus etc…
Challenge to you, to ask non-chrisitan friends this kind of stuff. Lots, sorry for length. Any observations, please comment this is going to be fractionally harder than I thought it might be.
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What are the most important things in your life?
– Making a positive difference in this world
– Friends and family- and my wider family of course, which is the world
What are your favourite activities in life?
– Talking, sharing ideas, philosophising with friends
– Working for a company where my contribution is real and valued
– Learning, through experience, reading, music, events, the news, other people, my new ventures or businesses
What do you celebrate in life?
– Traditionally- Christmas, Easter, NYE, Chinese NYE, birthdays anniversaries etc
– Untraditionally, friendships, partnerships, new ideas, life changing concepts, the rise of the “long tail”, power to the people etc
What do you think makes a good person?
– Someone who has good intentions for the world as a whole, not just for themselves, or just for their family, or just for their race or group, but for all(of course the fact that the definition of “good intentions” is completely subjective can cause conflict sometimes)
– Acting on those good intentions really is necessary to make one a good person
What do you think makes a bad person?
– Someone who has good intentions for themselves or just a sector of the world which then creates negative intentions towards the rest of the world as a result.
Do you think your life or view in the world are unique?
– I think that we as people are all unique from one another, however I am not so naïve to think that I am the only person that thinks this way. In fact, I believe that a whole lot of people probably think along the same lines that I do
– I think that my world view is unique from other world views because it puts the onus or power back on the individual to make what he or she wants out of life, and considers “success” and “health” and “wellbeing” on a grand scale, rather than individual or family or sector based.
What would you say is the point of life?
– Life is about the journey, not the destination for me.
– The point in life is to live and love the journey, to learn as you go, cherish each and every day and leave this earth slightly better than when you joined it. After all, that’s all we can do
Melina’s Philosophy
I think that you get the most out of life when you play at 100%
I truly believe that we are all interconnected, essentially we are all one. Although we only have conscious awareness of our individual selves, I believe that on an unconscious level, we are just one.
Live and love the journey, as this is when true happiness occurs.
Stop to smell the roses regularly, this will give you clarity and peace.
AIM HIGH AND PLAY HARD IN THE GAME OF LIFE, BUT BE HAPPY AND CONTENT KNOWING THAT YOU HAD A GO. AFTER ALL, THAT’S ALL YOU CAN DO.
What values and beliefs would you want to pass on to your children or friends?
– Do unto others….
– Act with the “whole” in mind. (as in the whole world)
– Have a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity
– You are empowered to make change in this world, what you do is up to you
– How do you become happy? You decide to.
– You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve when you set your mind to it.
If you could change the world, what would be different?
– Freedom for all
– Fair and equal distribution of resources so that empowered people can do their best work!
What do you think about church?
– I don’t know much about church. I think that institutionalised religion can be dangerous, as some become like runaway freight trains, i.e. Hardcore traditionalists, cults etc
Does attending church appeal to you at all?
– Gathering at a place every week to share ideas, support one another and unite to a positive cause – I believe in this idea in theory.
– The idea of attending church (and I don’t think I have ever been) seems to me to be an awesome, good intentions community to be a part of, but the idea of attending church itself does not appeal to me because I feel like I’d need to conform to be a part of it
What would you change about church, to make it somewhat more appealing?
– To accept all races and religions into it, and to become a more generic place of unity and respect and acceptance, like I eluded to above.
– The only Christian thing I have been to recently was Festival Victoria with Franklin Graham, and the whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth. I think that the philosophy of Christianity is well meaning, with good intentions, from what I know of it, but ultimatums, threats and judgements on other people, other cultures and other people’s values and opinions is not only intrusive, it’s down right offensive.
– I don’t hold it against people that are Christian, so why must Christians hold it against me that I’m not. It just does not seem like a fair and respectful playing field.
What do you expect a church service to be like?
– Some singing, and someone up the front speaking about the bible and the way of god, and making it relate to everyday modern life with examples, stories metaphors etc.
– Sometimes uplifting and inspiring, sometimes creating feelings of guilt and inadequacy
What do you think God is like?
– Well, that depends on which God you are asking about. The Christian God, I’ll assume. The ideas I’ve gotten from Christians about what God is like is that he is part of us and that we are part of him. He is an all-mighty, all-seeing being, who rises above us all. He knows all and sees all. He is loving and forgiving. He shows compassion and love to his followers when they show their love for him.
Do you think there is more than just the physical world we see?
– Yes, I believe that our conscious only allows us to see a miniscule amount of what is actually out there. I believe that we are all made up of the same energy, and that the circle of life recirculates this energy. Because of this, I think that we are all interconnected with each other, and the earth as a whole. I believe in having a soul or a spirit inside us which makes us more than just physical matter. What happens to this soul when we die I am not sure.
What do you think about the supernatural and spiritual realities?
Not sure about the question…
I think they are a possibility
Have you ever had a ‘spiritual’ experience?
– I believe that we are connected and can communicate without words to a certain extent. I believe that people that have passed can communicate with us to a certain extent, and have experienced this once.
– I have felt “at one” with the Universe.
What do you think about Jesus Christ?
– I don’t know anything about Jesus Christ. From what others say, who believe in him, he appears to be a selfless individual. However if “the only way is through Jesus”…
– I don’t think I know enough to have a valid opinion about Jesus Christ.