Pagan and Christian Moot

An interesting place - a gathering place or "moot"... the web site itself looks like it's in its early days but the forum is well developed with  some conversations worth exploring/following... if we are trying to listen - hear - dialogue with pagans and those exploring spirituality in a non-christian direction Pagan and Christian may be a place (or just an attitude) to start for some...

This website and accompanying message board have their origins in a desire to provide a forum where Pagans and Christians can learn about each others’ beliefs, burst a few myth bubbles and gain a greater understanding of why people believe and act on those beliefs as they do. Unlike the excellent faith specific outreach websites which fulfil a slightly similar role, the underlying purpose of this board is not to promote any specific faith path over another. The role is not to seek similarities in the beliefs to the exclusion of differences (although similarities do exist). The purpose is to provide an honest and non-judgemental area on the worldwide web where people can begin to break down the barriers to communication between two faith groups.

What's not surprising, but is sad is the amount of hurt that many people feel... and how much of it has been inflicted by those professing Christianity... some excerpts...

Though I have benefited greatly from Christianity, I have also suffered much under its teachings, and received nothing (in my opinion) that I could not find elsewhere in other faith streams. This angers me, and makes it difficult to not take things personally. It isn't Christianity per se that bugs me -- its the constant drip of my friends and family trying to "love" me back to Jesus, their fear at my "destructive" choice. I think Christianity, by its aggressive claims, is more likely to receive aggressive rejection.

....

So is bitterness towards Christianity (as opposed to certain Christians) justified? In an objective sense, probably not. But as we've already suggested, that objectivity is hard to reach when you've been hurt by Christians purporting to represent Christianity.

Technorati Tags: Christianity: Missional: Spirituality: Web 2.0

Comments

[Joe]

Although I haven't been on the Pagan and Christian Moot for a few months now, I have found some of them to be really helpful. Unlike Christians they aren't attempting to 'save' you from your sins. They don't judge like some Christians and sometimes it is actually a safer place to be rather than on a Christian forum where it feels more like being thrown to the Lions.

[Mike/Cern]

Hiya Mark, Thank you for bringing attention to my website and forum. It IS sad that quite a few of the people who come to our site have been hurt by those who profess Christianity as their faith. One of the things we try to help people to realise is that no matter what faith group people might profess to follow, there is always the possibility that their personal agenda may lead them to be poor representatives of their wider faith community. When people have been hurt by a religious group, they sometimes find it hard to separate the people who have caused the hurt and the faith they claimed to follow. Sometimes those who have been hurt were questioning whether that faith was right for them anyway, and the hurt just provided them with 'proof' that it was wrong.

People DO change their faith perspectives. Whilst the Christians at the Moot would hope that people who have been hurt by those who profess Christianity would return to the Christian faith and to a healthier Christian community, that isn't pushed as an agenda. The Pagans (myself included) on the site aren't interested in persuading people to choose a Pagan path (although we're happy to help if that is their choice) and are more concerned with helping people work through their experiences.

Our efforts at the moot have led us to develop a number of contacts in a variety of faith groups who have encountered people who have had similar hurtful experiences and can provide additional support from their faith perspective should those who we've been helping wish to pursue that faith perspective.

In short, it is people who have been hurt and people who have been causing the hurt, so we hope to be people that can help those who have been hurt. People who have been hurt don't need judgement. They need to know that they are being heard and that their understanding of their experience is not being dismissed.

Again, thank you for commenting on Pagan and Christian Moot. :)

Bright Blessings

Mike

[Matt Stone]

Hi Mark, you probably don't realize but I've been a member of Pagan and Christian Moot for a number of years. It's a great forum.