Liberal Religionists: This atheist wants your websites, books and other

[Ladyhawk]

resources.

No, I'm not looking to be converted, but I'd like to know what has inspired you. I am compiling a list of resources for those who have left fundamentalist faiths and since my journey has led me to atheism, my list of religious resources is a bit slim.

Would you terribly mind letting me know what websites, books, music, etc. has inspired you?

[William769]

1. Sure! Heres one for you.

http://www.mccchurch.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home

:)

[usregimechange]

2. several...

http://www.uua.org/
http://www.christianalliance.org/

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. Sojourners

http://www.sojo.org

Also the books of Bishop John Shelby Spong, including Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism and Matthew Fox Original Blessing.

[seabeyond]

4. wow...i can take you to some fun places. cant do it tonight

email me and i will work on it tomorrow. really interested in what you are saying. i remember your personal history so even more intrigued by what you are doing. does it have to be like christian religion. i have some good people like deepak. he is kick ass. another is zukav.... he is the one i read about 2000 that totally went to where i was on journey.

[Ladyhawk]

12. I'm interested in what influenced ALL paths that led away from fundyism.

So, no, I'm not talking exclusive liberal Christianity here. I want to hear from pagans, Wiccans, Buddhists, Taoists, liberal Christians, liberal Muslims, liberal Jews, etc. The main problem seems to come from restrictive religious positions. We're seeing a resurgence in fundamentalism in this country, which isn't going to help us get along with the fundies of other religions. The fundy Abrahamic religions are screwing the rest of us pretty hard right now and I'm fed up!

Yes, I know not everyone will come to the same conclusions I have, so I want to know what led you away from a restrictive, narrow religious perspective. What helped you along the way? What inspired you?

As an atheist, I have my own list, but my choices may not be inspirational to, say, a Wiccan or a Taoist or a Jew or a liberal Christian. I want my list to be inclusive.

[intheflow]

5. MLK inspired my faith greatly.

Even though I'm not Christian. You might also check out Jim Wallis and his magazine Soujourners, Thandeka, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Joanna Macy.

[The Traveler]

6. Have a short reading list

"The Time Light Bodies Take to Fall --- Sex, Religion and the Origin of Culture" by William Irwin (think I got all that right)

"The Way of Passion" by Andrew Harvey

"The Sermon on the Mount" by Emmet Fox. Actually, anything by Emmet Fox.


Pretty good stuff. Enjoy.

[IrishBloodEngHeart]

7. my favorite blogger

Christian and liberal:

http://slacktivist.typepad.com/slacktivist/


Religously, Im actually moderate, although I am politically liberal. In my church (Episcopalian) I am actually more conservative than most. We believe in using three pillars to determine truth: Reason, Tradition, and Scripture. I find most conservatives tend to disregard reason in their religious decision making, and most liberals tend to disregard tradition, so I end up being a moderate I guess.

One more reference: Anything by Jimmy Carter. He is a moral leader I greatly, greatly respect.

[Ladyhawk]

13. Great stuff, people! Keep it coming! And thanks!!! n/t

[IrishBloodEngHeart]

8. i posted Bono's recent prayer breakfast address

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x342050

[Arkham House]

9. A Book That Greatly Influenced Me--

*The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener*, by Martin Gardner...it's old--1983--and probably out of print, but it's worth looking up...

[joefree1]

10. Hey, can we pagan liberals get in on this?

http://www.witchvox.com/ a huge web sites for pagans worldwide
http://www.adf.org/core/ A Druid web site (I love the learning tradition of Druids)

And my little Pagan activist forum
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PaganWarrior/



on edit: forgot the books

A Brief History of the Druids aka "The Druids"
Peter Berresford Ellis

Drawing Down the Moon
Margot Adler

Celtic Heritage: Ancient Tradition in Ireland and Wales
Alwyn and Brinley Rees

Why am I a pagan: a deep yearning for a connection to my ancestry and the natural world without the guilt or paranoia imposed on us by various ruling classes. AND ... every once in a while I feel like taking off my clothes, drawing Celtic patterns on my bod and chasing some really nasty freeper types with a sword (not that I've done it, just felt like it).

[Ladyhawk]

11. Hell, yeah. I'm looking for all paths EXCEPT fundy ones.

That includes pagans and any other religious belief that isn't fundamentalist in nature, including liberal Chrisitianity, liberal Islam, liberal Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, anything. :)

I'm an atheist, but I recognize that not everyone is going to choose the same path I chose. I want my list to reflect that diversity.

[KitchenWitch]

17. I second Drawing Down the Moon

And add The Spiral Dance by Starhawk

[Withywindle]

27. Definitely the Spiral Dance and...

...maybe even more than that classic, Dreaming the Dark and Truth or Dare, also by Starhawk.

These books are in different ways about her path as a feminist and peace activist and how that's intimately linked with her spirituality.

I think those books are really profound on the subject of recognizing oppressive power and fighting it with all you have without becoming an oppressor yourself. Just that simple idea of the difference between Power Within (your own connection to Divinity and what your own inner voice says is right), Power With (the power you have working in collaboration with others, your allies and equals), and Power Over (the kind of power that seeks to dominate and control others) is SO far-reaching for activism when you keep it in mind always...I've found anyway.

[intheflow]

18. Drawing Down the Moon is great! n/t

[rucky]

14. www.alanwatts.com

go here first:

http://www.alanwatts.com/essential_aw2.html

[lvx35]

15. Check out Paramahansa Yogananda's work.

That was what did it for me. I think an understanding of the world's religions, from sufism, to yoga, to taoism to mystical judasim is the best fundamentalism killer. Basically you see these common threads, which is faith affirming, but also all these differences, which is dogma killing. In the end I came out with the sense of a higher meaning and also a deep sense of humility.

[OneBlueSky]

16. here's a couple . . .

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/1585420670.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
by Matthew Fox
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1585420670/qid=1139299151/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-9755408-0487045?s=books&v=glance&n=283155



1 Giant Leap (DVD)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006IUJZ/qid=1139299298/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-9755408-0487045?s=dvd&v=glance&n=130

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. Here's mine :^) It's not finished yet but there is plenty there to look at

http://www.hostdiva.com/liberalchristians/

[Ladyhawk]

23. Great! Thanks a bunch.

That goes for everyone. You've been very helpful. :)

[GreenPartyVoter]

28. Any time :^)

[patcox2]

20. "A History of God," by Karen Armstrong

nt

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

21. Check out the film "Jesus of Montreal"

I think it has a fantastic message that you'd find interesting and relevant.

(Disclaimer - I'm an athiest, but here's a review from Amazon from a priest:

"I need not repeat the analyses and praises of so many earlier reviewers. I do wish to add that I have watched this film numerous times with university students, undergraduate and graduate (as their professor) and with parishioners and colleagues (as a priest). The film never fails to touch the viewers profoundly and to provoke stimulating discussion amongst them, once the tears have been wiped away from their eyes. Often a student or parishioner will come back to me weeks or even months later to tell me how deeply the film moved him or her and how it provoked a nurturing spiritual examination of the inner self and outer behavior. Often they tell me that they have repeatedly rented the film or gone out and bought a copy for themselves."

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002TSZKQ/ref=pd_lpo_k2a_1_txt/002-9061651-2914402?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=130
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097635/

I'd go into it not knowing all that much as you might lose some of the magic - if you're with Netflix or similar that'll save you splashing out on your own copy as you may find it hard to find in rental stores.

[Ladyhawk]

22. Whoops. I'm sorry this got moved, but it's understandable, I guess.

This afternoon I am not feeling so well, so I haven't had a chance to peruse your posts.

Once again I'm mainly interested in non-fundamentalist religious paths. What resources inspired you? This includes reading, music, movies, documentaries, magazines, websites, everything. Bonus points for resources that mention fundamentalism and why it can be so detrimental to personal and societal development.

Thanks again!

Your Atheist Friend, Ladyhawk

[Exiled in America]

24. Paul Tillich - anything by him. :) (LINK inside)

Ignore the stupid as "god web" heading. :P

Theism re-written for an Age of Science
http://www.godweb.org/Tillich.htm

You'll really enjoy this read about this extraorginary man.

[Exiled in America]

25. Also religion-online index - lots of amazing liberal theologian writings

http://www.religion-online.org/

[More Than A Feeling]

26. Movies: Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds

(they follow similar storylines) Neither Christian, of course, but the heroes of each are strong leaders with unshakeable beliefs in justice, the unity of all, and peace. Lisa Simpson is also kind of a hero of mine (sad that all my heroes except Jesus are cartoon/anime characters).

As far as books go, Marcus Borg's The Heart of Christianity is what convinced me that my politics and my faith could coexist (I wouldn't have converted if Christians couldn't be liberals). Siddhartha was a brief novel that was quite an experience to read.

Music: The song "Hands" by Jewel is one of the most inspiring songs I have ever heard (off her Spirit album. The whole album is good, but there is one song which says that we are given to a God, to put our faith therein, but to be forgiven, we must believe in sin, which might not be good for former fundies. It's "Kiss the Flame" if I remember correctly). Red Dirt Girl, an album by Emmylou Harris (yes, the whole album) is beautifully moving, reminding one that we all have but a brief time on Earth, and that a lot of people need help, or they will just fall through the cracks, never to be heard from again. Joni Mitchell's Blue is good, So is Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme by Simon and Garfunkel.

[Maat]

29. "Science of the Mind" by Ernest Holmes.

He established the Church of Religious Science, and has a very positive, nonjudgmental, welcoming and affirming philosophy, based upon many Hindu teachings.

(No, we're not Scientology, as in Tom Cruise's belief system, nor Christian Science. For more on the belief system that touched me, after 30 years of being out of organized religion, go to www.religiousscience.org .)

Terry Cole-Whittaker and Dr. Wayne Dyer have been influenced by these teachings.

I also really enjoyed, "Conversations with God," by Neal Donald Walshe.

[kwassa]

30. My book list

History of God by Karen Armstrong, about God in the monotheistic religions.

Way of the Dervishes the author's name I can't recall.

Poetry by the Sufi mystic Rumi.

Mysticism (which is really about Christian mysticism) by Evelyn Underwood.

Science of Mind, by Ernest Holmes.

and a whole slew of other books

The World's Great Religions by Huston Smith, an excellent book.

Joseph Campbell's books and lectures.

[nemo137]

31. I've always liked Martin Buber's philosophy

My dad is/was really into Buber (although I'm not sure how much now since his turn to fundieism). He used to say that if God looked like anyone on the planet, it was Buber (old Jewish guy with a big beard and a big smile, I tend to agree with da.)