07.20.08

Freedom of Religion or Freedom from Oppression?

Posted in articles at 8:04 pm by MPJ

Earlier this week I saw an article in World Wide Religious News (http://wwrn.org/article.php?idd=29090) that said in France they are denying citizenship to a particular Moroccan woman because she wears a burqa.  “The Moroccan woman, Faiza M, was told that her practice of “radical” Islam was not compatible with French values. ” the article said. 

I am still trying to figure out a response to this - not that anyone asked me!  But….well, there must be plenty of French citizens doing things that are not compatible with French values….and they are not denied citizenship.  What are French values anyway?  Plenty of people in France choose not to drink wine.  Isn’t that a French value?  It certainly has seemed to be anytime I have ever been there! 

On a more serious note, isn’t the French motto: “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité?  I can see  Read the rest of this entry »

07.14.08

PZMyers and the stolen Eucharistic Host - as seen by Margaret Johnston

Posted in articles at 7:44 pm by MPJ

You heard in the news last week about the college kid who stole a Eucharistic Host after receiving communion in a Catholic Church?  (The article appears here http://www.wftv.com/news/16798008/detail.html and http://www.wftv.com/news/16806050/detail.html.)

And the Catholic Church was of course in an uproar about this.  And then this blogger, PZ Myers  Read the rest of this entry »

07.13.08

Called to Question - a Mystic’s Musings About her Faith

Posted in articles at 9:10 pm by MPJ

I just finished reading “Called to Question” by Siser Joan Chittister, a true Mystic if ever there was one.  Since she is a nun, she of course started out as a traditional believer.  The whole book expounds on a personal journal she wrote during a phase when she was questioning her faith.  There are no particular entries that describe a Rational stage of faith but the period of questioning would be typical of that stage. 

Much of the book speaks of Joan’s wrestling with the line between the traditional religious  Read the rest of this entry »

07.09.08

Technorati link

Posted in articles at 4:13 pm by MPJ

<a href=”http://technorati.com/claim/ibtihd34” rel=”me”>Technorati Profile</a>

 <a href=”http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&amp;add=http://beliefstagesandgrowth.com/blog”><img src=”http://static.technorati.com/pix/fave/tech-fav-1.png” alt=”Add to Technorati Favorites” /></a>

07.08.08

Are We Really All One? by blog author, Margaret Johnston

Posted in articles at 2:41 pm by MPJ

Are We Really All One?

More and more these days we hear instances of people saying they have come to realize that We All Are One.  Some of these people have just latched onto the concept in an artificial sense after hearing about it elsewhere.  Others reportedly have actually experienced Read the rest of this entry »

07.05.08

get a load ‘a this guy!

Posted in articles at 9:45 pm by MPJ

My younger son Tony is taking an online English course through his university this summer.  He says the prof has the class “in a very cumbersome world of belief and spirtual readings now.” (Tony’s words.  I hope the prof isn’t reading this!) But he was sure I would be interested in one of the assigned readings so he sent me the link. 

The piece is by a certain Read the rest of this entry »

07.01.08

Atheist Spirituality

Posted in articles at 7:58 pm by MPJ

Amazon.com really has me pegged!  You know how when you buy one book from them a message always pops up saying “people who bought that book also bought this other one!” Well, now they have taken to sending me an E-mail every so often saying they are sure I would be interested in such and such a book, based upon what I have bought in the past.  Usually I try to ignore their suggestions.  I give them more than enough business as it is! 

But just before I left for  Read the rest of this entry »

06.30.08

Re-introducing myself….. by Margaret Johnston

Posted in articles at 3:48 pm by MPJ

No, I have not given up on my blog.  I had the chance to travel to Alaska for six weeks to visit my husband.  He has been called up to Active Duty in the Army and is spending the better part of a year in Fairbanks.  I was lucky enough to get time off from my regular job for an extended visit.  We toured around for a while but when he had to get back to work, I spent my days at the local library putting in Read the rest of this entry »

04.16.08

….about “My Stage One Story”

Posted in articles at 7:33 am by MPJ

On April 14, I posted “My Own Stage One Story.”  That was an instance from my own experience that highlights what it was like to be in that less developed stage.  I felt small and powerless.  I saw no other way of obtaining the coveted Read the rest of this entry »

04.09.08

What does drive growth in belief stages or styles?

Posted in articles at 7:43 pm by MPJ

In reading over a lot of the stories I am working with a pattern seems to be arising.  Ok, I know I do not have a statistically significant sample size and double blind studies to work off of, but maybe my observation could trigger some solid research on the part of people with the credentials to do so. 

I have worked with a lot of Rational level stories by now and Read the rest of this entry »

« Previous entries