I grew up in a fundamentalist Church of God setting (nightmare). We, the children, were not told much about other faiths/religions/denominations, other than they were "bad" and "have it all wrong" and that we'd not "get to heaven" by following those false beliefs and false believers.

Well, I was one curious child. You see, I didn't believe that my religion was very nice. They'd say one thing and it would appear different than what they said/taught. They acted nice at church, or spoke nice words that sounded good, but I found that it was not really in their experience. Their walk didn't match their talk. Big problem for a very authentically evolving young person. Oh, on top of that I tested people and ask questions. I was often told that my questions were directly influenced from "satan". I did not have a personal relationship to this "satan" so I didn't know what the hell these "Nice-Nasty" (my mothers term) folk were talking about.

Anyway, my Aunt would tell us of all the abominations that they other beliefs/religions/denominations would do, and that only sparked my curiosity. As a child I really wanted to see if those "other people" were as hypocrital as the way I was being brought up. So, thank you Fundamental Church of God Belief - you spawned my curiosity enough to go out and see the goodness in other ways.

As I explored, let us call them other . . . as I explored other I found goodness, truth and freedom. They often offered things more interesting to me. I could feel relationship better. You know it is hard to feel relationship with a God who might punish you at any moment. I felt like the punishment of my sin/error was the sin/error itself, so why would some far off, Old Man like God want to punish me. That was simply mean.

I'm sure all of you can figure out why I kept my mouth shut as a child, when I was asked what I believed. I kept that to myself. I found myself meditating before I even knew what meditation was. I was much more interested in experience than in dogma. Personal experience had a life to it that belief did not.

So, I love all peoples, and I love the variety of experience that we have access to in this world and within ourselves. But there is something always beyond belief and that is EXPERIENCE. EXPERIENCE in some form or another will always go on, is eternal. Experience goes beyond belief, stepping between on belief and the other. I'm really not attached to any one belief (for the whole part of what it is). I'm more into feeling my way into this life, this experience.

My friends and I have a usual Friday night gathering which we call Church of the Porch. Since worship to me is an every moment affair and is about relationship, The Porch has become our way of worshiping. We come together, we eat (break bread) together, we share our experiences and what supports that for each of us, we love, we cry, etc. Spiritual life is just this for me - that it is not separate from any other part of life. Everything emanates from spirit so it is all spiritual and I have faith in the whole thing, especially if the parts are in good relationship with one another.

Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I'm grateful for GAIA and for each of you.

To me, it means growing into something new. Does one ever fully grown up. See, I think consciousness is enernally growing and expanding into something new/different. It never stops. Consciousness/the Universe/God experiences SELF in this growth. So, I'll never grow up FULLY in the greater scheme of things.

I would have been a servant and wise man. I would have been humble, protected, and taken into prominent homes as an advisor. I would have been a listener, listening to hearts and the unseen, looking for and seeing truth.

I have found and usually find contentment within me.  Actually, contentment welcomes me home when I go within. So, with that, I carry my world with me. I quite myself, and still my desires and then the simpleness of what is or beingness shines through. I know that my simple CONTENT is MEANT to be. I rest with peace in my heart in the comfort of my-Self.

Where there is openess, a meeting in experience of rest and consolation, without requirement, but a true and open meeting . . . well, that is always the place where I recognize find the most healing, the most wholeness. When I walk out into the natural world and surround myself with nature, I am met and kissed by this wholeness. There seems to be an allowance of simplicity and beingness. I rest in the wholeness wherever this place arises in my experience. It is here, there and everywhere . . .

Great question! I guess the art of life moves me the most. Art as life! Yeah, that's it for me. Now, I do like "the arts" too! Ah, music and dance . . .

The ONE who is the most caring person I know . . . well, that is the person or persons doing the caring, meeting with care, the ONE who needs the caring. The ONE who cares for the ONE who needs caring has the ability to respond (responsibility). I look out at the abilities I see here and I see the ONE who cares in each face.

I dunno. I started to write about it and then thought, "No, then I'm already wrong if I try to place freedom in some perceived box of definition." So, I dunno

Are we free "from" something or free "to do" something? I think the approach one takes is interesting. I think Little Big O wrote something about this in one of his blogs. Anyway, I guess I'm FREE to say, "I DUNNO".

Shift gears?? My transmission is automatic!!! I'm changing moment to moment . . .   ;-D

It would be different for each of us. What we believe becomes our reality. Everything is sacred to me, regardless of its form.