What's your religious tradition?

[Phenomenologist]

Just out of curiosity: What's everyone's religious tradition that you come from? And maybe by contrast, what tradition do you think most matches you (if not the tradition you come from)? Or maybe a tradition you're headed towards, in contrast to your past religious tradition.

[sacklunch]

Previous - pseudo-conservative Protestant. Now - agnostic.

cheers

[Dillskyplayer]

Previous - pseudo-conservative Protestant. Now - agnostic.

cheers

Historically UCC in my roots. Agnostic myself, but with a strong UCC hermeneutic.

[new mexico]

Previous -- agnostic w/ Greek Orthodox proclivities.

Now -- just "Christian" -- Nicene Creed sums up the general core of my belief -- with a disdain for categories.

(non-denominational...but not the denomination that goes by that name )

Edited March 7, 2011 by new mexico

[new mexico]

Just out of curiosity: What's everyone's religious tradition that you come from? And maybe by contrast, what tradition do you think most matches you (if not the tradition you come from)? Or maybe a tradition you're headed towards, in contrast to your past religious tradition.

Well, what about you?

[getmeout]

There is no such thing as non-denominational. Everyone is located somewhere. Denying your location within a particular tradition just exhibits either a) ignorance or arrogance.

Non-denominational is some variation of the free church tradition, of which, of course, there are many flavors. Most of them are pretty bland.

[vermonster]

There is no such thing as non-denominational. Everyone is located somewhere. Denying your location within a particular tradition just exhibits either a) ignorance or arrogance.

Non-denominational is some variation of the free church tradition, of which, of course, there are many flavors. Most of them are pretty bland.

I disagree and find it rude to refer to another poster's religious identity as ignorant or arrogant.

If you identify yourself as Christian, but have no affiliation with a particular church or do not regularly attend church, why can't you be considered non-denominational? Sure, if you dig hard enough you're likely to find a denomination that echoes your ideals, but if you have no relationship with that church, you may not be comfortable identifying as a member of it. Or perhaps you take your theology from a number of traditions, in which case you may not want to choose one over another as your identity.

[Dillskyplayer]

There is no such thing as non-denominational. Everyone is located somewhere. Denying your location within a particular tradition just exhibits either a) ignorance or arrogance.

Non-denominational is some variation of the free church tradition, of which, of course, there are many flavors. Most of them are pretty bland.

We, the human, love labels! From a biblical perspective:

Beginning with Adam, co-creator and label-er of animals and plants, naming became part of humanity's power. We like to distinguish us from them.

I don't think the poster was trying to be arrogant (I don't think you can try to be ignorant, quite the contrary)--but I think the poster was being neutral, beyond labels (or at least the baggage that they tend to carry)! I agree that non-denominational is kind of a flawed label, buttttttttt I don't think that was the point =]

Kind of like the people who claim to be nihilists! =]

Shalom.

[ddsdevil]

currently-United Methodist with an Episcopal/Anglican bend.

[new mexico]

There is no such thing as non-denominational. Everyone is located somewhere. Denying your location within a particular tradition just exhibits either a) ignorance or arrogance.

Non-denominational is some variation of the free church tradition, of which, of course, there are many flavors. Most of them are pretty bland.

Unfortunately, I disagree; however, I do not feel like delineating why I disagree as Dillskyplayer gave a wonderful response. In the words of my favorite atheist, Christopher Hitchens, "You can believe that if you wish."

[new mexico]

We, the human, love labels! From a biblical perspective:

Beginning with Adam, co-creator and label-er of animals and plants, naming became part of humanity's power. We like to distinguish us from them.

I don't think the poster was trying to be arrogant (I don't think you can try to be ignorant, quite the contrary)--but I think the poster was being neutral, beyond labels (or at least the baggage that they tend to carry)! I agree that non-denominational is kind of a flawed label, buttttttttt I don't think that was the point =]

Kind of like the people who claim to be nihilists! =]

Shalom.

Thanks It is a flawed label, which is why i used a smiley emoticon he he. And yes, I'm beyond labels due to the baggage I must carry. Great point!! I just don't belong to any specific tradition, and I'm perfectly content with that.

Edited March 7, 2011 by new mexico

[Trin]

I am also not affiliated with a particularly tradition, especially academically. I'm used to telling students who ask that within the academic study of religion, we usually bracket our own beliefs, blah blah blah. Just last week, I was sitting in on a class that was studying Quakers, and I made some comments about a doctrinal issue and worship practices. As *soon* as class ended, three different students announced to me, "You're a Quaker, aren't you? We can tell!" I was like, noooo, I'm a religious studies scholar -- it's my job to know these things. :-)

When I get asked outside of academic contexts, I usually explain that I'm culturally Episcopalian and have a liminal relationship with paganism, but I self define simply as a theist. Technically speaking, I"m a monist with strong panentheistic leanings, whose beliefs are more informed by a Jamesian Mystical Experience than any other influence. Practically speaking, I'm an orthodox Santaist with reconstructionist leanings -- I believe in the literal truth of Santa Claus, but reject some of the later teachings that have passed into orthodoxy (particularly on the issue of Rudoplh.)

Edited March 7, 2011 by Trin

[Kuriakos]

Baptist of the moderate Evangelical variety.

[Phenomenologist]

There is no such thing as non-denominational. Everyone is located somewhere.

I know getmeout's original post here sounded a bit strong ("ignorance or arrogance"), but I must say that generally speaking on the whole, in a nice and polite way, he's technically correct. Hermeneutically, none of us are merely "objective" or "neutral," or the one-step-further, "simply Christian" or "merely following the Bible" or Jesus, or what-have-you. We all come from a "tradition" that shapes and informs us, even if we reject that tradition in the end (hence my original post). But even so-called "non-denoms" are in fact of the "free church" or "restorationist" or "primitivist" or "home church" or "charismatic" traditions, etc. Or, "I have all these hermeneutical traditions, but I'm not ecclesiastically affiliated."

Well, what about you?

As for me, I was raised by a Catholic-turned-Protestant mother in a Methodist church. But in middle school I fell into the charismatic evangelical tradition, and in high school into Reformed theology. In college I went through a phase of critical biblical scholarship, but after studying more hermeneutics and philosophy of science (which exegesis is), I began to have sympathies for more tradition-affirming sensibilities (Anglo-Catholic-Orthodox). But as a cherry on top, I love Hauerwas and the anabaptist emphasis on the church-as-polis. So, I describe myself as a Reformed Anabaptist Charismatic Anglo-Catholic =).

Depending on which graduate school I go to, I will "plug in" to a tradition more intentionally, and begin the ordination process and such -- Presbyterian or Anglican most likely.

currently-United Methodist with an Episcopal/Anglican bend.

Hey, just like Stanley Hauerwas! And what a coincidence -- you attend Duke!

Just last week, I was sitting in on a class that was studying Quakers, and I made some comments about a doctrinal issue and worship practices.

You're a Quaker, aren't you? I can tell

Baptist of the moderate Evangelical variety.

Anathema!

[Kuriakos]

Anathema!

As a Baptist, I pride myself on being weird. For example, I love liturgy and the practice of spiritual disciplines. Not very Baptisty.

[Trin]

As a Baptist, I pride myself on being weird. For example, I love liturgy and the practice of spiritual disciplines. Not very Baptisty.

As a Southerner, I find the adjective "Baptisty" excellent. :-)

[Phenomenologist]

As a Baptist, I pride myself on being weird. For example, I love liturgy and the practice of spiritual disciplines. Not very Baptisty.

You are a credit to your kind .

My in-laws on both sides are all Baptists all around (that is, my wife's mom's family and my wife's dad's family). But ironically, despite my drawing on many traditions (as noted above), the Baptist tradition is the one with which I have least affinities (or sympathies), hehe .

Not all Baptists are lost -- God forgives .

[Kuriakos]

You are a credit to your kind .

My in-laws on both sides are all Baptists all around (that is, my wife's mom's family and my wife's dad's family). But ironically, despite my drawing on many traditions (as noted above), the Baptist tradition is the one with which I have least affinities (or sympathies), hehe .

Not all Baptists are lost -- God forgives .

No worries, the closer you get to the ideal church polity the fewer people who can handle it.

[LeftField]

I'm glad I'm not the only Baptisty person out there. I grew up very conservative, and am just graduating from a very conservative seminary, but the process made me lose some of my conservativeness Now I'd identify myself as a background Baptist with a huge love affair with Anglican and Eastern Orthodox theology. Weirdness, check.

[Kuriakos]

I'm glad I'm not the only Baptisty person out there. I grew up very conservative, and am just graduating from a very conservative seminary, but the process made me lose some of my conservativeness Now I'd identify myself as a background Baptist with a huge love affair with Anglican and Eastern Orthodox theology. Weirdness, check.

High-five! If there was a Zwingli-loving Anglo-Baptist church out there, I'd be set.

[Trin]

I'm glad I'm not the only Baptisty person out there. I grew up very conservative, and am just graduating from a very conservative seminary, but the process made me lose some of my conservativeness Now I'd identify myself as a background Baptist with a huge love affair with Anglican and Eastern Orthodox theology. Weirdness, check.

An argument could be made that I am also "Baptisty" in the sense that one side of my family are Southern Baptists and have been for generations. As a result, though I claim to be culturally Episcopalian (the other side of the family!) I am as much culturally Baptist. I "speak" Southern Baptist fluently enough to be mistaken for one, I suppose. OTOH, aside from rural Southern Baptist folkways, there isn't much of that influence in my life, thinking or academic work, so I don't usually mention it. :-) I do love many of the hymns, though...

[alexrodriguez]

Roman Catholic with preference for Eastern liturgies.

[Gonner85]

Nother RC here. Anglo-Catholic and Eastern Orthodox sympathies.

[aselfmadewinter]

Liberal Mennonite with Catholic leanings and an ecumenical philosophy.

[Bender]

Liberal Mennonite with Catholic leanings and an ecumenical philosophy.

If you are at St. Mike's I think we'll get along quite well. I'm the same but would add heavy influence from process philosophy.