Anyone know anything about The Christian Community?

[nosleeptillbedtime]

I am looking for a church to join. Near me there is something called The Christian Community. According to their website Rudolph Steiner was involved in their establishment in 1922. Does anyone know if they are generally regarded as a christian group or are they a bit culty and out there?

They don't have mainstream christian beliefs at all so I'd say a bit culty and out there!

Anything Steiner was involved in isn't going to be regarded as mainstream Christian, I'm afraid! Definitely culty.

Have you tried searching on Find a Church or just pitching up on Sunday to see what's going on?

I just looked at their website.

I'm struggling (as someone with a theology degree!) to see what might be Christian about them at all!!?

Thanks people. I have tried a couple of churches a while ago but still looking! I also have a real issue that my husband is a Dawkins man and will be very unhappy with me. He willl be really disappointed in me. : (

I can understand your OHs point of view.

I wouldn't be impressed at all if my OH joined a church. I would be a huge wedge between us.

Thanks for that completely unhelpful response atthe. So glad you felt the need to share.

wasn't Steiner an anti-Semite?

nosleeptillbedtime - there is a small group of us at my church who share this difficulty. We are reading a book by Mo Tizzard called "How (or is it what?) to pray when he doesn't believe". You can pick it up really cheaply second hand on Amazon. I downloaded it for £4 onto my Kindle, because I didn't want to be obvious about it & I tend to leave my current reading matter around! I recommend it - let me know how you get on & I'll do likewise.

www.achurchnearyou.com/

This is a C of E website and you will get the full variety from praise bands to smells and bells but there will be something near to you. Try a few services and see how friendly they are. Ship of Fools has a mystery worshipper project which isn't terribly well indexed but you might strike lucky on a church near you.

shipoffools.com/mystery/index.html

That's hard, OP, my mil went through this.

I'm a Christian who went to bible college and have a theology degree and a geography degree. Dawkins is a superb evolutionary biologist. He's a shite theologian.

I hope you can work it out. But you should go to church if you want. He shouldn't stop you.

nosleep there are several of us around with atheist partners or families, so you are definitely not alone! My mum, for instance, can't bring herself to mention that I'm training for ordained ministry!

Thanks so much, cheapskate, the green, weegiemum (my iPad keeps automatically changing this to wedgie mum!), ninimy. It is really good to know I am not the only one! I will look up that book cheapskate. I am going to try to explain that I am just happier this way. I know that he will never in a thousand years understand but I also know that he wants me to be happy. So maybe he will accept it. I just have an experience of god's presence now and I am happier if I accept rather than deny it. Hopefully he will see that I am still me and haven't dropped 50 IQ points!

OP, you're right. Your DH doesn't need to understand your new found faith, he just needs to understand that you are still you, only happier.

That does make sense but I guess it depends on the nature of your relationship. Yes my OH wants me to be happy but our relationship thrives on a great deal of intellectual and emotional dialogue. Which does include discussion of religious and philisophical subjects- I come from a deeply religious family.
The idea of " only you only happier" wouldn't work for us. To trite, too superficial.
Religious belief is fundamental, can be encompassing to individuals.

Believing in god does not mean that you are no longer capable of the conversations you had before.

Quite right Dione. Atthe I find your argument nonsensical and comments rude but I think that is probably your intention. Nice.

Atthestroke, I find your statement bewildering and I think it's sad that you need it pointed out to you that when someone gets or loses faith, they don't lose their intelligence or ability to have conversations.

Dione then you should meet my family!!

My OH and I have deep interest in anthropology and archaeology. I am a deep feminist and I am intereested in social architecture, much of which has been structured by the church.
My family believe in creationism, they also believe that the world is 4000 years old- it is not possible for me to have discussion with them about Neolithic history.
So no need to be bewildered- if my OH was to take up religion it would be the end of our relationship.
I have a deep disregard for organised religion and the misery it brings.

Atthe every Christian I know would be able to have the conversations you mention. Your family have a particular set of beliefs that not all Christians hold. Just like there is diversity amongst feminists, conservatists, socialists, environmentalists, animal rights people, there is diversity amongst Christians. There are also feminist Christians, I am one of them. There are also many Christians interested in social justice, I am one of them.

I have a respect for the hard work undertaken by religious people who fund and run many of our social services. I also have a deep contempt for those times when religious institutions cause or hide the harm they do to others, or for when people do harm in the name of religion.
What I don't do is fail to see diversity and label everyone who is part of a movement or organisation ( whether religious or not) with same brush. In your own words, that would be too trite, too superficial.

As you are well read and well-versed in the beliefs of Christianity athestroke you will be aware that very few Christians believe that the world is only 4000 years old. Neither the Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans or Lutherans for instance teach this. You appear to still be intrigued by belief as you frequently post on Christian discussion threads. Your family is not an example of what the majority of Christians believe but I think you must know that. I can understand having anger and frustration at being raised in a context which would not allow you to explore intellectual ideas. As a Catholic I belong to a tradition that sees faith and reason as compatible and intelligence as a gift from God which should be used. The first person to describe the theory of the Big Bang for example was a Belgian Catholic priest and Professor of Physics at a Catholic University.

The priest's name was Georges Lemaitre and he taught at the Catholic University in Louvain.

Atthestroke, as previous posters have said, your family's view is not held by the majority of Christians.

It must have been very difficult to grow up in a home where your intellectual and emotional growth was stunted, but it is not the fault of the posters here. Have you had a look at the Stately Homes thread for survivors of emotional abuse in childhood?

How rude!!

Atthestroke, I just read a post of yours in the Noah's Ark thread, where you said that your family never went to church and did not have a bible in the house. Yet now you are saying that they are YECs?

yes- absolutely- they became born again Christians as adults.