PrunePicker: A statement of my belief.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

A statement of my belief.

I may not be a Christian but I am a very close fellow traveller. I have been taught Christian principles and I have studied Christianity for eighty years. Ladies, starting with my maternal grandmother, told me Bible stories from a young age. At times in my life I have spent much time in Church and Bible study classes. I have read the Bible, some parts many times. I have been to several Billy Graham meetings, and many other revivals. I have heard hundreds of alter calls. I have always been very interested in religion and philosophy. I enjoy theological discussions. I have read, studied, and considered. I think that I have been well churched and educated in Christianity.

I love Christian people and enjoy being with them. I love the stories and music of Christianity. I listen to a lot of gospel music. I have several CDs of gospel music and listen to them in my car. I agree with many of the teachings of Christianity. I enjoy and agree with the saying of grace. Opening prayers at various functions are fine with me. When I tell someone that I am praying for him or her, I do pray.

However, I am unable to believe in vicarious atonement. I cannot believe that someone must die to save my soul. I do not know how my soul is saved or if it will be saved. I hope for the best. Normally I am very reticent to talk about religion. I have no desire to convert people to my belief. I really do not have a belief and I am not even an adamant non-believer. I am not an atheist or an agnostic. I consider that I am a seeker.

I have made this statement because in recent years members of my family, and friends, who are concerned about my salvation, have approached me. I love them and I am very grateful for their concern for me. I thank them. I pray for them, and for myself. However, I am at peace with my belief or unbelief. I doubt very much that my mind can be changed. I hope that this statement might allay the concerns of my family and friends.

As Tiny Tim said “God bless us every one!”

6 comments:

NancyNovember 27, 2011 at 11:21 AM
So interesting. I don't think I even consider myself a seeker any more but I find the subject so intriguing. I've come to the point where I am probably an atheist but I've arrived there having considered different aspects. I'd love to spend time talking about this on our trip.
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AnonymousNovember 27, 2011 at 1:24 PM
Well said, Prune Picker. It's not easy being a "seeker" here in the buckle of the bible belt. Lots of people seem to think that if you don't believe the way that they do it could only be because you haven't put any thought into it. If they only knew how much thought it takes to question things rather than to have "blind" faith. Thanks for the post. - A.B.
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AnonymousNovember 28, 2011 at 9:45 AM
Dad, thanks for posting this. I've been curious where you were with all this lately and, clearly, your views have remained quite consistent.
However, I don't think you realize that one doesn't have to believe in atonement by death in order to be a Christian. Many liberal Christians believe in the idea that humans are brought in harmony with "God" through Jesus' moral influence, rather than his death. And, still, there are many humans who go to Christian Churches, follow Jesus' teachings, and believe in a God of their own understanding, call themselves "Christian," and do not feel like they have to believe in all of the dogma presented to them in a church in order to feel close to God and Jesus.
There are a lot of ways to be a Christian and a lot of ways to spiritual.
Mike
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AnonymousNovember 28, 2011 at 2:16 PM
Does what I said make any sense? I'm not commenting with any agenda because while I think Jesus and Christianity are full of wonderful (as well as ridiculous) things -- I don't believe in "salvation," or anything to do with saving one's soul. So, I'm not trying to save you or convince you of anything. Rather, I'm trying to point out that it is actually only SOME Christians who believe in the whole idea of atonement as Jesus dying for your sins, or, in the idea that one's soul must be saved in order to go to heaven (or in the idea that there is a "heaven" or life after death).
These are just ideas from the particularly evangelical strain of Christianity that I think you've mostly been exposed to.
I went to a church in Modesto for many years (Church of the Brethren, which is related to the Mennonites) and both pastors there did not believe in "atonement," by Jesus' death and also did not consider the Bible the unerring words of God. But, they certainly loved Jesus and loved following the basic teachings in the new testiment.
So, I guess what I am saying is that if you are doubting Christianity because you disagree with atonement, you may be limiting your understanding of Christianity as whole while fixating on one controversial idea.
Check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonement_in_Christianity

Mike
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AnonymousDecember 1, 2011 at 10:11 AM
i pray for all of your souls
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AnonymousDecember 7, 2011 at 2:56 PM
This blog and the comments resulting from it make me very sad....
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My niche in the Blogosphere.

My blog is about me, my family, my interests, my opinions, and my daily activities. My name is Chuck Monson. I am a native born Californian. I worked in the oil exploration and production business and am now retired and living in Ruston, Louisiana. I am a 91 year old widower. I blog because I really enjoy it. Posting gives me a schedule and is a wonderful make work project. I like pictures, both the taking and looking at them. I really like old historic pictures. I enjoy a good photograph. I like putting pictures and text together in a way that is hopefully interesting to others and that will be interesting to me in the future. I like to be silly now and then. It is also putting my memories down on paper. My blog serves as a diary. I have used it for a reference quite a few times.

I do mix it up. Some of my blogs are “what I had for breakfast”, some are just pictures, some are items of genealogical nature, and there are items from my family history. I have a history of the Munson/Monsons in America. The study of this history has led me to the discovery of much American history that had previously been unknown by me.

I have had a lifelong interest in history, archeology, philosophy, religion, politics, architecture, technical subjects, music, food, and sports. I spend time every day reading blogs and posting to my blog. I do not pontificate on religion or politics because I do not consider myself wise enough to try to persuade others to my beliefs. My beliefs are quite nebulous anyway.

I was started on blogging by my late son, Christopher David Monson. Chris wrote the blog "snaggletoothie of the Loyal Opposition" There is a link to his blog above. I look at Chris's blog often. I have read most of his posts.

My adult years.

I married Jackie Lois Ireton in 1944 in San Luis Obispo, California. I met her on a blind date when I was taking amphibious training at Moro Bay. We have been blessed with four children, nine grand children, and nine great grandchildren. They are an exceptional group. I love them and I am proud of them.

I was an army combat engineer (infantry with shovels) during World War II. I served in the Pacific. I was wounded on Peleliu Island helping the marines on Bloody Nose Ridge. I was shot in both legs just above the knees. The wound locations indicate that I was not running away.

I received a BSME in 1950 from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California. Jackie received a PHT. (pushing husband through.) I retired from oilfield work in 1985. Jackie and I moved into a fifth wheel trailer and enjoyed the RV lifestyle until Jackie's health failed. We traveled across the continent 3 1/2 times. We spent a summer as volunteers at Acadia National Park. For 17 years we helped build an Escapee RV park in Chimacum, Washington. Jackie passed away in 2007. We had been married 63 years. We were married on June 3, 1944. I still live in our fifth wheel trailer. It is parked in the yard of my daughter Kerry's home in Ruston, Louisiana. It is by far the nicest RV park that I have ever lived in.

My teen age years.

I was born in 1925 in Pomona, California. Pomona is on the east edge of Los Angeles County. It is halfway between Los Angeles and San Bernardino and halfway between the mountains and the beach. I thought that it was great to be an hour from snow covered mountains and an hour from the ocean surf.

In my days of growing up, Pomona was completely surrounded by orchards and truck farms. Oranges, lemons, grapefruit, peaches, apricots, olives, persimmons, and walnuts. Watermelons and strawberries. During the depression I had many meals from the orchards.

They say that you cannot go back home. That is true of the Pomona Valley of my youth. Because it is no longer there. Most of it is now covered with asphalt and stucco buildings.

My ancestors.

I am getting more and more into genealogy. I have a trove of information on the Munsons/Monsons. My father is buried in California. His father by adoption (He was an uncle.) is buried in Kansas. His natural father is buried in Kentucky. So I have two grandfathers. I have a grandfather and four great grandfathers buried in Kentucky, one great buried in New Jersey, and three greats buried in Connecticut. I have two greats buried in Rattlesden, Suffolk, England. I have been led to believe that my ancestors before that came from Denmark and Normandy.

Captain Thomas Munson was the first Munson to move to America. He was baptized in Rattlesden, England in 1612. The baptismal font is still in use. He served in the militia in the Pequot Indian Wars in 1637. He served in the militia all his life and reached the status of Captain. His signature is on the founding document for New Haven, Connecticut.

In 2011 I visited New Haven and took pictures of his gravestone. In May 2012 my oldest daughter Nancy Ann escorted me to England and France. We visited Rattlesden and I took some pictures of the Captain's baptismal font.

Why is the old prune picker living in Ruston, Louisiana?

In 2006 my wife Jackie was in poor health. Jackie had kidney failure and was on dialysis. She had heart problems for some time with A-fib. She had fallen and broken her hip. She had broken ribs and vertebra just moving around normally. My family thought that I needed help caring for Jackie. My daughter Kerry and her husband John offered to park our trailer in their backyard in Ruston and help. Jackie and I accepted their kind offer. My daughter Nancy accompanied Jackie in an airplane flight from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington to Ruston. My son Mike took time off to help me pull our trailer for five long days to our new home. We were and are grateful. We enjoyed our new home very much.

Unfortunately and sadly, Jackie passed away in six months. I had sold our truck and was permanently parked. I was ready to give up full time RVing anyway. It is very pleasant in Ruston and I am close to family. So that is why I have been living in Ruston, Louisiana since October 2006.