An example of our rewritten Prayers of the Liturgy....
The Offertory: " O Christ, with this Bread and Wine, we place all our attempts to form unselfish, loving Relationships. We unite ourselves with our families, our friends, our neighbors, and all the peoples of the Earth who are struggling to give themselves away to others, the best way they are able. We place all our efforts and struggles, to love agapically, here, on this Altar. We now raise it to You, our Loving Source."
We are a Faith Community dedicated to "Personality Integration." Your best teacher in life, we think, is your own experience, meditated and reflected upon.
SPIRITUALITY - RELIGION - "as We converse about it"...
1. All Human Beings are created in the Image and Likness of God. (Genesis 1)
2. God Is Love (Love Is God) (1Jn. 4)
3. All Human Beings are created in the Image of Love. Each and every Human Being is created to become a Person who is able to love. The very "nature" of Human Nature is geared toward "loving," by birth.
4. Keeping us back from loving: fear, anger, toxic guilt and toxic shame, depression, anxiety, etc. It's not "just" a matter of will-power.
5. Religion and Spirituality are about "MANAGING" fear, anger, toxic guilt and toxic shame, depression, etc.
When we encounter a Human Being who is Unloving, we encounter a Human Being who has been hurt-wounded in the process of their life's experience, in the world.
6. Christ Hope Church exists to help individuals "MANAGE" HOW THEY HAVE BEEN HURT IN LIFE by the inhumanities they have been subjected to, along the way.
7. The word "God" needs new clarification, by Every Major Religion, lest Humanity destroyes itself!
8. First on the list is graduating from the mythical concept that God "is up there." somewhere. Jesus teachs us that God is Within each of us, and Within our neighbor.
The word, "God," means "loving our neighbor." When we love our neighbor, we, at the very same time, love God. God Is Love. Period.
We, therefore, impose no doctrines. We suggest growing along the lines of Jesus' Agapic Love (Selfless love), by managing those emotions which inhibit loving in our own inter-personal relationships.... such as, fear, anger, depression, polarized thinking, etc. During our Wednesday Night "Emotions Anonymous" we teach Cognitive Behavior Principles.
We believe each Person,when in the process of developing their own love potential, can effect needed changes in the Social Order, in their own situations of life, and in their part of the world.
Therefore, we offer Wednesday Evening Seminars on Cognitive Behavioral Techniques, such as managing fear, depression, anger, polorized thinking, etc.
On Tuesday evenings, at 7:30pm
we invite you to Conversations in Theology and Philosophy.
We carry our thinking right into the structure of our Weekend Services. We have re-written the words of our Services to bespeak of the personal issues which confront every Human Person, no matter what their religious affiliation, or no religious affiliation at all, has been. We are an inclusive Community, and we invite all Persons who may want to improve their interpersonal relationships.
It is oft said that, "Religion is for those who are afraid to go to hell. Spirituality is for those who have been there." We do not claim that we have "all truth," nor do we profess that ours is the "only way." After the Homily, each Sunday, we invite "feedback time". We believe in dialectic, conversation, agreement and disagreement, about what is being offered. Your input will be very important to all of us.
After each Liturgy, we have "fellowship" time, with coffee and deserts, in order to continue our conversation.
So, please feel free to experience Christ Hope Church. We believe in freedom of choice, and make no move to sign you up.
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