Jim Palmer's Blog, page 9

Let's Talk Post: "Jim, are you a Christian?"

(On the menu bar there’s a "Let's Talk" page. It's a place where you can ask me questions about things you are pondering or working through in your own journey. Each Wednesday I’ll write a "Let's Talk" blog post that addresses your questions. Today’s post is the first one. Just because your particular question isn’t addressed in this post doesn’t mean it won’t. I’ll do my best to answer every question.)“Jim, I’m confused.  Are you a Christian?”I’m asked this question often. My background is in Christianity. I self-identified as a Christian as a high school senior, and was the Student President of a campus ministry during my college years. Following college, I earned a Master’s degree in theology, became an ordained minister, and served many years as the pastor of a Christian church. Though it’s not uncommon for me to speak of Jesus, I also point out where I believe the Christian religion misrepresents Jesus, and even causes spiritual and psychological damage in people’s lives, and causes division in the world. My understanding of Jesus has also evolved over the years. I think for these reasons some people are uncertain if I am a Christian or still a Christian.Let me first answer the question with a question:What makes a person a “Christian”?What definition are we using? Is it someone who has the proper Christian theological beliefs? If so, who decides the theological litmus test? It’s estimated that there are 43,000 different Christian denominations worldwide, which represent many different interpretations of the Bible and doctrinal beliefs. To be fair, traditional Christian theology has been summarized in creeds such as the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed. But even this is based on the idea that the Bible was written so a single and coherent theology could be developed, a view that not every person accepts. And further, there are many historians who question the politics and motives that influenced these early church councils and the decisions they made about the canonization of the Bible and the accepted theological beliefs.But even if someone could claim having correct Christian theology, what if that person’s life didn’t resemble anything like the life Jesus lived or the values he taught? Would that person be a Christian? And what about a person with an intellectual or learning disability? Can they be a Christian? Is a Christian someone who prays the “Jesus prayer”? And would their motivation for doing so matter?  What if they said the prayer to make their girlfriend happy or the peer pressure of what everyone else was doing? Does regularly attending church make you a Christian?Christianity is considered a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Butdid Jesus intend for there to be a Christian religion. I address this matter in great detail inNotes from (Over) the Edge, andInner Anarchy. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with people choosing to associate and meet together to encourage one another in the ways they understand Jesus to be significant and relevant for their lives.In my view,Jesus holds universal relevance and significance, regardless of one’s religious, spiritual and philosophical background. I fleshed out this view inthis post. But that doesn’t mean a person will necessarily self-identify as a “Christian.” The “Christian” label has now come to mean so many different things, some of which are appalling. Increasingly people are choosing to be more descriptive about their beliefs rather than identify with a label. Another problem with the “Christian” distinction is that it often necessitates the opposing label of “non-Christian,” which can be equally discomforting. You end up with the same problem of definition. Who is the “non-Christian”? How would you label a person who lives the values Jesus espoused but does not attend church or have a well-defined set of beliefs about God or Jesus?But the question here is, am I a Christian? My answer is yes, maybe, and no. If being a “Christian” means embracingwhat I wrote here, then yes I would feel good about thinking of myself privately as a Christian and connect with other like-minded people who felt the same. But would I identify myself with the “Christian” label publicly? Maybe. If Christianity was widely thought of in the above terms, I might be willing to use the label publicly. However, until that day comes, I don’t see myself pushing the “Christian” label for myself publicly, which is the “no” part of my answer. In too many cases “Christian” means something that I don’t advocate, and the term can be unnecessarily polarizing.I get criticized on both ends when it comes to what I say about Jesus.On the one hand there are those who have “shed religion” and shed Jesus with it. For many of these folks, the mention of Jesus reminds them of everything that was wrong and even damaging about their beliefs and involvement related to their particular Christian experience. On the other hand, the typical person who holds fixed and strongly-opinionated beliefs about God and Jesus, in this case Christians, are sometimes not too fond of what I say about Jesus. This is because my beliefs don’t always line up with their particular Christian orthodoxy.There are also those who have crossed paths with enough Christians to have concluded that the whole Jesus-thing is something to steer clear of. Many atheists and agnostics don’t really see any point in giving a lot of credence to Christianity. After all, there’s not a very kind historical record of what has often happened in the name of Jesus. The Crusades of the Middle Ages come to mind. Westboro Baptist church is another. There is no shortage of examples of how Christian religious fundamentalism has done great harm in our world.I don’t believe Jesus needs to be a polarizing figure.Over the years I have shared what I believe the message of Jesus is andThere are a lot of people for whom their rejection of or ambivalence toward Jesus is because of the Jesus they were exposed to through the filter of fundamentalist Christian religion. That’s unfortunate because the Christian religion does not always accurately represent the life and message of Jesus. As I said, Jesus did not start the Christian religion, and if Jesus were alive today I don’t think he would claim the label. In fact, if Jesus came around today and lived and taught the way he did 2,000 years ago, some Christian folk might be the first ones to crucify him. Jesus was not a religious person, and vehemently opposed religion and the way it separated people from God, and divided them against each other.Rather than asking, “Are you a Christian?” I believe a better question would be:Are we living the kinds of values that Jesus lived?Religion at its worst is a game of who’s in and who’s out, who’s right and who’s wrong, and who’s “us” and who’s “them.”Religion is at its bestwhen it joins hands with any and all people who affirm and live values such as: the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Can Pagans and Christians be friends?

When you hear the word “Pagan,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it positive or negative? If you come from a Christian background, you might have some misgivings about the word, perhaps even equate it with other terms like “heathen” or “godless.”Paganism is a term that first arose among the Christian community of southern Europe during late antiquity as a way of identifying religions other than their own, or the related Abrahamic religions; e.g., Judaism and Islam. In other words, Paganism as a title was intended only to reference the non-Christians and the non-Jews. Ultimately, Paganism came to be equated by Christians with a sense of hedonism, representing those who are sensual, materialistic, self-indulgent, unconcerned with the future, and uninterested in sophisticated religion. Outside of Christian circles, the term Paganism typically refers to a group of contemporary religions based on a reverence for nature. These faiths draw on the traditional religions of indigenous peoples throughout the world.Prudence Jones and Nigel Pennick in theirA History of Pagan Europeclassify pagan religions as characterized by the following traits:Polytheism: Pagan religions recognize a plurality of divine beings, which may or may not be considered aspects of an underlying unity.Nature-based: Pagan religions have a concept of the divinity of Nature, which they view as a manifestation of the divine, not as the fallen creation found in dualistic cosmology.Sacred feminine: Pagan religions recognize "the female divine principle," identified as "the Goddess" beside or in place of the male divine principle as expressed in the Abrahamic God.Despite the above traits commonly associated with Paganism, it’s important to note that Paganism is not intended to differentiate the polytheistic religions from the monotheistic. Pagans would have not considered it important to differentiate themselves based on the number of gods they worshiped.  Followers of the ancient religions did not necessarily have anything against Christianity based on its preference for a singular deity, and in many cases pagan sects had a primary deity at the center of the religion, beneath which subordinate deities were also worshiped. Modern Paganism, also known as Contemporary Paganism and Neopaganism, is a group of new religious movements influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various historical pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe.If you do some poking around in more contemporary expressions of Paganism, you will find that some of the central values include:Love for and kinship with natureThe recognition of the divine in nature is at the heart of Pagan belief. Pagans are deeply aware of the natural world and see the power of the divine in the ongoing cycle of life and death. Most Pagans are eco-friendly, seeking to live in a way that minimizes harm to the natural environment.Personal responsibility for beliefsPagans advocate a positive morality, in which the individual is responsible for the discovery and development of their true nature in harmony with the outer world and community. This is often expressed as, “Do what you will, as long as it harms none.” The most basic tenant of Paganism is that it is your own responsibility, not the responsibility of any government, institution, church or other people, to choose what you believe in regards to spirituality, values, ethics, the nature of Divinity, etc.Recognition of the DivineA common Pagan belief is that everything in the universe is sacred. For some pagans, all parts of our universe are considered divine and as such, sacred and worthy of our deepest respect. Pagans believe that the Divine transcends gender, acknowledging both the female and male aspect of Deity. Paganism strongly emphasizes equality of the sexes. Women play a prominent role in the modern Pagan movement, and Goddess worship features in most Pagan ceremonies.We should be grateful for our Pagan friends for maintaining and promoting an integral connection between spirituality and nature. In my own personal spiritual growth and the work I do with others through my spiritual direction practice, I’ve been exploring the area of ecopsychology.Ecopsychology seeks to reshape modern psychology by showing that it cannot stand apart from an intimate human connection with the natural environment. The premise is that we need that connection with nature to do well mentally and physically, and flourish as individuals and as a species. Ecopsychology offers three primary insights: there is a deeply bonded and reciprocal relationship between humans and nature; the illusion of a separation of humans and nature leads to suffering both for the environment and for humans; and the recognition that the connection between humans and nature is healing for both.It might be assumed that Christianity and Paganism would be at odds with each other, but in my view, Jesus embraced many of the values espoused by Pagans. Jesus taught people to be a “neighbor”– to care about the needs, hardships and struggles of other human beings. Caring for the planet is one of the most important ways of truly being a “neighbor.” It doesn’t take long to discover that environmental degradation has a disastrous impact on the health, well-being and survival of countless people around the world. The opening scene of the Bible is a picture of wholeness and harmony between God, the natural creation and human beings, and Jesus alluded to this imagery when he envisioned the reality of the “Kingdom of God" on earth.It’s unfortunate that our religious, spiritual and philosophical differences wall us off from each other. If we took the time to truly know one another, we would find profoundly meaningful things we share in common with each other.For further investigation:Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented WorldPaganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions

Dear Jim, What do you think of "The Secret"?

“Jim, what do you think of ‘The Secret,’ and the power of our desires to achieve happiness?”*It’s often the case that religion creates dysfunction in people by telling them that their feelings and desires are unreliable, dangerous, selfish, and sinful, and should be mistrusted and denied. This is why people coming out of religion are often compelled by what they discover in “New Age” teachings. Of course by now, “New Age” is not much different a term than “Christianity” in that the definition depends on who you’re talking to. And predictably, some corners of Christianity demonize anything that could be classified as “New Age.” Nonetheless, one reason why people are drawn to New Age themes and teachings is because they view our feelings and desires as a good, central, reliable, and powerful aspect of our spiritual and life journey. This is but one of many aspects of the “New Age Movement” that I appreciate.There is great wisdom in what is often referred to as the “law of attraction.” You could also refer to it as the law of “sowing and reaping.” What I like about this is the way it encourages personal responsibility for one’s experience of life. Rather than approaching life passively or through a victim mentality, New Age teachings invite people to shift their understanding of themselves in relationship to life, namely to see themselves as the creators of their life.I believe it is true that how we approach life determines our experience of life. In any given moment for all of us, life is simply just what’s happening. How you see it, take it, understand it, interpret it, and respond to it determines your experience of life. Two people could be faced with an identical set of circumstances, but their experience of it will be different. Thinking of the law of attraction or the law of sowing and reaping, I think it is self-evident that if you have a fear-based mentality, this will negatively affect the quality and dynamics of your life. Or if you are a compassionate person, this will positively affect your experience of life. A hate-filled person will experience life differently than a love-filled person.I watched the film, The Secret, and felt there were many insightful understandings to be taken from it. What concerned me about it was the way it seemed to apply the concept of the law of attraction in materialistic terms. My concern was twofold: (1) It seemed to imply that if anyone desires something bad enough they can and will have it. This sounds a bit like the whole religious thing – “if you had enough faith….” So, if you desire something and you’re not getting it than you must be the problem – you’re just not wanting it bad enough. There is a way that the formulaic and magical thinking aspects of religion seem very similar here as well. (2) It concerns me also that the film seemed to imply that true happiness is measured by or based upon material things or personal circumstances – having the nice car, the big house, financial and professional success, etc.It is important to keep in mind that at the most fundamental level, you are in every moment… whole, complete, free, at peace, undisturbed, one with God, and in harmony with all things. This is the true source of your well-being, which is not something you have to achieve, earn, attain, or make happen. However one attempts to do it, whether through religion, philosophy, New Age teachings, or whatever, true happiness and well-being is not a matter of controlling your circumstances. Even If your desires were powerful enough to draw to you everything you desired in the material and human world, it would not last because all things in the human experience are characterized by impermanence. That doesn’t make the world wrong, and our well-being is not jeopardized because of it. In my view, our feelings and desires are a central part of what it means to be human and to fulfill the meaning of our lives here on earth. But as true as that is, it is still the case that our happiness and well-being doesn’t require the control of or any particular set of circumstances.Having said all that, I think one profound lesson one should take from The Secret is the understanding that putting actions to one’s intentions is a powerful tool for a person to create the life they want to live, and be the person they want to be. Most people are not aware of the power they posses, and I am grateful to the New Age movement for awakening many people to their personal power, and the possibilities available to a person as a result of this discovery.

Why Jesus matters, regardless of your beliefs

10 ways Jesus is universally relevant, regardless of one’s religious, spiritual or philosophical belief-system:1. Jesus both affirmed what was good and confronted what was wrong in his own religious tradition.2. Jesus taught that love is and should be the ultimate fulfillment of all religious teaching.3. Jesus pointed out the hypocrisy of claiming a close relationship with God while perpetuating discord and hostility in human relationships.4. Jesus confronted the mentality of judging others, and instead told people to look in the mirror.5. Jesus taught a human solidarity where every person sees themselves as a “neighbor” to those in need.6. Jesus extended love, compassion and friendship to all people without condition.7. Jesus affirmed the inherent and equal worth of all human beings, regardless of their status or place in the world.8. Jesus confronted systemic oppression and took on institutional power structures that perpetuated it.9. Jesus did not seek to convert people to any religion or belief-system but challenged his followers to embrace and follow the spirit of love within themselves.10. Jesus affirmed that every person has the responsibility and authority to build a world of peace and harmony that works for everyone.

Moving to a new website/blog home

I’m in the process of transitioning to a new website and blog. You can find me here. 

Have coffee with Jim / Skype chat Sunday morning

This Sunday, November 8, from 11am to 12:30pm CST, I am hosting a Coffee with Jim Skype chat.

Those registered for the call will be able to send me in advance topics they would like me to address in the conversation. Bring your coffee and your curiosity, your thoughts and questions, your sense of humor, and an open mind to be challenged! There is limited space and so I’m charging $15 per participant to get down to a group of folks who are truly interested in having some substantial and meaningful conversation about things that really matter to you. You can arrange your Skype so you can see me but I can’t see you if that works best for you.

Space is limited. Cost $15.

Further details for joining the call will be sent upon registration. Space is limited so the call can be an interactive chat with Jim. Registration is on a first come first serve basis.

You can register for the call now at this link.

After you reistter, send the topics or questions you would like me to discuss to: coffeewithjimpalmer@gmail.com

Whatever satisfies the soul is truth

Walt Whitman wrote, “Whatever satisfies the soul is truth.” The religious mindset cannot accept this, and pits satisfaction and holiness against each other. We are taught self-denial where pleasure is viewed as a temptation, distraction or trap. But Whitman is right. The soul is satisfied by true peace, liberation, joy, belonging, oneness, beauty and love. This is the distinguishing mark of truth.

A path for finding this soul-satisfying truth is to explore these questions:

What makes you come alive?

What satisfies you most deeply?

What fills you up?

What brings you joy?

What centers you?

What is a source of delight and pleasure for you?

What areas, fields, or subjects are you interested in exploring?

What makes you feel connected to yourself?

What forms of self-expression are the most gratifying?

What would your sense of adventure tell you to do?

What way of being in the world resonates most deeply with your heart?

Where does your sense of curiosity take you?

How are you most compelled to aid the liberation of others?

Where in life are you inspired to be a tangible expression of love, acceptance, and compassion?

What nurtures a greater love for yourself and others?

The answers to these questions is a good place to start in determining what satisfies your soul and becomes truth to you.

Learning to be Free

I’ve written five books and counseled countless people who are in the throes of casting off self-sabotaging religious beliefs and mindsets, and moving forward with life after religion. However, some of those beliefs and mindsets continue to persist in different ways – same show, different channel. This coming Sunday morning, October 25th, I’m hosting a Skype video workshop call in which I’m going to share the five most common and damaging religious mindsets that persist in people lives, and more importantly, what to do about them. We will pass along these mindsets to our children if we don’t address these ourselves.

The workshop call is limited to 9 participants. You can register for the call by visiting the event page here.

Letting the Words Out Writing Workshop with Jim Palmer

“I write only because

there is a voice within me

that will not be still.”

–Sylvia Plath, from an untitled poem written in 1948

Is there that “voice” within you that will not be still and wants to be expressed? Sometimes I think people attach some sort of mystique to the idea of being a “writer.” Expressing what’s within you through the written word is available to any person willing to explore that path. I can’t tell you how many people have told me they are not “writers” and then I read something they’ve written that was truly amazing. In most cases it’s not that a person can’t express themselves through the written word as much as it is that they doubt themselves. I am leading an upcoming Letting the Words Out Writer’s Workshop. There will be some preliminary assignments before the actual workshop begins the first week in October. There are still a couple spots available.

Check out the details about the Letting the Words Out Writers Workshop here.

Is there a writer in you wanting to come out?

Letting the Words Out: A Writer’s Workshop with Jim Palmer

Is there a writer in you wanting to come out?

I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has said to me over the years that they had a story to tell or something in their heart and spirit that they wanted to write. I wonder how many of them actually did. Perhaps self-doubt crept in. Maybe they didn’t know where or how to begin. The idea of being a “writer” can seem overwhelming and intimidating.

I understand. That was me in 2005. Five published books later, I’ve learned some things about writing – how and where to begin, how to develop a plan for completing a writing project, and most importantly how to give birth in words to what you are carrying in your heart.

My philosophy as a writing coach…

I believe in the extraordinary power and beauty of a person’s self-expression. Who you are is God’s gift to you. Who you are is your gift to the world. That gift is opened and shared through self-expression. I am particularly committed to supporting people in being freely and fully self-expressed writers.

Maya Angelou wrote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Stephen King added, “Sometimes stories cry out to be told in such loud voices that you write them just to shut them up.” People have stories inside of them that are meant to be written. Sometimes that story is deeply personal – like stories of heartache, loss, transformation and liberation. Sometimes the story shows up in the form of a profound understanding or expertise in areas such as relationships, spirituality, healing, creativity and authentic living. Other times it’s a story we have a fire inside to tell, even if it’s not our story specifically except for the mark it made on us. And then there are times when a story is born out of one’s imagination, where people and plots come alive and dance together in mysterious, enchanting, gripping ways that awaken, inspire, unlock, embolden us and make us look deeper.

My expertise in supporting writers is creating a space, uniquely tailored to the needs of each writer, where they identify, access, and extend their authentic and distinct self through the written word in order to fulfill on their intention for writing. This includes partnering together in doing personal work in the following areas:

• Creating a statement of intention for the writing project, and the essential parameters of fulfilling the project.

• Exploring what it means for the writer to write in integrity with themselves, expressing their authentic personality, thoughts, feelings, and experiences, as well as determining what it means to complete the project in integrity.

• Establishing a book structure that effectively supports the intention of the writing project.

• Determining and incorporating self-care practices that nurture the inner life and creativity of the writer.

• Establishing a writing rhythm and schedule that supports the process of: writing content; submitting content for input and feedback; and having interaction and discussion about it.

I am leading a 6-week writer’s workshop…

The workshop is designed for any person who has an interest in expressing themselves through the written word, and has a writing project in mind that they would like to work on. The key components of the workshop include:

* Giving definition to a particular writing project for each workshop member, and achieving a 6-week goal related to that project.

*A private and dedicated Facebook page for workshop members to connect and share with one another as desired, and regular posts by Jim about authentic self-expression and writing. Will also include a weekly YouTube video from Jim for the workshop members.

* A weekly writing assignment related to your writing project

* Three 60-minute coaching calls with Jim for each workshop member about your writing project.

How to register for the Letting the Words Out workshop…

There will be a limited number of participants for the workshop to ensure personalized attention. Prior to the beginning of the workshop, each participant will be asked to complete some preliminary assignments so we can hit the ground running when the workshop begins. The 6-week workshop will begin the week of Monday, October 4, and end the week of November 8.

The cost for the workshop is $175. Early enrollment before September 15 receives a $15 discount at $160. After September 15 the cost is $175.

If you’re interested PM me or send an email to: nobody.jimpalmer@gmail.com