I read a couple of Malcolm Guite books and found him very insightful - now I enjoy watching him smoke his pipes and talking about Tolkien 😂 I've wrestled with faith for ages and have a similar yearning for connection and certainty. At the start of this year I decided to simply go to our local church (literally atop a hill in the parish we live in) rather than metaphorically roaming the earth looking for the ideal unproblematic blend. To cut a long story short it has been great!
Yes, I enjoy Malcolm Guite, & especially love his BookTube channel. I think that's the medium where he's really in his element. He has a fantastic persona, doesn't he?
A holiday alone sounds fantastic!! How nice to have children who understand you. I’m excited to hear your thoughts on Clarice Lispector! I’m also agnostic. There’s so much about spirituality that resonates with me but, there are too many things from too many religions that feel “right” for me to say that one is more true than another. Loved hearing about your Pa! What a wonderful man!!
Just followed Malcolm Guite, I love that he's a poet! I'm always wrestling with my faith so I think watching him will help. I can't wait to see how you like Clarice! Thanks for the shoutout xoxo
I am really excited to get into Lispector. It's going to be a lot of fun, I'm sure. Guite is very engaging. I suspect he's a very traditional man, so not always my cup of tea, but there is a lot fun there.
It was very interesting to hear you talk about your religious upbringing and your struggles with faith . There are many things that you said that resonated with me, although I do not come from an evangelical background. I was raised Catholic and to this day have a great love for the Catholic liturgy. I have derived great comfort from the Mass, and I deeply appreciate its beauty and meaning. But I have not felt welcome or at home in the institutional Catholic Church for many years, and that is a source of some sadness. But I have not found another church or denomination either. I am not actively looking right now, though I certainly have been at times in my life. Like you, I cannot understand how the supposed religious right in the US finds a kindred spirit in Trump, who could not be less spiritual or Christian if he tried. I'm filled with anxiety these days about this election, as is almost everyone that I know and love. Take care, my friend.
It's a pickle, isn't it? I miss my old faith so much, & I think it would be very healing & centring for me to return to, but all the other stuff is so painful. I am very all-or-nothing, so I'll have to see which way I end up jumping. It's a bind.
I love how open you are about your struggles with faith. I too struggle with the support of Trump by the Christian right regardless of what he does or says
American politics are very unfortunate. I find both of our parties to be antithesis to goodness. I constantly find myself disappointed in the unChristlike behavior of "Christians" and with that in mind I am constantly disappointed in myself. It can be difficult not to be bogged down by such things and I wish you luck on your journey. I was baptized Lutheran as a premature baby and while my mother taught me to pray we did not go to church because of the staunch atheistic views of my father. That was interrupted for a couple of years as we went to Synagogue. I'm not exactly sure why I was baptized into a Jewish faith but I do have fond thoughts of my Rabbi. I was finally baptized for a 3rd time as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, commonly called Mormons when I was 13(thankfully along with my Mother and now-believing father). I can say I was converted by the time I was 16 and was a missionary at 18. I hope that I can strengthen that conversion for myself and my kids. I can't speak for your family of course but I do have two brothers who are not active in any church(one claiming agnosticism and one atheism). Do I think they could better spend their time in a church with a Calling of lifting up others? Certainly. But do I love them any less because they struggle with things differently than I do? Absolutely not. They're mine and I will always love them. Hopefully it can be more and more a Christlike love for them, and everyone else, as time goes on. Thanks for being willing to share such personal thoughts Phillip!
Wait… looking after parrots… that doesn’t sound like a quiet time to me. Ha - I was baptized well into adulthood, and then I went to the Episcopal church. They had (I believed) a respectable intellectual tradition. But I’m closer to Bishop Spong in my theology (you can look him up). In the end, after a very different path, my views might be well aligned with yours. I’m sure a lot of people have been lost to the “faith” due to the gawdawful exemplars America is offering to the world on the Right. Yep, “I’m sure they’ve all got stones in their pockets already…” is not a far-fetched surmise.
Oh, David: I adore Spong. I have several of his books, & that monumental memoir of his ('Here I Stand') - oh, boy! Yes, that's the tradition I belong in, but it's very difficult to access here. The Anglican Church all around me is extremely low church & aggressive - despairing.
I read a couple of Malcolm Guite books and found him very insightful - now I enjoy watching him smoke his pipes and talking about Tolkien 😂 I've wrestled with faith for ages and have a similar yearning for connection and certainty. At the start of this year I decided to simply go to our local church (literally atop a hill in the parish we live in) rather than metaphorically roaming the earth looking for the ideal unproblematic blend. To cut a long story short it has been great!
What an exciting story. That is brilliant!
Yes, I enjoy Malcolm Guite, & especially love his BookTube channel. I think that's the medium where he's really in his element. He has a fantastic persona, doesn't he?
@@apoetreadstowrite It's difficult to talk about as folks may assume it's a cult of unattainable goodness powered by bigotry
@@royreadsanything: Think I may have missed something? Cults & bigotry?
@@royreadsanything: Ah, you mean this is how many conceive of Christianity from the outside looking in? Yes, I like that. I think you're right.
A holiday alone sounds fantastic!! How nice to have children who understand you.
I’m excited to hear your thoughts on Clarice Lispector!
I’m also agnostic. There’s so much about spirituality that resonates with me but, there are too many things from too many religions that feel “right” for me to say that one is more true than another.
Loved hearing about your Pa! What a wonderful man!!
Thanks, Maeve. Yes, Pa was an incredible old fulla - amazing. Thanks for stopping by.
Religion is difficult, it's part of what makes us human, but it's certainly a pickle. I guess it's one of those grand adventures...
You have a very nice selection of books behind you Philip!
Ah, my addiction to The folio Society from London. These treasures feature in many of my videos.
Great job! I love learning about what makes you…you😊
Ah, you are always so generous & encouraging. Thank you, Meg!
This was such a great tag. Thanks for thinking of me for this. It was just what I needed.
Just followed Malcolm Guite, I love that he's a poet! I'm always wrestling with my faith so I think watching him will help. I can't wait to see how you like Clarice! Thanks for the shoutout xoxo
Your channel is a marvel, Emily - brilliant you!
I am really excited to get into Lispector. It's going to be a lot of fun, I'm sure. Guite is very engaging. I suspect he's a very traditional man, so not always my cup of tea, but there is a lot fun there.
Interesting talk, and for myself the end points: the difference between relational christianity and churchianity. I find this fascinating. Thanks!
Yes, I can't stop rubbing my nose in the whole thing, I'll probably just rub myself out one day. We'll see.
I love these intersections between life and thinking.
@@apoetreadstowrite The best kind of life! 'I think, therefore I am'. 'The unexamined life is not worth living'.
@@book-ramble: Ideas are the genius of nurture. Yes, I love that 'unexamined life' motto. It's good.
@@apoetreadstowrite I keep naval gazing, and it's made me crossed eyed!
It was very interesting to hear you talk about your religious upbringing and your struggles with faith . There are many things that you said that resonated with me, although I do not come from an evangelical background. I was raised Catholic and to this day have a great love for the Catholic liturgy. I have derived great comfort from the Mass, and I deeply appreciate its beauty and meaning. But I have not felt welcome or at home in the institutional Catholic Church for many years, and that is a source of some sadness. But I have not found another church or denomination either. I am not actively looking right now, though I certainly have been at times in my life. Like you, I cannot understand how the supposed religious right in the US finds a kindred spirit in Trump, who could not be less spiritual or Christian if he tried. I'm filled with anxiety these days about this election, as is almost everyone that I know and love. Take care, my friend.
It's a pickle, isn't it? I miss my old faith so much, & I think it would be very healing & centring for me to return to, but all the other stuff is so painful. I am very all-or-nothing, so I'll have to see which way I end up jumping. It's a bind.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Pat. I really appreciate your generous, inclusive & kind encouragement.
I love how open you are about your struggles with faith. I too struggle with the support of Trump by the Christian right regardless of what he does or says
It's a despairing pickle, isn't it? Christian nationalism is obscene.
Thanks for stopping by, Stuart. I appreciate your kind, generous & inclusive encouragement.
@@apoetreadstowrite You're welcome, Philip
@@stuartgriffin1001: Thank you.
@@stuartgriffin1001: Thank you.
American politics are very unfortunate. I find both of our parties to be antithesis to goodness. I constantly find myself disappointed in the unChristlike behavior of "Christians" and with that in mind I am constantly disappointed in myself. It can be difficult not to be bogged down by such things and I wish you luck on your journey.
I was baptized Lutheran as a premature baby and while my mother taught me to pray we did not go to church because of the staunch atheistic views of my father. That was interrupted for a couple of years as we went to Synagogue. I'm not exactly sure why I was baptized into a Jewish faith but I do have fond thoughts of my Rabbi. I was finally baptized for a 3rd time as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, commonly called Mormons when I was 13(thankfully along with my Mother and now-believing father). I can say I was converted by the time I was 16 and was a missionary at 18. I hope that I can strengthen that conversion for myself and my kids.
I can't speak for your family of course but I do have two brothers who are not active in any church(one claiming agnosticism and one atheism). Do I think they could better spend their time in a church with a Calling of lifting up others? Certainly. But do I love them any less because they struggle with things differently than I do? Absolutely not. They're mine and I will always love them. Hopefully it can be more and more a Christlike love for them, and everyone else, as time goes on. Thanks for being willing to share such personal thoughts Phillip!
Thanks, Seanin. It's not easy in the contemporary milieu. We do our best...
Thanks for your kind, generous encouragement. And thanks for stopping by again. I appreciate your support.
Wait… looking after parrots… that doesn’t sound like a quiet time to me.
Ha - I was baptized well into adulthood, and then I went to the Episcopal church. They had (I believed) a respectable intellectual tradition. But I’m closer to Bishop Spong in my theology (you can look him up). In the end, after a very different path, my views might be well aligned with yours.
I’m sure a lot of people have been lost to the “faith” due to the gawdawful exemplars America is offering to the world on the Right.
Yep, “I’m sure they’ve all got stones in their pockets already…” is not a far-fetched surmise.
Oh, David: I adore Spong. I have several of his books, & that monumental memoir of his ('Here I Stand') - oh, boy! Yes, that's the tradition I belong in, but it's very difficult to access here. The Anglican Church all around me is extremely low church & aggressive - despairing.
All the parrots, you'll hear them in all my videos, now that you're listening out for them - incredible birds.
@@apoetreadstowrite I did not realize he had a memoir. Now that’s on my list.
@@davidnovakreadspoetry: It's a terrific read. It came out (oh, boy) 20 years ago? It is my favourite book by Spong.
@@davidnovakreadspoetry: What a blast from the past. I haven't thought about Spong in years, what a delight to share this joy again.