What is Progressive Faith?
This blog contains Mercia’s Musings on Progressive Faith, so what is this progressive faith all about? First off it needs to be pointed out that these are my musings and this definition of progressive faith is not attempting to set any hard and fast rule, just what I mean when I muse on progressive faith. I am using the term progressive faith to describe an approach to faith where any question is allowable, including the question as to whether God exists. While my musings are underpinned by a postmodern philosophical outlook, I do not limit progressive faith to any one philosophical outlook. This blog will primarily come from my Christian perspective, but again progressive faith will not be limited to one religious tradition.
Another way to view progressive faith is more than just a questioning attitude, but it also involves a particular ethical stance. This the viewpoint of the Progressive Christianity Network, whose eighth of their Eight Points states “[We are Christians who] Recognise that being followers of Jesus is costly, and entails selfless love, conscientious resistance to evil, and renunciation of privilege.” To me that is pre-determining the conclusions of the questioning process, and so my view of progressive faith will be more open than that.
So to sum up my position – progressive faith is faith that is open not only to any question, but also to any answer.
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Hi Mercia
Its interesting to read about you trying to find a position on faith that you can live with. Especially as a lot of Gay/Transgender people decide that “Religion” is against them & become very hostile … in fact talking about ‘Christians’ in much the same hostile generalistic biased way that Right wing Christians talk about gay/transgender people. It seems a shame when any part of society has a fixed & biased view of another part.
I’m not gay or transgendered & not very politically aware or active to be honest and I’m not a Christian because I’ve never found a version of Christianity I could get into.I didn’t grow up in a Christian family and the only part faith played in my upbringing was going to church with the Brownies! I feel I don’t like to dismiss ‘religion’ as a “load of rubbish” without knowing what it is first and I like the idea of a community of people having beliefs & values & living by them.
I’ve found some more formal churches enjoyable … the pomp & theatre of the ceremony; the evangelical churches more relaxed, informal, more ready to get their hands dirty & get involved with communities in a practical way … but unfortunately more vocal in their opposition to homosexuality; & Quakers …. I feel quite at home with Quakers up to a point … but then not. I think it’s the fact that where I’ve attended the groups have been quite elderly & so political & wholesome its exhausting & I just can’t cope.
I just can’t believe that any deity who really had humanities best interests at heart would object to anyone being in a close caring & mutually fulfilling relationship with another person. Or for that matter care about any person living in a way which felt right to them & wasn’t hurting anyone else.
If we followed scripture we’d be sacrificing goats all over the place & in fact myself & most of my family would have been stoned to death long ago … so I don’t understand the “we’re just following the bible” argument to justify homophobia & predjudice.
I guess there is the procreation argument that sex was intended biologically to be between a man & a woman to make & raise new humans … so maybe the Catholic church is less hypocritical in condeming contraception & sex outside marriage as bad, as following the biology argument contraception would be just as bad as homosexuality … but funnily enough society & most churches choose to conveniently forget things that affect a majority!!
I don’t know. I get confused thinging about it all. I think things like animal cruelty, pollution, slavery, human trafficking, poverty, starvation are so much more damaging & downright evil than anything 2 people can do in bed. I don’t understand societies obsession with what certain consenting adults may or may not be doing in private.
It’s a sick world. Anyway. I will pop back from time to time to see where your musings on faith have led you.
Sorry that it has taken nearly a month to reply, Ceridwen.
I too enjoy the pomp and ceremony of formal worship and will be writing something on that at some stage. I also tried Quaker meetings, but while feeling in tune with their view of faith, I missed the atmosphere of Anglican worship. I would be what the progressive theologian Don Cupitt once called a “camp catholic:” someone who is happy to disbelieve everything, but still loves the ritual of traditional worship. I also expect to be should also be writing something about a couple of the issues you raise: the use of the Bible and sexual ethics. Hopefully you will find the site of some use. Mercia
Cheers Mercia
I’ll await your ponderings with interest!