"Many of our young people are uprooted. They no longer believe in the traditions of their parents and grandparents, and they have not found anything else to replace them. Spiritual leaders need to address this very real issue, but most simply do not know what to do. They have not been able to transmit the deepest values of their traditions, perhaps because they themselves have not fully understood or experienced them. When a prist does not embody the livivng values of a tradition, he or she cannot transmit them tot the next generation. he can only wear the outer garments and pass along the superficial forms. When the living values are absent, rituals and dogmas are lifeless, rigid, and even oppressive. combined with a lack of understanding of people's real needs and a general lack of tolerance, it is little wonder that the young feel alienated within these institutions."
-- From Thich Nhat hanh's book Living Buddha, Living Christ.

This is truely dead accurate to how I feel. Most of you know I have no real love for the church but this really sums up how I feel. The whole point of christianity seems missed by attending church. As of now, I've officially dis-connected myself from the church I have attended since birth, While at first I was thrilled by the thought of not attending church. I deinentally would like a religious rappor. Ideally I'd love to put a group together and meet on sunday mornings, maybe at pinchot park, or the library or a diner.... somewhere. And with this group, be "religious". Perhaps meditate/pray, but mainly read and discuss, not just the main religious texts, Bible, tao te ching, upanishads.. ect. But others too. Thich Nhat Hanh, for example is definentally a favorite of mine. It's odd that a Buddist Monk can know more about what jesus was trying to say, than my paster does. Which is why the opening statement hits the nail on the head. The group would function much like sunday school is supposed to... everyone reads a chapter or so of something, and then disscusses it... i'd want two main things to be different from standard sunday school though. A) People would honestly be interested and actually read. B) Disscussion would be open minded, and non-judgemental. I know it doesn't seem like much to ask... but try getting a group together in church and doing those two things... it'll only work as long as everyone agrees... in which case there can't be disscussion... and the whole excersize becomes and pointless as singing a hymn you don't like.

Sadly, unless I find interest.. a group like this won't happen.. and in dear ol dover pa, it's less likely than anywhere else.. but i have hope... so if you live nearby, and are interested, contact me.

On a lighter note i have a dog, her name is madeline, or maddy, she's big, horrifically stupid, and utterly adorable.