Jungle Japes wrote:
Let me guess Xyle (I assume that's supposed to be 'exile' and not Zyle). You're a charismatic, right?
To be exiled is to be separated from your birthplace as a punishment. To be Xyle (i.e. to be myself) is to be separated for [a positive benefit] [see Note 2 below]. A change in spelling to indicate a change of meaning. I sought a nom de plume and found a craft name (see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/craft_name) though I did not learn about the concept of craft names until a decade or so later.
I grew up in a United Pentecostal Church from ages 9 to 16 (though, technically it wasn't a UPC church the last two years). And it was during this time that I "crafted" for myself the name Xyle [4]. After my parents left the church where I was water baptized, we attended various churches, predominantly non-denominational Baptist-type churches. But as an independent (from my parents) adult, I don't attend church regularly, though I find myself in the Scriptures often enough.
I suppose I am waiting for the darkness in my soul to be cast out by the Light of Truth (God) before I find myself a church so I don't corrupt the beliefs of those new in Christ, owing to the diversity of understandings from various belief systems, not all of them Christian, that I have acquired over the years. Example: Buddha taught that one should see with one's own eyes in order to remove one's doubts. Jesus taught "...blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29b) Buddha's wisdom is valid in certain situations, but to new converts trying to form their own belief systems, it can lead them astray from the teachings of Jesus. (Or maybe I am just waiting for better clarity about the various shades of grey and color within me.)
And yet, so many Christians reject any idea associated with any religion (and in some cases, any denomination) not their own even when the Scriptures express the same idea with different words. I believe that failing to understand the beliefs of others results in being closed to them by virtue of those outside the church feeling condemned by the very people who wish to free them from condemnation (i.e. by those in the church). Therefore, I consider myself a non-denominational Christian, and my sole "religious" belief is that the Bible is the Written Truth [1]. This means that my belief in the Bible is taken as an axiom or a postulate: it is an issue of Faith, not Reason.
My experiences with things spiritual predate my going to church and are therefore not a product of my religion.
When I was six, just before my seventh birthday date, my maternal grandmother took me to the store supposedly in order to pick out a Christmas gift for the school's gift exchange. But when she told me that I didn't hear that. I heard "for your birthday" instead, but the words I heard didn't seem right. So I asked her to repeat herself. She repeated her lie that it was for another. So when I was in the toy aisle, I was faced with a choice. The toy I wanted and the toy I would give to another. I picked the toy I would give to another, and that is the toy I got for my birthday. It was a He-man with those caps that normally go in cap guns. A noisy, popular action figure that required asking for replacement caps. As a quiet child accustomed to being poor, I wasn't the type of child that would ask for more caps. I can't even remember the toy that I wanted.
That summer, though in my memories it feels as if there should be more time between the events... In the summer of my seventh year (eighth, if you reckon the way of ancient Hebrews by including the time in the womb), we went to live with my paternal grandmother for the summer while my "widowed" mother (for indeed, my father was dead) sought a job and place to rent. Upon entering into the house of my grandmother and into her living room, I heard my mother and grandmother arguing in the kitchen and was able to discern the Spirit of Truth that accompanied my grandmother (May her soul rest in peace). Perceiving that the punishments from Truth were more bearable than from Lies (see previous paragraph), I put the Spirit of Truth into my heart. Thus was the beginning of my spiritual journey. (And my first encounter with an unclean spirit occurred within a year later.)
My acceptance of seemingly opposing positions, such as my acceptance of Jesus as my Lord and Savior combined with acceptance of ideas from outside Christianity or my acceptance of scientific reason & mysticism, makes labels meaningless. My religion is Christianity; my philosophies are many (IDIC).
. . .
All these words to cover that I have no idea what people mean when they say "charismatic."
Charismatic, I may be; but you will have to tell me based on my words because I do not know. [3]
Note [1] The Bible is called "the Word of God" by Christians (which is confusing to non-Christians because the Bible is not solely a collection of God quotes) because the "Word of God" means "Truth". ("God is not a man, that he should lie;..." Number 23:19a)
Note [2] I would say for "the glory of God", but like "Word of God" [1], it wouldn't mean what non-Christians might take it to mean. (Any suggestions?)
Note [3] If you stopped at UPC, then you missed the point of everything that came after.
Note [4] Not that the crafting of the name had anything to do with the church, as I said I was seeking a non de plume (a pen name).
