Neale Donald Walsch - Conversations with God?

[Owen Meany]

I grew up in a warm and happy Christian home.  My family is active in our inner-city Presbyterian Church.  I am an elder.  My kids are there on Wed nights with a youth group.

I've always wrestled deeply with my views on God and the theological teachings of the Christian church.  I gave up believing in hell and the devil and the inerrancy of the bible a long time ago.

Has anyone else from a Christian background discovered CWG and been very moved by it.  It feels like the truth to me -- what my heart and soul believe, or want to believe, about God.  (But I do struggle with the idea of God speaking to this one dude out in Oregon...). 

Anybody else with a special interest in this book?

[Cuchculan]

I have many views on religion and god. I was born a catholic. But I think you have to find your ow way in life. As you grow so does what you believe in. Then you look around to find things to match your beliefs. In other words it is life that teaches you first. That is were your views come and are based around. I believe that belief is important. Everybody needs something to believe in. So you shape your life a certain way, based around how you think life should be lived. As odd as it may sound I think the religion finds the person. Moreso than the person finding the religion. Buddhism was something I once knew little about. But it seemed to be there. It had the same views that I believed in. Everything about it seemed to match what I had in my head. By then I knew I how wanted to live my life. What was right and what was wrong. Along came this Eastern way of living that matched my ideals and views on every day life. But that begs another question. What is more important, the belief or the religion? There are plenty of religions out there. Plenty of people who follow them. In their mind they are all right. Even though the religions may vary. And what of the person who has no belief at all? There has to be an emptiness there. For now they might think that to believe in nothing is fine. But later in life, as we know we are growing old, and death has to happen at some point in time, that belief will serve the believer. The none believer will have nothing on their death bed. No images of what might happen once they do die. Just a blankness. It is at this point they scramble to find a God to believe in. They see the value of belief. We live our lives. We have our views. If something comes to us that can expand on those views then it is good for us. Because it is good to believe. In something. In anything. To give your mind some sort of focus in life.