Feeding advice for bantams (one broody, one moulting)

[Old Speckled Hen]

Thats exactly how my Mum interpreted it aswell. I still get messages and visits from time to time when people need help

 

I think its a blessing

 

So do I.

How wonderful and comforting

 

OSH it's a shame that your DDs church couldn't come to terms with her sexuality. I know of a few christian gays and they are happy with the mix.

 

It would have been a different matter if the priest who baptised her had still been alive.

He was lovely.

[pistachio]

My understanding is that Alpha courses vary greatly depending on which church, and importantly which people from that church, are running them. If they use the Alpha brand then they are supposed to stick to what the Alpha brand stands for (I think it's Holy Trinity Church, Brompton that started it). But in practice many churches instinctively stick to the bits they find they agree with or the attendees want to know about. Other courses such as Christianity Explored or ones created by local churches may be very different. I know that many churches were unhappy with the Holy Trinity Brompton chapters on things like speaking in tongues.

 

The upside of the Alpha courses is that people can learn about the Christian faith in a friendly atmosphere with other interested people. At least that is what happens when it works well. The downside is that depending on who is running them and what their particular strand of Christianity is and what their character is like they can display a pretty hard and unloving form of Christianity and may try to argue it into you. I have heard experiences that sound pretty good and useful and experiences that sound pretty soul destroyingly miserable. Sadly that's true of experiences of churches too.

 

I am on a team leading a local church which have used meals at peoples houses to explain the Christian faith. I would only want people leading those groups who are secure enough in their own faith to allow for genuine discussion and listening and who were loving enough to embrace people from any group or background. Not much point calling yourself a Christian if you don't follow the lead of the person your faith is named after. I believe that the church should be taking a lead in giving homosexual men and women the respect and honour they deserve as God's children and in taking the lead in ending discrimination.

 

It's always sad to hear about people being banned from church and generally given a bad time. Someone actually thought God wanted them to stand up at my wedding and preach for half an hour about the sin of me being pregnant at the wedding - so they did. That was just a smidgen of my bad experience but it kind of says it all in a nutshell. Fortunately not all Christians are like that and anyone who takes the smallest look at the New Testament can see that was not what Jesus was like. It's quite hard to love people like that but not impossible. But loving them doesn't mean you put up with their rubbish

[Guest]

I am appalled by your stories. The quotation "judge not, that you be not judged" comes to mind. (Matthew 7 v1)

 

In full:Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 2For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s* eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 4Or how can you say to your neighbour,* “Let me take the speck out of your eye”, while the log is in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s* eye.

 

and later: ‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.

 

This is the teaching of Jesus that I believe in and try to follow. Just in case anyone should think otherwise, I am not saying that divorce, homosexuality or unmarried pregnancies are sins and in my opinion the official church has treated many of you really badly. I guess I am judging those people now! but I am judging them for judging you. Christianity is about love not admonishment. "Love one another as I have loved you"

 

I didn't mean to preach a little sermon there! What I have read about your experiences makes me feel angry (for your treatment) and protective of Christianity. I am fortunate to belong to a lovely and loving church with a vicar who is a really caring and unselfish man. He sets such a very good example of what being Christian is about.