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Christian Mysticism/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| how do i get started | 4/2/2008 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: how dose one get started down the road of cm? I'm a committed Christian of the evangelical anglcan ... A: It depends upon your starting point. Probably the best place to start is to begin to study the ... | ||
| Christain questions | 3/30/2008 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: What is a Christain to you ? Do you believe Jesus is God ? Do you believe the only witness of the ... A: A Christian is a person who has made Jesus their Master and are trusting in His death to take away ... | ||
| Gerald Massey | 3/12/2008 | Michael Clark, Ph.D. |
| Q: Gerald Massey (1828 - 1907) was a poet turned Egyptologist (self-taught) near the end of the 19th ... A: .. thanks for an interesting question. Unfortunately I'm not an Egyptologist and am not up on ... | ||
| Saint Michael | 3/5/2008 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: I emailed you two days ago on the meaning of the Vision of St. Michael. You said that you would need ... A: I am glad you clarified. I am not sure the angel was Michael or another angel, but the message is ... | ||
| Mysticism and Charismatic/Pentecostal Experiences | 1/5/2008 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: How Christian mysticism relates to Charismatic and Pentecostal experiences? Do you consider ... A: Christian mysticism deals with the experience of God. The Pentecostal/Charismatic movement has an ... | ||
| Homosexuality | 1/3/2008 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: Where does your church stand on homosexuality and the acceptance of homosexuals in your church ... A: We are a Bible believing church and therefore the leadership of the church views the practice of ... | ||
| query | 12/24/2007 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: As Christians, we believe in the RESURRECTION, not in the hypothesis of reincarnation. But Gnostic ... A: Not all who claimed to be Gnostics believed in reincarnation (eg. Origen, Clement). But it became a ... | ||
| query | 12/24/2007 | Michael Clark, Ph.D. |
| Q: As Christians, we believe in the RESURRECTION, not in the hypothesis of reincarnation. But Gnostic ... A: These are some good questions. In the New Testament Jesus says we should love God and love one ... | ||
| need a prayer | 12/24/2007 | Celestial Lightpath |
| Q: DOB: 15 July 1984, 23years old Marital:Single Hi, I have been battling severe depression for past ... A: *~~*~~(\O/)* † *(\O/)*~~*~~ Dear Clement, Child of God, Thank you for contacting us for ... | ||
| Chritianity | 9/5/2007 | Celestial Lightpath |
| Q: I am confused about something. Say I was a Muslim, or any other religeon for that matter, would ... A: *~~*~~(\O/)* † *(\O/)*~~*~~ Dear Geoff, Child of God, Thank you for contacting us for ... | ||
| angels | 8/20/2007 | Michael Clark, Ph.D. |
| Q: Mr. Clark, Hello. I'm a born again christian. I have been for most of my life. I think I was ... A: "its all news to me." I guess you're referring to the idea of being bonded to a guardian angel? I ... | ||
| Divine Light Vision | 7/20/2007 | Celestial Lightpath |
| Q: I had a very spiritual experience several years ago for which I am still in awe and have been on a ... A: Pure of heart is only in reference to Jesus Christ, who lives in each and every one of us in our ... | ||
| Catholic calling? | 7/20/2007 | Michael Clark, Ph.D. |
| Q: Michael Clark, Hi I am one of the few women that is a visionairy but my father ... A: Jacqueline, I think what you're asking about is what Catholics call discernment. Discernment really ... | ||
| What is my path? | 7/19/2007 | Celestial Lightpath |
| Q: That is a cool name, any ways I am a true believer in God and that he calls us to many paths. I feel ... A: As to whether or not you are being called to the nun's life, only *you* will be able to answer that ... | ||
| hi | 7/16/2007 | Celestial Lightpath |
| Q: i have no idea what God wants me to do. and im confused and sometimes i feel like he has forgotten ... A: Child of God, Thank you for your questions. In regards to what God wants you to do, that is a very ... | ||
| dragons | 6/22/2007 | Michael Clark, Ph.D. |
| Q: I am looking to learn about dragons and Christian mysticism. Also, pearls. A: In Christianity the dragon is generally a symbol of evil, a demon or the devil. The most famous ... | ||
| How do I know its for me? | 4/13/2007 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: Jay, Blessings to you. I am a devoted catholic I just turned 21. I am still ... A: Do you really want to be a saint? Then forget about your own happiness and throw yourself utterly ... | ||
| Is it a calling I should answer? | 3/20/2007 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: That awake vision that I had with Mary the Holy Mother of God. Well she also talked to me too become ... A: I really can't answer that for you. You need to decide this vey carefully. You can't name your ... | ||
| Catholic Spirituality | 3/18/2007 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: Jay Yes Yes Yes! This is what I was looking for someone to believe me on what I see. ... A: So many questions, I will try to answer them all. Yes, the one that Mary came to me in the cemetery ... | ||
| Spirituality | 3/17/2007 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: Hi I am a raised Catholic young woman. I am very spiritual. I had several unusal experiences in my ... A: If you have given all your heart to God, I would consider you a saint. The Bible refers to all true ... | ||
| Life path | 1/19/2007 | Celestial Lightpath |
| Q: Could you tell me more about this dynamic future that you mentioned ? in which sense do you mean ... A: Warm greetings Chris, Thank you for your follow-up question. From that, I can intuitively gather ... | ||
| mysticism? | 11/11/2006 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: Jay What exactly is christian mysticism? I never heard of it before. I have heard of Jewish ... A: All mysticism revolves around the idea of union with ultimate Reality. How one defines that ultimate ... | ||
| Gregory the Great | 10/31/2006 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: Forrest, I recently signed up for this category. It seems that our interests are in accord, although ... A: Greetings, I think that brilliance is a subjective thing. Was Gregory a Thomas Aquinas, the answer ... | ||
| Spiritual growth. | 3/22/2006 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: Most times I do feel led to share. But you are right, I need the spirit of humility. How do I ... A: You ask how to grow in humility and gentleness. I am not sure that I can really answer that fully in ... | ||
| Spiritual growth. | 3/21/2006 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: I have been a christian for a while and discovered that when , I started to spend more time in the ... A: The more time we spend with God the more likely we are to hear His voice. God does still speak to ... | ||
| meditation, contemplative prayer | 3/10/2006 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: Followup To Question -Why do you think it is that only a handful of people in any given age ... A: You said, "I found that the 'I' was the problem; the 'doer' was the problem." This is indeed ... | ||
| meditation, contemplative prayer | 3/9/2006 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: Followup To Question - Why do you think it is that only a handful of people in any given age ... A: Yes, I think we would all be better off if we focused on the mystical elements within our respective ... | ||
| meditation, contemplative prayer | 3/7/2006 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: Why do you think it is that only a handful of people in any given age realizes the importance of ... A: I think that that is the very answer that Gnosticism was trying to convey. The answer lies with - ... | ||
| meditation, contemplative prayer | 3/7/2006 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: Why do you think it is that only a handful of people in any given age realizes the importance of ... A: I wish I knew. It is a mystery to me. You would think that many would want to know God first hand. ... | ||
| Hello Jay! You wrote last... | 2/15/2006 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: You wrote last time that there are different levels of prayer (verbal, mental,spirit, contemplative) ... A: Prayer is a subject that could fill many books. Briefly verbal prayer is prayer that is said out ... | ||
| Hello Mr Jay! What are... | 2/14/2006 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: What are the attributes one should have to call him a mystic? Is it just enough to pray quite often ... A: You ask a very good question. In a general sense, anyone who experiences union with Ultimate Reality ... | ||
| eyes | 1/8/2006 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: I was able to experience an encounter with God about a month ago with my church. I received the ... A: I am glad to hear about your mystic encounter with God. There is nothing more important than first ... | ||
| What kind of religion is Mysticism ? | 12/27/2005 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: I just wanted to know more about mysticism. Where does God and Jesus fir in this religion? A: Mysticism is not a religion, it is an aspect of religion, like theology. Let me explain. Theology ... | ||
| MASONIC | 11/10/2005 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: ------------------------- i still don't get it , so does it mean they believe in the devil as there ... A: No, they don't believe in the devil as their god. The Masons are a diverse group, and their are ... | ||
| MASONIC | 11/10/2005 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: WHAT IS MASONIC , AND WHAT DO THEY BELIEVE? A: Below is a qoute from Wikipedia on Freemasonry, which is also know as Masonic. After the quotes is ... | ||
| whats going on | 3/8/2005 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: what is the meaning of life and when will it all end A: I believe that the meaning of life is not something that can be passed on intellectually from one ... | ||
| ecstacy | 1/10/2005 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: Could you tell me about ecstacy? What is it, what is it like, is it a spontaneous thing that happens ... A: Ecstasy is any feeling of intense joy or delight. In Christianity it refers to rapture associated ... | ||
| General Questions | 8/13/2004 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: My name is barrett and im 16 years old and i have alot of questions. I was born a christian and ... A: Having studied other religions, I found that Christianity better fit the facts of reality. I ... | ||
| strange moon glow | 8/9/2004 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: I live in a rural area where I can see the stars and moon very well on a clear night. A little after ... A: Go speaks to us through nature. They are called natural parables. The cross is clearly an important ... | ||
| mystical Christian groups | 7/21/2004 | Dr. Jay Forrest |
| Q: Joan Borysenko mentioned in an article that she belonged to a mystical Christian group. I am not ... A: The best place to start is at her web site www.joanborysenko.com But she doesn't mention which ... | ||
Michael Clark, Ph.D.
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can probably be of assistance to those who feel they don't easily fit into the existing methods, molds or patterns usually associated with Christian mysticism.
I may comment on historical approaches. But in contemporary society many feel the need for new ways of connecting with the Holy Spirit, ways that are in sync and integrated within a 21st century worldview.
Experience
I've explored several different Christian denominations and respect their various strengths without turning a blind eye to their weaknesses as I see it. I also look at connections among Christians and other beliefs at my educational website earthpages.org and at my blog michaelwclark.com.
Publications
Print Media:
My table from "Religions and Cults" at earthpages.org is reproduced with permission in L. Lindsey, S. Beach and B. Ravelli, Core Concepts in Sociology, 2nd ed., p. 157
World Wide Web:
My online article "Letter to God" coauthored with Buddhist monk, E. Raymond Rock, appears on several different spirituality-based websites, including http://tinyurl.com/db7a5o
I've interviewed, as a Christian, a self-proclaimed mystic: http://tinyurl.com/cawykr
My articles appeared at the former New View magazine nuvunow.ca and are published at earthpages.org.
Education/Credentials
Ph.D. in Religious Studies
M.A. in Comparative Religion
B.A. Hon. in Psychology/Sociology
For details, please see my CV and letters of recommendation
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