I've decided that for now this blog will be a little bit of everything. Participating in things that I enjoy, like WIAW, but also diving into some deeper stuff when the mood strikes me. Ultimately, I have decided to write this blog as an accountability partner for myself.
I generally refrain from speaking on politics and religion on the internet these days, as they are both such hot topics. And as John Mayer sang "Everyone believes in how they think it ought to be. Is there anyone who ever remembers changing their mind from the paint on a sign (Kyle just ragged on me for quoting JM but the song is true and I think celebrities have fake public personas for privacy reasons but that's for another post). I used to be a lot more vocal about my particular opinions but I got rather tired of being defined by them. However, when my mom sent me this list, I couldn't help sharing it.
I really do believe that everyone should believe and follow what works for them. Unless you are Charles Manson. In my opinion, a lot of people are comforted by having a set of black and white rules that win them their golden ticket to heaven. My brain has never worked like that. Some days I wish it did. Having to defend my beliefs at many points in my life really forced me to flesh out exactly what I believe and I'm thankful for that.
So here goes....This is borrowed from a church website that I would link to if I knew it. But just FYI..I did not write these. My added thoughts are in green.
- Jesus Christ was, and is, absolutely real. He performed miracles (duh: he was God); he sacrificed himself on the cross so that everyone could be forever reconciled with God; he rose from the dead; he left behind, for everyone, the Holy Spirit.
- Christianity is supposed to be all about living a life of love, compassion, fairness, peace, and humility. That’s it.
- The Bible isn’t just one thing. It’s a bunch of writings done by a ton of different people over about a zillion years. It’s poems, songs, history, allegories … the whole thing is just crazy dense. To really get whatever you’re reading in the Bible, you have to know something about whatever time and culture that part of it was written in. Also, the people who wrote the stuff that eventually made it into the Bible were just people. Through the Holy Spirit, God was definitely working through them as they wrote. But it only stands to reason that not every single word that made it into the Bible is exactly what God would have texted, or whatever. People who make the actual words of whatever translation of the Bible they’re looking at more important than the message of the Bible are totally missing the point.
- Church and state should be separate. Fair is fair.
- It’s Christianity, not Paulianity.
- God’s not male or female. He’s both. He’s all. People who have to have God be a “he” need to let it go.
- The only way to think being gay is a sin is to never actually know any gay people.
- No one religion contains all of God.( In my words- there's more than one way to get to God. You can call him Allah if you'd like)
- Where in “No one comes to the Father except through me,” does it say you have to be a Christian in order to get into heaven? ( "me" could actually be more than one person or entity. It's God. Why not?)
- If you’re worried too much about the afterlife, you’re not worried enough about this life. Living a life of love means not having to worry about hell.
- God wants to forgive and teach us, not judge and punish us.
- God can handle converting people. Our job is to love people.
- God doesn’t want women “submitting” to anyone.
- Evolution being true doesn’t mean there’s no God. The two aren’t incompatible.
- What really matters most about a person isn’t how they define God. It’s how well they treat others.
This is really how I try to live my life. I consider myself spiritual (not religious. I don't believe that Jesus' intention was to build a church. There's too much room for people influence.) This blog is about how I balance my life. And this is one part of it. It works for me. It's what's in my heart. It might be a bleeding heart but it's mine.
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