I am a Roman Catholic. My adoptive mother is a Roman Catholic. My adoptive father is a Southern Baptist. My biological mother was Mormon. And my biological father was Roman Catholic.
Disclaimer: in writing this, do note that, for every blog entry I make, I do tend to make sarcastic comments. I don't think that this one will be much different.
Religion is a great deal of fun for everyone. Seriously. Have you ever been inside a Southern Baptist church? Those are some pretty happy people. It's also friendly. Oh so friendly. I mean, during Mass, you turn around and shake everyone's hand (that was always my favorite part of it).
Jesus loves all the little children, all the children of the world....
Jesus, why won't you love me if I'm gay, have an abortion, or divorced?
Before I expain the above question, let me begin with a brief history of the church. In Medieval times, the church was strict. Everyone followed the church or else they were excommunicated. That simple. We know the story. Then the Protestant church came about, but it seems that Martin Luther, despite all of his claims against the church, merely wanted a reform --> he didn't really want a NEW church. Yet he was still exiled, and a larger part of society really didn't find him very popular. Then England overthrew the Catholic church whenever King Henry couldn't get his divorce, but the Pilgrims still ended up sailing the ocean blue in order to find religious freedom.
So what's this all coming to? Notice a pattern yet? Yep, you go against the church in the past, and it decided it didn't love you anymore. That simple, right? Oh, you could repent, in certain cases. But the church itself simply wasn't as fluffy as it seems to be these days, where missionaries insist that all you have to do in order to be Christian is to believe.
A good friend of mine is homosexual -- a drag queen, in fact. You wouldn't think that he's also the most spiritual person in the world, at one time being perhaps the strongest Mormon I'd ever met. Here's a paraphrase from him: you can be gay and Mormon. You just have to remain celebate. However, this particular person, whenever he turns 18, will be excommunicated from his own church. My friend is in love, and cannot help it.
Anther snippet I'd like to insert is the time whenever I attended a Southern Baptist church while trying to find my identity. The last time I went there, it was because the preacher had begun to talk about The Passion of the Christ. I left because he started explaining that Catholics worship idols, that there would be things in the movies to show how they are pagans, etc. Yes, one pastor. But I am not attacking the Southern Baptist church --> just the fact that the people in that church didn't think I was Christian just because I did not conform to their beliefs, and maintained many of my Catholic beliefs.
You screw up or have one quirk, according to the church, Jesus doesn't love *all* the little chlidren.
I have little against organised religion. I think that it's good medium in which to have people learn morals and whatnot. But all the same, doesn't the Bible specificially state forgiveness? And why do different sects attack one another?
At the core of the matter, don't we actually believe the same thing?
I think that reglion is good for some people. It means different things to everyone. Like anythign else on the planet the bible is open for interpatation. I think reglion helps some people get throught stuff they might not be able to with out it. I personally am not reglious at all.
- Jennee
" You cant always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might get what you need"
People definitely interpret things differently --> thus the cause for all of the thousands of different *types* of Christianity. I don't think that any one type is wrong, although perhaps some of their traditions (such as the exiled polygamous Mormons, and other things I cannot think of) can still be somewhat questionable.
Nevertheless, questionable practices or no, every religion has its different pros and cons. Mormons have perhaps the most healthy diets that I know of and are actually quite peaceable, but they are still pretty closed off and, well, I do not really think that Jesus came to America.... but that is just me.
I think reglion helps some people get throught stuff they might not be able to with out it.
I guess everyone turns to different mediums; I personally am not religious, either, being the sort of Catholic which doesn't attend Mass regularly anymore, but I don't think that people who did not live in the modern era or dealt with the problems that we have /now/ would have the answer for all the problems of the world.
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Why am I involved in this? Because blogging rocks my socks and I need a way to go to college.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/silentdelerium
Amen to that! I think that people forget that the Church is all about acceptance - and that means for ALL people. I believe also that organized religion can be a great moral tool. I feel much better being a part of such a group of people. For at least one hour on Sunday I feel like a better person and try to put forth my best foot from that point out (although I definitely need a weekly boost come Saturday). People should not apply what the church says to anyone else except for themselves and their own underage children. Other than that, God is the one to judge - not you.
...And that is all I have to say about that. :)
In the end, I don't think that *everyone* will do *everything* that the church requires. I myself listen to heavy metal occasionally, which my church is definitely very much against.
God is definitely the judge --> "Thou shalt not judge" is a rule I apply to my own life. Just like with stereotypes, you can't always apply the same model to a person's life. My adoptive mother has been divorced three or four times now, but that doesn't mean she doesn't try. There are circumstances that don't always figure into the equation.
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Why am I involved in this? Because blogging rocks my socks and I need a way to go to college.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/silentdelerium
We DONT KNOW who Jesus loves and and doesnt love. But people like to pretend they do because of what it says in the bible. We don't even KNOW if Jesus AGREED with everything in the bible. In fact, when it came to sex and sexual orientation, Jesus was quite liberal. It was Peter who spoke of the right and wrong acts of sex and engraved them into the brains of the people. Jesus was dealing with more important issues like LOVE, HEALING, ACCEPTANCE, and SPREADING THE TEACHINGS OF GOD.
So just remember that Jesus never said he wouldn't love you if you're gay, have an abortion, or divorced :) Thats the human race telling you he did :o