I find it interesting that people I've never really spoken to about my religious and political views think they know how I feel or what I believe. The worst offenders, if that is what they can be called, are family members. I don't speak to most of them about these things, because my Dad prefers to keep those kinds of discussions out of family gatherings. My brothers think they know that I'm a non-Christian Liberal, because I think that people should be able to make their own choices about their lives. They should be able to love who they want and worship how they want. I also think that religion should stay out of schools, and other government things. Our laws should not be based on a religious idea.
To me religion is very personal. I don't want religion taught in schools, because I want to teach my kids the way I believe not the way someone else believes. I don't understand people who have a problem with creationism NOT being taught in school. Are their beliefs so weak that they can't teach their own children about it themselves? Or go to a church that will teach it in Sunday School? Why don't they put their children in a religious school? I've heard it's expensive, I wonder if they have ever questioned why that is?
Also, I don't think that evolution and creationism are mutually exclusive. See, the God I know created us in His image. (I'm using the male pronouns because we don't have any that express the great wonder that is God without assigning gender.) However, God did not create our body, he created our soul. Our body was created through evolution. I also know that God does not make mistakes, so there must be a reason that there are and always have been homosexual people in the world. I don't think that the Bible is the literal word of God, it is a book with some wonderful stories to help guide us through life. It was written by men, perhaps inspired by God, to help others understand God. It was written by MEN, who are not perfect. To help others to understand God, who is so beyond our understanding that we will never understand even 1/100,000,000 of what God is.
The God I know loves ALL of his children, much like any other parent loves their children. He does not hate any of us. How could a loving parent hate one of their children? Do we disappoint him? Probably. Do we get another chance? Definitely. Will we be punished for eternity if we don't follow all the rules? No. I also believe that we have other lives in which to learn, and to take our punishment for misdeeds. The God I know isn't afraid of the free will he gave us, God isn't insulted if we don't know the correct name to use when we pray. God knows your heart, and if you are a good person God knows that and is happy about it. God is everywhere, and knows everything, but God does not interfere with our lives. God doesn't heal some people while letting others die. God doesn't save one family while killing another. It all happens for a reason, a reason we might never understand, a reason we had input into and a choice to be there or not.
Politically, I am kind of liberal. I want women's health to be their choice. I want legally consenting adults to be able to marry the person they love. I think that multi-partner marriage should be legal as well. Maybe the government should stay out of marriage all together? Maybe there should be a legal connection that gives us the "rights and responsibilities", the benefits of what is now marriage, while leaving the ceremonial, the religious, the ... emotional aspects to the individuals to deal with. Churches should not have to preform marriages they don't approve of, but they should not be able to stop people from making that legal connection, or from finding another church that will preform their marriage ceremony.
Okay, well that is enough of that. At least for now. If you are still reading, feel free to comment about anything I've said. Try not to condemn me to hell or spew a lot of hate toward me. But I welcome clear, polite, debate. Thank you.
To me religion is very personal. I don't want religion taught in schools, because I want to teach my kids the way I believe not the way someone else believes. I don't understand people who have a problem with creationism NOT being taught in school. Are their beliefs so weak that they can't teach their own children about it themselves? Or go to a church that will teach it in Sunday School? Why don't they put their children in a religious school? I've heard it's expensive, I wonder if they have ever questioned why that is?
Also, I don't think that evolution and creationism are mutually exclusive. See, the God I know created us in His image. (I'm using the male pronouns because we don't have any that express the great wonder that is God without assigning gender.) However, God did not create our body, he created our soul. Our body was created through evolution. I also know that God does not make mistakes, so there must be a reason that there are and always have been homosexual people in the world. I don't think that the Bible is the literal word of God, it is a book with some wonderful stories to help guide us through life. It was written by men, perhaps inspired by God, to help others understand God. It was written by MEN, who are not perfect. To help others to understand God, who is so beyond our understanding that we will never understand even 1/100,000,000 of what God is.
The God I know loves ALL of his children, much like any other parent loves their children. He does not hate any of us. How could a loving parent hate one of their children? Do we disappoint him? Probably. Do we get another chance? Definitely. Will we be punished for eternity if we don't follow all the rules? No. I also believe that we have other lives in which to learn, and to take our punishment for misdeeds. The God I know isn't afraid of the free will he gave us, God isn't insulted if we don't know the correct name to use when we pray. God knows your heart, and if you are a good person God knows that and is happy about it. God is everywhere, and knows everything, but God does not interfere with our lives. God doesn't heal some people while letting others die. God doesn't save one family while killing another. It all happens for a reason, a reason we might never understand, a reason we had input into and a choice to be there or not.
Politically, I am kind of liberal. I want women's health to be their choice. I want legally consenting adults to be able to marry the person they love. I think that multi-partner marriage should be legal as well. Maybe the government should stay out of marriage all together? Maybe there should be a legal connection that gives us the "rights and responsibilities", the benefits of what is now marriage, while leaving the ceremonial, the religious, the ... emotional aspects to the individuals to deal with. Churches should not have to preform marriages they don't approve of, but they should not be able to stop people from making that legal connection, or from finding another church that will preform their marriage ceremony.
Okay, well that is enough of that. At least for now. If you are still reading, feel free to comment about anything I've said. Try not to condemn me to hell or spew a lot of hate toward me. But I welcome clear, polite, debate. Thank you.
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