Here’s your warning: If the thought of theology sends you gagging to the nearest trash can, by all means, bring the trash can over. I kid I kid. I feel inspired to write. And, I don’t want to censor myself…but I hope I don’t lose anyone in the process. Please know this isn’t a “homecoming” or “revival” post. This isn’t me trying to “bring you to God” - not that I truly even know the way.
It’s simply the whisperings of my soul.
So, take it for what it is, and don’t confuse it with what it’s not. Because, for the record: I don’t even pretend to be all-knowing (about this stuff anyhow…haha). Learn a little about me and the way I think, and if you feel compelled to leave me a comment, feel free to do so. I even love it when people tell me they disagree with me, it gives me a chance to learn something new…
My thoughts:
(in no particular order, rhyme or reason)
I believe in God. But, not the God I grew up with. Let me clarify… God never changed…but I did. Constantly. Always. And, I think that was the point.
I think our country is seriously F*ed the heck up. We found our country on the basis of God, maybe even religion, and yet we murder people and think we have any right to judge them. We think that our country should be moral and have values, but we feel that our movies should be full of sex and erotica. We lie to each other and then we turn around and chastise others for not being good Americans. It’s bullshit. How the hell do you hurt other people and then tell them not to do the same? It’s not just in America, but this is where I live. I just don’t understand us. We’re frieggin’ idiots…and I know I’m counted as one.
I don’t believe in Bible Bashing. You will never EVER hear me quote the Bible to make you feel like crap about your beliefs. First, it’s purpose was not to be used to humiliate and hurt others. Second, if you don’t believe in the Bible…and you’re a different religion…my Bible holds no stock with you, now does it? Third, I never said “my religion” was right. I call myself Catholic, but that doesn’t make me who I am. It just happens to be the shortest and easiest way to give you a TASTE of my beliefs. But, I believe what I FEEL is right. Regardless of what the Pope says. When he starts floating around throwing lightning at me, I’ll quit thinking for myself. Fourth, the Bible was written by men. I’ll probably get a lot of flack for saying this…but, I think that if God, in all of God’s infinite wisdom and power wanted us to KNOW without having to learn stuff for ourselves, then God would have imprinted it upon our brains…or something. That - and guess what - Religion chose which books got to go in that Bible. What made the thousands of other books not as worthy …so they were left out? Because they didn’t fit in with what that religion wanted.
I’m not dissing religions. If you’re a hard core Southern Baptist, great for you. If you’re Catholic, grand. Mormon? Spiffy. Atheist? Agnostic? Wiccan? Buddhist? Jewish? Wonderful. I think EVERY “religion” has a piece of the puzzle that is TRUTH. Unfortunately, we’re all too busy fighting over who’s right and who’s wrong to figure it out and live in peace.
Not that it matters what we think we’ve figured out…and what we haven’t.
I would love to know the TRUTH. –And, all that it entails. But, I know it’d blow my mind.
Kind of like, I don’t believe God is a He…and yet that’s I how I refer to Him (out of habit - - see, I did it again). Of course, I think God is a He and She and everything in between. I believe God is Everything and Nothing. I believe God “talks” to us…sure. Just not necessarily in a voice like we may expect to hear. I believe God goes on for Infinity (and beyond). And, our attempts to personify God is just our way of trying to understand.
I think we all worship the same God. You may believe in “something”, a being, a Goddess, Mother Nature, Self, God, Yahweh, or perhaps another name. To me, it’s the same. Heck, if God is all and nothing and everything…you could also see where those that believe in multiple Gods are right too…Because they’d all still be God. Because God is…
I’ll add more later…(I’m being distracted… )
Welcome back!
June 13th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
AShley, this is Jared, Kandi was reading your blog hear and I read it also and I was just wanting to make comments. Please realize that my comments come from a heart of love and from a heart that desires that everyone knows Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.
I believe our nation is a lot of trouble. We are too busy basing what we do off of everyone has a freedom of speech that we don’t have a core basis for what we believe. This country was founded on religion and the belief of God. Just look at our currency. When people want to get rid of God out of the plege of allegiance or off of the money they are trying to get rid of the basis that this country was created. As long as we keep letting them do these things, then we have to worry about whether or not God is going to judge this country. Don’t say that he won’t because there were many times in the bible where He poured out judgment on Israel. He will pour it out on this country if we don’t turn from our wicked ways.
I do believe the bible has a purpose. The result of reading it make you feel like crap if you are not living right. The context doesn’t make you feel like crap, that is called conviction. The Bible when separating just the letters stands for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. The scripture, 2 Timothy 3:16, says that all scripture is inspired by God, in other words, He gave them what to say. It also says tha scripture is used for correction, for Doctrine. and for instructions to be righteous. You either believe all of the Bible or none of it. I’m not saying understand all of it, I’m saying believe all of it. It is the inspired word of God. In response, God used man because He has always wanted to be with man and use man for His Glory. There is a story in the Bible where God didn’t use man. It’s in the Book of Daniel, where there was a king who did things he wasn’t suppose to and God’s hand came down and wrote on the wall, hence the “hand writing on the wall” God doesn’t have to use us, but he chooses to. That is what makes Him so awesome is because He chooses to dwell with us and use us for His Glory. It is an honor to be used for the cause of Christ.
God has a part in everything. So since He has a part in everything we have to believe that He would have a part in choosing which books went in the bible. I know the other books that you are talking about. The book of Thomas and there is also a book of Judas. Not so sure I would want to read a book written by the man who betrayed Jesus.
Speaking of Religions and Doctrines. Whether you are Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecost, Church of Christ that is not a religion but Doctrine. Religion is Buddist, Hinduism, Christianity, Mormanism, and Islam. The reason why I say that, is because there are different Doctrines because of different beliefs in what the scripture from the bible say. There are different religions because not everybody believes that Jesus is the son of God. My purpose for writing this response is just to show you how passionate I am about Christ, and spreading the Gospel.
I am sorry to say that not every religion has a piece of the puzzle. Jesus is the only son of God who arose from the dead. He is also the only way to Heaven. In Matthew I believe between Chp. 2 and Chp. 5 Christ says that “He is the light of the world, and no one comes to the Father but through Him.” Muslims believe that you get 72 virgins in paradise if they commit suicide taking down Christians. Compeltely different from what the Bible says. No other religion claims or can claim that their Savior arose from the Grave like we do. So, they can’t all have a piece of the puzzle if they contradict themselves.
I do believe that God is a He. Since Jesus is God, and God, when Jesus was being Baptised, says, “This is my beloved SON, in whom I am well pleased.” The scripture does the talking. If you were of a different religion, then I wouldn’t use the bible, but since you are just of a different doctrince I will. The one thing I don’t like about commenting on computer is that you can’t tell emotions through the writing. So even though I may sound like I’m being smart ellic, please don’t take it that way. I’m just wanting to respond. Sometime I would love to talk to you in person about all of this. That would make a Fondaw get together interesting.
I don’t believe that we all worship the same God. In the bible Elijah the prophet made an altar and poured multiple buckets of water on it. He also builty an trench around it and the trench was full of water also. He then told the worshippers of Baal, to just make an altar. No water. He then told them to pray to their god, and see if their god would send down fire. They prayed and prayed, and the fire never came. Elijah then prayed to God and the fire came down consumed all of the altar and all of the water around the altar. So my question is, if they were the same, why would God only burn up one altar under one name and not cosume the altar under the other name. The reason is, is because we do not worship the same God through different religions.
I hope these comments stirred up your interest. You said you wanted to know truth so I presented the truth the best way that I know how. Please let me know what you think of my comments
Jared
June 15th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Ashley, I could have written this too. There is so much I don’t understand and so much I still want to learn. I believe that so many of the world’s religions (or doctrines) have so many similarities for a reason. Many of the stories in the Bible can be found in other religions, so many of the tenets - they all seem to overlap. I don’t think that is a coincidence. Thanks for getting the dialog started.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Tara R took the words right out of my mouth
Ditto to her comment. There is so much I hope to learn and feel curious about. I totally agree with what you said, “Unfortunately, we’re all too busy fighting over who’s right and who’s wrong to figure it out and live in peace.”
June 20th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
The only way we will ever know the TRUTH is in death. No religion is fact and to think that your faith or belief is fact is just plain ignorant. Wars are still fought today because people think their way is right and all others are wrong. It doesn’t make sense to kill for a belief in doctrines that at the core tell stories of peace and love. Our country may have been founded on seeing religious freedom, but we then killed the Indians to make room for our religious beliefs. I share your beliefs in God and feel I am a very spiritual person. I am just not religious. I do not need an organization to tell me how to be a decent person to myself and others.
June 21st, 2008 at 10:09 am
Very enlightening on how you believe.
I’m with you on 90% of that except I’m not Catholic or really any religion. I’m still trying to figure out where I “fit in” but I don’t think I do.
Love that you shared!