I consider myself Christian, in that i try to follow the teaching of Christ to the best of my understanding. Lately though, I'm beginning to find myself further and further from mainstream Christian thinking.
What amazes me is after talking with some theology friends, they now pray for my salvation. They see that my lack of toeing the line is a sign that I've drifted away from the teaching of Christ. I reconsidered all my believes and now believe exactly the same thing as before. God gave me a brain and i intend to use it. If the Church has a problem with that, they can take away my church car park!
Abortion. I happen to be pro-choice. I believe that a child should not be brought into the world unless you can care for it. If you can't, its better off dead. i know its harsh but i can't see what is loving about forcing a hard life upon a person.
Guy Marriage. I don't have a problem if two people want to get married. I am happily married to a man and as long as the guy marriage doesn't mean EVERYONE has to be married to their same sex, I'm happy for it to progress. By denying people legal recognition of their relationship, it forces people to feel compelled to define themselves though their sexual orientation instead of letting them develop who they are outside of who they sleep with.
Environment. I believe it is the christian responsibility to protect the earth. God asked us to be caretakers of it. That should mean we do the best we can to keep it healthy and thriving as long as possible.
Sex outside of marriage. It isn't a religious issue. It is a personal and physical issue that should be considered fully before engaging in it. Disease, emotional health, and social impact should be the primary things to consider. I believe there are plenty of reasons to wait until marriage for sex, but i don't see that having sex before you're married condoms you to hell. i mean, Esther did it and it saved her entire peoples' life!
Condoms. If your going to have sex and your not sure if/what your partner has, use a damn condom! Touching a condom is not a sin! Getting a STI can end your life or make it much less pleasant!
6 comments:
At least they haven't tried to exorcise you - just run when they make sudden motions with crucifixes or holy water ;)
But really, yes. I agree with you on these things and it does sort of seem to be out of line with a lot of "Christian thinking" (reminds me of a quote I read one: "The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there isn't much of an evangelical mind").
How much of current Christian thinking is a desire to not rock the boat or whatever? Not sure. Been pondering it a lot lately (editorial coming up) and it just tends to hurt my brain.
Also, doesn't Christianity tend to end up making so much of sex? It's like, "Oooooh, it's so naughty unless you're married. To a person of the opposite sex. Then it's okay. Once a week. With the lights off."
Not that sex isn't on like everyone's minds on occasions (some more fequently than others), but it sort of seems like there's such a big deal made of it and it has become almost how people in Christian circles are judged on their relationship with Jesus.
I read something the other day that was a letter in to a Christian advice columnist from some mother whose daughter had gotten pregnant and wasn't married. Obviously it was the end of the world and she was going to go to hell *insert eye-roll*
Guess it's because it's something that can be so obvious. After all, everyone regardless of religious persuasion seems to like jumping onto the "He's a stud/she's a sl*t" bandwagon.
And why do gay people cop flak from people? Isn't it better they're out and honest about it rather than trying to force themselves into being straight or living some kind of lie to themselves?
The mind boggles and it all leaves you wondering "So, what was that thing about judge not lest ye be judged..?" *lol*
P.S: Sorry for ranting there!
I LOVE THE RANT!
Yeah, I think it's pretty sad that Christianity has become so consumed with social issues instead of just teaching about grace. I also hate that "christian" has become so closely associated with "republican" and "conservative." I have a bumper sticker on my carrel at school that says "Proud Member of the Religious Left" because I want to distance myself from the crazies! (And because I am pro-choice and support gay marriage and birth control.)
I also like your comments on pre-marital sex. A friend of mine who is a fairly conservative Christian once interrupted me while I was telling her the reasons for my own personal choice and said, "And the Bible says so." Maybe it makes me a bad Christian, but that alone isn't reason enough for me.
I don't believe that God gave us the Bible so that we could put our brains on the back burner. Somewhere along the way you need to be able to say this is my choice and these are my reasons. And not rely on someone or something else to make that decision for you.
Anytime *lol* Should do some more ranting about things at the moment for my blog, but my mind's still on holiday mode.
Agree that we shouldn't be putting our minds in the idle position at all times, though! I think it's been something used far too often by people instead of having a critical engagement with their faith.
Maybe some are frightened or think that pondering your faith deeply might lead to you having a doubting Thomas moment and maybe leaving it behind, but really I think that challenging it and engaging in it will only help you to develop more faith. Or I hope so at least!
Love the bumper sticker you've got, btw, Lindsey Lou :)
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