I love God. I really do. The fact that I believe in God and worship one sometimes astonishes some of my more intellctual friends with whom I can serious philosophical, political, or social debates regarding anything and everything from the color of the sky to the images we see on our High Definition television sets on a daily basis. I realize that sometimes people think I am a bit odd for not being an atheist, yet at the same time my fellow "Christians" do not see eye-to-eye with me on many subjects. Often times I feel as if I have no one to turn to, no one to go to about my problems other than the Almighty because of my views and opinions. Why is this? Why is it that in our modern society Christians cannot have the same views? In my county, there are literally hundred of churches of all different denominations, and I kid you not when I say that many of them preach against the church right down the road. Why is it we feel it necessary to knock someone else's religious beliefs? Allah is essentially the same "God" as our deity, just so everyone knows. Islamic teachings often times can line up and show parallels with other western religions such as Baptist, Lutheran, etc.
One thing I disagree with the Bible on is the issue of gay marriage, and this irks and irritates many of my fellow Christians and conservative friends. Homosexuals do not "choose" to be gay no more than they choose the color of their skin or their parents. In my opinion, God makes everyone gay, or straight, or bisexual, or whatever. I cannot wake up one morning and say to myself, "Hey, I believe I'm going to be sexually attracted to guys today". According to people who say that homosexuality is a "choice", this is entirely possible. It is not possible, though. Even saying something about transexuals is apparently saying that "God made a mistake", which is again a common misconception. There have been recent scientific studies that have found that, in a sense, there can technically speaking be a "woman trapped in a man's body." This does not mean that God messed up; quite the contrary, he meant for this to happen. Why is it that Christian conservatives cannot see this?
Another thing I disagree with many other Christians on is the literal translation of the Bible. To me, the Bible is really more a guideline on how he should live our lives. For example: during antebellum America, many evangelicals used the King James Bible to not only advocate slavery, but also to say that slavery was an important part of the Christian faith. I am sorry for this, but owning another human being as property, regardless of race, gender, heritage or otherwise, is simply wrong no matter how you slice it or dice it. The fact that we are all technically "slave wages" in modern America today is also wrong. Now how is it that people during nineteenth century America could use the Bible (the King James version no less) to condone slavery. The answer is quite simple: literal translation. With literal translation Christians and atheists alike can interpret the Bible to mean anything they wish it to mean. This is a fallacy. The Bible should be used as a guideline for how we as moral upright Christians should strive to live our lives. Jonah and The Whale? Did this really happen? If it did, what bearing does it have on our modern lives? How about we look at this story as more of a "parable" and not a literal story and then apply its principles to our every day lives? There cannot be anything wrong with that, can there? The Great Flood is another example. Did the Almighty really send a flood to wipe out the entire wicked world? Could it be possible that this did not actually happen, but that God meant this story to be viewed in such a way as to show an example of what is can do to the world? Either way, the principle reamains the same.
To say that someone else is wrong with regards to their religious beliefs is judging someone, plain and simple. I cannot honestly say that God created the universe, but I can say that I believe with my whole heart he did. How is this? The answer again is much simpler than atheists and theists make it out to be: no one was actually there to witness the creation of the universe and the earth upon which we live. This much I think everyone can agree on, if they will only put away their biases momentarily. I refuse to condemn anyone for not believing the same God I believe. Why? Because it is not my place to do so. We all get judged in the end for our works here on earth, and those who deny Christ here on earth shall be denied before the Father entry into heaven. This is Biblical teaching, not my opinion. However, I cannot judge others based on their views concering religion, because by that rationale I am doing God's job for him. Is any Christian person better than God? I think most would agree that they are not, yet they continue to condemn and persecute those who beliefs differ from their own. By doing this, they are saying they are God's equal by judging someone else based on their works (or lack thereof). If someone disagrees with me about religion or God, the only thing I can do is pray for that person. Pray that what they are doing is beneficial and can gain them entry into heaven, because I wish for no person to go to hell. I will not tell them that their views are wrong, because they believe their beliefs just as strongly as I do. Who am I to say that someone else is wrong? Scientology sounds quite absurd to me; but the salvation plan also seems crazy when you stand back and look at it with a bit of objectivity. I believe in the salvation plan, however, and cannot therefore make fun of anyone else's religion because it sounds "ludicrious".
Also, we live in a free America. With the separation of church and state, that means that no one should be allowed to mock another's religious beliefs. This goes for any religious person or atheist. I love that fact that I live in a country where, if I so choose, I do not have to believe in any god. If I so choose, I can technically create my own religion, and even though I may not have any followers I would be legally and constitutionally allowed to do so. When practicing our religion, Christians need to keep that in mind. Why is prayer banned in school? Well it's simple: because it should be. A "moment of silence" in school is perfectly alright, and during this time those who do believe in God should be allowed to pray to themselves (and they are, by the way; also, there is no law against praying to yourself during class, and even if there were a law against it how would someone regulate such a law?) while those who do not believe in a god do not have to do anything. They can even remain seated and work on their classwork, if they so choose. Prayer in school should be banned because it infringes on the right to freedom of religion. As a Christian, I do not want any atheist trying to "convert" me to atheism, and I am sure many atheists share the same sentiment. Those who believe differently should not, therefore, have to be exposed to something that may tread on their beliefs. This is not a "religion" issues ladies and gentlemen; it is a "freedom" or religion issue. (or the exercise thereof).
So there you have it. A very few of my viewpoints regarding religion and God. I am not sure if anyone really cares, but here it is laid out in black and white. Perhaps I think too much about this stuff, and perhaps no one really cares; however I felt it necessary to put my thoughts onto my blog, and living in a "free" America I can do so. Thanks for reading (if anyone actually did).
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