Slippery Slope...

It's been a long time since I posted to this blog, but I feel like writing something that may not necessarily belong on Facebook.  Lately, my church family opened a new building off I-80 and one of our goals is to reach non-believers or unchurched folks and bring them to Christ. The biggest criticisms non-believers have is that church-goers are hypocritical and judgemental.

During election season, I've become very disappointed in some of my friends' posts because they sound so judgemental. I don't mind someone saying they support somebody or being happy or disappointed if their candidate won or loss. However, I do get bothered when people imply that voting for Obama means somebody isn't a true Christian. I've also seen posts that "It's all in God's hands now" as if to imply it wasn't in His hands all along. That there is the sort of thing that turns unchurched people off.  I have voted both Democrat and Republican, and I don't think the measure of my faith should be judged solely on who or what measures I voted for.

As I posted on fb, I am an independent who does not vote for a candidate based solely on their stance on gay marriage or abortion or their particular faith. I vote based on the needs of the job at the time and who I think fits the bill best. Right now, I want somebody who actually cares about the middle class, the poor and the economy. I also am concerned about international relations and I voted for Obama because I feel he is more  amicable to other world leaders. I feel like Romney would appear arrogant to other nations' leaders; and domestically he is more concerned about Wall Street than Main Street. But if  he had won, I would've been disappointed for a minute and then prayed that the two parties would reconcile and get to work. I wouldn't claim that people are stupid and Godless.

While I'm at it, I may as well say that I am pro choice and I believe gays should be able to marry.  While I don't think anybody likes abortion, I believe women will get abortions whether it is legal or not. I would rather women undergo procedures in a medical setting vs in a bedroom with a coathanger. God gave us free choice, and that includes how we manage our bodies.

As for marriage, I feel all couples should be able to marry.  I don't think of it as a necessarily religious institution because atheists and people of all faiths marry.  To me, marriage is a legal contract between two people, and it doesn't require people to be Christian to be married.  I know that most of my Christian peers will say that the Bible says homosexuality is a sin, but I don't feel that in my heart.   I am more concerned about how people treat others than what they do in their homes behind closed doors.  I don't want any person telling me how to conduct my marriage, and I don't see why gay people can't be afforded the same rights and privacy.  As for sin or not a sin, I leave it to God (since I'm straight anyway) and I'm not going to judge anybody by any of their sins anyway (adultery, cleptomania, etc).

Maybe folks don't think my faith has evolved enough to be a true Christian, but I don't really care what they think of me. I care about what unchurched or non-believers think when they read judgemental statements like the political ones I've seen on facebook... And I'm afraid it scares them off and writes us all off as judgemental.

Happy New Year!

I got my 2011 NY resolution in the mail last week:  Really study the Bible and log journey in blog.

I didn't do very well on either count.  So on Sunday 1/1/12, I made the same resolution, and I am keeping my 2011 card on my computer so I don't forget again.  Also, we were given a New Testament reading guide which I will use to help study the Bible, and I will log onto here to record my thoughts.  My Bible Study will be done in my office vs my bedroom, and I'll have easier access to my PC.

Today I read Mark Chapter 1.  The book of Mark goes by really quickly - my kind of writing/reading.  I like to get straight to the point and cover a lot of info in a short amount of time.  It was also a reminder that Jesus was foretold by the prophets like Isaiah.  A lot of new Christians don't understand that He didn't just come out of the blue and that God had this planned way ahead of time. I didn't really understand this early on in my life.  I just thought the Bible was just a bunch of stories and that the Old Testament was just stories before Jesus came.  Obviously I never read it and realized that much/most of it foretold the coming of the Messiah.

The other thing that stood out to me was how his disciples just dropped what they were doing (fishing, etc) and followed Jesus.  What was it that drew them to him?  Didn't they think he was just a nutjob?  How would I have reacted if I got the same invitation?  Well, I guess we all have that invitation now.  We can follow Him or choose to do what we want (and squeeze in some time for Him when it's convenient for us).