God, Yes; Organized Religion, No
I believe in God, but I believe less and less in organized religion. Christianity is a disappointment, not because of God and not because of Jesus, but because of people.Where to begin? It's like shooting fish in a barrel it's so easy. I guess one could say this is just an attempt at passing off humanism and universalism as a religion unto itself. When you fall back on quoting Niebuhr (who happens to be Obama's favorite theologian - yikes) and Tillich, you know you've fallen off the edge and there's little chance of pulling you back to sanity. Maybe we should just leave it at that because the more I think about the poor author who wrote this, the more pity I feel for her.
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Christians, too many of them, are Christian in name only. Christians have been taught by organized religion, and organized religion and its dogma and doctrine are as far away from the ideal and idea of God that I hold onto as the east is from west.
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We have an anthropomorphic way of relating to God, and an anthropomorphic way of understanding God, myself included. So, when God does not do our bidding, which is often, we are at a loss. We wrestle with theodicy; we come up wanting.
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I teach God as I can; how a person receives it (or not) is not up to me. My prayer is that whatever I teach deepens their belief in God, so that when the earth drops from under their feet, as the earth is wont to do from time to time, they will have something more than their fear, anger or confusion to latch onto. I pray that whatever I teach about this mysterious God will sustain them, and that they will not fall into despair. That's all I can do, and frankly, sometimes it feels like it is not even close to being enough.
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I accept the stories in the Bible as stories, but with inherent lessons that are valuable. I accept that I will not ever understand God. I believe in this God. I believe in Jesus, and I believe that both God and Jesus would hate how organized religion devalues them.
WARNING: By clicking on the link below, you agree to hold me and the entire human race free and clear of any repercussions that might ensue should you read the following article (in part or whole). You have been warned! However, if you can keep your head from exploding, it is good for a laugh (not that I think that's what the author had in mind when writing - but hey, we live in a postmodern world).
Article link: click here
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