Oh, religion. It’s one of my least favorite words in the English language. If there’s one thing I am, it is honest about my faith. I struggle with it and am not always consistent with my Bible study and prayer life.
Faith can get a real bad rap. Christians are touted as close-minded, gay haters, “anti-choicers”*, who can’t ever seem to get their stuff together. We’re wishy-washy and can’t see both sides of an issue. There are many Christians like this. But not all of us are.
Yes, I do believe abortion is wrong. I’m sorry, but you will never make me believe that the option of killing a human life is considered best.
I support gay marriage, which is definitely against what a lot of Christians believe in. But I believe everyone should have the right to marriage, even if they may happen to love someone of the same sex - even if that goes against the Bible.
I am one of the most open people you will meet, always willing to look at the other side of the issue, even if I still don’t believe in the other side. My dad used to call my mom “brain-warshed” (he was from Ohio), but I came to realize he was the one who was so close-minded. He could never look beyond a different issue, never see why we needed our faith. Faith to him was a cop-out.
And speaking of that, I hate that term. I feel like when I say things like “God has bigger plans for my life” and “God is preparing me for my future husband and he has our love story all planned out”, people think it’s a cop-out. That people think I don’t want control over my life, that I want to sit back and wait for God to move. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, it means I have someone to lean on, someone to help me make decisions. Someone to guide me along the path that is perfect for me.
For me, faith is about believing in God. It’s about believing in His word and feasting on it. Learning more about Him. Being with Him. It’s about showing His love through your actions.
What are your thoughts on faith?
*I hate that term with such a passion, it’s not even funny. Can I call people who are pro-choice, anti-lifers? Sigh.
My "take" if you will, on faith not a "popular" one to be sure, but then again I'm not doing it because its the "thing" to do. "God did say we'd be a peculiar people.." (Man I'm loving the quotation marks today) I believe God's word is for us to live by and I strive to do that on a daily basis. With God's help and grace he keeps me without sin each day. There are some days when i am just AmAZEd by the power God gives us to do so, because it isn't just me in and of myself that's for sure!
ReplyDeleteI don't really like the word "religion" either. I feel like it refers to organized religion - which I'm not saying is bad - but I think people can be "religious" or "spiritual" without actually attending church etc.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I think you did a really good job tackling such a challenging topic. So good work :)
I would say as of late I'm more spiritual than I'm religious; I think that's because I struggle with my faith as well. I'm actively going to church with Knight and working on it though. I will also say it's hard for me as I'm a liberal on a lot of the social issues that *most* of the churches I've been to (certainly not all) say is wrong or bad etc. etc. I really appreciate this post and your honesty. So thank you.
ReplyDeleteHey, come on, I do NOTTT say "warsh."
ReplyDeleteFaith is a touchy subject. I usually avoid talking about it, unless I am talking with someone I really know and trust because I feel I open myself up to being attacked and I don't like that feeling!
ReplyDeleteI feel the same about the the whole "God is in the driver's seat" thing. It's not a cop out at all in my opinion. It meas you know that someone is looking out for you and has a plan in mind for you. And that life is not totally random. Things happen for a reason and you are placed in different situations so you can learn, grow, and change.
Ha! My dad was from Toledo and we always made fun of the way he said "wash".
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Stephany. I always appreciate your honesty. I used to think that I wrestled with my religion, but it turns out I wrestle with explaining my religious beliefs to others. I believe in a higher power, God or The Universe, in my mind they sort of work in tandem. I don't believe that there is one set path to get to Heaven, enlightenment or whatever the end result is. I don't attend church because I really struggle with other telling me how and what I'm supposed to believe. I guess my faith is sort of a mash-up of things I like from various faiths which most people don't understand and that's ok. Its working for me and thats all that matters.
ReplyDeleteI've expected to get a lot more attacks about my faith posts than I have. Really, aside from an issue with an old blog friend, people have been very accepting and open to hearing about my beliefs. It's refreshing!
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