http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/faith_values/stories/2010/06/11/close-vote-elects-gay-as-treasurer.html
I am…confused. I’m happy, but I’m also really sad. The vote passed, but not by much. Not trying to be Negative Nancy here but…really? Is it 2010 and we’re still heavily debating this issue? There’s no biblical backing for this claim that homosexuality is a sin but let’s for a minute say there is. Let’s pretend God is Mel Gibson and hates people (not that far but I’m a sucker for Mel jokes). But even if this were the case, we don’t investigate “practicing” (hate that term) liars or coveters, or whatever you can come up with. We don’t go up to heterosexuals and ask if they lie and tell their kids Santa Clause is real. Because that would be ridiculous! Yes, the two are comparable. I know, you’re shocked but they are.
But now let’s look at the Bible. Where does it say one man and one woman? Where? Unless you take verses out of context, then it doesn’t. In fact, there’s more evidence of Jesus loving ALL people and meeting them where they are. We all have flaws but loving your partner of 20 years isn’t one. How many straight people do that? God is good and that’s the ONLY perspective to come from.
I just cannot believe that we are still debating this. I’m really happy that this man’s appointment was approved but why are we still voting on it? It would be really easy for me to make this post about my pride in my church but the problem is that my church is better than this. They’re better than putting a man through this vote.
And whoever stated that the vote was civil, is incorrect. It’s never civil to put someone’s relationship on trial, when the only “crime” is loving someone of the same sex. Who are you to tell me that God recognizes my partnership?
So, I’m happy that considering there was a vote it went in the only logical direction. However, let’s not be fooled into thinking that things are getting progressive. I really challenge Christians to look at the Bible and not be afraid of admitting we’re wrong.
Am I still writing about this? BLAH!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Very Zen today...
Okay, so lately I think that God may be trying to teach me to enjoy the present moment more. Yes, Mother God and I are super crazy tight like Benson and Stabler (think more old school Benson and Stabler). Anyway, it’s come to my attention that I have not been enjoying the present moment…gasp! My problem isn’t bills and cleaning or walking the dog (I actually loooove paying bills and cleaning and walking the dog). My problem is the need to always be doing more.
But, Naomi, you do so many awesome things! I know, right. But seriously…if it’s a youth group event then I think about the other teens in the world. If I’m doing well in school, then I think about how I wish I was doing well at a real big girl job, and so on and so on.
This is normally not a big deal but lately I feel Mother God beginning to whisper…strike that…yell and scream in my ear. I have all these incredible things happening and I just keep thinking how it will help me in the future. The future is cool to think about, but forgetting that these moments full of lessons are happening now is so lame. Take note that I’m not lame but doing that is in fact lame. I’m still cool, no worries. A good example. I have this crazy cool balcony and these crazy cute, comfy chairs. I NEVER sit on them! I’m always doing something! It may not seem like a big deal, but if I sat in a chair and enjoyed peace and quiet for a while, I really think that I would be calmer. I really think that my head would feel screwed on a little tighter instead of crap spilling out of it all day (I am so imaginative sometimes).
Oprah has this saying that when the universe is trying to convey a message to you, that it gives a whisper…then a shout…then a push…then a brick wall…then the brick wall falls on top of you. In other words, the goal is to be tuned into yourself enough to hear the damn whisper and you know, avoid the brick wall.
So I want to hear the whisper. If you want to know how, I have no answers. I’m just going to try feeling a little bit more. I have a friend/mentor who recently mentioned to me in a conversation that she really recognizes and freely feels an emotion when it comes. A good example is sadness. We’re pretty much trained not to feel sadness and to cover it up with something else such as food, shopping, working, etc. Instead the idea is to actually recognize that you’re feeling sadness and this is what it feels like. How cool is that? You’re embracing the feeling rather than denying it and digging an even deeper hole.
This conversation came days after watching an Oprah episode with the same message. And to top it off, lately I’ve been rushing through everything instead of being my silly fun self. So, I’m taking my whisper to heart and listening. Oh, crap. I’ll bet that means tonight I have to actually feel the pain as I write my English paper…damn it.
But, Naomi, you do so many awesome things! I know, right. But seriously…if it’s a youth group event then I think about the other teens in the world. If I’m doing well in school, then I think about how I wish I was doing well at a real big girl job, and so on and so on.
This is normally not a big deal but lately I feel Mother God beginning to whisper…strike that…yell and scream in my ear. I have all these incredible things happening and I just keep thinking how it will help me in the future. The future is cool to think about, but forgetting that these moments full of lessons are happening now is so lame. Take note that I’m not lame but doing that is in fact lame. I’m still cool, no worries. A good example. I have this crazy cool balcony and these crazy cute, comfy chairs. I NEVER sit on them! I’m always doing something! It may not seem like a big deal, but if I sat in a chair and enjoyed peace and quiet for a while, I really think that I would be calmer. I really think that my head would feel screwed on a little tighter instead of crap spilling out of it all day (I am so imaginative sometimes).
Oprah has this saying that when the universe is trying to convey a message to you, that it gives a whisper…then a shout…then a push…then a brick wall…then the brick wall falls on top of you. In other words, the goal is to be tuned into yourself enough to hear the damn whisper and you know, avoid the brick wall.
So I want to hear the whisper. If you want to know how, I have no answers. I’m just going to try feeling a little bit more. I have a friend/mentor who recently mentioned to me in a conversation that she really recognizes and freely feels an emotion when it comes. A good example is sadness. We’re pretty much trained not to feel sadness and to cover it up with something else such as food, shopping, working, etc. Instead the idea is to actually recognize that you’re feeling sadness and this is what it feels like. How cool is that? You’re embracing the feeling rather than denying it and digging an even deeper hole.
This conversation came days after watching an Oprah episode with the same message. And to top it off, lately I’ve been rushing through everything instead of being my silly fun self. So, I’m taking my whisper to heart and listening. Oh, crap. I’ll bet that means tonight I have to actually feel the pain as I write my English paper…damn it.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Not Swooning For Men That Juggle
Wow. Wow. At church a bit ago, there was a juggler. It was pretty cool (I am so mature and classy sometimes). I liked the juggling and thought it was cool to see a juggler who uses that passion to spread God’s love. False. I did not feel God’s love. It was juggling so tons of kids were sitting front row center and heard and saw a story with magic tricks explaining that Buddha and Mohammed were essentially fakers and wrong. He then explained that Jesus is the only real son of God (which is true) and therefore the only right way to heaven.
BULLSHIT (excuse the language, I get super pissed when people use kids to spread hate). You may say, what’s so wrong, Naomi? Why is that hate? You cannot teach children who are taught to trust adults that other religion is wrong and they’re right. That’s inexcusable to me. This whole I’m right, you’re wrong and hell bound is so old that it makes neon leggings look like a fresh fashion statement (oh…wait…). You’re giving children no basis for 1) questioning (which is the best part of being a little kid) 2) tolerance and 3) true faith.
Think about it, if people tell you that you’ll go to hell unless you’re a Christian and that’s your basis for why…that’s a bullshit reason. When people ask me why I chose to be a Christian I say that Judaism classes are a lot of work (actually I did want to be Jewish for a looooong time which I can explain later) and that I truly believe in the message of Jesus to love and show that love through our actions and use the knowledge that EVERY PERSON MATTERS.
What would I tell kids? So glad you asked! I would tell them that Christianity is ONE type of faith and it has a lot of history (good and bad). Then, I would explain what Jesus’ message was and encourage the wee little ones to read the Bible and find out for yourself what YOU think his message was. JUGGLE THAT! I bet you can’t.
P.S. Here’s why I wanted to be Jewish. When I was super little (like Kindergarten) my mom who taught English did a section on the Holocaust. I grew up watching movies and reading books pertaining to the subject. My mom gave a lot of answers and we saw a lot of museums and things on the subject. When I was confirmed (protestant Christians become members of the church when they’re about 12 ad the process is known as confirmation), my dad took all the confirmands to a synagogue for service (he says, Judaism is our roots). I loved it. I loved the service and the strong message of tolerance. Loved it. But I decided on my own to be confirmed as a United Methodist Christian. So, later I became a confirmation leader and went to another service at a liberal synagogue. Dude, their prayer books took out “he”, “him”, and “his” in reference to God because (get this) God is genderless! Bingo! Sign me up! But I also realize that maybe my place is to get this stuff going in the United Methodist Church and to be a force in my faith that I feel in my heart. So, my admiration for Judaism continues to grow as my place in my chosen faith also does. THE END…JUGGLE THAT TOO!
BULLSHIT (excuse the language, I get super pissed when people use kids to spread hate). You may say, what’s so wrong, Naomi? Why is that hate? You cannot teach children who are taught to trust adults that other religion is wrong and they’re right. That’s inexcusable to me. This whole I’m right, you’re wrong and hell bound is so old that it makes neon leggings look like a fresh fashion statement (oh…wait…). You’re giving children no basis for 1) questioning (which is the best part of being a little kid) 2) tolerance and 3) true faith.
Think about it, if people tell you that you’ll go to hell unless you’re a Christian and that’s your basis for why…that’s a bullshit reason. When people ask me why I chose to be a Christian I say that Judaism classes are a lot of work (actually I did want to be Jewish for a looooong time which I can explain later) and that I truly believe in the message of Jesus to love and show that love through our actions and use the knowledge that EVERY PERSON MATTERS.
What would I tell kids? So glad you asked! I would tell them that Christianity is ONE type of faith and it has a lot of history (good and bad). Then, I would explain what Jesus’ message was and encourage the wee little ones to read the Bible and find out for yourself what YOU think his message was. JUGGLE THAT! I bet you can’t.
P.S. Here’s why I wanted to be Jewish. When I was super little (like Kindergarten) my mom who taught English did a section on the Holocaust. I grew up watching movies and reading books pertaining to the subject. My mom gave a lot of answers and we saw a lot of museums and things on the subject. When I was confirmed (protestant Christians become members of the church when they’re about 12 ad the process is known as confirmation), my dad took all the confirmands to a synagogue for service (he says, Judaism is our roots). I loved it. I loved the service and the strong message of tolerance. Loved it. But I decided on my own to be confirmed as a United Methodist Christian. So, later I became a confirmation leader and went to another service at a liberal synagogue. Dude, their prayer books took out “he”, “him”, and “his” in reference to God because (get this) God is genderless! Bingo! Sign me up! But I also realize that maybe my place is to get this stuff going in the United Methodist Church and to be a force in my faith that I feel in my heart. So, my admiration for Judaism continues to grow as my place in my chosen faith also does. THE END…JUGGLE THAT TOO!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Religulous or Religubunches???? Huh? Huh? Clever?
I’m finally going to watch Religulous and it’s making me think about a lot of crap that comes with being a Christian. I’ve been avoiding this film for a long time (I’m sure you know if it’s on Showtime then it’s been around forever). I recorded it on DVR once already but deleted it and now I am starting to play it. Why avoid it? Here’s the thing…
I am the queen of questioning religion. I question everyone including religious institutions and I encourage the youth group kids and my friends to do so. How can you learn if you don’t question? Impossible. But I don’t really see my faith as an institution. Sunday mornings I don’t always go to church. Partly because I now work overnight babysitting and don’t have time to get ready or leave my dog alone all night and all morning and partly because my father moved to a church that’s super far away and I admit that’s hard (hey, I was born thinking the pastor was my father…you try to get used to that!).
I see my faith as my interpretation of the Bible, yoga, meditation, why I do what I do. I do community service not to get into heaven but because Jesus lead an example of actually doing. Donating money is great…so is donating time. These are people that don’t have homes or food. People. They have stories and information to share. I often use the term “community service” but I hate it. Jesus didn’t tell the disciples “go do community service”. He said go out, love, those types of word. And I also don’t go into the world to “save” people. People who read this may now think I’m not a Christian at all but I don’t think we should all be Christians. I think that’s crap frankly.
Whenever we’re aware of our authentic power…that’s God. I’m not saying we are God. I am saying that God comes in different forms for people. When Jesus says he’s the only way to heaven I don’t think it means believe in him or go to hell. How does that even make sense to people? I believe it means living with love as Jesus did brings us to God and our authentic power.
I have a point, I promise. Now you know more of my starting point. That’s why this movie frustrates me. If Bill Maher would say, “Hey, this is a movie against mainstream Christianity and Catholicism,” then okay. I can get behind that. I hate mainstream Christianity because it makes it harder for me to live. It makes all Chistians look stupid, greedy, and trying to save lives for a ticket to heaven. That’s not Christianity. Frankly, that’s bullshit. So Maher…go after the bullshit and be specific.
I am the queen of questioning religion. I question everyone including religious institutions and I encourage the youth group kids and my friends to do so. How can you learn if you don’t question? Impossible. But I don’t really see my faith as an institution. Sunday mornings I don’t always go to church. Partly because I now work overnight babysitting and don’t have time to get ready or leave my dog alone all night and all morning and partly because my father moved to a church that’s super far away and I admit that’s hard (hey, I was born thinking the pastor was my father…you try to get used to that!).
I see my faith as my interpretation of the Bible, yoga, meditation, why I do what I do. I do community service not to get into heaven but because Jesus lead an example of actually doing. Donating money is great…so is donating time. These are people that don’t have homes or food. People. They have stories and information to share. I often use the term “community service” but I hate it. Jesus didn’t tell the disciples “go do community service”. He said go out, love, those types of word. And I also don’t go into the world to “save” people. People who read this may now think I’m not a Christian at all but I don’t think we should all be Christians. I think that’s crap frankly.
Whenever we’re aware of our authentic power…that’s God. I’m not saying we are God. I am saying that God comes in different forms for people. When Jesus says he’s the only way to heaven I don’t think it means believe in him or go to hell. How does that even make sense to people? I believe it means living with love as Jesus did brings us to God and our authentic power.
I have a point, I promise. Now you know more of my starting point. That’s why this movie frustrates me. If Bill Maher would say, “Hey, this is a movie against mainstream Christianity and Catholicism,” then okay. I can get behind that. I hate mainstream Christianity because it makes it harder for me to live. It makes all Chistians look stupid, greedy, and trying to save lives for a ticket to heaven. That’s not Christianity. Frankly, that’s bullshit. So Maher…go after the bullshit and be specific.
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