The Bible and Other Quandries

For those of you that follow this blog, and for those of you that are new, I am a Christian. I have not always been one. For many years, and specially after the death of a very close friend, I decided that there was a something, but I didn't know what that something was. For many years, I viewed God as Milton Berle in a dress. Some of you may remember Unle Milty doing that, but I can no longer remember the characters name. But that was how I thought of God. Then I met my husband.

The circumstances under which we met, my almost zero faith in a creator, and a very low self esteem after a very verbally abusive 5 1/2 year relationship all headed up in a bar one night. I realized very quickly that my husband had been brought to me not by mere circumstance, but by design. But that is a history lesson for another time. And after 11 years of marriage and family, we decided that it was time to get ourselves and our family to church. We have a fantastic church family that has been very supportive of our family and our endeavors. But again, I digress.

I am unlike many Christians. Of course, I am unlike almost any one else you may meet. I think that the church should stay out of politics, and get back to the business of spreading the word of God and the love of Christ. I also think that we need to let God judge the actions of people and not us. Does that mean that I don't judge people? No. It means that I am human, just like every one else. But here are some of the issues that I have that contradict my faith.

I have opinions about abortion. I know several people that have had them, some more than one. I should say now that I am pro-choice, which is unusual for most Christians. You will never find me standing outside a clinic that offers abortions holding those horrific signs that are intended to scare the dickens out of pregnant women who no longer want to be that way. Here's how I think we would be better suited to help them- PRAY.

It is not for me to decide how any one else will live their life. It is not for me to decide if someone is going to Heaven or hell. I will never walk in anyone else's shoes. I will never breathe their air or think their thoughts. Most days I have an issue reading my own thoughts. They will face our Creator and He will judge them. He will judge their actions, thoughts, deeds, and words. It is not my business to do that. But I will pray that they do the right thing, whatever that right thing may be for them. That sounds a little cooky, but that's me.

Psalm 139 says that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made." We are. We are decided on and created in the eyes of God before we are even in the womb. And God knows our actions and thoughts and words before they are ever known to us. And it is for us to use our free will to make the right decision. Would I ever make that for any one else, or presume to know what the right decision is for them? No. I am a better servant to them by praying for them and asking God to guide their lives.

Did you know that there is homosexuality in the bible? Scholars may disagree and know the history and the customs of the time, and I don't. But if you read the following two passages, it sounds like King David and his friend Jonathan were very close. 1 Samuel 19:41 says: "As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so." David was with his friend Jonathan, whose father, Saul, was trying to kill David. There is more to the story, but there is also another passage.

2 Samuel 1:26 states: "I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan: You have been very pleasant to me: Your love to me was wonderful, Surpassing the love of women." David had just found out that Jonathan had died and had written a song for him. The last line is what really gets me. So many people are quick to point out that homosexuality is wrong and sinful, yet here are two examples of men loving each other. Platonic? It doesn't sound that way to me.

But what about King David? He was a very sinful man. When he fell in love with Bathsheba, he had her husband sent to the war front to make sure that he would be killed. He wanted her all to himself and couldn't have her as long as she was married. He also cursed Abigail's husband so that he would die. And he did. Then David was free to marry her as well. So he wasn't a saint. But was he gay? I don't know. What I do know is that we are all made in the image of God. God knows what is destined for our life before we are ever formed in the womb. Don't you think he knows that some people are going to be homosexual?

Many churches have opened their doors and welcomed gay men and women into their congregations with open arms. These are the churches that show the love of Christ to other people. These are the churches that show that not all Christians are pushing their own agenda, but pushing the agenda of God. Aren't we supposed to love all people?

Want to know the difference between someone who is gay and someone who is not? There isn't one. We all have thoughts and actions and words and deeds that are judged by someone higher and greater than us. And we will all be judged using the same standards. And what are those standards? Only God knows that.

I very rarely agree with the political agenda of "Super Christians". I think that the bible thumping, shove it down your throat Christians have given the rest of us a bad name. People see that you are a Christian and all of a sudden, we are held to a higher standard. Is that reasonable? Maybe, maybe not. While we are judging other people, we are being judged ourselves. How many times have you been cut off by someone driving a car with a Jesus bumper sticker? Makes you wonder what church function they are late for, doesn't it? Then they cut somebody else off pulling into the parking lot of the liquor store. They must not be Baptist.

Politics is such a minefield any way. Let's leave religion out of it. Isn't it hard enough to figure out where all the candidates stand without wondering who's pushing for their own religious agenda. Joyce Meyer says, "Jesus didn't die so we could have a religion. He died so we can have a deep, meaningful relationship with God."

When we are in public as a family, we pray before we eat. It used to make us uncomfortable. We felt like people were staring at us, pointing fingers. And they may have been. But we don't care anymore. We try to treat people with respect. We say please and thank you and leave a good tip for our server. We say thank you when a new drink comes, or a dirty plate gets taken away. My children are treated especially well, because they are polite. Many have commented on the fact that manners are so lacking in our society and what a fantastic thing it is to see some children using them. Do I have perfect children? No!!!!! But they model the behavior that they are shown.

People are people. We all make mistakes, we all put our pants on one leg at a time, and no one person is better than the next. I say let's just all spend some time getting to know each other, and treating each other with love and kindness. What a great place to live that would be!