Thursday, 29 May 2008 - 2:11 AM EDT

"All opinions, all choices, even wrong ones that draw us away from Him, because sometimes that's what it takes to draw us back."

 I'm glad you ended by noting this. I think sometimes I forget that even when we make mistakes, big ones that really hurt us spritually, God can still use to draw us closer to Him and sometimes that's what it takes. I was watching a movie today, total chick-flick called "Loves comes softly" and this woman lost her husband and this man took her in to care for his daughter (he also lost his wife to death) and his barn burns down (this story is set wayy back in the ole west days) and he puts his faith in God and she questions how God could allow bad stuff to happen to decent people and I love his explanation. He goes, "A father can walk by his son and his son can fall down. The dad didn't want that to happen but it happened so the father picks up his son and holds him." Or something like that. And I just thought it was really beautiful and it kinda goes along with what you're saying...or at least in my head it does :)

 And thanks for finally writing an entry. It made me happy.

Friday, 30 May 2008 - 1:50 PM EDT

I've resisted posting on your blog because your obviously a new-age disciple whose incapable of an original thought, but this post just went too far over the line. WHat you're saying is that there is nothing to give us moral diection other than whatever we all happen to believe. Luckily for America, Christians have been able to resist this downward-spiral thinking that led to all of histories attrocities. The mountains will fall and the flowers will fade, but God's word stands forever! You can dress it up and call it whatever you want, but you advocate sodomy and perversion and you say that all religions lead to the same place. You are leading people strate to hell ass surely as you go there yourself!!

Friday, 30 May 2008 - 7:19 PM EDT

Wow, so Ted...what does it mean that "Luckily for America, Christians have been able to resist this downward-spiral thinking that led to all of histories attrocities" because I think some "American Christians" have done some mighty ugly attrocities in our history. And isn't it everyone's own personal journey to realize that God's word does stand forever and that there is only one way to the Father? Just some questions that you're comments brought to mind.

Saturday, 31 May 2008 - 6:42 PM EDT

I understand how you feel (I think), but I'm not advocating anything except free will. A new-ager will tell you that all religions are the same; I don't think that's the same thing as saying that there are truths in all faiths. There's truth is science, in art, in literature, and I can't subscribe to any way of thinking that says there is ONLY truth in one thing, one religion, one book, no matter what it is. I'm not trying to threaten what you already believe, Ted.

Sunday, 1 June 2008 - 4:14 PM EDT

You can say whatever you want, but all you're really saying is that the ETERNAL INERRANT Word of God doesn't mean anything! God hates divorce, and abortion, and gays, and all you fancy words don't change that!!! Someone has to be left to stand up for the truth!!!

Sunday, 1 June 2008 - 8:24 PM EDT

I'm not sure if you're getting what I'm saying, or if you are actually so myopic that anything outside of your comfort zone is a threat to your belief system.

God hates divorce: As a former Southern Baptist, I heard this for many years. I believe it, too, in the same way that I believe God hates people dying in natural disasters. Does God hate divorce more than He hates men beating their wives or raping their daughters? More than drug addiction and abuse? Because if divorce is always wrong under any circustances, then what are we saying about situations like these?

You can say that God hates abortion, but what does that say about women who, for whatever reason, choose to end their pregnancies? And isn't it easy for men to make judgements about what choices women should be making?

Is it a sin to be gay? I don't know. For me, I would say yes, but that's just because I like chicks so much. It's not my place to say what's right or wrong for anyone else. They're the ones who have to seek God in their hearts, to reach their own understanding and make their own peace. And read John 8:3-11 and tell me what you think Jesus Christ would say to a homosexual?

I just think we worry too much about what is right and wrong for EVERYONE ELSE to be doing. Do what you know if right, and encourage everyone else to seek God in their hearts. It's not difficult.

Tuesday, 17 June 2008 - 2:12 AM EDT

I've always hated people who try to say that religion and morality are one and inseparable, together- for me personally, they are distinctly separate things that have overlap for some people.  To say otherwise is to condemn all atheists and non-religious folks to being immoral, which just isn't true.

Back when I was a little kid being dragged unwillingly to Sunday school, I vehemently detested the idea of the Ten Commandments- even then I was bright enough to ask just what made those things wrong.  Was it because God had declared them so?  And if so, that was probably a bad thing- because 1) most things get turned around, mistranslated, and shaded by the cultures of the time and the beliefs and prejudices of the "translators", and 2) by that logic, nobody could protest the god-declared laws of other religions (i.e. cannibalism and human sacrifice are A-OK), at least, without resorting to the old "Yeah, but OURS is the one true religion, 'cause the Bible tells us so!" argument (which will never be resolved).  I felt even then that there was an objective and absolute moral code, one independent of religion but often coinciding with it with many overlaps.

I guess I still feel that there is an objective morality by which we can measure others' actions . . . though I appreciate your stance because there are far too many militant Christians (Ted?) who seem to forget everything about Jesus' love and acceptance and instead focus on the condemnation.  So I absolutely love Christians and others like yourself who understand that one's choices are very personal and have a lot more to do with a relationship with God than with a set of rules dating from far far back.  But at the same time, when you have that outlook, you also have people who do horrible things that they may feel bring them closer to God, that make sense in their lives . . . there needs to be a way to discuss them and make a moral proclamation.

Just my two cents.

Sunday, 13 July 2008 - 8:18 PM EDT

I don't think anyone so far is really getting what I'm saying here.

I'm not saying that we should throw out the Ten Commandments. I'm not advocating anarchy. I'm not talking about finding a "true religion" because I'm not talking about religion at all. I'm just talking about people making choices, living their lives, whatever.

Religion aside, people generally agree that murder, lying and theft are bad. There's not a lot of debate there. But there are always gray areas (abortion, gay marriage, the death penalty, whatever) about which reasonable people disagree.

What I'm talking about is how we treat each other when we disagree, and how, by focusing on the wrongs I think everyone else are guilty of, I lose sight of the wrongs I'm guilty of myself.