I'm REALLY trying to figure this one out; help wanted

Comment by Julia Giannopoulos on October 16, 2012 at 9:35am

Dal,

I grew up in the Assembly Of God Church which is a very large fundamentalist "Christian " sect. 

They promote homosexual reparative therapy along with the complete shunning of the GLBT community.

They justify their actions by quoting old testament scripture.

So many of our brothers and sisters have been hurt by these people that it makes them public enemy

number 1  in the eyes of our community. 

With that being said, I have attended MCC Unitarian congregations that are overwhelmingly supportive of the GLBT community because the congregation is mostly members of GLBT community themselves.

I have a friend who is post-op that attends the very church that finds her disgusting and abhorrent as a way of standing up for herself and her particular brand of belief.

She consideres herself a warrior  of sorts because of her unyielding stance with this church.

Where I find her principals and bravery in the face of oppression to be remarkable I also find it futile and damaging to herself.

These Evangelical Fundamentalist " Christian " sects  have a membership that is approaching 55 years of age on average and aging with each passing year. 

They have not been able to attract new members for many years now due to their hardline stance.

Because of this you and I will see the rapid decline and vanishing of these sects within our lifetime.

Comment by Allison Elizabeth on October 16, 2012 at 2:50pm

Dal, There is nothing at all wrong with your posts, your thoughts, or your opinions. In fact I have never seen anything that you have written that is anti-Christian. In fact, Christ himself would agree with you. Have you ever played the kids party game "Telephone"? Someone starts by whispering something in one persons ear and everyone in the room whispers it to the next person until the end of the line. By the time it gets there the message is NOTHING like what it started out to be. The same thing has happened with Christianity. Over the years the "Church" has taken their personal beliefs and bias's & claimed them as being "Christian" so that now the average "Christian" has no earthly idea as to what Christ really said. I have discovered that most people's "Christianity" is really based on what the Preacher, Grandpa, or Great Aunt Agnes said and NOT on a scriptural understanding of what JESUS said. During his life here on Earth, Jesus went around to the outcasts of society and reached out to them to assure them that God loved them in spite of what the established Church of the day said. In fact, the only times that you see him getting angry in the Bible are when someone in the Church placed themselves or some other impediment between God & the people trying to follow him. Unfortunately, the same thing is going on today. There are THOUSANDS (if not millions) of Churches in the world that have perverted what Jesus said and tried to add their particular spin to them and said that if you didn't agree then you couldn't be a Christian. That is NOT what Jesus did! If you look at it, Jesus went around healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and letting ALL people know that God loved them. Notice the emphasis on ALL! Christianity is not hard. Jesus said to follow him. It's not hard to show everyone you meet that they are a person too. It's not hard to help others in time of need. All the other things that the "Church" has added in are MAN'S perversions, not a tenet of the Christian faith. In fact Jesus himself said "Many there will be that will say to me Lord, Lord. And I will reply Depart from me, I never knew you" And WHY did he not know them? Because they weren't TRULY HIS followers. They were following a religion that was Christian in NAME but NOT  in action. Those horrible things you mentioned in your post DO happen in many Churches but don't be fooled into thinking that just because they SAY they are Christian that they are TRULY practicing Christianity. ALL religions have people who are serious about following their faith and people who play act faith. Unfortunately, MOST mainstream denominational Churches in America are playing at their faith, they wouldn't know Jesus if he walked through the front door, and if he did, they'd probably kick him out too!

So PLEASE don't base your whole understanding of the Christian Faith on what "the Majority" says & does. Base it on what Jesus himself did.

Comment by Erin Detty on October 16, 2012 at 5:47pm

To me Faith is the most important thing, Blind Trust if you will. Religion is to me a way chosen by an individual to express it, and there are many Traditional Religions.

Traditions and faith make up Religions Beliefs, I feel that this has been a problem for me and others. "Religion" some not all, will Guilt people like us, we are some how beneath them, some are down right Evil But I do maintain my faith. That's really all I know to say about Faith or Religion:)   

Comment by Randi R. on October 16, 2012 at 5:56pm

Dal, I agree with Allison, I haven't sensed any anti-Christian undertone in you posts. You may have provided some pointed observations, but that doesn't make you hostile to Christian or Christianity. I come from a conservative Christian tradition that I still participate in, but I clearly fall in the progressive camp of my denomination. 

many of us who are Christians, have come to a more personal relationship model and find that formal church organizations, created by mankind, can at times be very hurtful and judgmental. For those who use Christianity to persecute those of gender variation, I question there view of what is attributed to Christ as to what our mission and role is on this earth.

Please keep posting, challenging question and thought make us all better.

Randi

Comment by Chelle Munroe on October 17, 2012 at 1:05pm

For myself, I go to a Catholic church to listen to the word and to apply those words to my life. I like church because it makes me feel a little more connected. But the truth is that my relationship is with God not the clergy. I realize the church his its dogma and that's all well and fine but that is all based upon a select group of men who have decided what their interpretation of things should be. They have no real basis to decide how my relationship should be because every person who does practice their faith has their own personal relationship with God.  I know the kind of life I lead and for me that is what God is asking of me. He doesn't make mistakes so when He created those of us who are transgender, He did it for reasons I may never come to understand, but I believe He loves me just as equally as He loves everyone else. As for the environment of the church, I have not had one person treat me any differently now than they did when I presented as a male. I got some looks at first but that has all passed. One thing's for sure, it is not an easy experience to go through no matter who it is and what religious beliefs they have because faith, whether in God, higher power or whatever, faith is a strong characteristic that helps get people through some of the most difficult phases of their lives.

Comment by Caroline Grace on October 18, 2012 at 5:16am

Never perceived anything anti-Christian from you at all.  However, I find most Christians not making room for the idea that others who connect to God through other religions to have some kind of defect in their thinking. That is such arrogance.

"We have the answer you need" because your relationship with God isn't genuine because you don't belong to our church or one like it. We know the right and only way to have a lasting relationship with God so you have to listen to us.  They may soften that arrogance of a bit by saying, "Actually you should listen to our preacher because thyey make it all make sense." Note they never stopped being self-righteous.

If there is a transgression here it is Christians who have judged others who don't allow that your thinking is as real and as on target as theirs. Then they try to get you to understand their religion's ways without ever asking about your religion and what you believe.

For those who believe in God, you will find your own way of getting connected. It matters little which roof it is under, or even if it is under a roof at all. 

Comment by Dal Maxwell on October 18, 2012 at 10:20am

LGBTQ A A - You have WAAAAAAAAY too much free time on your hands.  My query (queery?) had nothing to do with male/female, vaginas and penii, or the history of the Hebrew people. And the fact that you post that the Old Testament is outdated is just a further reflection on the notion that only what you believe is of any importance and that you have no respect for anyone else's religious inclinations, or thoughts for that matter.

I just wanted to know why some people in transition, who hold their own religious beliefs dear, put themselves in emotional harm's way and try to establish a religiouus affiliation that is difficult at best to maintain.

By the way.......if you are going to keep posting encyclopedic epics but don't invite a dialog, you may as well be talking to yourself.  I'm gonna skip anything with your imprimature on it for simple lack of time and curiosity.  You make your thoughts extensively and painfully clear. 

Comment by Dal Maxwell on October 18, 2012 at 10:23am

I want to thank all of the PE'ers who took time to help me to 'get it' and make the points out about strength of conviction.  Vey cool and I can only applaud you for your dedication to your belief system.  Well.......almost all of you.  *smile*

Comment by Bethany Davis on October 18, 2012 at 1:41pm

God, is love... Love (god) is not masculine ie." He this and he that"...? Love thy neighbor as you love yourself, a quote, verse, scripture, tenet, call it what you will, I read in the bible. Now, my question is what denomination,flavor, sect, cult, club espouses the message and why in Jesus name,blasphemy intended, is that debated ad nauseum? Careful now, I expect comments, however can you avoid hate and guilt ? By the way Dal great topic and I always like reading your blogs and comments because of the forthrightness and reason you exhibit.
Keep learning and keep loving, hugs to all, especially to those that are sad,depressed or confused.

Comment by Laura Lee Glancy on October 18, 2012 at 4:52pm

You will figure it out. In the end is the way it was suppose to be anyways so relax beleve and choose what fits you best. THE END

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