tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4329074651201578122.post349244630241579478..comments2014-05-01T18:47:26.065-05:00Comments on Good Counsel: Coming outJim Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13328610110476810019noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4329074651201578122.post-36033199021052946482013-08-07T22:57:22.809-05:002013-08-07T22:57:22.809-05:00Jim,
First, this is by far your best blog post to...Jim,<br /><br />First, this is by far your best blog post to date. Eloquently stated.<br /><br />I have fought the fight against Pauline Christianity till I'm tired of it. Paul was the first "Televangelist", if you will (had he had the medium, he'd have out-Swaggart'ed Swaggart). He took a small underground sect and (against the will of most of its leaders, notably Peter) turned it into a global religion. I agree completely that my entire career in the Baptist church, with less but still prominent times in the Episcopal church (of which I was a part from 1984 forward), the teachings of Paul were emphasized far more than the teachings of Jesus (upon whom the religion is ostensibly built).<br /><br />My older sister died before I was born. She was a beautiful baby, blonde curls, sweet smile. Mother and Dad were young; she was pretty, he was handsome; both were brought up in the Baptist church. Dad's family was (and is) VERY God-fearing. They epitomize what you said about the Paulists. God is merciful, God is good, God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked, right? Then why did she die a horrible, painful, agonizing, prolonged death, screaming basically the last year of her life, with a brain tumor? Did God not like her? Was she horrible? She was 3; other than doody-ing her diapers, how horrible could she have been? Were Mother and Dad to blame? Trust me, the church dragon-ladies took haste to point out to her (while her baby's casket was in the living room) that this was God's punishment on her for marrying "above her station" (Mom's family was poor, while Dad's was at least middle class). <br /><br />So, I have asked the Christians I have known over the years, many of whom I trust (and I started asking this when I was very young), "Why did this horrible thing happen to my sister? Why did God do this, or allow it?" The answers I got were, "Well, it's a mystery." "It was God's will." So it was God's will that this adorable baby suffered agony until she died (which action ultimately sent my mother for a stay in a mental institution)? Was it an act of comission or omission on the part of God? <br /><br />I always had a problem with that. <br /><br />The more I've thought about it lately, the more I think modern Christianity is just so much nonsense. It's a social construct. It's a way for people to get together and interact socially. In its current form, it is mean-spirited, bitter, and ugly. It has little to do with the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.<br /><br />Do I hold a grudge? Yes, I do. Why? You explained it far more eloquently than I, in your post above. <br /><br />Unlike you, I have had the added component of all the hatred directed toward gays, knowing I was one, and having to hide for fear of retribution. Therein lies the rage.<br /><br />Unlike you, I'm angry about being lied to.<br /><br />Also unlike you, I haven't quite gotten to the atheist stage--yet. I've had some things that are hard to explain (I'm not ready to go there publicly yet). So, here's my deal: I am an agnostic/deist. It's roughly akin to "The Force"--there is a higher power out there, but if so (and the agnostic/deist requests proof, but finds none), it's not a man floating on a white cloud, a la Michelangelo, it's a spiritual force as far beyond us as we are the amoeba; farther. Are there spirits? I'm convinced there are. Are there vibes? I'm convinced there are. I don't think science has scratched the surface of human potential, which is why there are still so many unexplained things in the universe.<br /><br />Like you, I hope not to offend any of my Christian friends, but I'm not going to go sit there every Sunday and listen to someone selectively interpret the Bible to say whatever they want it to say, while ignoring those parts of that contradictory collection of ancient writings that are inconvenient.<br />So, congratulations on "coming out". I hope yours is as successful as mine has been.<br /><br />Your friend,<br /><br />Nick <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06584588658233756298noreply@blogger.com