The District, Saturday, Jan 4th 03 "CAUTION" CUSSING
So each person has the right to choose whether or not to love God, or even to believe in Him--or how to believe, for that matter. Again, I'm talking about my understanding of & feelings about the Christian faith, for what they're worth....Forced love isn't real. God did not want mindless minions, but a loving, caring family. Love comes from inside each of us, and can't be simply planted there. It is the summation of a whole range of things, and God will not impose His will on those that He gave their own will by design. He wants your love, freely given from the heart.
I think I know what you might be saying, but I don't like to ass-u-me. So I'll just say that when people abuse, rape & kill, God is around (becuz He is everywhere) but He is not in it.There are many who by their own will do evil, and God is not in them. They abuse, rape and kill, and God is nowhere around...
Z, tragically, you are so right. And it's those pious platitudes that really piss me, and obviously many other, off. There is no excuse for religion that makes excuses for evils contrary to that religion, whether done in the name of that religion or not. Furthermore, in my understanding,He warned that the church would be polluted by traditions and doctrines, and yet we are too lazy to even open the letter He wrote to find out what He says. We rely on the false teachers that He warned us about to teach us what is written, and they use it to fill us with platitudes and lies.
Z, I believe as you do that God loves us, hates evil & what it does to us, but gives us the choice to do evil if we choose. I believe this becuz I believe the Bible and I believe my own experience & that of many others.The world is cursed because we endure and cherish evil and hate, not because God does. He tried to lead a people, standing right in front of them, and they failed time and again. Men will be men, no matter what He tries, so now we are allowed to be men, and are allowed to choose what we will do.
Yes, clearly so many of us have in some way been hurt by the direct or indirect abuse, the apathy & neglect, the uncertainties & inconsistencies, of religious people & sometimes even the true Church, when it is not being true to Christ. Like you, Z, I grieve for them, for all of us.I am not one to say such things, but I was pained by what men have done to you all. It grieves me to see the despair and pain, especially when I have come to know what is there for everyone. Perhaps, I shouldn't post this, but I have to say what I feel.
I agree, we have to move on from our anger somehow, either dispell it, conquer it, give it back to those who gave it to us - whatever we do with it we have to move away from it.how wonderful it is that some can react with such anger toward that evil done to them in the name of religion or positions of authority. but what then? stay stuck in anger or rage?
Well.......Hope , faith and charity, confusion, pain and love
Mo I'm not sure if Bette did in fact suffer CSA; I'll check into it.As a 36 year old married white male, I don't think I'm in Better Midler's "target demographic". But the words are telling, and who knows, she probably went through the same stuff we did Jer.
Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk, gee that's funny, Moe! Maybe on the Music Forum it would be fun to share some of the lyrics we heard wrong in funny ways.I just down load lyrics online, though, I don't have any talent for hearing them. When I was a kid I thought that '70's song "Still the one" was "Steal the worm".