In my area of life, religion, mainly Christianity, gets a bad rap. I mean, to be honest, if I didn't know much about it, I'd be part of that group always giving it a bad rap. We really only hear about the Westboro Baptists, the street preachers yelling at everyone for not repenting, the "you need Jesus or you're doomed" people, the "we're fine the way we are. We must not change" people, the "your opinion is invalid" people (who we find both in religion and out of religion). Just a lot of negativity about Christianity. I always feel myself feeling the need to explain myself when people say Christians are dumb, or when I say I'm a Christian so people don't "get the wrong idea." Then I started realizing that being a Christian isn't a bad thing. Like at all. It's actually super cool. Even cooler when you find someone who isn't religious, yet still happens to have the same views on life as you do. It's all pretty cool.
See, being a Christian means something totally different to every single person in various points in their life. I'm starting to see that, for me, being a Christian is amazing. I am embracing Jesus and trying to be what Jesus calls me to be. I have come to the understanding that Jesus calls everyone to love with their whole heart and truly seek to help everyone you can. To me, Christianity isn't about getting to Heaven. It's about loving all on Earth and treating everyone with all the love you can muster. Doesn't mean not getting mad every once in a while. Doesn't mean not getting upset. Just means living your life through love and compassion.
Really, something I'm getting more hip to is the concept that my progressive mind has a huge place in this stereotypically conservative, traditional thing called religion. I will always point to the fact that Jesus was the most progressive thinker of His time. He treated absolutely everyone (man, woman, child, etc.) equally. He didn't go to what everyone at that time was going to: war and brute force. He went to the concept of loving all. He spoke mainly about giving to the poor and helping all. He spoke about loving thy enemy and He spoke about going the extra mile. All of these concepts never before thought of.
Opening my heart to Christianity has only opened my mind more and opened my heart to the world. I have started actually talking to people with opposite views as opposed to arguing and not hearing them. I've started becoming more responsible about how I treat the Earth (our huge gift from God). I've started understanding that speaking about God is not annoying. It's not the scary God. It's not the God that throws us on Earth and makes awful things happen to us. It's a God who mourns with us, who laughs with us, who loves us, who wants the best for us, who wants us to love.
At the end of the day, I am a proud, ever-growing Christian who seeks to love as Jesus loved. A Christian who seeks equality. A Christian who seeks to aid all she can. A Christian who seeks to do something. A Christian who seeks to better understand. A Christian who seeks to open her heart and mind even further. Seeks to better love. Seeks to better self. Seeks to better the world. Through love.
Love always,
Mary Taylor
See, being a Christian means something totally different to every single person in various points in their life. I'm starting to see that, for me, being a Christian is amazing. I am embracing Jesus and trying to be what Jesus calls me to be. I have come to the understanding that Jesus calls everyone to love with their whole heart and truly seek to help everyone you can. To me, Christianity isn't about getting to Heaven. It's about loving all on Earth and treating everyone with all the love you can muster. Doesn't mean not getting mad every once in a while. Doesn't mean not getting upset. Just means living your life through love and compassion.
Really, something I'm getting more hip to is the concept that my progressive mind has a huge place in this stereotypically conservative, traditional thing called religion. I will always point to the fact that Jesus was the most progressive thinker of His time. He treated absolutely everyone (man, woman, child, etc.) equally. He didn't go to what everyone at that time was going to: war and brute force. He went to the concept of loving all. He spoke mainly about giving to the poor and helping all. He spoke about loving thy enemy and He spoke about going the extra mile. All of these concepts never before thought of.
Opening my heart to Christianity has only opened my mind more and opened my heart to the world. I have started actually talking to people with opposite views as opposed to arguing and not hearing them. I've started becoming more responsible about how I treat the Earth (our huge gift from God). I've started understanding that speaking about God is not annoying. It's not the scary God. It's not the God that throws us on Earth and makes awful things happen to us. It's a God who mourns with us, who laughs with us, who loves us, who wants the best for us, who wants us to love.
At the end of the day, I am a proud, ever-growing Christian who seeks to love as Jesus loved. A Christian who seeks equality. A Christian who seeks to aid all she can. A Christian who seeks to do something. A Christian who seeks to better understand. A Christian who seeks to open her heart and mind even further. Seeks to better love. Seeks to better self. Seeks to better the world. Through love.
Love always,
Mary Taylor
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