If religion were only so easy.

It's probably much easier than we want to believe, but it appears that 'we' are what make it so complicated.

My spiritual journey has become increasingly more complicated over the last two years. While it began in 1998, many answers have never become clear until 2004. The problem, however, is that the more answers I find, the more questions arise.

With my type-A personality, I searched for "definitive proof," or "confirmation of my beliefs," however those never came. The relentless argument between science and the church prevent a person seeking answers with an opportunity for clarity.

Church, for me, does nothing. It gives me no pleasure, brings me no satisfaction, and offers me no fullfillment. While some find this upsetting, I believe the antithesis to be true.

I truly feel a personal relationship with God. I believe he hears me, watches over me, and offers perpetual guardianship as I walk through life. We are in constant communication.

My thoughts on the Baptist church are well documented, but the underlying reason may not be.

When I left the Lutheran church at 17, it was because I found something in the Baptist church that I had yet to find anywhere else: fulfillment. They play to human emotion so well, and do a wonderful job of making newcomers feel welcome.

Once I got through the smoke and mirrors, fair or unfair, I felt betrayed. While I knew the doctrine was different from the beginning, I didn't appreciate the way I was lured in with the love of God, only to be told time and time again I was living my life the wrong way.

The Baptist church fulfilled my soul, yet destroyed it some years later. Since then, I've begun a new search.

After self-teaching and personal discovery, I cannot lend my heart to one particular set of beliefs within the denominations of the Christian church.

I believe that Jesus was married, yet to the church, this is unfathomable. Furthermore, I do not believe Eve ate an apple (while in actuality, chapter 3 of Genesis never mentions any specific fruit), but instead, believe the "fruit of the tree" was actually her own sexuality, and that her sin was a sexual affair with Satan.

These two points, however, I cannot prove. I can only come to conclusions based upon my readings of biblical text, Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books, and the philosophy of historians.

I can prove these points to you no more than a person of faith can prove Jesus healed the sick, or turned water into wine.

Faith is the source.

"Because the Bible says so" doesn't work; the Bible also advocates slavery.

There are too many inconsistencies in the Bible for that argument to be valid. I've concluded that statements beginning with, "In the Bible, Jesus said..." isn't what God intended for us to learn.

The love he hands to others, the acceptance to even the worst sinners, and his ability to put even the most innocent of circumstances into perspective is what I hope to learn. It's what I hope everyone can learn.

When we try to get specific regarding what God wants, we lose the lessons that are most important. When we tell a gay man he's a sinner for his lifestyle, we put distance between God and ourselves, yet we forget that passing judgement is just as punishable, in God's eyes.

We have no right to judge, yet we judge every day, and it's become so commonplace that we don't even realize we've fallen victim. One day we'll understand that it's the journey that matters most, not the actions, circumstances, or situations we find ourselves in.

If we were only less pretentious...

Maybe soon, we'll understand that while knowledge equals the loss of innocence, ignorance is bliss. Knowledge is growth, and the more we learn, the more we realize we have absolutely no idea...

Labels: Christianity, Philosophy, Religion

Posted by M. Derrick Davis at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments

It happened again.  Another church sign.  Remember the first?

This one, though, didn't convey a negative message, just one that puzzled me.  The sign read, "Our sole purpose is to praise God."

Now, once again, let's clarify: I was raised Lutheran, but now (once I get un-lazy) I'd like to join the Catholic Church.  I'm educated in religion -- well, I'm not dumb to it, let's put it that way.  I can hang in a discussion.

Is our Lord so egotistical and self-righteous that our sole purpose is to serve and praise him?  Our sole purpose!?  That can't be why we were created!?  There has to be more to it than that, right?

Believe me, I know I'm getting worked up over a sign outside of a church, but if you listen in your services and hear the underlying point.  The church tells us that our sole purpose is to serve God.

I know the good ol' church argument: "God wasn't selfish -- as a matter of fact, he was quite the contrary!  He was so unselfish, that he gave his only son to die for our sins."

That's the church reply.  Don't give me that.

I'm just puzzled.  This is one of the great mysteries of spirituality.  There's got to be more to it than that, huh?

I'm going to put this out for all to see.  Let's find out what kind of response I get.  I've have lots of Biblically educated Christians or philosophical hippies on my friends list that I'd bet we could come up with a few good replies.

Come on y'all.  Tell me where I'm wrong.

Labels: Christianity, Philosophy, Religion

Posted by M. Derrick Davis at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments

With all the conversation about religion, Amber's jumped into the Baptist discussion, as well. With real life experiences, her input is very relevant.

I hope I didn't pigeonhole all Baptists with my earlier comments. I get overly-concerned that my opinions are going to come as attacks instead of valid points or concerns; but the individuals who I've spoken to seem to understand where I stand, and they represent their denomination well.

Speaking of denomination, do you people understand that Christian is the religion, and Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, etc. are the denomination?

You are not a member of the Baptist religion. Jeez!

So now I need help, and I need help from you Catholics, specifically. Here's my dilemma: I have been seriously considering converting to Catholicism for two reasons, (1) Rebecca is Catholic, and I'd like our kids raised in a stable religious environment, and (2) they make a lot more sense to me. I enjoy the way they conduct services, the history, and the fact that it was started by Jesus, himself, tells me there's that direct connection to Christ. I understand that, in order to do so, there are certain aspects that I must believe in: transubstatiation being one of them.

Where I need your help is praying to Mary and the Saints. I don't understand where, in the philosophy of Christianity, this is instructed. As a matter of fact, biblically God said to pray directly to him. I understand that it's showing respect to the mother of our Lord, someone chosen specifically to carry God's child, but I don't feel satisfied with that answer. I need more.

Anyone?

Labels: Catholicism, Christianity

Posted by M. Derrick Davis at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments

I can tell this is going to be a novel. Buckle up.

Well, my last blog did exactly what I thought it might do: stir up a few opinions. As of this writing, several people have expressed their views (very respectfully, I might add), and I feel as though they -- and everyone else -- are owed an explanation.

Before I start, please understand this: when youre in the market for a new car, you notice all the television and radio spots advertising car prices. Otherwise, you dont pay attention. Similarly, I had a bad experience with the Baptist church so I tend to gravitate to them quicker when I see, what I perceive to be, problems with the church. And, like everything else, people like Pat Robertson dont help, either. I simply find them very imposing.

Moving on.

Let's start with a little background, shall we?

First of all, I was raised Lutheran. The denomination itself was based on the teachings of Martin Luther, the man who is widely viewed as causing the Reformation. As for its teachings, it's very similar to Catholicism, but a bit more liberal. Our services consisted of readings from the Bible, song, lessons, and a sermon from our pastor. As part of our teachings, the sermon on Sunday morning always consisted of the Gospel, which is the "good news" of Christ's salvation.

Dictionary.com defines Gospel as: the proclamation of the redemption preached by Jesus and the Apostles, which is the central content of Christian revelation.

Notice, "proclamation of the redemption." We'll get back to that.

As I grew up, we would attend events like Hot Hearts, which was basically a large gathering of young Christians for an evangelism conference. Ages range from about 13-17. Because the Lutheran faith was all I grew up around, my ignorance blinded me to thinking that the way "we" had church, was just like everyone else. It wasn't until years later I learned how Catholic's conducted mass, or Methodists worshiped, or that Hot Hearts was basically a large Baptist service.

At 17, I started seeing a girl I would date for almost three years. She was very adamantly Baptist, and since my faith within the Lutheran church was beginning to deviate elsewhere, we started attending services with her home congregation regularly. Also, I began playing with a Christian rock band, and that took me to several Baptist churches and outside ministries. At this point, I had a very copious exposure to the church.

For me, the change was a welcome contrast to what I was receiving within the Lutheran faith, because it included more music, and was more upbeat than the traditional setting I was accustomed to.

But as time went on, I began noticing methods that I became more and more uncomfortable with. Differences in philosophy never bothered me. Arguing over whether or not the serving of the bread and wine should be called Communion or the Lord's Supper was irrelevant to me, just as were the specific beliefs the church taught. For me, I became my own educator. I wasn't going to allow the church to dictate how I felt or what I believed, but rather use them as a source or guide, and find out for myself.

My point, ultimately, was that it's not the doctrine of the church that bothered me, but rather their methods.

I noticed that the church was more concerned about what we were doing wrong in our lives as opposed to what the Lord did for us. I feel, often times, that it's more of a policing agent than a faith.

The attitude often turns negative, and the denomination is very intrusive. People want to know "why" you've missed church, or "what part of thou shall not don't you understand?". Baptists believe religions that dont agree as they do, such as Mormonism and Islam, are a cult! I had a man in church tell me that Catholicism was, as well! Who are they to tell these people theyre wrong for how they express their faith?

I understand the intent is to be a family, holding each other accountable, but in my experience, it goes beyond intrusive, and becomes down right offensive and judgmental.

Ryan, you asked if giving examples of scripture was strictly a Baptist thing: no it's not. In my experiences, though, it typically has a negative overtone from the Baptist and Pentecostal churches. Ive found that the scripture is often used by the church to reiterate what Im doing wrong. Keep in mind, I know very little about the Pentecostal faith.

You made a point that Catholics, Baptists, and Methodists all read from the same Bible. Not exactly.

While Protestants typically use the same Bible, Catholics read from something slightly different, which includes several books that the Protestants removed. There are other works, specifically the Apocryphal Works, that some Christians read, often times simply for context.

When a Baptist reads the Bible, he interprets things very differently than a Catholic, or Episcopalian, or Lutheran. Who's right? That's irrelevant for this discussion, but I don't want to be told I'm going to hell because from time to time I speak to Mary, believe Jesus was married, or believe Eve didn't really eat an apple. (Those are beliefs I do hold, personally. Don't be scared to ask why, as long as you ask with an open and respectful mind.)

You used the word hypocrite. I don't like that word. This could be a blog unto itself, but I make mistakes in my walk with Christ. I don't consider myself (or someone else for that matter) a hypocrite because I know where my heart is.

It's my responsibility to handle my own faith, not yours (directed to no one specifically). Yes, God told the church to minister to his people. Then minister. Don't intrude.

To be clear, this isn't a judgment on another denomination. It's simply my feelings toward it. It's for these reason I choose to worship elsewhere. Even though the church doesnt reach out to me, it may be exactly what someone else wants to maintain their faith. I understand and appreciate that.

I'm not against organized religion, nor do I feel as though Christianity or any of its sectors are holding back society. I am Christian, believe in God and Jesus, and believe (for the most part) in the Bible. As I got older, I began educating myself in my religion and have learned how much I don't know, and unfortunately, how much I'll never know.

I realize that my comments can sound disrespectful and harsh. Believe me when I say, that's the last impression I want to leave. I want my beliefs respected, therefore I'll respect yours, be it Muslim, Jewish, Mormon, or Methodist. Even though some faiths may not be for me, they do reach out to others and make a connection.

Just don't tell me I'm wrong for how I feel.

Labels: Baptist Church, Christianity, Religion

Posted by M. Derrick Davis at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments