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(Source: bearhugsforjesus, via a-wish-on-a-lonesome-star)
I think many in the ex-gay movement would not like me saying this, but I don’t see the command in scripture to be ‘straight’ or the promise that a person will become ‘straight.’ I don’t see a promise I can cling to that my same-sex temptations will just dissolve. I do see a promise to be able to resist temptation, that there is One who is able to keep me from stumbling, and that those who overcome will be rewarded. I have no desire to be entirely straight. I want to be entirely repentant. Entirely love. Entirely His.
(Source: asummonersheart, via matty-d)
Sonder
n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate…
daniellawhon asked: I don't think there's a whole lot we disagree on, theology notwithstanding. Graduation is tomorrow? Sweet. Congratulations, I might go by and see you guys.
Awesome. Thanks. See you tomorrow, I guess. Goodnight.
To you,
You know who you are. And I hate that I have to finish my answer this way, but I accidentally hit the wrong button too early and you probably think I’m an awful person now, but this is all I can do.
I’m sorry that you think I was all worked up about your one post. Honestly, that was an outpouring of a lot of frustration about a lot of different people, and I was venting more than arguing. I only referenced the post you reblogged to make a point about how widespread and popular anti-Christian propaganda is. I admit that I could’ve been more specific about the post I was referencing and I could’ve mentioned that my religion isn’t greatly patriarchal nowadays and that there is increasingly more female participation in Christian churches. So maybe that one post didn’t really “oppress” me.
But the tone of that post set me off. And I did my best not to metion it in a way that majorly misrepresented its meaning. I actually thought about whether I would be stepping on your toes by posting this, and I guess I did, even though I tried not to.
Long story short, sir, I wish to apologize for any misunderstanding, but I won’t apologize for (as I said) feeling guilty for being a Christian every time I look at my dashboard. And even though I like to think of you as a friend, I’ve decided to unfollow you, because it pains me so much to see some of the anti-Chrisitan things you post. Whether you intend to or not, you make me feel uncomfortable with some of the things you promote on your blog. So immediately after posting the offending article, I unfollowed you and one other blog because I felt like I was complaining too much and taking action too little. Don’t take it the wrong way, but I just can’t do it anymore. It hurts my heart too much.
I hope you don’t write me off as one type of stereotype or another, because, as you know, people are more than stereotypes. I just had to make a decision, and I hope you respect that.
Best wishes,
David
Christianity from Society’s Perspective
We live in such a culture of freedom and feeling, so why is spirituality so condemned? Specifically, why do I feel like a criminal for being a Christian every time I see my Tumblr dashboard?
Well, the best answer to that question is, “Because you need to unfollow some people.”
But a better answer is that being a Christian in today’s society somehow means endorsing everything that any so-called Christian has ever done. For example, just tonight I saw a post implying that any patriarchal religion (Christianity included) is nothing more than a manifestation of the male population’s fear and desire to oppression the female population. The post went on to say that women shouldn’t let these “bullies” force-feed them their beliefs.
This whole attitude is surprisingly closed-minded, especially for a society that seems to be focused on keeping one’s mind open. Nowadays, if you’re a Christian, you’re shallow, judgmental, homophobic, and idiotic, and you’d like nothing less than to make each person in the world a mindless carbon-copy of your sub-human self.
Okay, not everyone isthathateful of Christians. But some people are, especially the ones that are “reformed Christians.” They’ll say things like, “Yeah, I used to be a Christian, but then I read the Bible and it says that God hates homosexuals and masturbators*, and He wants His followers to kill all non-Christians*. Then I realized how manipulative a religion Christianity is, and I got out.” (The * marks a statement that non-Christians make using actual scripture for reference.)
No! No, no! The worst is that these “reformed Christians” act like Christian experts. They take their personal (often shallow) interpretations of specific verses out of context, and they propagate them as God’s intended meaning to anyone who’ll listen. To make matters worse, the average Christian is mostly unfamiliar with scripture and its interpretations, so atheists will provoke them into online arguments that deteriorate into flame wars.
Basically, all of this means that because there are many Christians who act selfishly in their faith, the few who are earnest in their Christ-following suffer. Because a preist somewhere molests a child, all children who go to church are now in danger of being molested by preists. Because lots of Christians use Leviticus 18:22 to jusitfy their prejudice against homosexuals, I as a Christian must hate homosexuals.
The reason there’s so much hate out there for Christianity is partially because it’s so popular. Society thinks that because Christianity holds a majority in America, anti-Christian profiling and propaganda is justified. But of course, if Christianity were a minority in America, there’d still be prejudice.
So what is the solution? It’s what the solution always is for me: To become a completely devoted servant to God. To show everyone that faithful Christian living is a good thing for the world, too. It inherently must be. But can I get there? Will I choose to go there?
I’m still trying.
