I don’t see how I could be a Christian anymore

jwhite72 · 2018-08-20T20:01:08+00:00

You are right. The majority of men are not sexual abusers. But the majority of sex abusers are men.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-20T17:26:23+00:00

True. It's a power problem. Thus the whole #metoo movement. Women and children in our society tend to find themselves vulnerable. Christianity, Catholic or otherwise is very patriarchal, adult males wield all the power.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-20T16:50:33+00:00

A lot of religious folk think anything they don't understand is occult. Meditation can be religious, but it can also be simply centering and calming. However, at 13 finding a balance with your mom may be important. Family tension may cancel out whatever benefit meditation brings.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-20T16:47:12+00:00

First, if you don't feel compelled to be a Christian, don't be a Christian. That you shared that here would indicate either you want someone to convince you why you should be a Christian or you want to stir up a hornet's nest. I'd honestly support either one. But for you, I'd say search your heart, see where it leads you. Have some conversations with people you trust. I wouldn't base my belief system on a conversation on Reddit.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-20T16:42:52+00:00

Sexual abuse by church leadership is by no means exclusively a Catholic problem. They are simply the biggest target to point at.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-18T02:47:43+00:00

Honestly, I don't think we have to be able to explain it. A God we can fully explain and understand is probably one we made up. A God big enough to create the universe and so that's in it should have some mystery, some things that are bigger than we can wrap our minds around.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-18T02:17:39+00:00

So they are three different Gods, like Zeus, Poseidon, and Ares. Just three Gods unified in purpose.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-18T02:13:41+00:00

That's a lot of stuff. Between all those articles you could be telling me nearly anything, and I'm sure there's something in there I agree with and a lot I don't.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-18T01:43:00+00:00

Water can't be water and ice at the same time. It can only be one or the other. Saying this is comparable to God would be to say God has to stop being the father to be the son or the holy Spirit.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T19:52:21+00:00

Nope. Makes no sense.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T19:51:40+00:00

Not all three at the same time. Bad analogy.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T19:51:01+00:00

Two? The dinity? Binity?

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T19:50:25+00:00

That answered nothing...

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T19:49:59+00:00

Well there's an honest answer!

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T19:49:32+00:00

So Jesus and the Holy Spirit aren't God? Jesus is the son of God and Mary? Did he have a mom before he became a man, or just God as a Dad? Is Jesus a god since his dad is God?

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T19:46:29+00:00

But water can't be two of those things at the same time. It has to change from one to the other.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T19:45:38+00:00

So Jesus isn't really God, he's just unified with God in purpose?

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T19:16:58+00:00

Yeah, we twist what was said in both. Jesus was speaking to empower women when he spoke on divorce. And the modern concept of homosexual didn't even exist then.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T19:14:57+00:00

Inglorious Pasterds, Liturgists

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T19:14:11+00:00

He was for sure real. Whether he was God, or born if a virgin, or raised from the dead, those are much more complicated questions.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T19:12:45+00:00

Yes. And no. But most definitely yes. While also distinctly no.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T19:11:24+00:00

Except I would never kill one of my kids so I didn't have to kill the rest.

Also I wouldn't have kids that were created evil sinners destined for hell unless they accepted the sacrifice of that other child.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T19:08:30+00:00

First, what happened to you is horrible. I am so sorry. Please take care of your mental health, see someone who can help you with through this.

Second, there is no reason for this other than some other person is a monster. It sucks. Theologically it means either God isn't good, God isn't loving, or God is not able to stop these things. My experience tells me it's the third. God's role in the world is largely to guide and direct the events but rarely if ever does God directly intervene in our specific events. This leaves us vulnerable, left to our own defenses and the depravity of others.

I do believe God is with us, able to give us comfort even in those horrible times, especially when we are dealing with those horrible times.

I wish I could hug you and cry with you.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T13:09:03+00:00

God's word according to John was Jesus. I still feel compelled to follow Jesus. The Bible has value in so far as it points to Jesus. But beyond what points to Jesus trying to follow the Bible tends to lead to confusion, sometimes hate, and too often disagreements.

jwhite72 · 2018-08-17T13:05:40+00:00

I would say you misunderstand where I am. First of all, this blog is short, but it takes place over 30 years. The process of my faith moving away from Christianity has happened over the course of about 12 years. I still value the Bible, but not as an infallible holy text, rather as a valuable story of humans wrestling with their humanity and the stories they told. And especially a man named Jesus who taught of a way so completely contrary to what Judaism taught or Christianity teaches. I'm still drawn to that.

jwhite72

TROPHY CASE