Searchers

I saw this today and it resonated so deep with my heart I just had to share it.

Why Christianity "Works", sort of, or at least should...

Jesus apparently said he came for the sick, not the "well" - its only the broken who need mending, the lost that must be found.

So many people at some stage in their life journey, come to the point where they can't find the inner self, the peace, strength, love, joy, to carry on. They discover they are broken and have no way of fixing themselves.

Jesus provides an external reference - a relational, personally identifiable representation of all that is lacking in themselves, and so much more. He is everything we could want to be, all we aspire to.

He provides support and boundaries, love and a sense of "it will all work out ok".

We all need this at some point, and Christianity, in its purest form, meets this need. When we look at the broken (myself included) who have benefited the most from this religion, its simply because they have bypassed the doctrines and theologies of the church, and rested in God's love, stripped of performance, guilt and shame.

But its still part of the journey. Many just rest in this place, and that's ok, but its still the very beginning of the journey. The simplicity and depth of that unconditional love starts to open us up, free from the confines of biblical traditions and religious bondage and manipulation, free to explore the depths of who we are and who God is. He has given us the steps to growth, and the minds and hearts to explore everything that we can conceive.

Nothing can separate us from God because we are part of him and he is part of us. He is intrinsically part of all matter and energy, the source behind and in all that exists. We cannot be "separated" because its physically impossible.

In that simple and secure knowledge we can open our hearts and minds to explore, to look for him in everything - in every way - in whatever manner we choose. Our foundation is secure. When we rest in the unity/union of all things, there is only love - which is the energy that binds everything together.

When we live loved, we can do no wrong, we are no longer part of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" - we are simply love.

So pure Christianity - the basic concept that Jesus is someone far greater than us who can override our hurt and pain, our '"sin" and evil - works because it provides the first step in healing and wholeness. When the religion is removed from Jesus (the traditions, conflicting doctrines, dogmas, bigotry, bibliolatry etc), we see a brother who leads us into a path of self discovery, to show us that "we are one, just as he and the father are one" - one of the most extraordinary statements he made. He, and God, and us, are one. Not similar, not greater or lesser, ONE.

Christianity should be leading us to much higher/deeper/broader places. Places of fearless exploration, recognising God in everything and everyone, cutting through thick layers of paradigms to reveal pure, unconditional love.

Doctrines don't matter. Was he God incarnate? Born of a virgin? Died for sin in our place? Resurrected from the dead? Who knows!! And really, if we make these doctrines the "make or break" for our eternal security, we have completely and utterly missed the point. You can believe them if you want, if they help you find the peace and security you need to grow. But they are a simple starting point, and just one option on the way.

God is so much bigger, so much better, so much more than any one religion can contain.

Live loved!

Gay in your face

Most of my friends accept my views on being gay, and those who don't seem to have just disappeared.

Thanks so much to all of you who relate, support, encourage, or even just attempt to understand in the spirit of love we are all part of.
But here's the next challenge:
What if I found a partner? What if I posted romantic pictures? How would you feel if I came round for dinner with a guy?

What I'm trying to say is its great to give verbal support, but when it becomes very "in your face", how does that make you feel? Would you be embarrassed? Feel awkward? Not know what to say?
Believe me, I know that feeling!

But that's where the rubber hits the road. I'm not condemning anyone or guilt tripping you, just the simple fact that at some point, if you are straight and support equal rights in every way for LGBT people, you will eventually actually meet these people (maybe friends who have come out) and have to relate one to one, personally.

I don't know how difficult it would be for many of my friends if I turned up on the doorstep with a "boyfriend", but it could happen.
How would you feel if it was one of your close friends? What if one of your friends said they wanted a gender reassignment (sex change)?

It pays to remember that the latest statistics say that at least 10% of the population is LGBT, and some studies claim up to 15% and more. The only thing that has changed is the silence. It won't go away, no matter how much scripture we throw around, no matter how dogmatic and moralistic we get, no matter what we think the bible says or how God feels about it all, the reality is staring us in the face - There are millions of LGBT people, and they cannot change, no matter what religion says - nor do they need to change!

Live loved.