Today, I would like to post about beliefs. Some people may be surprised by what I write here, but some others will probably not be. Since I've been out of the Christian churches, I've had time to sit and think about what it is that I actually believe, not what my former pastor believes or my pastor and preacher friends believe, but what I personally believe. I've even explored other religions and beliefs. What I've found in my explorations is that all religions and beliefs have one common goal, and that is to do good for others and make this world a better place.
Unfortunately, certain religions feel the need to exclude certain people in order to make the world better. I have trouble with that. I have met so many wonderful people that don't fit into the mold that most religions want them to fit into. Most of these people do more good for others than the religious people that I know. These are the people that I want to be around because I see a spirit inside of them that most (not all) of the people in the Christian churches I went to claimed to have but never showed to others. They never even attempted to reach out and help others. Instead, they just stayed inside their church walls and preached to each other.
However, the people who don't fit into the traditional church mold have more of what I like to call the Christ spirit in them than so-called Christians do. By the Christ spirit, I don't mean what most people think of when they hear it. I'm not referring to Jesus Christ at all, although during his life on earth, I believe that Jesus of Nazareth did display these characteristics and was trying to teach others to recognize this spirit inside of them. To me, the Christ spirit in a person is "a state of consciousness that is defined by forgiveness, compassion, unconditional love, and total reverence for life and self." I believe that everyone has this spirit living inside of them and that everyone is capable of allowing this spirit to come forth. Some people may not recognize that they have it or simply don't choose to exercise it, but it is there. This is why I choose to honor all life because all life comes from this spirit and contains this spirit. I believe that even those who don't believe in a god or gods at all still have that spirit in them because I have seen firsthand how much they care about others and go out of their way to make sure everyone has the same rights as everyone else. They even want to make sure that people who believe in a god have the right to worship and honor that god however they choose, even though many religious people don't want to extend them the right to not honor and worship a god.
Even I wouldn't be welcome in Christian churches anymore because of the things I am saying here, and I was once in music ministry in a Christian church. They would probably say that I'm "backslidden." Actually, though, I believe that my eyes have been opened, and I am finally free to worship the God that I can believe in the way I feel like I should. I can finally have a true connection to that Christ spirit within me that I wasn't allowed to have in my former church, and I can exercise that spirit to help others.....all others, not just the ones that my former church approves of. I can direct my energy to help others and even cause good things to happen for others.
Hmm........that sounds a bit like prayer, doesn't it? I bet you didn't know that other religions besides just one actually pray, too. If only we could all focus on the things they we have in common instead of always focusing on the things that are different, what an awesome world this would be!
Here are a couple of articles that fit in to my idea of the Christ spirit. Check them out if you're interested.
http://dianescholten.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/unity-principles-the-christ-spirit-lives-within-me/
http://www.powertoshare.com/dropzone/articles/2001/05/the-christ-spirit/
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Friends
Remember back in elementary school, middle school, and high school when the all important thing was how many friends you had and who your friends were? How many of us still actually talk to those people today? Sure, we have them as Facebook friends, but are we really still an actual part of their lives? As we grow up and mature, our lives change. Some of us go off to college and some of us go off to work, and we meet new people. We get married and have kids, and then it seems that there is not that much time left for friends. We have work and family that keep us pretty occupied.
I started thinking about all this yesterday and about the friends that I have had as an adult. I've never been one to have a whole lot of friends because I don't always fit in with people. I did have a few friends in college while I was still single, but when I got married and had kids, my old single friends and I didn't seem to have much in common anymore. As a result, we lost touch. Isn't it interesting how people will tell you that they'll keep in touch but most of the time never really do?
During my second marriage, I had some really close friends that my then-husband and I hung out with. We all went to the same church, had dinners together, and had game nights together. Our daughters all played softball together. Sadly, I don't see much of those folks anymore, and I think now that part of the reason for that was that we all spent way too much time together. Another problem was that each one of the women in this group of friends (myself included) had a daughter that was very close in age to the other two daughters. Our biggest mistake was getting involved when our daughters would argue among themselves. What would happen is that we would try to defend our daughters against each other, and we'd all get mad at each other. The girls, on the other hand, would eventually make up, but we'd all still be mad. How silly and stupid is that? This is the kind of thing that ruined our friendship. We would say things to each other that were hurtful and made the others feel like they were bad mothers. It's not our place to judge others, you know? But we did it, and it drove us apart.
One of these two ladies that I am referring to also caused problems between my then-husband and me. She would flirt with him and even managed to get herself "accidentally" locked in her bedroom with him. Also, every time she and I would argue, she would go to him and complain about me. Then, he would come home mad at me and make me apologize to her! This same "friend" then tried to flirt with my current husband, who was just my boyfriend at the time, at my daughter's 16th birthday party! He didn't put up with it. He just walked away from her and shut her down! My former husband was different, though. He ate it up and enjoyed every minute of it.
These days, it's kind of hard for me to make friends because I have a hard time trusting anyone, except my husband. My friends back then always seemed like they wanted to tell me what to do and wanted to control me. In fact, it felt like everyone back then wanted to. Sadly, I allowed it. I didn't like myself very much back then, so I tried my hardest to please everyone, which I know now to be an impossible task. Nowadays, however, I don't allow anyone to control me. For this reason, I'm not sure that I could ever get really close to my former friends again. I don't think they would like who I am now. I'm not the same beaten down person who is easily controlled anymore. I actually like myself now. I have a great marriage, a nice home, and a job that pays me very well. Also, my beliefs have been evolving and changing over the years. I have come to respect each and every person for who they are. Their race, religion (or lack thereof), and sexual orientation no longer matters to me, and I believe in working to make sure that everyone has the same rights as everyone else. I'm not sure my old friends would understand that.
I am now a part of a wonderful community of Unitarian Universalists, and I've never been happier. These are the people that I prefer to be with, especially all the lovely ladies in the Women's Spirituality Group. They have welcomed me in with open arms, and I have never once felt judged by anyone. I have finally found a church whose mission I can totally get behind, and I love being there!
I guess I said all that to say this. Don't waste your time with people who bring you down and make you feel that you are less than what you are. Find people who build you up instead of those who prey on your weaknesses and won't let you become what you were always meant to be. Sometimes, that means that you will be on your own for a while, but eventually, the right people will come along. I believe the right ones for me are finally here!!
To learn more about Unitarian Universalism, visit the following site:
http://www.uupensacola.org/
There you will find an awesome video who tells who we are and what we believe. I included a link here as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8nWf7oHX_ms
I started thinking about all this yesterday and about the friends that I have had as an adult. I've never been one to have a whole lot of friends because I don't always fit in with people. I did have a few friends in college while I was still single, but when I got married and had kids, my old single friends and I didn't seem to have much in common anymore. As a result, we lost touch. Isn't it interesting how people will tell you that they'll keep in touch but most of the time never really do?
During my second marriage, I had some really close friends that my then-husband and I hung out with. We all went to the same church, had dinners together, and had game nights together. Our daughters all played softball together. Sadly, I don't see much of those folks anymore, and I think now that part of the reason for that was that we all spent way too much time together. Another problem was that each one of the women in this group of friends (myself included) had a daughter that was very close in age to the other two daughters. Our biggest mistake was getting involved when our daughters would argue among themselves. What would happen is that we would try to defend our daughters against each other, and we'd all get mad at each other. The girls, on the other hand, would eventually make up, but we'd all still be mad. How silly and stupid is that? This is the kind of thing that ruined our friendship. We would say things to each other that were hurtful and made the others feel like they were bad mothers. It's not our place to judge others, you know? But we did it, and it drove us apart.
One of these two ladies that I am referring to also caused problems between my then-husband and me. She would flirt with him and even managed to get herself "accidentally" locked in her bedroom with him. Also, every time she and I would argue, she would go to him and complain about me. Then, he would come home mad at me and make me apologize to her! This same "friend" then tried to flirt with my current husband, who was just my boyfriend at the time, at my daughter's 16th birthday party! He didn't put up with it. He just walked away from her and shut her down! My former husband was different, though. He ate it up and enjoyed every minute of it.
These days, it's kind of hard for me to make friends because I have a hard time trusting anyone, except my husband. My friends back then always seemed like they wanted to tell me what to do and wanted to control me. In fact, it felt like everyone back then wanted to. Sadly, I allowed it. I didn't like myself very much back then, so I tried my hardest to please everyone, which I know now to be an impossible task. Nowadays, however, I don't allow anyone to control me. For this reason, I'm not sure that I could ever get really close to my former friends again. I don't think they would like who I am now. I'm not the same beaten down person who is easily controlled anymore. I actually like myself now. I have a great marriage, a nice home, and a job that pays me very well. Also, my beliefs have been evolving and changing over the years. I have come to respect each and every person for who they are. Their race, religion (or lack thereof), and sexual orientation no longer matters to me, and I believe in working to make sure that everyone has the same rights as everyone else. I'm not sure my old friends would understand that.
I am now a part of a wonderful community of Unitarian Universalists, and I've never been happier. These are the people that I prefer to be with, especially all the lovely ladies in the Women's Spirituality Group. They have welcomed me in with open arms, and I have never once felt judged by anyone. I have finally found a church whose mission I can totally get behind, and I love being there!
I guess I said all that to say this. Don't waste your time with people who bring you down and make you feel that you are less than what you are. Find people who build you up instead of those who prey on your weaknesses and won't let you become what you were always meant to be. Sometimes, that means that you will be on your own for a while, but eventually, the right people will come along. I believe the right ones for me are finally here!!
To learn more about Unitarian Universalism, visit the following site:
http://www.uupensacola.org/
There you will find an awesome video who tells who we are and what we believe. I included a link here as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8nWf7oHX_ms
Monday, May 6, 2013
Why Do You Feel Threatened?
Good morning, everyone!! My question for today is this: Why do certain groups of people feel threatened when other people are given rights? Why is it a problem to grant marriage equality to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people? How does it really hurt you? The fact of the matter is that it doesn't really hurt you. What it does do is keep you from telling other people how they should live their lives. In other words, you lose control over them! There's that dirty word from yesterday's post again. What gives one group the right to tell other people how they should and should not live? Oh right. You're going to tell me that God gives you that right, aren't you? God never gave you the right to judge others and deny them basic human rights. There is no such thing as "righteous judgment." Judging others for the way they lead their lives is NEVER righteous!
The whole problem in our society today is that people want to be able to control what other people do. This is the article that I read this morning that inspired this post today.
http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/gingrich-religious-rights-of-catholics-are-outlawed-by-gay-rights-video/politics/2013/05/06/66463
Basically, our old buddy Newt Gingrich wants everyone to believe allowing gay couples to adopt children negates the rights of all Catholics to adopt children. That is simply not true. Catholic Charities in Massachusettes has been allowing gay couples to adopt children for years and only now has stopped allowing it after four Catholic bishops found out about it. As a result, Catholic Charities lost government funding due to anti-discrimination laws. All this means is that people have to go through other means to adopt, not that they can't ever adopt. If the group was not discriminating against people (which in my opinion denies a basic Christian principle of loving one another), then they would still be able to obtain government funding and still be able to help people obtain adoptions.
What this all amounts to is wanting to able to control others by pushing one group of people's religious beliefs on everyone. Our country was founded on the idea of freedom of religion. That means that all religions should have the same right to worship and honor the deity, or no deity at all, of their choice in whatever way they choose with no fear of persecution or humiliation. Christians, Pagans, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Agnostics, Atheists, etc. should all be allowed the same rights and should NEVER push their beliefs on someone else. So stop feeling so threatened, people, and celebrate the one thing that we all have in common. We are all human!
The whole problem in our society today is that people want to be able to control what other people do. This is the article that I read this morning that inspired this post today.
http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/gingrich-religious-rights-of-catholics-are-outlawed-by-gay-rights-video/politics/2013/05/06/66463
Basically, our old buddy Newt Gingrich wants everyone to believe allowing gay couples to adopt children negates the rights of all Catholics to adopt children. That is simply not true. Catholic Charities in Massachusettes has been allowing gay couples to adopt children for years and only now has stopped allowing it after four Catholic bishops found out about it. As a result, Catholic Charities lost government funding due to anti-discrimination laws. All this means is that people have to go through other means to adopt, not that they can't ever adopt. If the group was not discriminating against people (which in my opinion denies a basic Christian principle of loving one another), then they would still be able to obtain government funding and still be able to help people obtain adoptions.
What this all amounts to is wanting to able to control others by pushing one group of people's religious beliefs on everyone. Our country was founded on the idea of freedom of religion. That means that all religions should have the same right to worship and honor the deity, or no deity at all, of their choice in whatever way they choose with no fear of persecution or humiliation. Christians, Pagans, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Agnostics, Atheists, etc. should all be allowed the same rights and should NEVER push their beliefs on someone else. So stop feeling so threatened, people, and celebrate the one thing that we all have in common. We are all human!
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Control
Hello! Well, it's been quite a while since I posted here. I've been really busy with work and well......life in general. I woke up thinking this morning about control and how I used to let so many people control my life and how I behaved. I was what you would call a "yes" person. If my husband or friends discussed something, I felt like I should be in agreement with them. I think much of that had to with the fact that I wanted everyone to like me. I couldn't stand it when I thought people didn't like me, so I would just go along with whatever they said. Back then, I had very low self esteem. I really thought I wasn't good enough for anything. My husband at the time told me all the time that I was lazy and not good at anything, and my friends left me feeling like I was a terrible mother because I didn't mother my children exactly the way they thought I should. I even had one "friend" who, every time we had an argument, would go to my husband and complain about me. He would then proceed to defend her and blame me for everything. Then, he would make ME go and apologize to HER!
It was an incredibly rough time in my life, and I became severely depressed. As a result, I really became a not-such-a-great mother, and my two older children have suffered for it. I would even (and I am ashamed of this) discipline my daughter for things my friends told me she had done, even though those things didn't really happen quite the way I was told. Because of this, my daughter came not to trust me and went looking for someone else she felt she could trust. This led her into a very destructive relationship, which she is sadly still involved in. My son eventually went to live with his dad in Texas. He did struggle with some problems for a while there, but he has really pulled himself out of it and is doing great. He is finishing high school next year, has a job, and just bought himself his own truck. I'm very proud of him! Sometimes, though, it makes me sad because he had to get away from my destructive behavior in order to become the man he is growing into.
I have since come to realize that the only one who can actually control the way my life is going is me, not anyone else. Moving away from all those controlling influences helped me to wake up and realize that I am a good and intelligent person who can run her own life. I now have a really good job that pays very well, an awesome husband who never tries to control me, and a fabulously intelligent and talented daughter who gets the benefit of actually having a sane mother! I've begun reexamining my spirituality and have realized that there is more to all of it than I actually thought. I can actually affect the things that happen in my life through just my attitude toward things. If I give off positive energy, then I will get back positive things. In the past, I was giving off negative energy, so I got back negative things. Now, things have gotten so much better simply because I prefer to see things in a positive light. I've met a great bunch of people at the Unitarian Universalist church and spend time once a month with some awesome woman in the Women's Spirituality Circle. I finally, after many years of searching, actually feel like I belong somewhere. It's truly amazing how a simple attitude change can change your whole life!
Remember all who are reading this, that when you start looking for the good things in your life instead of focusing on all the bad, good things will begin happening for you. I know it can be so difficult, but I promise you that it can happen. Thanks for reading, and I hope to find more time to post this year!!! :)
It was an incredibly rough time in my life, and I became severely depressed. As a result, I really became a not-such-a-great mother, and my two older children have suffered for it. I would even (and I am ashamed of this) discipline my daughter for things my friends told me she had done, even though those things didn't really happen quite the way I was told. Because of this, my daughter came not to trust me and went looking for someone else she felt she could trust. This led her into a very destructive relationship, which she is sadly still involved in. My son eventually went to live with his dad in Texas. He did struggle with some problems for a while there, but he has really pulled himself out of it and is doing great. He is finishing high school next year, has a job, and just bought himself his own truck. I'm very proud of him! Sometimes, though, it makes me sad because he had to get away from my destructive behavior in order to become the man he is growing into.
I have since come to realize that the only one who can actually control the way my life is going is me, not anyone else. Moving away from all those controlling influences helped me to wake up and realize that I am a good and intelligent person who can run her own life. I now have a really good job that pays very well, an awesome husband who never tries to control me, and a fabulously intelligent and talented daughter who gets the benefit of actually having a sane mother! I've begun reexamining my spirituality and have realized that there is more to all of it than I actually thought. I can actually affect the things that happen in my life through just my attitude toward things. If I give off positive energy, then I will get back positive things. In the past, I was giving off negative energy, so I got back negative things. Now, things have gotten so much better simply because I prefer to see things in a positive light. I've met a great bunch of people at the Unitarian Universalist church and spend time once a month with some awesome woman in the Women's Spirituality Circle. I finally, after many years of searching, actually feel like I belong somewhere. It's truly amazing how a simple attitude change can change your whole life!
Remember all who are reading this, that when you start looking for the good things in your life instead of focusing on all the bad, good things will begin happening for you. I know it can be so difficult, but I promise you that it can happen. Thanks for reading, and I hope to find more time to post this year!!! :)
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