Find Religion

As a Christian, one of the things I think about most is the Bible and its meaning. Can we take the Bible literally?

Here’s my look on it: The Bible was written by man. Whether you believe it is the word of God or not, a human being sat down and wrote it (well, a number of human beings did, as there are different authors for different pieces of the Bible).

I’m not saying the Bible is unreliable…Ok, yeah, that IS what I’m saying!

I don’t NOT trust the word of God, I’m just not ready to jump on board with everything about the Bible because I don’t trust people. Mistakes have surely happened since multiple translations exist and certain books have been left out while others were included.

Simply put, I believe that the Bible is a tool we can use to come closer to God–or at least to understand how other people view God. My faith lies in God, not the Bible.

Christian, the Bible, God, Bible, faith

Today was the beginning of the Great Church Hunt (GCH). (You can see what I’m talkign about here: http://www.findreligion.net/the-great-church-hunt and here http://www.findreligion.net/criteria-for-great-church-hunt/ .)

Well, I mean, it was supposed to be the first day. Sigh.

I got up and was all excited to attend this Lutheran Church right down the street from my house. My boyfriend assured me that their service was *probably* at 11. I thought I’d better leave at 10, assuming it could be at 10:30.

Yeah, it was at 10. So we drove around trying to find another church, and couldn’t find a single one in our area, Lutheran or otherwise, that didn’t start at either 9:30 or 10, and none listed evening services.

(and no, I don’t blame my bf for today’s disaster…I should haev known better and checked the time last night.)

So we went home again. Suppose I’ll try next week. (insert downhearted sigh here)

Church, Lutheran

I’ve been getting lots of junk emails asking me to visit a dating website “where Christian singles meet.”

Internet dating is certainly a crazy fad right now. Actually, it might be even more than a fad–I think Internet dating might be here to stay. I’m not against the idea. I mean, what’s the difference between meeting a cute guy or girl at a bar and asking him or her out or meeting that same cute guy or girl at the bar and asking him or her out there. Either way, it’s a risk.

I like the fact that there are websites just for Christians. Some people are only interested in partners of the same faith, but Christians don’t exactly have brands on their foreheads to denote them in public. It’s nice to be able to meet a bunch of Christians all in one place, other than at church.

That said, remember, dear readers, that dating someone you don’t know very well can be dangerous. I know, I know, you’ve heard it all before. Just promise me that if you meet an Internet friend you’ll be careful. It can truly turn into a long relationship or friendship if you do, but it can be a scary situation as well if you aren’t careful.

So I realzed that when I said I was going on a the Great Church Hunt yesterday, I didn’t tell you all what I would be looking for. I mean, a great church for one person might not be a great church for the next person. Here’s what’s on my checklist:

~A sermon that doens’t make me fall asleep or check my watch every few minutes.

~A good Sunday school program

~A friendly pastor/minister/priest/etc

~No incense (they give me a migraine)

~A service that starts later than the buttcrack of dawn (I am NOT a morning person)

~Singing in the service, at least a few times

Wish me luck!

This weekend I begin it: The Great Church Hunt.

Yes, my friends, I have finally graduated from college and will be moving to my very own new one-bedroom on Saturday. Excited? Yes. A bit. Ok, a freaking LOT.

So Sunday, I plan to head out to this little Lutheran church (since I was raised Lutheran, I’m going to start there). I’ll keep you guys posted every Sunday afternoon with my adventure. It’s like a quest to find the perfect church. Like Indiana Jones or something.

Almost.

Stay tuned, dear readers.

college, Lutheran, church

Ok, forget about Santa…what about God? Is God always watching us?

Let me tell you a true-life story here.

Yesterday, I went to a farmer’s market with my roommates. Now, my one roommate, Mandi, has told us stories before about how she went to this same market over the summer with her sister and they found $40 in a sealed envelope laying on the group. The envelope had some writing on it wishing the recipient, Jose, a happy birthday. No real information on how to get it back to the rightful owner, and I mean, it’s a farmer’s market, not a store with a counter to turn in the money, so they waited around a few minutes to see if anyone came back for it, and then they left with a few lucky bucks in their wallet.

Awesome.

So we’re leaving the market yesterday, with lots of goodies in tow, and all of a sudden we all see money just laying on the ground! My roommate Jillian picks it up, and it’s a few dollar bills and money in an envelope addressed to some Hispanic-sounding name and wishing him a happy birthday. Jillian said she thought she saw this guy throw it on the ground, but when she looks his direction (he’s at the next stand), he’s just kinda watching us and smiled at Jillian.

An older women was like “Lucky girls. Stick it in your pocket and get out of here.”

We stood around, not sure about what to do for a few minutes, and then just shrugged it off and left. Money for a nice dinner, yay! (Although we’re not actually sure how much money was in the envelope, I’m guessing $40.)

In the parking lot, the guy who Jillian thought she saw drop the money (a short Hispanic dude) came up to us and was like “Did you find money on the ground? It’s my birthday!” Bummer for us. We gave him the money, wished him a happy birthday, and left.

Weird coincidence?

Well take this into consideration: Last year at a mall right down the road from the market, a friend and I found a few bucks and an envelop on the ground. We turned it into the store where we found it, but a man followed us to the door and asked us if we found money, then made us walk back inside with him to the counter to prove we turned it back in. The evelope was wishing the person a happy birthday and the man, although I do not remember his face, was Hispanic.

So that makes three encounters.

Than Mandi calls her sister to tell her the story and it turns out that the SAME thing happened to her not long ago at the mall as well, and the (we think) same Hispanic man followed her to her car to retrieve the money, which was in a birthday envelope.

Mandi’s sister freaked out, saying that God is testing us. I’m more inclined to think that it’s one of three things:

1. He’s got some extra money and likes to see what people will do with it.

2. He’s doing some kind of study.

3. He’s trying to do some kind of scam, maybe hoping single girls, not groups, will pick up the money and he can have a reason to follow them to their cars. (scary)

But in any case, even if this man is not God, isn’t God always watching?

I mean, what would you do with the money. I myself am inclined to say that if a person is dumb enough to drop their money, they don’t deserve to get it back. Unless I found a lot of money, like enough to make or break a person, I’m not sure I’d turn it in to the store or to the police. I’ve never really found money, so I’m not sure what I’d do.

I guess the moral thing to do, however, would def not be to keep the money. At a farmer’s market, there’s not much you can do, but at a mall or store, you can turn it in to a lost and found or at the cash register.

In any case, please be safe when you’re out and something weird like that happens. Finding money is awesome, but scams and scary guys are not, so stay on your toes. If you’re shopping after dark, I highly recomment going with a friend or asking a security officer to walk you to your car.

What would you do with the money, dear readers? What would Jesus do? Is God testing me and my friends?

God, money, moral, Finding money

In a recent interview, Elton John has again taken up the crusade against religion. You can read the story here. His opinion is that organized religion harbors hate and encourages spite specifically toward the gay community.

Ok, so that may be true for some people.

However, there would still be plenty of gay-bashing without organized religion, don’t you think? And it would be done by the same people who do it now. They simply use religion as a way to make hate justified in their own minds.

Have you guys ever seen Dawson’s Creek (I’m not completely changing gears here, I swear…run with me on the this one)?

On this show, there’s a gay character and also a very religious grandmother. Two characters that don’t mix, right?

Well, in one pivitol episode right after he came out, the grandmother lovingly reaches out to him saying that she may not agree with all of his decisions in life, but that who was she to judge? Isn’t that better left for God to decide?

Religion is tool, simply put. It can be used for good–say, to raise money for a needy family, or it can be used for bad–say to justified hatred toward the gay community.

Sir Elton, I believe you have it wrong. It’s not religion you should disagree with. It’s people in general.

Elton John, religion, gay, Dawson’s Creek, God

A work-friend of mine and I were recently discussing that gift-giving at Christmas time often overshadows the religious meaning of the holiday, which is a bit sad.

Even if you aren’t religious, sometimes it’s simply easy to get caught up in buying gifts that you go way overbudget.

Here’s a fantastic Christmas gift idea that she and her boyfriend came up with–hope some of you will take advantage of it, if not for Christmas, for anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, etc.

Set a price limit with your significant other, best friend, etc (whoever you’re exchanging gifts with). Make it a doable amount–I recommend $30. Shake on it that you will stay within this limit. Spit if you have to. Whatever.

Then, buy as many gifts as possible with that $30. My friend and her boyfriend are shooting for 10 at least. The gifts are all supposed to be things that remind your of the other person. You can make some stuff, check out garage sales, hit up the dollar general–do what ya gotta do, and then wrap each piece separately in newspaper!

Come Christmas morning, you both have a bunch of little gifts that are really silly and fun to open, and hopefully a few that will make you go awwwww. I don’t recommend doing this every year, since you’ll probably need to have a yard sale to get rid of little knick knack stuff after a few years, but it’s a neat idea every once in a while, especially when money is tight.

Jesus is the reason for the season. Let’s not forget that by spending too much money and making Christmas stressful. Instead, let’s use this time to think about the people we really love.

Christmas, holiday, Christmas gift, gifts

I’ve recently read a article on yahoo news (read it here) about religion in the workplace.

Apparently more and more people are combining the two, by doing things as simple as holding office Bible studies.

It’s a neat idea, I think. I worry that a lot of people won’t be mature enough to handle it, but definitely a neat idea.

Would it offend you if religion was introduced into your office?

Someone asked me the other day if my site has helped anyone find religion yet.

That, my friends, is sort of silly if you ask me.

Can religion be found? Ehhh…I’m not so sure. I think of religion more as a journey, one which we never end, but one which will hopefully bring us closer to our form of the Divine.

If you’ve found religion, I tend to think that you’re a bit close-minded. Religion, faith, etc…it’s all more of a conversation isn’t it? Sure, we can be faithful in our convictions and unwavering even in what we believe…but it’s always important, at least to me, to question my surroundings. That includes religion.

And the world is constantly changing, so of course, religion is as well.

Have you found religion yet? I hope not, but I hope you never give up looking.

In honor of World Aids Day, Bristol-Myers Squibb is donating $1 for every virtual candle “lit” on their website. Please take a moment and check it out here. It only takes a second of your time.

You can also read stories here, learn more about World AIDS Day, and donante a larger amount of your own money.

World Aids Day, AIDS, donante

I’ve recently been doing a lot of research work on the Yasukuni Shrine in Japan for a rhetoric paper in my one seminar class. It’s such an interesting place, and I encourage you all to check it out.

The site is a Shinto Shrine that honors the dead soldiers from all the conflicts in which Japan has been involved. The controversy over the site is that the language here is very nationalistic (a no-no for Japan since the war), and 14 Class A War Criminals from World War Two (as convicted by an American jury) are honored here.

While there are a variety of political implications that I won’t go into, since politics are not my forte, it is impossible to forget that the site really is a religious one as well. Should we not honor the dead because they did bad things in their lives in the name of their country, or such all dead be honored?

Yasukuni Shrine, Japan, Shinto

I realize that many people out there are “once-a-year” Christians–you only go to church once a year, during the holidays. Dear reader, are you a OAYC?

I’m not going to stand on my soapbox and wag my finger at you if you are. However, it is important to realize that a number of the people at the services you attend are not OAYCs. By using the following tips, you can be sure that you aren’t inadvertedly rude to the non-OAYCs.

1. Arrive on time. Don’t come too early, because the organist or minister might be using the sanctuary to prepare. Don’t arrive late, because you may interupt the service. Avoid glares and get to the church right on time.

2. Consider your seat carefully. It may sound silly, but in many smaller churches people sit in the same seat every week. This can simply be a matter of needing to sit near the sound system for older folks with poor hearing, or just getting into a groove and sitting in your traditional spot. Pick a pew that already has a few people sitting in it and simply ask “Is this spot taken?”

3. Dress appropriately. Not all churches these days are so formal that you need to wear a suit and tie to church. However, during special occasions, it is polite to dress up a bit - business causual should be fine. At the very least, dress modestly and cleanly.

4. Use the restroom before the service begins. This is an espeically good tip for children. Everyone has restroom emergencies, but try to avoid climbling over people or overwise disrupting the service in the middle to leave. If you must, wait until everyone stands, like during a song. Especially avoid leaving during a prayer or sermon, unless you simply can’t wait.

5. Bring things for the kids. If you want to take your entire family to a service, that’s great. However, realize that an hour-long church service can seem to go on and on and on for younger children, especially if they are not used to attending church every week. Bring “quiet” toys, like coloring books, in case they get antsy to they don’t cause a commotion.

6. Introduce yourself. If you go to a service at a church where you’ve never been before, introduce yourself with the pastor/priest/minister/etc at the end (that is, if the congregation is small enough). He or she can give you more information about how to break the OAY habbit if you’d like, but in any case, it’s polite to spread a little holiday cheer by saying hello.

7. Turn off your cell phone. Nothing is more embarrassing than “Baby got Back” or some other horrible ringtone going off during a prayer.

These tips apply for almost any kind of worship service, not just those in churches. You can also use these for tips when you begin attending a new church at any time of the year–it doesn’t have to be at Christmas!

Christians, holidays, churches, prayer, church service, church, holiday, worship, Christmas

So many people feel as though they can do nothing about the situation in Iraq other than pray.

However, you can do something. Help soldiers and marines in Iraq by sending cans of silly string, condoms, and tampons, like one mother is doing.

Why?

Read the full story here.

Iraq, pray, soldiers, marines, silly string

…and found a cute little post. Hey, I’m religious, not humorless!

Check it out for a laugh.