Last week, my post about using a modified version of an old children’s prayer to help me go to sleep resulted in some objections.
i was on a a roll like i can get when writing, and my explanation of why i was not part of a formal religion was much harsher than i intended. As someone very dear to me pointed out, i need a good editor.
i do need an editor, you know. i am a terrible proof reader, and need someone to corral my grammar and my thoughts on paper. i have long recognized this fault of mine. In fact when i was executive officer on the USS Yosemite, Frank Boyle, the captain, and i would switch roles: he would give me his thoughts, then i would write the correspondence draft, and he would do the final proof reading and editing.
But i didn’t have an editor when i wrote that post, and i didn’t consider how negative it could be interpreted.
So here goes:
i explained my not being involved with a formal religion with “This is primarily because of formal religions’ exclusion factors, recruiting tactics, pomposity, hypocrisy, and continual insistence of trying to prove something they believe..”
The “exclusion factor” is my big hangup. i do not believe someone who lives a good life and does what is right will be excluded from “heaven” because he did not believe in a certain religion. i believe the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, is innate within each of us and this knowledge is very close to what Jesus taught in the bible.
i can only buy into Jesus being the “gate” in a symbolic sense, certainly not a literal one. That is a big hangup for me.
But i am not a biblical or religious scholar. i don’t know enough about other religions to pronounce them good or evil across the board . i don’t even know enough about the Christian religion to be a source of information.
As for the other comments, certain Christian sects and individuals keep trying to recruit me and others by “proving” their beliefs are right and mine (and others) are wrong. Some, both sects and individuals, also are elitist, pompous, and hypocritical. This turns me off and i don’t wish to associate with these kinds of people. That should not have been a condemnation of religions in general even though it certainly appeared that way in the post.
i have the utmost respect for Christians and people of other religions. There are many outliers who corrupt the core beliefs of goodness, but i don’t consider them true religions.
In fact, i admire churches where people believe together and take care of each other. i have the greatest respect for the church and the people who believe and behave trying to carry out the teachings of Christ. i wish i could be with them, especially the camaraderie, friendship, and even the family aspect. i don’t have that and i feel alone. i think it is a wonderful aspect of religion, especially Christian congregations.
If i have offended anyone, confused, or misled them with my post, i apologize.
I certainly was not offended. I can and do understand what you said and agree with what you said. My mother and daddy always told me that their best friends were the ones from their. I could see that they were a big family and were different from what I have found in churches today. Like you I wish I could have that same type of friendships. I think times have changed or maybe I have changed. I love your prayer.
You owe no one an apology, Jim. There will always be some who will latch on a word or phrase and pounce. They will so without one ounce of knowledge of who you are(let alone care to know). Those of us who have been blessed to have you in our lives KNOW your beauty outside and within.💕