Entry 17 – R-E-S-P-E-C-T, this is what it means to me…

I guess in trying to sum up the theme of the entries I’ve posted to date, I would say the theme is this…simply asking from my family and friends of the Christian faith for a little respect.  Respect for my choices in this life. 

I respect your choices to believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to guide your life.  You have your own reasons for choosing this as your world, and ‘other-worldly’, view.  I would hope that you also could see that I have my own reasons for not choosing this world, and ‘other-worldly’, view.  And I hope that you could see that I would never try and impose my own personal choices onto you (unless those choices are directly related to public governance, which, of course, is another topic altogether). 

I think there has to be some recognition of the fact that some people are just not going to want to believe in the God of the Chrisitian and Jewish traditions.  The God you find so endearing and loving, others find quite abhorrent and unloving, even, at times, vindictive and spiteful.  I hope after reading my entries to date you know that I believe the Christian and Jewish God is of the latter persuasion. 

I’m not trying to offend here, truly I am not.  I just have come to different conclusions than you, my family and friends of the Christian faith, about your God.  This website is my best attempt to explain why I feel this way.  I am actually quite happy to elaborate further on my reasons for feeling this way to anyone who asks me.  I’d just prefer to do this elaboration in a cordial, rational, and mutually beneficial dialogue.  If we start from the point of accusations that I am going to hell, well…that is not going to lend itself to a very good conversation.    

Honestly, I think that at this stage of my life, post 30, almost 40 years of age, most of us are already pretty set in our ways, so to speak.  I don’t expect my family and friends to try and see it my way.  What I would hope though is for my family and friends to try and think a bit more about their efforts to proselytize me, and win me back over “for Christ”. 

Please, and I mean this in all sincerity, if you are still trying to convince me of your way of thinking about the world after reading these entries I’ve posted over the past months, I humbly ask you to reread what I’ve written up to this point.  I’ve given these entries a great deal of thought.  I hope you will at the very least read with the same.

Next time, I’d like to address the bandied notion that the United States is a ‘Christian’ nation.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by.

TRC

the.recovering.christian@gmail.com