Warning: Post is long and you might disagree with it

Recently, a friend of mine posted on her blog what she thinks of people who are religious. To be more specific, she posted what she thought of people who are religious idiots:

http://livinglikelaree.blogspot.com/2010/07/relgion-is-opiet-of-masses-marx.html

And.

I agree.

Well, in a way. I agree that it's stupid if you don't understand what you claim to believe in. Whether it be christianity or atheism or whatever, there should be a good reason. It's your life, and if you decide to live it a certain way, the worst reason possible is because you're parents did it, or that you think it's cool (christianity is mostly the former. atheism mostly the latter. in case you're wondering).

I'm not saying that it's wrong to be a christian if you've grown up in a christian environment. I'm just saying that if you don't have your own personal relationship with God, and you're always just doing whatever you think christians should do, it's a waste of time. The idea of christianity itself is so radical that it doesn't make sense to live it half-heartedly, or without knowing why you should believe it.

I grew up in a christian background. Well, by that I mean my parents believed in God. I slept at church every Sunday morning. At least, I did on the days that I was unsuccesful in escaping. We acted out bible stories in plays.

And none of it meant a thing to me.

Church to me was just another chore that I had to do. Yet, I took deep offence to any comments against the church and against God. Because church was such a big part of my life, and because I had some idea of who God was, I felt I had to defend the idea of Him. Or maybe I was defending myself, because if it turned out to be true that God didn't exist, then... well, then I was an idiot for believing He did wasn't I.

Then I became a christian.

Confused? Let me explain something before we move on.

People become believers in many different ways. Some follow a path of logic and reason and somehow end up at God. It's true. Former atheists and agnostics have researched and concluded that God does in fact exist.

Others are brought up in the church family, and from a young age have a clear understanding of what and who God is. Some disagree with their parents and live a different life outside of church, while others agree with it and continue on in the same path.

But there are also those who make the decision on faith alone. No full revelation, no complete understanding, no questions answered. And that's me. As irrational as it sounds, it's what happened to me. Or should I say that as irrational as it sounds, it's what I did. I understand it now, but back then, I didn't; I merely responded. Responded to the unshakable feeling that something huge was missing from my life, and this was what it was.

Since then, I've come to understand a great deal more about christianity and God. But back then, it was just an unexplainable feeling. I can't even remember what the preacher was talking about to be honest. All I remember was a really strong urge to go to the front, and recieve whatever this God had for me.

Let me get this straight. A feeling isn't good enough to base a whole life on. But that's not what my life is based on. It's merely what I started on. But after that? I asked questions. I asked leaders, fellow christians, everyone. As I started to hear the voice of God more clearly, I asked Him questions. I read my bible. I started to look more deeply into stories. All the stories. Not just the ones that people like to preach about with easy messages. I've read books by atheists, agnostics and christians.

And more importantly, I started to form my own opinion. You see, while it's true that you have to have the same vision as the church you're in, and agree on really major issues, it must be understood that a church isn't a group of lifeless zombies who all think exactly the same thing all the time. Little debates here and there are healthy for growth. While it's true that one must respect their pastor, it must also be understood that it's okay to ask them why certain things are done certain ways.

The quote "God works in mysterious ways" has done more harm than good if you ask me. While it is true, most people only use it when they're asked a question they don't know the answer to. If this happens to you and you honestly can't answer the person, refer them to a leader or pastor. Then find out the answer. Unless it's something irrelevent like "Did God reeeally make the world in 7 days, with the definition of 'day' being 24 hours?" Questions like that are interesting to ponder over, but they aren't the basis of your belief. Questions like that don't matter when a soul is getting closer and closer to hell, and God has put us in their lives to act as His light in their dark life. And debating whether or not the beginning of Genesis is metaphor or pure fact isn't gonna help.

Let me leave you with an example.

I don't drink. While this is also the stance of our church and it's elders, it's also a choice I make knowing why. Because it's not wise to surround yourself with the usual atmosphere associated with alcohol. Because it's ridiculously stupid to voluntarily make yourself vunerable to dumb decisions by sacrificing a sound mind. Because the only time I've ever drunk in my life, I had a massive hangover the next day; it sucked. Because I have friends with alcohol addictions, and they need to see how fulfilling life can still be, without booze. And because it tastes absolutely horrible.

That's just one example. There are other questions, some more difficult to answer, and some more easy. But what I'm stressing is this: Shaye is right. You shouldn't be clueless about what you claim to be. You're a christian? Okay, cool. Learn the gospel. Develop your own personal relationship with God. God can speak to you in wondrous ways if you could just learn to listen. Pray and seek Him, seek wisdom, seek knowledge, seek guidance. Because while it is important to use your mind to reason, it's more important to know how to hear from God. Call me crazy, but when a Bible verse pops clearly into your mind that fully applies to your life right when you needed it most, and you've never even read it before, you'll know what I mean.

And remember to understand the message that we are meant to deliver.

Here's a big hint: it's not "turn or burn".