Don't Back Down

I mentioned last night that I wanted to talk about my faith, and I will. But first, some more introduction. I think where I have the biggest problem is that I don't understand why there isn't more positive dicussion about religion. Don't get me wrong - I know people take their beliefs very seriously, and if someone questions them or even proposes an alternative, it might be taken badly. But what I don't get is that people just don't have those conversations at all.

There is a certain subset of our society that doesn't want to talk about anything that could be seen as remotely controversial, and that's okay. But every time I hear about someone who is talking about their beliefs, they are either doing so in a way that denigrates other faiths, or in such a way that it seems they don't do anything else. The latter is certainly a great testament to faith, but most of us have real lives - or reasonable facsimiles thereof - and need help with the daily grind.

That's where I am now.

By any account, I have been a Christian for most of my life. I can't put a specific date on it, but I was confirmed into the United Methodist Church at around age 12. I remember taking some sort of class, probably with the pastor, and going over some particulars, but I have no idea now why I went through the process.

I have said the words over and over. I have been both a churchgoer and not a churchgoer. I have done things that even those aforementioned non-religious people may discourage. In fact, very rarely have I ever regularly undertaken actions that anyone would consider Christian-like. While I'm certain that it's too early to tell, and by nature I am pretty cynical about this sort of thing, I think that's changing. I think that I'm actually feeling it, and it's exciting. I'm going to try to delve deeper.

As I mentioned previously, I don't know where this is going. I just feel the need to get it out. If it helps you in any way, or if you even just enjoy reading, then you're certainly welcome. Even if you want to encourage particular subjects or discuss the finer points of something I might bring up, you're welcome too. But this isn't about hatred, and it isn't about rubbing anyone's nose in it. It's purely about my own process of discovery.

You're welcome to join in, as either an observer or a participant, but please do us all a favor and don't be an ass about it. I've attended church most of my life, and yet I still question my beliefs. There really isn't much chance of everything suddenly being revealed in an angry, fight-provoking comment. So why bother?

It seems to me that our society likes the negative. That shouldn't be a revelation to anyone, whether you get your information from the Internet or from the nightly news. What I don't understand is why we don't focus more on the positive. Don't get me wrong - I'm not an optimist. Far from it. I'm not talking about the power of positive thinking or anything like it.

I just think it's strange that we are so enamored of the bad things that happen. Which celebrity marriage is headed for divorce, what sort of carnage is happening in the world, was anyone hurt in that horrible wreck? I suppose those things are titillating and that's why we are attracted to them, but focusing so much on the negative has to have an impact on our lives.

To take one example - why do we focus so much on the high rate of divorce? Instead of trying to figure out why people are breaking up, why don't we try to figure out what keeps them together? There are all sorts of reasons why the divorce rate is so high. Yet there are still marriages that can be measured in decades rather than minutes. Why is it we don't spend more time learning what we should do, rather than what we shouldn't?

We've all heard the stories of older people - men or women - having sex with younger (underage) ones. And while that doesn't exactly float my boat, if you know what I mean, it's not too much of a stretch to imagine a 16-year-old boy wanting a woman in her twenties (and, perhaps, vice versa). Though it's not my cup of tea, and it can be seen as improper, at least it's understandable. But a 29-year-old woman thinks her 7-year-old daughter's playmate (who was 8) is her boyfriend? That's just creepy.