The Bible says Judge Not, yet the churches judge harshly. Not only every person that walks through the door, but everyone that doesn't go to their church or believe their beliefs. The Bible says Judge Not.  Period.  How can you twist that??

How dare you tell me I'm not worthy of this or worth more than that based solely on what I wear to church, what I make, what I tithe or what I don't.  But they do!  For years I wanted to attend but wouldn't because my clothes weren't good enough.  Who Cares!  If my heart is right I should be able to show up in a freaking towel if that's all I have. And the Bible says I CAN! This hypocrisy is practiced by every church I know of.

Jesus hung out with the worst of the worst of people (whores, lepers, tax collectors, biggots, gamplers, cheats, liars), yet the church taught my parents to teach me that I couldn't hang out with this kid or that family because they're {instert reason}. Dirty, heathens, drunks, poor, they listen to bad music, their dad does drugs, "we don't like the way they look".  How dare you imply that is was okay for Jesus to be with those people, but it's not okay for us to be exposed.  Are we better than Him?  I didn't think so. What better place to be if you are trying to wittness to others and set the example? This hypocrisy is still taught by every church I know of.

We sat there in Church singing "Jesus loves the little children..... Red and Yellow Black and White...." yet my own parents formed opinions and taught those opinions (and the other adults in the church who taught their own children) that blacks are lazy, or mexicans steal, or pollocks walk funny - or whatever.  Um Hello??  The "little Children" are prescious, but the adults.... what... the kids are supposed to change their color?  Der....  predjudism is predjudism, period. Show me an ALL {insert race, creed, whatever} church that doesn't raise an eyebrow and hold it's breath when someone of the opposite {whatever} walks into their church for the first time, not to mention if they keep attending and I will show you a church that has cliques that are talking about that person or those people behind their backs.

While in the Air Force there was this guy Tonio O. J. LaStraps, whom I really really really had a "thing" for. He was drop-dead FINE!! He was sweet as can be. He was a real gentleman. I really liked him. He was a great person and a wonderful man. However, the words of one of my parents kept ringing through my head, "Birds of a feather flock together, and that goes for race too." Also, I remember once asking, I believe it was my mother, why blacks and whites weren't supposed to date. She told me, "there's really nothing wrong with it for other people, it’s just not okay for you to do it." What the hell does that mean? I really wanted to clean up my act and give it a try with Tonio.... but I just couldn't ever bring myself to talk to him about it.  One - because that made me prejudice too, and two - because I was ashamed of that realization.

It was at that very moment that I realized, to my own disgust, that I was prejudice. It doesn't matter what the circumstances are, even if you don't want to be, but are, it's WRONG. I owe Tonio an apology.  If I ever find him again, that will be the first thing I do, because I STILL feel bad for it, and I always will.

That raised more questions whitin me though.... I've never had any trouble internally dating Hispanics, Italians, etc.  Why not? I still do not know, this is still something I struggle with, within myself.

The Bible teaches that we are to treat EVERYONE as we want to be treated, treat EVERYONE as our equal.  However I have watched the people in churches time and time and time again decide that this person is better than that person so this person deserves their help (money, manpower, prayers, etc.) more than the other person, and not just once, but consistantly! This hypocrisy is practiced by every church I've ever been a part of.

The Bible tells us that once we are saved, we are to be baptised.  That is NOT a requirement to get into a church, that is a public symbol of our dedication to Christ.  And the Bible does NOT tell us that we need to renew our baptism periodically.  So WHY do so many churches require that you be baptised if you want to be a member of their church.  [One Lord, one faith, one baptism. Ephesians 4:5]  I was baptised in 1975 (or '76).  I remember the event like it was yesterday.  Pastor Moeller dunked me in Cold Water Creek behind Calvery Brethern Church three times and I about drowned us both!  I was wearing my t-shirt from Camp Cristigan.  The creeek was in fact very cold and the gravel on the bottom dug into my knees.  I was there, it happened.

What right does ANY church have to minimize the value of that event, that public committment, let alone discount the validity of that one time, and require me to do it again to satisfy their church membership policies.  Absolutely not.

If you believe, and if you recite those words to God - Once saved ALWAYS saved...... however I do believe it is between YOU and GOD.... if you stray and stray far enough that YOU need to recite those words to HIM again, then that is from your own convictions.  NOT something any church or any pastor can tell you you have to do.  Yet, I have heard more than one pastor, more than one youth pastor, more than one elder say that I needed to recite those words again and again.... because I strayed..... i strayed a lot... and I strayed far.  I don't believe it.  That's is what FAITH is, and it's between HIM and me.

If you do wrong and you know you done wrong, you need to take that up with God, not a pastor, or a priest, or some guy in a box, nor do you need to stand in front of your whole church and air your sins.  It's God that sent His Son to Save you, and it's God that lets you live with yourself, so you take it up with him.

I believe the Bible.

I believe what God tells me.

I believe we are all here for a reason and it's up to us to seek that reason out from our Maker.

I believe it's our responsibility to learn lessons from our screw ups in life and use those lessons to make ourselves better people, and more compassionate to others' situations.

I believe it's our duty to be the best we can be, in all aspects.

I believe competition is good for us, until it consumes us, then it is sin because we're trying to actually be better than another human being - which -

I believe not one person is any better or worse than another person in Gods eyes. We are ALL sinners -

I believe that is also just another lesson in life, that we learn something from every single day we are here.

I believe that anything that consumes us is ‘wrong’ because anything that consumes us is an addiction, which means that something else in ourselves is suffering.

I believe it is better to say I’m a Christian and human (i.e. nobody’s perfect), than to go to church every Sunday and act like you are trying to be perfect, because you’re not.

And I believe that if you say you are, then you are a liar, because we cannot be anything other than human. So by default you are trying to be something you cannot be, trying to evolve on your own.

I believe God created the heavens and the earth, and from there we have evolved into what we are today, and we will continue to evolve as long as the world exists. I do not believe I am from a monkey, or fish or that I have, in another life before this, been a butterfly or a cat. However, we cannot live forever, and if God put us here for a reason, and we do not fulfill that reason by the time people die in our current society, then what? I don’t know, Maybe he does recycle us to do it over again. In that case I do my best to listen to him when he’s trying to tell me something, because I sure don’t want to be here again!

I believe in the Bible. That the Bible is His word. And that no matter how you cut it, humans translated it, so there is no possible way that the Bible is 100% correct verbatim. I also believe that is precisely why we need to read the Bible, consult ourselves with God, listen for the answers he gives us, and be willing to rehash questions and answers over and over again until we receive the right message from God, even if it’s not the answer we wanted to hear, and we must be willing to walk on faith toward those answers and directions given us. For that same reason, I think it is absolutely wrong for any ONE person, ONE religion, or any one group to claim that their way is the only way and everyone else is wrong. For that is - yet again - passing judgement against another person.

I believe we should respect others beliefs, be willing to listen to them, be willing to mull them over in our own ways, and gain from them what we can. Whether we gain an even stronger foundation in our own beliefs; or a better understanding of others in this world; that will be an individual experience.

I believe that ones beliefs are very personal and private and they are of nobody's business but your own and what is between you and God.  If you choose to share them, so be it.  However I do not believe you are obligated to share them on demand! And I do not believe it's right to challenge another person's beliefs, because there you create a debate which in turn becomes a competition and therefore a win lose situation. That's just not right.  Ever.

Some of the Witty Quips I found perfect for this page!