A Rant (Which Has Been Brewing for Quite Some Time)

Not for the first time, I just had another 'if I really tried, I could rock the world' moment.

There are so many areas of my life where this is applicable - if I got some proper training, I could have a great voice; if I got proper training of a different sort, I could become Broadway's next big thing; if I practised and worked at guitar, I could sing and play in a band; if I actually sat down and worked out just what it is I believe, I could rock the foundations of a couple major world religions (and piss some people off in the process).

No, really - I was reading the comments of this blog entry, and it occurred to me. My thoughts on the entire subject would appall some people. For instance: universalism and Christianity are not mutually exclusive. Christianity shows us a God who is infinitely loving and who desperately wants to know us, but, because He loves us, He gives us a choice of believing or not believing. It seems incredibly petty, therefore, for Him to condemn someone who chose not to believe when all He wants to do is know us. Wouldn't God take this opportunity to know us? Let's discuss the logic behind an all-knowing and all-loving God who willingly condemns His beloved children simply because they didn't believe in the right thing. It's almost as though He cares nothing for you except by what religion you call yourself. That logic I mentioned? Yeah. I'm not seeing it.

Point being - this is what's been floating through my mind for at least two years now. I cannot call myself a Christian because it implies I am a member of the organised religion. Will you accept the title of christian - emphasis on the lower-case 'c'? I believe that Christ is the right path for me, but it may not apply to everyone. You need to find your own way to God - if you decide you don't want to, ok. It's your perogative. I won't force my beliefs on anyone but I reserve the right to bring them up in debates - even if no one else agrees, I like to think they make an interesting counterpoint.

I think this might be the end of my search. I know what I believe, and I'm not likely to find somewhere this fits in completely. I reckon I'll just stomach the differences and save them for the debates.

In the meantime -

Shalom
Salaam
Pax Fiat
平和

Remus