“Curious how many of you out there have had a similar experience. Any things you would now like to claim as your own, and not as a result of God randomly choosing to make it happen for you?”

I’m curious to know why you are curious about this. Are you seeking validation?

Also, now that you are an atheist, are you still going to take Christmas day off this year? What about the exchanging of gifts? Are you still going to have a tree and all, or are you in boycott mode? Just curious

Mark

This is a comment I received, and it got me thinking about why people seem to think that having a tree is solely a Christian tradition, and why taking Christmas Day off is considered celebrating the Christian religion.  So, let me answer the comment above point by point.

1. I’m curious, because I’m sure there are others out there who have gone through the same thing I have and have stories to share.  I’ve been proven correct.  I don’t need validation for what I think about things coming together as I’ve been on both sides of the fence and have hard proof through my own experience.
2. I’m not an atheist.  I have been decently clear on this point on this blog.  I don’t believe there is one guy in the sky, nor do I believe the Bible is the perfect word from this guy in the sky.  I believe the Bible is a historical text, at best.  Now, that being said, I’m not sure that there is nothing out there either.  I’m not convinced that there isn’t some sort of energy that connects all of us.  I’m not convinced there is, either.
3. Yes, I will be taking Christmas Day off this year… it is a nationwide holiday… one that my Company pays me to take off.  It is a great time to spend with family and friends, and I treat it as such.
4. Again, yes, I will have a tree.  Trees and evergreen and holly, etc. are NOT just Christian traditions and in fact many started well before Christianity as a celebration of the winter solstice.  Many pagan religions also used evergreen trimmings.  The Romans used holly wreaths and evergreen clippings in a ritual to celebrate Saturn. (http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_tree.htm)
5. Yes, I will exchange gifts, meaningful gifts.  I like to give gifts all year round, I find that at this time of year, I’m able to see members of my family that I don’t see any other time and it is a great time to give them gifts in person.  Giving gifts is not something that is just for Christians, you know.

So, I’m curious Mark (and any others who feel the same way he does about this topic), do you know that you aren’t even celebrating Christ’s birthday in December… as it has been pretty well agreed that he was most likely born in the spring?  Will you admit that there are MANY celebrations that take place this time of year that started well before Christmas that are as celebratory as Christmas is?

Why are some Christians so up tight about other celebrations taking place?  They have been going on for many centuries… before Christ was on the planet.  Let everyone celebrate, enjoy their families, enjoy the turn of the season, enjoy their religious traditions.  I see the joy that my Christian friends get from the holiday, and it is equal to the joy I get from the holiday.  Why is it that some Christians think they are the only people on the planet who get to celebrate something in the winter?  Get over yourselves… maybe you’ll be able to celebrate more if you just focus on what it is you’re doing, and not so much on what others are doing.

Now when I accomplish things and see good things coming together, I attribute it to a lot of hard work, a lot of perseverance, and great support from my husband, family and friends.  I do NOT let some guy in the sky take all the credit for something he hasn’t done.

I do think it is a special thing when people, things, ideas come together at just the right time.  But now, I remember something I heard Oprah say a long time ago.  When these things happen, it is not… as so many will say… luck.  It is Opportunity meeting preparedness.  I see that now… more clearly than I ever have.  All of my preparedness is now meeting some opportunity, and it is a fantastic thing.

Curious how many of you out there have had a similar experience.  Any things you would now like to claim as your own, and not as a result of God randomly choosing to make it happen for you?

Although, thinking about it more, at least one of the main things the church really wants is now front and center.  They definitely aren’t hiding what they want with one of these cool things out front.

Why GivingKIOSK?

Too many Church organizations do not have the convenience of paying by credit card or debit and losing the ability to capture Tithes and Offerings that the church may not have otherwise received. Checks are on the decline and the Church community needs a way to keep up with the changing landscape of the younger generation. GivingKIOSK was developed and designed to meet this need.

Yep… use your credit card.  Go into debt.  Spend more money.  Oh, and now… feel guilty when you pass by a kiosk, after putting nothing in the plate.

This is pure awesome!

1. Questioned the church leaders a LOT more, and made them actually answer my questions
2. Stopped being friends with people just because I thought I had to be (even though I didn’t like them!)
3. Told that church going asshole that he WAS an ASSHOLE
4. Dated that nice non-christian guy who was “bad” for me
5. Stopped trying to make everybody happy
6. Taken that christian fish off my car
7. Had a beer on the mission trip in that country that would serve us (with the others who were already doing it)
8. Cared more about how my extreme views affected others
9. Cared less about being right and more about listening to what others had to say
10. Done what I wanted, and not what the christian group leaders wanted me to do
11. Told that youth pastor I worked for in college what an ignorant, self-serving, non caring person he really was
12. Told the youth I worked with to continue questioning so they could come to their own truth… rather than just the opposite
13. Stopped going to prayer circles that were just about hearing everyone’s gossip so we could pray for all of the ‘problems’ we all had
14. Stopped whining in the form of praying and started doing to make things happen
15. Stopped the brainwashing at  younger age
16. Stopped feeling guilty for stupid shit

Yep that’s what I would have done…. and this is the short list.

This group, as it is clear to see, became my core group of friends.  We all went to different schools… which was perfect for this girl who was not popular at school in the slightest… but we hung out at church, all. the. time.  Because as part of the leadership group, in addition to the AWESOME schedule posted above, we got to meet up early on Wednesdays, BEFORE Youth Group, we also had another meeting at some point during the week for Bible Study/Small Groups, and then there was always a Friday or Saturday (or both) event.  If there wasn’t, we just made one happen anyway.

As soon as I could drive, I was out EVERY NIGHT with at least some subset of this group.  Oh, and, anyone who tells you that there are not ‘clicks’ at church and that everyone is accepted is deluded.  I think my group (youth group leaders) was more of a ‘click’ than ANY group in my high school.  Only a select few got into this tight knit bunch.  As new freshman joined, we roasted them and made sure they were worthy (just as had been done to us).  We would not let just anybody join.  In addition to loving Jesus, you better want to participate in all events, be dedicated and loyal and for god sakes, you better want to hang out with us ALL. THE. TIME.

In some ways I have fond memories of that time… I really had a posse, and something to do all the time, which I was craving.  I wanted to be out of the house as much as possible… youth group gave me this, while providing a social group as well.

The not so fond memories are when I look back at how closed minded I was about other religions/beliefs/non-beliefs.  How ridiculous I was in some of my thinking.  How much I clung to these people for acceptance, to be told I was a great person.  How hard it was to actually ask questions I was having because I thought I may lose my group of friends.

How. Fake. I. Was.

Okay, so you’ve heard the beginning… I’m going to fast forward just a little bit, becuase the really interesting stuff is from my high school and early college years.  I could practically write about every single day during these years.  I was intense… and it was for good reason.  I had gone through a lot, more than most go through in their lifetime, and I was only 14.  I graduated from Junior High, and thought that ‘graduating’ to the High School Youth Group would change my life.  It did… it gave me a place to be accepted for what I did, and as long as I kept doing these things, I would be part of the popular crowd (at church, only).  So I did them, and I did them well, and I made sure everyone not only knew it, but that I was rewarded for it.

I’ve heard from people, who ask the question that a lot of people ask, “What part did your parents play in your belief.”  Well, they introduced me to church, of course, but I chose to be more fundamental on my own.  Of course, I went down this course after watching my parents go through a bitter, and by bitter, I mean… so bitter you can’t even imagine unless you’ve been there yourself. Dealing with this, trying to make everything alright for my siblings, being the ‘healer’ exhausted me, and made me look for a place where I could just be.  Just be accepted, not deal with the craziness, not deal with anything except what I wanted.  In addition to my parents divorce, which, while it was officially done just before I turned 10… went on for years… I suffered a very traumatic loss.  I will not post details about that loss here, as I’m trying to keep some anonymity, but it was major.  Rocked our entire family, and created a void, that to this day, will never be filled.

So… what does one do, when they’ve suffered two major traumatic events in their childhoold.  Especially before they’ve really hit the teenage years.  Well, in my experience, they either go in a bad direction (drinking, drugs, violence, etc.), or they become the ‘good one’ who does everything right in an attempt to make things okay.  I went this direction… others in the family went the other direction.  Honestly, both are destructive, and neither actually help fill the void, alleveate the pain, or fix the problems.  They only mask the issue until one is willing to face it head on and actually deal with it and feel it.

In choosing the path of, ‘good one’, the church became my haven.  So… after graduating from Jr. High… seeking a group that could be my resting place.  Well, high school youth group fit the bill.  That summer I went to camp.  I recommitted my life to Christ, and I joined the leadership team of the youth group.  I also joined youth choir, and participated in absolutely every event I could.  Literally, that first day at high school camp gave me my first fix, and from then on I was addicted to the feeling of acceptance, and knowing that if I did everything right, I would have the love and attention I really wanted.  I would say things like, “I’m addicted to Jesus!”  But really… I was addicted to the feeling that the group gave me.

Another thing… I remember at that camp… the speaker said, “Let Jesus fill the void in your heart and your life!”  I had felt a void for a few years, and to hear that Jesus could fill it… well, I was not about to pass up the opportunity to see if it would work.  So I prayed.  I prayed with all that I had that he would come into my life and fill that painful, horrible void.  I read the Bible, and scripture and prayed.  At that moment… the psychological high got hold of me, and it, for a moment, felt like that void was gone.  That he had indeed fixed it.  But, as with every high, there is a crash… and as we drove off that mountain from camp… the high came down in time with every swtichback we made… closer to reality.  But that did not stop me from seeking the next fix… every day after that.  For the next 10 years.

Found this funny… especially after I read the article about promoting marriages at a young age.  The fact is, most don’t wait, and those that do can have just as many issues as those that don’t.  It’s hard to believe that this is considered an answer to the failing abstinence message.  How about you tell kids to treat sex with respect, and to marry someone they love, can talk to, respect, etc.  How about the church stops making marriage about sex… that would be a step in the right direction.

I am now saved.  I’ve said the prayer, I’ve been baptised, and I’m ready to do good works.  But, what exactly am I supposed to do?  I really didn’t do muh at that time… I was 8 years old.  I invited friends to church, and went to Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, but all-in-all, I wasn’t really doing anything to ’spread the gospel’.  It wasn’t until my family moved, and I started going to a more fundamentalist church that I started doing more.  At the age of 10!

At the new church, I was told to join choir, join the Wednesday night group, go to Summer Camp, and minister to my friends at school who were not believers.  So, I did all of this.  I was going on choir tours, I was telling my school friends about Jesus and how he could make their lives better than they could imagine (OMG, I was 10, did I tell you that).  I went to Summer Camp recommitted my life… mainly because I was scared it didn’t take the first time.  This would be the first of many re-commitments I made… I mean seriously, one cannot commit enough really, especially when the destiny of one’s soul is in the balance.

This new church was really great… they really meant business.  They even gave sermons about why chewing gum and wearing sneakers in church was a complete disgrace to God.  I mean, would you go to dinner with the President wearing sneakers!?  Doesn’t God deserve the same respect.  Get it together people!

Yes, at the time, I was pretty sure this was the best place ever, and I was extatic that I got to be apart of it.  I was blessed, truly blessed… and it was only the beginning of more to come.  I mean, I WAS ONLY 10… there were so many Jesus filled years ahead of me.  So much more work to do.

(via)

Apparently this person turned to alternative medicine, in addition to modern medicine. They got better. They made the unfortunate mistake of telling these women that their medical choices had worked. What did these women tell her? Take a guess.

They told her (very proudly I might add, which I know because they said this while discussing) that it most certainly was not the meds she chose… It was God! How could she not see this. Then another woman in the group recounting this story says, “I was SO glad you said that!”

This is so unbelievably ridiculous. Their friend is better and they aren’t happy or congratulatory. They are telling her that it is God who saved her. What a ridiculous reaction.

It is moments like this that remind me I have not let go of all of the anger I have about the religion I left. I still get pissed off at it and want to punch it in the face sometimes.