I've been thinking about some of this stuff lately, and then saw the "Ignorant people suck" thread in General Discussion, and figured it was time to do a little something like this.
What you're going to get here is partly life story, part where I came from and how I got to where I am today, and a little bit of what I believe on a religious and lifestyle aspect. It's likely to be long, and some of you may not agree with what I say. It's NOT up for discussion. Honestly, I'd like to hear what some of YOU have to say on the matter. If it gets out of hand, I have NO problem getting a MOD to delete the thread, and do whatever they deem necessary. Without further ado...here we go.
I was born and raised in a godly home. We went to church every Sunday morning and Sunday evening, and most Wednesday evenings for prayer meeting. We did this for the first 18 years of my life, and then it became more up to me what I wanted to do. I mostly dropped Wednesday evenings, but not completely.
When I was four, I thought I'd understood what the Bible was, and who God was, and what He did on Calvary some 2000 years ago. Dad talked with me, and I prayed the little kid prayer that many of us have prayed. Problem is, I DIDN'T understand, and nothing really happened that day, except that I said some words. For a while, I thought that was it, and I was golden for Heaven. By the time I was fourteen or so, I knew better. Problem was, I also knew exactly who God was, what He'd done, and how to get to Heaven. Problem with THAT, was that everybody I knew figured I'd already been saved, and I didn't want to make anyone think less of me.
Fast forward to the summer of 1995. I was working at the camp that my dad taught college at during the school year...it was a camp during the summer months. For those interested, here's a link to the web site:
www.nbbc.edu Anyways, they have evangelists in for a week at a time (NO, they are NOT like what you see on TV...not ONE little bit. I know many of these guys personally, and they are fired up about life and Jesus Christ in general...for real) and they preach nightly. I think it was a Tuesday night, June 25th, if I remember correctly, I just knew that I needed to take the step of faith I'd put off for so long. I gave my life to Christ that night, and I know 100% that I am on my way to Heaven. I also know that it is the only way to Heaven. Let me get off the pulpit, and we'll fast forward to a couple years ago.
Heather and I had moved to La Crosse, and she'd taken a teaching job at a church/school there. The pastors' wife was a control freak, and when Heather had our daughter, they wouldn't renew the contract for next year. Illegal, yes, but in our best interests, and we knew it. We moved from there to Dunbar, WI...where the camp/college is. Hadn't been there long, and I had a bicycle accident. Some of you may know about it. That's another LONG story there. I'll spare you for now.
During the stay in the hospital, we found out who, from the church, was really in it for us, and not to make themselves look good. Some were only there in a crowd, but made sure they were seen, others gave generously, in front of an audience. Those people weren't in it for the glory of God, but of themselves mostly. Others drove 100 miles one way, just to see me, only to find out that visiting hours were over...and NO ONE else, besides my family was around. Those are the keepers. I love those people dearly.
During the recovery, some of those people...the self glorifying ones...wanted to find out how I was doing, just to talk about it. Not too many people have had near death experiences up there. I cheated death for some reason. God had a hand in it, I'm sure. The church didn't do much for us...I was out of work for six months...and once I started to "look" better, most people lost interest in my condition...except for those blessed few. Dad still gets asked (since we no longer live up there) on occassion how I'm doing.
During that time frame, we realized that everything that we had been taught in church was a little odd. Why would God make everything to glorify Him, and then we're taught to NOT be selfish? Some things didn't make sense. We've started an alternative lifestyle that has been discussed some here, and there are others on here that partake in it as well...although not with us. We started swinging, which is contrary to a lot of what we were taught as kids. It's strengthened our marriage, though, and has been beneficial overall. We don't go to church much anymore, although lately, we have discussed it, in part because I do want our daughter to have a knowledge of God, who He is, what He did, and how we can get to Heaven.
Sometimes, it is difficult to justify the swinging lifestyle with church, but I know we're not the only ones to do it. We are not hurting anyone NOR ourselves. God is great, and has gotten us through some tough times.
I am currently at a loss for what else to write here, but I hope I've provoked some of you to soul search a little, and see what it is you're really living for. Feel free to ask questions of me, or anyone else.