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Originally Posted by onesnowyowl
If I screw up and ask for forgiveness, I am forgiven. I believe much more in the concept of a loving and forgiving God than some vengeful God that wants to send me to Hell. Secondly, I take the words of Jesus Christ himself far more seriously than I do anyone else's (which, IMO, is how it should be). Paul has deliberate reasons for saying what he said--Paul was a huge fan of asceticism and in fact encouraged people to live an ascetic lifestyle. Therefore, most of what Paul has to say about religious life I read very cautiously. As for the OT...they're great stories, and there are some really awesome tales to be read there.
As for my own behaviors: yes, I swear, I drink, I have premarital sex, I engage in homosexual behaviors from time to time. I fully admit to being a sinner. I would rather be honest with myself and with God than live a life I would find a) stifling and b) unfulfilling. I do my best, though, to make up for my shortcomings through a fullness of faith.
Me in a nutshell...though it's really hard to encapsulate my faith in a nutshell--I think it's a living, vibrant thing, and I also think that's exactly how it should be.
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Owl..... this was a fantastic little post. You said it all for me... that's pretty much where I'm at, too, but my story won't fit so neatly in a nutshell!
I will say that I believe confession and forgiveness are the best things we can do for each other down here, and I'm not talking about "sins" in the traditional sense. I mean hurting ourselves and each other with our own selfishness. Confession is the sacrifice of self for the sake of relationship, for the sake of love. I think this can be done regardless of one's religion or sexuality or whatever the hell we humans like to divide ourselves up as.