Tag: religion

Equality…

Dear Readers:

This is a subject that I have many strong feelings with, and as well, have come to an understanding and an acceptance about a few things… So before anyone judges me, please be aware that I am not passing judgement on others with this post; I am simply stating my opinion.  After all, that is what my blog is all about: my thoughts, my opinions.

Equality… what does this mean?  According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary it is “The state of being equal, esp. in status, rights, and opportunities.”  By this definition alone, I feel every human being has the right to be treated equally.  No… that doesn’t mean that everyone should be given a house.  No… that doesn’t mean that everyone should be given the most earned job.  No… that doesn’t mean that everyone should be able to enjoy the “finer things in life”.  I am simply stating… Everyone should have the opportunity for education.  Everyone should be able to be employed (given that the individual fits the description/requirements of that job).  Everyone should be able to have the opportunity to improve their lives.  Everyone should have the right at life.  Everyone should treat each other how you, yourself, would like to be treated.  I could go on… but you can see the point I am trying to make.  Everyone should have the right of live.

My view points on abortion and capital punishment of more of a conservative approach.  I believe in Pro-Life; however, I have also come to the conclusion that some people don’t believe in that.  And because of this conclusion, who am I to force my opinion upon them?  Also, I believe that if someone murdered another(s), that I would rather sentence capital punishment than let them live the rest of their life in prison.

Again… these are my view points.  My opinions…  I am not being a bigot.  I am not being racist.  I am not forcing my view points on someone else to make them have to follow.  I am simply stating what I feel is the correct choice.

When it comes to equality of marriage… I stand in a very confused state.  I feel that humans were created to love our neighbors as you love yourself.  That we should live a life that makes “you” happy, and uplift others to spread your joy.  After all… a loving and caring world is better place to live than this judgmental and hatred one we have right now.

I did go to church when I was young.  I have read a majority of The Bible.  I have an understand of how to walk the path of Jesus Christ.  Do I religiously follow this path? No.  Should I be? Probably.  Why don’t I?  This question goes full circle back to my very confused state.  According to The Bible… Homosexuality is a sin.  According to The Bible… All sins where forgiven when Jesus took his life for ours.  According to The Bible… Christians are suppose to love everyone and bring people closer to Jesus Christ.  So… according to what I have learned… I am suppose to be accepting and understand of your quote-on-quote sin, and I am suppose to love you and help you understand about Jesus Christ.  I am suppose to teach you how following His word will bring peace and acceptance into your life.

Is homosexuality a sin?  Depends on who you ask.  I believe that everyone sins.  We all have faults.  Am I know being a bigot and saying your fault is homosexuality? No.  I am simply stating that we all have personal issues that we can fix to make each of us a stronger person.  As to my knowledge… homosexuality is considered a sin if you believe in Christianity and a few other religious groups around the world.

Again… I am not forcing my opinions on anyone.  This is just my opinion.

Do I believe in protecting “marriage”?  Yes.  I feel marriage is a very special occasion between a “man” and a “woman” with God.  However… I do believe this opinion is biased because I believe in the Christianity definition of that word.  If you are not a Christian, you’re feelings/beliefs my be different.

So where does that bring me…

I have learned/accepted, as stated above, that people live around this world with different opinions.  Is anyone right?  No.  Is anyone wrong?  No.  After all… it is your opinion and not mine.  I am not the one in power to be judgmental… only one person can do the judging.  I have come to the conclusion that I cannot force my opinions/beliefs on others when it comes to the issue of marriage.  I have come to the conclusion that if you love someone, no matter who that someone may be, who am I to stand in the way of your happiness?

On a different but similar subject… I feel the LGBT is more upset over the governments definition of marriage than the religious beliefs of it.  Until yesterday… the government only viewed marriage as between a “man” and a “woman” (signed into law in 1996 by President Bill Clinton).  Because of this view-point, it denied many LGBT couples in having the same tax benefits and health benefits that all marriage couples currently have.  With a 5-4 ruling yesterday from SCOTUS, this view point has changed in the government.  SCOTUS voted to reject DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), which depicted that a marriage is only between a man and woman, and because of this rejection; will allow homosexual couples the right to benefits that heterosexual couples have had for years.

Will everyone embrace homosexual marriages?  No.  This is something that the homosexual community must understand.  There will always be people that will see this lifestyle as inappropriate.  There will always be people that will see this lifestyle as a sin.  There will always be people that will see this lifestyle as disturbing.  So why force to change their mind?  Who cares… if you are happy with yourself and with the government for accepting your lifestyle… then why worry about what other people say?  To this I say… live life.  If you are happy… then why change?  I understand, from a state/federal government standpoint… you want equality.  I do believe the LGBT is on the right path to finally getting this equality, but everyone must understand that just because the government approves of it, it doesn’t mean everyone has to accept it (the lifestyle).

Will I ever accept it?  Probably not fully.  I don’t mind talking with, hanging with, partying with, homosexuals.  I have no problem with their presence. I have no problems being friends with them.  Will I ever attend a wedding in sharing his/her love with another?  Probably not.  Not because I am being rude… I just don’t, in my opinion, feel that lifestyle is appropriate.  But again… that is my opinion and I don’t force that on anyone.

But you are a Conservative… so by nature you are forcing your opinion…

To this, I say, my view points don’t match the few points of others.  Just because I choose to live a conservative lifestyle, that doesn’t mean that I am forcing my lifestyle on others.  So this argument needs to be put to rest with me.  There are many conservative Christians that have an understanding and acceptance of the lifestyles that another chooses.  And… these same conservative Christians don’t go out in the world and force their opinions.

Let me know your thoughts and opinons in the comments…

robert1ee

A Glimpse Into My Life… Pt. IV

The double life I played when I was a teen…

Every Sunday I went to church, listened to the amazing Word, and then enjoyed my time with our church’s youth group afterword.  We would help in communities throughout the East side of Indy, do charitable work, and do fun things like car washes to raise money so our youth group could continue helping the community.  I loved my church.  I loved God.  I was baptized, so I could follow in the footsteps of my Lord, and spread His Word to everyone that I meet.

Every Wednesday I would join the youth club at our school and praised God before going to my first class.  We would sing.  We would pray.  We would share stories on how we found our path to Jesus Christ.  We were a small community within a community, but we cared for one another, and we were there for one another.  I was even part of the track and field teams throughout Middle School and High School to live a healthy life… I even had perfect attendance from 4th Grade through Senior year of High School.

But the hidden truth… I didn’t follow Jesus Christ as I should had.  I didn’t try to live the life that he wanted us to.  I hadn’t found my path to Him.  I was a lost soul that was just enjoying life and doing every single dumb thing that I could do as a teen…

Outside of the church/religious crowd, I was a different person.  A scary person even.  Cursing was in daily conversations.  I listened to music that would even make Dr. Martin Luther King a mad man.  I had a group/gang that, no matter what, stood up for each other, and we had a secret code of conduct (if you will…).  I stole.  I had sexual relationships.  I smoked cigarettes.  I smoked marijuana.  I drank alcohol.  I stayed out sooooo late that you were probably getting out of bed when I was going to bed.

My life was a mess.  My life was crazy.  And… my life was starting to do the one thing that I didn’t want my life to do… merge both personalities.

Anyone that knows me now would say that I am a sweet, loving man that enjoys friendships and family.  That my life is healthy.  That I love to help others (therapeutically) , and enjoy partaking in events that help the community around me.  I am very inappropriate and borderline rude. lol.  I say, more or less, what is on my mind.  I am shy to some extent, but I am also very patient and caring.  I am a very emotional person that has been hurt with events in my life, but each and every day I try to move past these events and becoming a stronger man.

What happened between my teenager years and my younger adult life…

I was almost arrested… at a Marsh Supermarkets near 75th Street and Shadeland Ave.  The manager caught me stealing a box of condoms, that I was getting for a friend, just so I could have a blunt and a drink.  I was what they call: Young and Dumb.  That manager, even thought very happy to have caught me, did something that shocked me.  I haven’t told anyone about this… not even my parents… He talked to me.  Asked me why I was doing it? Asking me what I was going to benefit in life with my choices that I have been making?  Told me he was going to pray for me and my parents that I’ll come out of this a better man.  They say reality smacks you in the face, and it definitely did.

I had a few bumps in the road after this… but that is life.  We are all, everyday, trying to figure out how to live this life.  I still, to this day, haven’t found my “path to Jesus” nor live in His footsteps… However, I am much more behaved in the life I am living now than it was 10-15 years ago.  I do believe in God.  I do believe in Jesus Christ.  I love every person in this World, and I care for each and every person that I am introduced to…

To say that my life has been saved… may be a bit of a stretch… But to say this manager saved my life… is the truth.

To Be Continued…

robert1ee

 

What you learn…

With every event in my life, I have tried to take something out of it to apply to my life.  My last post talked about my past marriage.  I don’t publicly talk about that much.  It is a hard topic, as all divorces are… but I did learn many things from this…

For starters… my ex and I had many life values that ended up being different, and because of this, we clashed a lot.  I had a friend on Facebook that posted a question: Could you date someone that didn’t have the same religious views or political views as yours?  I answered by saying that it would never work for the long run.  Your religious views weigh heavy into your political views and vice versa…  What, if when you have kids, are you suppose to teach them.  Your religious views? Her religious views? If you have different values of life, all you can do is give your opinions to your child, and hope for the best.  But then again, isn’t that what taking your kids to church is to begin with?  Planting a seed in them to hope they can live as good or better life than your own.

It gets even more difficult when dealing with politics… If your wife believes in Pro-Choice, but you believe in Pro-Life… OR… you believe in the death penalty and your wife doesn’t… OR… even deeper, you don’t believe in Homosexual marriage, but your wife does… Don’t you start to see the problem.  It starts to get confusing.  The say opposites attract, but those opposites have to have some similarities in chemistry to still attract.

This was the first lesson that I learned in my 20’s.  Just because you are attracted to that person and just because you have good conversations… if your underlining life values clash, then it will never work.  From this ‘life experience’,  I have learned that if I do find love again, she’ll need to have many of the same life values as I do, or I know it will not work.

To Be Continued…

robert1ee

Forever

Forever is a very long time/But… Eternity is even longer/So… as I walk down this path unpaved/I Pray to the Lord to help me grow stronger.