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Mrs X. I like your new avatar.

As for the topic. I do not hate Jesus nor do I go to church regularly. But I am a believer. But to cancel out our differing views on relgion, I see you are from Denver also....so we got that going for us.
 
Mrs. X
Oh no RS, I was beginning to think we were siblings, long heart felt paragraphs, the same top pet peeve. But it sounds like your a fan of Jesus. My heart is broken. I hate that guy....well not really that guy but his whole "deal". Why has thou forsaken me RS.

I am so opposed to religion that I will actively not shop at any business that touts itself as being Christian owned. Andy has a sticker on our car that depicts Jesus is goalie pads catching a puck. It says Jesus Saves. It irks me that I know people think I'm a Christian because they don't look beyond the text. Mr. X finds this amusing.

Please say it isn't so. Unbreak my heart RS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qixXRkCNrtE&feature=related
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Sorry MrsX, but it's true; I'm a gay Catholic. But perhaps you can still love me like a brother, for you see, I'm not your typical Christian. I don't oppose any of the fairy tales, but neither do I go out preaching them either. Church to me represents a weekly committment to an ideal greater than myself, a chance to substantively demonstrate that fundamental Christian philosophy is one of the greatest thought systems I've encountered. I know it's been perverted and unnecessarily complicated throughout the ages, but all of the things it is recorded that Jesus preached are things I stand wholeheartedly behind.

My trust is not in some anthropomorphic deity, but rather in an abiding belief in the power of universal benevolence to positively impact the people exposed to it. Today's Gospel reading provides an awesome example. So many of the fairy tale Christians focus on the details of the story, Thomas insisting on placing his fingers in the nail wounds before declaring his belief that the man before him was indeed Jesus of Nazareth. Instead we can place the story in a much more contemporary context. Let's have Jesus and Thomas be business partners instead, in the modern era, preparing to withdraw money from the bank to deliver as payment to a third party for goods vital to their business. Thomas has to drive his mother to a doctor's appointment so Jesus goes to the bank alone, gets the money and delivers it as they agreed upon.

Later in the day Thomas returns to find Jesus relaxing in his chair, puffing a cigar and showing obvious pleasure at the conclusion of a successful transaction. Thomas immediately insists on seeing the bank recepits for the withdrawal, the receipt from the third-party, logs onto the bank's website to verify all the amounts and makes a spectacle of how he couldn't just take Jesus at his word that everything had occured as they both agreed it should. It's the demonstration of a mindset that will hold Thomas back in his life, because he obviously has not learned how to trust others.

That's the moral of the story, that even though trust may be later on be proved to be misplaced, it should nevertheless be given freely. The richness of human existence is multiplied by allowing yourself to trust others comfortably and graciously, whereas the man who is always skeptical and wary of the integrity of those around him will never be trusted himself. His life will be at arms length from others, just like Bateman, because he will never be satisfied unless he can examine all the evidence for himself. Sure it sucks to be burnt by someone you trusted, but on balance you will gain many more good friends and wordly success from being more inclined to trust than distrust. Don't be a fool about it, but don't wall yourself off in the hopes of never being dissappointed either.

That's what my faith means to me and why I go to Church. Those stories teach me something solemn and wise each time I go because I'm looking for the simple truth rather than the elaborate fairy tale. They also let me play their organ and pick the songs, which is pretty much the last venue I have left for public performance. My Catholicsm is very dear to me, and I hope we can still be friends in spite of it, MrsX.
 
RogueScholar
Sorry MrsX, but it's true; I'm a gay Catholic. But perhaps you can still love me like a brother, for you see, I'm not your typical Christian. I don't oppose any of the fairy tales, but neither do I go out preaching them either. Church to me represents a weekly committment to an ideal greater than myself, a chance to substantively demonstrate that fundamental Christian philosophy is one of the greatest thought systems I've encountered. I know it's been perverted and unnecessarily complicated throughout the ages, but all of the things it is recorded that Jesus preached are things I stand wholeheartedly behind.

My trust is not in some anthropomorphic deity, but rather in an abiding belief in the power of universal benevolence to positively impact the people exposed to it. Today's Gospel reading provides an awesome example. So many of the fairy tale Christians focus on the details of the story, Thomas insisting on placing his fingers in the nail wounds before declaring his belief that the man before him was indeed Jesus of Nazareth. Instead we can place the story in a much more contemporary context. Let's have Jesus and Thomas be business partners instead, in the modern era, preparing to withdraw money from the bank to deliver as payment to a third party for goods vital to their business. Thomas has to drive his mother to a doctor's appointment so Jesus goes to the bank alone, gets the money and delivers it as they agreed upon.

Later in the day Thomas returns to find Jesus relaxing in his chair, puffing a cigar and showing obvious pleasure at the conclusion of a successful transaction. Thomas immediately insists on seeing the bank recepits for the withdrawal, the receipt from the third-party, logs onto the bank's website to verify all the amounts and makes a spectacle of how he couldn't just take Jesus at his word that everything had occured as they both agreed it should. It's the demonstration of a mindset that will hold Thomas back in his life, because he obviously has not learned how to trust others.

That's the moral of the story, that even though trust may be later on be proved to be misplaced, it should nevertheless be given freely. The richness of human existence is multiplied by allowing yourself to trust others comfortably and graciously, whereas the man who is always skeptical and wary of the integrity of those around him will never be trusted himself. His life will be at arms length from others, just like Bateman, because he will never be satisfied unless he can examine all the evidence for himself. Sure it sucks to be burnt by someone you trusted, but on balance you will gain many more good friends and wordly success from being more inclined to trust than distrust. Don't be a fool about it, but don't wall yourself off in the hopes of never being dissappointed either.

That's what my faith means to me and why I go to Church. Those stories teach me something solemn and wise each time I go because I'm looking for the simple truth rather than the elaborate fairy tale. They also let me play their organ and pick the songs, which is pretty much the last venue I have left for public performance. My Catholicsm is very dear to me, and I hope we can still be friends in spite of it, MrsX.
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No.
 
RogueScholar
Maybe theistic points of view just aren't meant to be shared here on GameLive. If there's any part I was unclear about, please tell me and I'll revisit it.
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No that's OK. I actually regret posting that now.
We look at this from fundamentally different perspectives and any further comment I make is likely to lead us in a direction we don't really want to go.
:peace:
 
Mrs. X
Oh no RS, I was beginning to think we were siblings, long heart felt paragraphs, the same top pet peeve. But it sounds like your a fan of Jesus. My heart is broken. I hate that guy....well not really that guy but his whole "deal". Why has thou forsaken me RS.

I am so opposed to religion that I will actively not shop at any business that touts itself as being Christian owned. Andy has a sticker on our car that depicts Jesus is goalie pads catching a puck. It says Jesus Saves. It irks me that I know people think I'm a Christian because they don't look beyond the text. Mr. X finds this amusing.
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Thats awesome! can you post a pic of it?
 
Like this?

jesus-saves-goalie.jpg
 
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