Talking Religion

I love taking religion. Absolutely love it. I'm fascinated with what other people believe, and why.

I had the opportunity to engage in one of these conversations today with a man who stopped me and claimed he just wanted to ask me a few questions. Please. I knew this was about to turn into a religious discussion. I even knew we were likely to butt heads, but it didn't bother me. I loved to just hear what he had to say, and I loved to tell him about my beliefs. Sure we differed on just about everything. But it was still fascinating.

Whenever I talk about religion, I try to keep it friendly. A conversation and a learning experience. Not an argument or a conversion. I've learned that this approach helps people feel more comfortable about sharing their beliefs. I've been able to get on really personal levels with people and understand how they perceive life and purpose and everything along those lines.

As you can imagine, nobody's alike. I always hear a different point of view. Some of the most interesting conversations have been with friends that believe in a kind of eternal energy. A natural force beyond our understanding. One that is completely unique to each person, yet connecting us all.

Fascinating stuff.

I can't even wrap my head around that, but I get it. It's hard to explain. But I get where that kind of view comes from. In fact, I think that's because it's sort of a complicated take on my belief of God.

That's probably a blog to save for another day though...

Regardless, I love to hear what everybody has to say. Ultimately, it helps me challenge my own beliefs. It's a learning experience and it's a growing experience. I love it!

"Christian"

Something that struck me in The Birth Narratives article were the statistics that the Newsweek Poll found:

"A NEWSWEEK Poll found that 84 percent of American adults consider themselves Christians, and 82 percent see Jesus as God or the son of God. Seventy-nine percent say they believe in the virgin birth, and 67 percent think the Christmas story--from the angels' appearance to the Star of Bethlehem--is historically accurate."

I was shocked to see that 84 percent of Americans consider themselves Christian. That got me thinking about what it means to be a Christian. To me, it means both accepting Jesus as the Son of God and trying to live out your life in the way Jesus taught. But do eighty-four percent of Americans agree with me? Probably not. In fact, I'm guessing it's far from that. So then what qualifies as being Christian? Accepting Jesus as the Messiah? Showing love and compassion? Going to church on Christmas Eve?

It seems to me that the word "Christian" gets a bad reputation because of the wide variety of the definitions people put on that word. Nobody quite knows what to expect from a Christian, and thus is often disappointed. It's a shame, really. And I don't think anyone has their definition wrong. Everybody is entitled to be a Christian in whatever way they so choose. But often, people throw that label around and don't think of the implications it could be causing for "Christians" everywhere.

The Many Looks of Jesus

The Bible and specifically the gospel and life of Jesus is well known all over the world. Christianity has spread far and wide and I find it fascinating that every culture chooses to portray Jesus in different way. Historically, Jesus likely lived in the Middle East. So he probably had dark skin and dark hair, but I know that many of the portrayals I've seen of Jesus don't necessarily match that. Living in a Western culture, I've seen paintings of Jesus almost exclusively with light skin. And in Africa and the Caribbean, the paintings are of a black Jesus. I think that's so cool that different people choose to make Jesus a part of their own culture. I think it must help them relate to Jesus and feel closer to him. And in my opinion, I don't think it matters if the paintings are historically accurate or not, just that people all around the world are affected and influenced by his teachings.

My roots

So I thought I'd start off this blog by telling a little bit about myself and my faith. I grew up in Fort Worth, Texas where I attended Univeristy Christian Church. UCC is a huge church, with over 3000 active weekly members. In fact it's one of the largest Disciples of Christ congregations in the country. That's not saying much though, the Disciples of Christ denomination of Christianity isn't too large, and a lot of people don't really know what it means.

I'm here to help though. Let me explain. The mission of Disciples of Christ is essentially living the good news of Jesus Christ with open minds and loving hearts. The focus is centered on actions reflecting and representing the teachings of Jesus. It's a very liberal, progressive ministry that extends a welcoming hand to anyone that wishes to join.

And despite being a part of this ministry for my entire life, I don't have a strong knowledge of the Bible like many other Christian foundations. Of course, I know the popular stories like Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, and Moses parting the Red Sea, but for the most part my faith was not born out of knowledge of the Bible. As a Disciple of Christ, my faith is based on expressions of love, compassion, and kindness to others.

If you want to learn more about UCC, I encourage you to check out their website!
http://www.universitychristianchurch.org/