***As a warning, I do not mean to offend ANYONE and this is just a small part of the research I have done when searching for answers that might never be able to answer my questions. People are entitled to their own opinion, but overall, people should be able to open their minds too.***
I consider myself Catholic. I've even been confirmed and have done pretty much everything while growing up. It isn't bad. I do like how its organized and its ideals. And on top of that, having such a huge history. But I am not very religious. Back when I was trying to find more about myself, and if He really existed, I attended services with other churches, and read many books on religion. After years (yes years) of trying to figure out what's right, trying to figure out if this makes sense, seeing if we have a chance at an afterlife, or are we all just chasing ghosts, I came to a single conclusion that has helped me spiritually. Don't follow a religion because it tells you to. Do it because you want to. With that said, I've been able to figure out that most religious texts not only help you become a better person, but help you improve the world too. Sadly, most religions, and well....let me rephrase that a little. Mostly people are the one's who use scare tactics or bribes to make others, yes make others join their religion. If you're open to new ideas, and aren't close minded, look into it. This is sadly true. And the truth is ugly.
My stand on religion, how i got to it, and how people need to be open with other ideas.
So, yes. I consider myself catholic. But with many other philosophical beliefs, including buddhism. Remember how I said "Don't follow a religion because it tells you to, do it because you want to"? This actually comes from some of my buddhist research. I'm always asking questions and contemplating life. In short, i'm more spiritual than religious. I do believe there is a God out there though, and He has a plan for me and everyone around us. So this also affected me on wanting to come out. Always hearing that God hates "F***" and Queers are going to hell. Right before I came out I started to ask people why God hates people if the bible says he loves everyone. All they could come up with was "Its says it in the bible!" Finally I got someone to tell me exactly where it is in the bible. So I looked it up. And guess what? They were right.
Sort of.
So anyway, yes the bible does say something about that. Leviticus 18:22 for those who are curious, it does say "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." But apparently people still argue about what it truly means. But using this one line will not win any argument. So I started reading more about the bible for myself. For the first time in forever. Other things I found were this:
Leviticus 11:10
"But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you."
*Shellfish shouldn't be consumed. Yay! wait....does that include shrimp? And oysters? At least i can still have sushi....I think.*
Leviticus 19:27
"Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard."
*Done....wait, that would be bad for me if I'm to pass....bearded lady? No thanks.*
Leviticus 19:19
"...do not plant your fields with two kinds of seed. Do not wear material woven of two kinds of material."
*ok....so no stretchy jeans, or pretty much anything I'm wearing i think...become a nudist?*
And so on and so forth. Yes most of these were from the book of Leviticus. And I also found things like, your robe must have four tassels, and do not eat pork because its unclean, and other fun stuff. But sometimes they can mean completely different things than what they were intended for. Plus it was for a different time, and I can understand some of these laws were put in place for health reasons. Shellfish? Yes, there was almost no way of guaranteeing that you wouldn't get sick from eating it. Plus, nothing ever translates perfectly. For a while, people had to speak, yes literally speak, the word of our Lord. It wasn't until the printing press was invented around 1440 right? So meanings and stories could have changed thousands of times before mass bibles were able to become available to the public. And even then, people still needed to learn how to read. I'm not saying the bible is 100% wrong, but people aren't perfect.
Along those imperfections, I will admit, I'm not done reading it, but so far, I haven't read that Jesus has said anything about homosexuality. I will finish it though. I haven't felt this close to God when I wasn't being myself, but since I've come out, things seem to be changing for the better. More challenges everyday, and everyday I feel stronger as a real person. More real than those fakes you see walking around just going through the motions. Be yourself!
The overall message here? Please. Don't judge. After all, Jesus did say "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." John 8:7. How can we all possibly progress as a human race with so much hate, and so much destruction against ourselves? Help the world become a better place for all, and in doing so, you will better yourself. If you do good, good things will happen. That's karma, and God, for ya! :)
Keep making this world a beautiful place for all,
With love,
~Elle
P.S. This is a site (one of many) that helped me when I was trying to see if being any kind of gay would make me a terrible person. Glad to hear that I was wrong ^_^
http://www.soulforce.org/article/homosexuality-bible-gay-christian
And for strange verses that make like no sense check this site out :D
http://www.churchhopping.com/ten-verses-never-preached-on/
Until next time! :)
