Let's Talk God: Religious or Spiritual

Let me start by apologizing for the delay. There have been so many changes going on in my life, some good and some not so great, but I am definitely grateful for all the things going on and I can only hope that God sees fit to continue to bless me. I've been wanting to write about this topic for a long time, but wasn't quite sure where to start. I have a feeling this is really going to step on some toes and probably offend some, but this is what my truth is. I encourage everyone to find their own truth and not follow the truths of their friends and family.
I have been attending the same church as far back as I can remember. I grew up there, was baptized there and continue to go there even into my adult years. It is a Baptist church, with traditional Baptist values and has had the exact same program and routine since I was a child. Sunday School every Sunday, early morning service the 2nd and 4th Sunday and Bible study throughout the week. I have to chuckle a bit about that because I have to be the most anti-routine person there is. There, it almost seems as if people my age don't have a voice or an opportunity to get involved in anything in the church because the older people are in charge of everything. That's the way it's always been, so that's the way it will continue to be. It's their way or no way at all. Lets just face it, our beliefs and practices are passed down from generation to generation. A lot of us aren't open to learning anything new or at least researching our own faith to see where these beliefs come from. The older I got and especially after I entered college, I was yearning for information, knowledge, and just something different. I started questioning many things and yes, my Baptist upbringing was one of them.

One of the major questions I had and still have, is why are there so many different denominations if we all, in the Christian faith, are supposed to be serving the same God? I eventually got somewhat of an answer about this, but I'll let everyone else research that one themselves. I also questioned the ways that seems to be so prominent in the Christian faith. I'm a upstanding Christian today and I'm cursing somebody out the next. It's just crazy and all the gibberish eventually took a toll on me and the strength of my Baptist roots. In college I started attending a non denominational church that I absolutely loved. It was lively, upbeat, and really appealed to my age group, which at the time was probably from 18-25. I thoroughly enjoyed the singing and the sermons; however, the gossip and the mess that was going on in the church, eventually became to much to bear. It was ridiculous. I spent a lot of time feeling like I didn't have a "religious home." It didn't take me long to realize that I'm not a religious person. I'm just way to inquisitive to follow suit of what everyone is doing for the sake of doing it.

I set out on a journey to learn everything I could about the history of the Christian faith and the roots of the traditions. I started reading the Bible (New International Version) everyday, starting from Genesis. Keeping a dictionary handy so I could get the full meaning of the words. I was so amazed at some of the things it said. Bible verses I had heard millions of times, that had been interpreted by hundreds of different people, all of a sudden had different meaning to me. It was almost as if God led me to do this from the beginning. We tend to pick out verses that stand out, but those verses have different meaning when you take the time to read the entire book. In simpler terms; why trust someone else's interpretation of the Word, without first reading it yourself. Don't let people lead you to hell, even pastors. Keep in mind these people are just human. I've seen these same "church going folk", as I like to call them, have abortions, cheat on their spouses, take your last dime, and spread hate. Be carfeul who you let lead you religiously.

I have learned to find and build my own relationship with God. I worship Him in ways that make me feel comfortable and not by how others say I should do it. I can have a whole church service right here in my house. At this point in my life, the bond is so tight, the devil himself can't break it, and neither can any of you. I am so secure in my faith and spirituality. I don't have to question anything and I'm not in a constant battle with myself over the choices that I make. God is not going to strike me down for making a wrong decision. So it's safe to say that you aren't going to find me at church everyday of the week, sorry, that's just not me. If that's you, by all means, continue to do what makes you happy. Just please make sure that it's for the right reasons. God is in your heart. Going to church everyday and joining every ministry in the church, is still not going to satisfy you if He isn't in your heart.

I want to end this with a word of advice for my "church-going folk." There is nothing wrong with this nor am I trying to belittle or make fun of you. That is not my intent. I do have a friend who is overboard with it and finds herself struggling with it every day, so it makes it comical to me a little bit, but it's not meant to to poke fun. We all know the verse "Faith without works is dead" -James 2:17. It's been said many, many times. But let me give you a little bit of my interpretation of this verse. It's one thing to have faith and stand firm in your beliefs, but if you do nothing, you can expect nothing to happen. True blessings come through mainly doing good deeds for others. There are many who are sitting aroung waiting for God to save them, to send them a man, and to give them peace. Praying endlessly for a way out. Sorry to inform you, you will be waiting forever. My question to you is what are you doing to save yourself? Going to church everyday, joining every ministry, declaring yourself pure, is not enough. What is the last good deed you did for someone else other than yourself for no reason at all? This is the perfect time people.