Religious Hateraide

I'm constantly amazed at the state of people.

The views of life are so diverse as to be confusing sometimes. We must all use our own personal experiences in order to shape our world view, and seeing some worldviews makes me wonder exactly what kind of world we live in.

Take, for example, the man who is against religion. Not against fundamentalists, not against the harmful aspects of religion (of which there are many), but simply religion and people who subscribe to a belief system to begin with. He has a hatred for these people, or at best a clear disdain for them.

Why does he feel this way? Is it because he has been hurt in the past by someone portraying themselves as a worker for the Lord? Is it because he has been hurt in general, and blames it all on God? Has he been wronged in the past, and the only way to explain that wrong is that a higher power is out to get him? Or does he just not like religion because it is what it is?

There are so many wrongs done by people in the past purporting to be Christian, or doing what they do in the name of God. The Crusades is only the most recognizable of these. There are so many injustices against humanity all in the name of religion.

But does this make God the kid on the anthill with a magnifying glass? Is He some sort of malevolent creature who is only out to get us, and is using us as a social experiment, only to throw us into the fiery pits of Hell when it's all over? The problem with this view is that it is only harmful to those who have it. You certainly don't have to believe in God, but believing that there is a God who is only out to get us is just putting a damper on what could be an otherwise happy life. If you're always expecting the hammer to fall, what is the point? If you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has pre-ordained where you will end up simply because He knows it to begin with, what is the point of your life?

The answer to the 'mean kid on the anthill waiting to send us to Hell' is that foreknowledge does not equal fore ordination. Just because you KNOW something is going to happen doesn't mean that you caused it. For example: If you KNOW that your teenager is going to steal your keys and wreck your car, did you cause it to happen simply by the knowledge? If the police KNOW that a robbery is going to occur at a certain time in a certain place, does that knowledge cause the event to happen? Of course not! They are caused by man exercising his free will. Sure, the police can step in and stop the robbery before it happens, but then they will miss out on catching the major criminal behind the robbery. Sure, the parent can step in and stop the teenager from stealing the keys and wrecking the car, but how will the teen learn that what he has done is bad? Especially if that teenager is to the point of just not listening? God can step in at any time and 'fix' everything. But that in itself has consequences. When you mess with Free Will, you throw a cog into the works that will shut the entire operation down.

God did not make us automatons. He cannot force Himself on us. He WILL NOT force Himself on us. That is not why we were created. And, it is up to US to bring the lost to Him and save them from Hell, not up to Him. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, as any police officer will tell you when he pulls you over for speeding. God is not being the mean kid on the anthill waiting to send us all into a fiery death. If anything, we are holding the magnifying glass. God is simply watching us and shaking His head, wondering why we aren't doing a better job.

So how do we answer the man from before, the bitter, damaged man who can't seem to give religion a fair shake? The answer is, we don't. We allow him to make up his own mind, having placed all of what we know in front of him. You can't force Biblical teachings on someone who won't hear it any more than you can force a thirsty man to drink. You hand him the cup of water, and you let HIM make the decision to drink it. If you have done everything you can, i.e. used historical context, religious and secular histories, outside sources, and personal revelations that God is indeed real and watching over us as a benevolent parent and not a malevolent creature of violence, if He exists at all, then you've used up your options. It is then up to you to be an example of why The Way is The Way. You cannot explain away the apparent 'contradictions' in the Bible to his satisfaction, so you have to just allow him to go his own way. You cannot explain to him why your way is better than the myriad other religions that are out there, some of which predate Christianity. He will not listen. It's now between him and whatever god he ascribes to as to where he ends up. It will all come out in the end, and the only thing we can do is hope that our lost man will see the Light before it is too late.

Hi

Husbandry

I love my husband.

This particular blog entry will be a total gush about the most important man in my life.

Before I met him I was a bit of a flirt. A tease. I didn't think anything of it because it didn't mean anything to me. What I didn't realize is what it meant to these men I was teasing and flirting with. They took me seriously. Any time I wore a tight little shirt, they thought it was just for them. Any time my jeans were too tight or I showed off a little stomach, they thought it was for them. The smiles, gestures, winks, teasing...all for them.

To me, it didn't matter a hill of beans. I could care less that I left these guys thinking that I would do what they wanted, and it puzzled me if they got mad when the teasing didn't lead anywhere substantive.

Any boyfriend I had at the time was out of luck if he wanted me to stop flirting. It was part of my personality, part of my "thing", what I did for fun. Jealousy? Pish posh! The guy just had to get over it because I wasn't changing for anyone!!!!!

And then along came P, my darling, the man who saved me from whatever wolves were waiting for me at the end of the road I was traveling. He used a firm but gentle hand to show me that I was "doing it wrong". He used sweetness and kindness and logic to show me that the path I had been on was not a good one. He made me see that the man in my life is the only man I should flirt with. And he did it all without an ounce of jealousy toward any of my male friends! He is truely one in a million! Most men would have responded with bitterness and driven me away. He responded with kindness and love and drew me closer to him. He was not afraid to make sure I knew he did not approve, and he made me WANT to make him happy.

This is one of the many ways I knew it was love.

He loves me without question, without preconceived ideas of who I should be. He makes me want to be a better person.

Hurricanes and such

Well, Catfish had to call AMS and ask to take another weekend away from the kids. There is a hurricane blowing in, and trying to drive against the traffic wouldn't be smart. Or healthy.

I just wish that we had thought to tell her that here was a safer place for the kids and have her meet us halfway, but she is such a you-know-what that she would probably put the kids in harm's way just to keep them away. She's done it before.

So there's another weekend down the drain. The bad part is, I'm not sure if we even have the money to go get them at all this month. More later on that.

Custody Sucks

Well, I'm dealing with an ongoing problem. AMS won't budge an inch when we want to get some extra time with the kids, but Catfish gives in to her every time she wants to take a weekend. For example, this last weekend was a three day weekend that fell on our time. We pretty much have standing plans to get the kids and bring them back here on every three day weekend so that we can have time with them at home instead of at Emaw's house. The last three day weekend that fell to us she took off with the kids without calling or checking in. We filed charges. I don't think she knows that yet. On this particular weekend she said that her Granny is on death's door and the kids need to see her before she passes on. I would believe her except that the last time that Granny was on death's door she didn't bother going to see her. Of course, that was on her weekend.

So this last weekend she calls begging for time to go see Granny since she won't be alive much longer.

Catfish gave in and gave her last weekend and the upcoming weekend as long as she would trade for second and fourth this month.

We'll see if that actually happens.

I'm getting so tired of having to play this game of forcing Catfish to see his kids. I'm to the point of just telling him to sign over custody so we don't have to pay for kids we never see. I know he loves them dearly, but it seems like he's too lazy to have a meaningful relationship with them.

I just need to make sure that Princess and I are taken care of.