Regarding religion

[Keith 0]

I’ve posted this before but I want to post it again because I want it understood that, although I seem to be, I’m not anti-religion.

I once had a dear friend whom I had known for well over a decade. We were like brother and sister. We saw each other on a daily basis and talked on the phone frequently. She was molested by a close family member when she was young. The family member died before she was mature enough to deal with him directly over what he had done to her. As she got older the burden began to weigh more heavily on her. She became very angry, and eventually began to abuse alcohol, me, and her husband. At one point she began to attend church, and eventually became a born again Christian. She told me she was able to give her troubles to God and the huge burden she had been carrying was lifted because she now knew God was there to help her. I supported her in her efforts to deal with her past and the comfort the church provided.

As she became more involved in her church she began to pull away from me. When I talked to her about it she said it was because her church told her homosexuality was wrong and she didn’t know how to save me. She said she loved me very much and was concerned about my salvation. I told her I am who I am, and neither could I, nor would I change. Try as she might I remained gay. It didn’t matter to her that I had, for over decade, been a loyal, honest friend. It didn’t matter to her that, due to my moral beliefs, I returned a purse that contained a couple thousand dollars. It didn’t matter that I was in a long term monogamous relationship. I was gay.

We eventually lost touch and the last I heard she was doing well. I still support her decision to join the church because even though I lost a dear friend, I truly believe religion saved her life.

I believe belief in a higher power helps many deal with what would otherwise be the unbearable. I believe belief in a higher power provides meaning to lives of many and I support them.

Keith

Don't Fuck with me Keith - J. Mandeville

[jenfly00 0]

I would find it really tough to make a choice between giving my life to god ...and alcoholism.

I am glad your friend found some peace.

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"O brave new world that has such people in it".

[pirana 0]

An excellent example of why I respect people's beliefs in God, or whatever higher powers they ascribe to, as a means to guide them in matters of concience.

Too bad some of the dogma attached to her chosen faith were cause to exclude you from her life. I too have lost old friends because I got really tired of hearing them tell me how sad they were for me because of my chosen beliefs, that they were constantly praying for me, that someday I would see the light, etc....

Life is full of tough calls.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[ViperPilot 0]

Well, sounds like it helped her, but sorry it tore you guys apart. You did all you could. I think it's kind of a crock though, because I'm fairly religious, and on the coservative side. And I'll just come out and say that I don't necessarily agree w/ how you choose to live your life, but I sure as hell don't have the right to judge you or anyone else for being different from me. Personally, I have a good friend who's gay. Despite my disagreement w/ him on this issue and my conservative, religious nature, we're still friends and I see no problem with that. We never fight about it, we never get in arguments over it...we just leave it alone an don't dwell on it. He's a great guy and always will be in my book. We shouldn't care what everyone else does, we should care what we do.

[peregrinerose 0]

That's so sad that you lost a good friend over this

I'm in the same situation. My kid brother is a born again Catholic and follows the dogma to the letter. He criticizes me for using birth control, for getting divorced even though the guy would hit me, etc. I talk to him at the most once every few months now as a result. He won't let my husband and I get to know our new nephew because he does not believe his son should be exposed to our more pagan type belief system.

It's so sad that religion may help so many people find peace as individuals, but in some cases tears apart frienships and families.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[pirana 0]

Quote

That's so sad that you lost a good friend over this

I'm in the same situation. My kid brother is a born again Catholic and follows the dogma to the letter. He criticizes me for using birth control, for getting divorced even though the guy would hit me, etc. I talk to him at the most once every few months now as a result. He won't let my husband and I get to know our new nephew because he does not believe his son should be exposed to our more pagan type belief system.

It's so sad that religion may help so many people find peace as individuals, but in some cases tears apart frienships and families.

That whole born again thing is such a joke. My stanrd reply is:

"Excuse me for getting it right the first time!"

And the robotic, lockstep level of buy-in to dogma that would result in locking out family is more evidence that convinces me it is actually a mild form of mental illness. The ironic thing is that a lot of the same people, for the same reasons, buy into the pagan-like garbage of astrology too. But then again, who said the slightly tilted should ever be expected to be consistent.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley