Over and over, I get the urge to write. I get the urge to unload the heaviness of my empathetic soul through tiny taps on the keyboard. I'm 41, I still look at the keys to type & I prefer it that way. Not that you wanted to know that but, now you do. You're welcome, for that, tiny little tidbit, of useless information.
Twenty-twenty has been an invigorating year for me, emotionally. I started a book called The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron & it helped to open up areas that I needed to work in. That was mid-February.
Insert pandemic into an already emotional journey, that I have been on, for five and a half years now. Time is flying by & I daily remind myself to be present. Not to get caught up in the things that don't deserve my energy. I struggle terribly with this. I'm very easily side-tracked. I've been working on this post since last week.
I left organized religion this summer. I really don't know how else to elaborate on that. It wasn't specifically my (former) church; mainly, it was the overall oppression projected onto the gay community by the modern church, as a whole.
I've questioned the modern church's stance on the gay community since I actively started seeking Him (Jesus, for those of you that aren't Christian) in 2010.
Side note: it's been more than 10 years & I'm pretty excited about that.
I wasn't raised in church. I literally knew nothing about the Bible. Nothing about Jesus. I went to church a handful of times. I have a handful of memories through childhood, that involved church. As I type that, I know I've said that before. I'll go back later and see if I can find that post. There could be many. I talk a lot. Obviously.
Please, be under no impression that I'm an expert. I am not. I am, however, a disciple of Jesus & if you don't know that by the way that I live, I'm not doing what I am called to do, as a Christian.
I don't think God would be pleased with the way LGBTQ community is being treated. The God that I love & cherish wouldn't turn people away. Period.
I no longer wanted to be affiliated with any church that could treat people in such a manner that doesn't even acknowledge their existence. Could you imagine being treated that way?
I started searching the internet. I actually miss encyclopedias a bit, but the internet is so much more accessible.
I searched "could the Bible be misinterpreted about homosexuality", or something of that nature. I can't remember exactly what it was, but it led me to this article. I highly recommend you read it. It will only be the beginning. Well, it was the beginning for me. I want to share an excerpt of this article:
"Amongst those tens of thousands of documents, there was a single exchange from the mid-1950s of three letters in each directions between a young seminarian and Dr. Weigle. The seminarian questioned Dr. Weigle and the team’s theological translation of arsenokoitai and malakos as “homosexual.” With impressive detail, grace and humility, the seminarian fully and articulately substantiated a most excellent case as to why he believed “homosexual” was an inaccurate translation. If was as if this young man had an uncanny clarity we have today about the translation of two specific Greek words. It was remarkable!"
I can't express how reading this made me feel. I was in tears. I am currently reading Walking the Bridgeless Canyon: Repairing the Breach Between the Church & the LGBT Community. You can purchase it here, if you're interested. I also purchased the study guide.
I've been writing this for too long & decided that I must stop here. I have so much that I need to say, that I start cramming everything into one post. It's been so long since I've written.
Since leaving the church, there have been very few people that are supportive of my decision. It's not spoken, but it's felt. However, ministry begins outside those doors & God is working through me; no amount of "christian" condemnation will change that.
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