[reason 50] god

 

A friend asked me recently why I believe in Christianity/God with all that's "wrong with it." 

I thought for a while about my response. I agree that there is a lot wrong with "Christianity" as seen by "Christians" who don't follow Jesus' teaching of no-strings-attached love; with "God" as seen by people who believe that "God hates _____." Those people aren't Christians. They do not follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. They completely miss everything in the New Testament  about love and forgiveness and how Jesus interacts with sex workers and nonbinary people and the disabled - and that Jesus is so unconcerned with homosexuality that he doesn't mention it, but does condemn child molestation.

I believe in God, not in religion. 

I believe in a Creator.
I believe in God-with-us.
I believe in free will and that we humans fuck that up on a regular basis.
I believe that I should live my life in a way that reflects the love and care of the Creator in which I believe.
I believe I should live in service to others because I believe that is what it is to be human.
I believe that God expects us to LOVE each other above all else - to love our friends, or family, strangers, foreigners, people like us, people different from us, people we agree with, people we disagree with, people who do good in the world, people who do horrible things.
I believe that we have the capacity to love everyone, even if we don't like them.
I believe we can want the best for every single person on the earth because the best is loving each other. 
I believe if we all love each other, it would be heaven on earth. 
I believe in LOVE.

I believe it is not my place to judge - it's God's. 
I believe in a loving, merciful, mothering God.
I believe God has compelled and propelled me to do good things.
I believe God forgives, not punishes. 
I believe our soul, our energy, lives on after we die. 

I believe in a triune God who created us all in their image - all genders (hint: there are more than two), all sexual orientations, all abilities, all colors. I believe we are a reflection of God's love of diversity, just like the world around us.

I believe worship doesn't need to take place in a building or with a certain person or people. I believe we worship through the way we live our lives and how we treat others. 

Why do I believe? 
I'm not sure.
I know I don't believe because someone told me to. I know I've had more questions than answers along my spiritual journey. I know I've walked away from religion and faith, only to be more convinced of the existence of God as a result. I've had moments of extreme gratitude and moments of extreme anger with God. And somehow I'm sure they understand both. 

I guess the answer to why I believe in God is because I have experienced God so many times throughout my life that I can't not believe.