Heathen...

-Noun

1. An unconverted individual of a people that do no acknowledge the God of the Bible, a person who is neither a Jew, Christian, nor Muslim; pagan.

2. An irreligious, uncultured or uncivilized person.

Pagan

-Noun

1. One of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks.

2. A person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim.

3. An irreligious or hedonistic person.

Hedonist

-Noun

1. A person whose life is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification.

(All definitions taken from dictionary.com)

Happy Easter.

I am not a huge fan of being called a heathen on Easter.

No, I did not go to a church service. But I don't attend church anyway.

Does that make me a heathen? According to Webster, no.

I do recognize and accept the God of the Bible, thereby falling into the classification of "Christian."

So, am I uncivilized, uncultured, and irreligious?

Uncivilized...at times. But not really in public arenas. I chew with my mouth closed at dinner.

Uncultured...hardly. I have been fortunate enough to have been educated about other cultures, as well as my own.

So, I guess I am irreligious.

And I am fine with that. I don't particularly enjoy, support, or believe that religions get us to "heaven." There's a relationship for that.

I don't believe it's the rules, the fellowship, the buildings, the memorized prayers that get people into their heaven or "everlasting life." I believe that it is a relationship with God and Christ.

Now, I don't talk about religion a lot...or really at all, especially on this blog. That is because I believe that each person has freedom--a freedom to decide what to believe, how to believe, who to believe. Everyone also has a freedom to not have religion stuffed into their face and down their throats all the time.

I believe that we have free will--free minds to think for ourselves. We are given guidelines for how to live and what to believe. Those guidelines are in place to help us live richer (not $ rich, but experience rich), fuller, more satisfying lives.

Remember that time Jesus yelled at all the men in the temple? Remember how angry he got? Remember how Jesus stayed away from all the "religion" and "religious people?" Yeah, that's all true. He got mad at the men in the temple because they had turned it into a house of moneychangers--i.e., a place not dedicated to worship, etc. He did not hang out with the religious people because they were so unforgiving and stuck on religion.

I used to go to church...a lot. I mean, probably 4 or 5 days a week. Have you seen "Saved?" Way back in the day...I was trying my best to be Hilary Faye...saving souls, being as perfect as can be, hating everyone who was not a "Christian," and judging everyone else's actions. There was never a "good enough," and a distinct lack of forgiveness.

I decidedly left the church because there was a distinct lack of forgiveness for me. My peers judged me for breaking up with the boy I was dating. My friends either turned against me, or ignored me...leaving me alone. My Grandfather died less than a month after I "lost" all of my friends, so I had no one to turn to. Since then, I have only ever attended church with my Grandmother or with my parents on holidays. I decided that I didn't need the church to feel like a lonely sinner.

I would also like to take this moment to articulate my support for the GLBTQ community. So often, Christians are put into an anti-gay category...and honestly, of course they have kind of earned their place there. It is not like the Christian community has been known for its extreme openness to homosexuality.

I don't believe that there is a choice involved in sexuality. I believe that you are born the way you are born, and that is the way God intended you to be. Gay, straight, bisexual, transgender...all of the above are still children of God--and that means that you are still loved by him as you are, where you are.

I don't believe that even if, by some chance, homosexuality is a sin, that it is my place to judge. I just want to be clear--I do not see homosexuality as a sin, sickness or choice. But IF it were, it is not my place to judge...because I am a sinner too--there's NO WAY you'll catch me throwing stones. We can take all our stones together and build a beautiful palace...where we can eat, drink, live, love, and thank God for making us exactly who we are.

So, please do not call me a heathen. I am not so. And please don't shy away from me because I am now clearly labeled "Christian." (Well, some Christians may disagree...so I guess that there is no label fit for me. ;-) I am ok with that.) I welcome everyone--whatever beliefs and whatever paths.

Because you know what? That's what Jesus did. And I am not a lot like Jesus...but I do my best to be what I believe he wants me to be. And I believe that is caring, accepting, loving, thoughtful and helpful.

And if you have questions about my beliefs--feel free to ask. I can't promise that I will always know the answer, but I always appreciate it when people make me think. ;-)

So...Happy Easter, Blessed Passover, Merry Sunday, Happy Day-of-the-week-that-means-no-work-for-some.

Whatever floats your boat, I hope you had a pleasant day. :-)