Anti-Christ But Pro-Christmas

Is it possible to be an atheist but take part in the Christmas celebrations?  The reason I asked is that I see and hear of people who are outspoken in their beliefs, or disbelief.  They professed to be atheists but when it comes to Christmas and other Christian-related holidays, they are all over it like a cheap suit.

I am not passing judgement on who should and should not attend their work Christmas parties, accept presents and enjoy the Christmas experience.  What’s not to enjoy about Christmas?  We celebrate the birth the most high while engaging in fun activities.   So like I said, what’s not to celebrate?   But if the Klu Klux Klan had a holiday that was widely celebrated by people of like thoughts and beliefs, would I feel inclined to be a part of the festivities just because it seemed like a fun time?  I think not.  I don’t like parties that much

So now, does this mean that such a person is either a hypocrite or confused?  Or maybe just loves a good party?  You tell me.  I do think that most people who professed to be atheists are usually just confused or feeling their need to be radical.

Just my opinion, everyone has one.  What’s yours?

Merry Christmas to all!

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Casting the first stone

A Mexican standoff. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.”   We all know this Biblical saying.  But imagine what a boring world it would be if we subscribe to it.   None of us are without sin, even if we do not kill, we may lie.    Sin is sin, isn’t it?   if I am to judge my kleptomaniac neighbor, he also has the right to judge me, so  what we have here ladies and gentlemen, is a Mexican standoff.  No stones will be cast today.  You may now proceed to your homes.

In this day and age, casting the first stone is a luxury not readily affordable.  There is a race to get to that first stone and prizes are awarded.  Well at least so it seems.  Everyone’s fingers are pointed at everyone else but themselves.  We see the guy creeping on his wife but our own spousal abuse is overlooked.  As long as we are not cheating, it’s all good.  Sin that is highly visible takes precedent over sin that is behind closed doors and that makes it easier for the closeted sinner to cast the first stone.

Isn’t it funny that casting that first stone is almost the same as being the first one with the correct answer?  We all want to be the one who outed the sinner.  ’I caught him red-handed’ is a triumphant cry, worthy of a trophy but our hands stay in our pockets for fear that they too might be seen to be red.

So why is it so much easier to cast the first stone even if we do not fit the criteria of a qualified stone caster?  Why is it easier to ignore our own failures while pointing out those in others?  Is it even possible for us to first look at ourselves before we look at others?  I fear not.

Exercising and testing your faith

One of my Facebook friends uses her statuses to testify about her love of God and her relationship with him.   Her statuses are all to glorify him and I have yet to read one that was just about her.   I have always admired her for giving props where it was due.  As a local entertainer,  it would have been easy and excusable for her to exalt herself  but she chose to put God on the pedestal instead.  As I often do when I am touched by what someone did or said, I made sure to let her know how refreshing her statuses were to me.

Reading her last couple statuses however, I got the impression that she was going through a personal struggle of sorts, one that was apparently pushing her faith to the limit and raising questions about God’s plans for her.

Today, her status read, “ Sometimes, I wonder what GOD is doing …when things that make no sense happen in my life. When a problem arises … without any warning.This is when my faith is tested and I am tempted to give up. But, then I remember that … “Faith is being sure of what I hope for and certain of what I cannot see.” Re-assuring me, that even when problems arise, GOD is fully aware of my situation … and HE will work out everything for me … in His perfect time”.

Even though she surprised me with the line, ‘tempted to give up’, I was happy to see that she remembered what faith was all about.  Too often, we as Christians forget that like non-Christians, we are also prone to temptations, disappointments and other heartbreaks of life.  Having a deep relationship with Christ does guarantee us immunity.  It helps us to face  and overcome these setbacks. With faith, we know and believe that God will see us through.

As I commented on my friend’s status, faith is like your muscles.  It also needs to be exercised.  So think of temptations as the weights that our faith must carry to get a workout.  Without these hardships, who needs faith?  How would we know if we have faith if it’s not exercised and tested?  I can say I am a great at math until I am actually tested and prove I suck at it.  So too, we can say we have faith but it’s time to test it, we have little or none.

God never promised us a bed of roses.  He never said, ‘Follow me and you will live a stress-free life with everything you want.’  If we keep this in mind, we will be ready for the next hiccup or road block that comes our way.  We will say, ‘Oh here comes another test.  Let’s see how I do on this one.’  Remember, we have never seen a problem that HE couldn’t fix.  And really, if we REALLY DO believe in him and have faith in him, there is no room for worry as faith and worry cannot co-exist.

How strong is your faith?

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‘Playing’ Jesus

A mega church in Winnipeg is attempting to make church more appealing by re-enacting biblical events in a contemporary form.  Their Easter messages are delivered using props and costumes of popular figures and movies.   This past Easter, their Message was entitled ‘Batman: The Dark Night’.  The ‘actors’ including the pastor, were all in full and authentic costumes.

Now I am not sure how I feel about this.  Reading the comments, not too many are ready for something such as this.  Blasphemy is used a lot to describe it.  I can see how something like this could attract people to the church but what happens next Sunday when the biblical stories are delivered raw, uncut and without the trimmings?

I am old school.  To a point.  Tell me the story of Jesus the way it is.  Don’t package it in colorful wrappings.  I don’t want to imagine him as the Dark Knight, no matter the good intentions.  But that’s just me.  Like I said, I am old school.  I do however, enjoy contemporary worship over the traditional hum-drum hymns singing.

On the flipside, Jesus did use parables to drive home his points.  The Bible is filled with stories that he used to make us understand.  So maybe what the church is doing is not all that bad.  If even one soul is gained through this, then who am I or you to talk?

Read all about it here

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Selfish Christians

Is there such a thing as a Selfish Christian? Isn’t that an example of an oxymoron?  I think it is.  You see, to me a Christian is one who not only follows Christ but also his teachings.  A Christian is then supposed to share their faith with others so they can also become a part of God’s family.  So in reality, we cannot be selfish and call ourselves Christians.  Right? For my blog’s sake, we’ll pretend it’s an acceptable term.

My Church

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

I just had an urge to blog about the Church I attend.  I choose to worship there, not because they are the best group of people, although they are a darn good bunch,  or because the pastor deliver the best sermons.  I chose this Church because it answered most of my questions as to what I wanted in a ‘home church’.  I say ‘home Church’ as I do not allow myself to be confined to attending this church exclusively.  I also attend an Anglican Church at least once a month,  plus a couple other denominations at least a couple times a year.  I like to experience different forms and types of worships.  It helps to keep things fresh.

Now you are probably wondering what questions my Church answered to make me want to make it ‘my Church’.  Well for one, this may seem very trivial, it is literally outside my backyard.  Attending church can sometimes be like going to the gym.  You miss a day and then it turns into a week and before you know it, you have not attended in a month or maybe a year.  Having a church in close proximity to your home, helps to eliminate this tendency.  If perchance I have to miss church, I try to keep my curtains drawn just in case I am seen by church member while I am sitting on my couch watching football on TV.   My church also has more than a few members of its congregation who still remember my name and seem genuinely pleased to see me whenever I show up.  Laugh if you must but the last church where I worshiped  for over 15 years,  I still never felt like I was a real part of it.  There were cliques in the congregation that seemed harder to break into than a bank’s safe.   So that was question number two that my church answered.  The really big one was that the resident Pastor who sadly, recently moved to another province,  delivered sermons  in a way that kept my attention and made me stay awake.  (this, I assure you is no easy feat).  God forgive me, but my ADD kicks in when a preacher/pastor sounds as if he might be on the verge of falling asleep as he delivers a sermon.   I don’t think any sermon is boring.  It is all in the delivery.  Sermon content and appropriateness plays a big part also.

There are a few other points that my church has that made me gravitate to it like the live band that is very enthusiastic every Sunday, the coffee breaks where coffee and hot chocolate are actually served are just a couple.