Choices

[Lilly]

I am a very independent thinker. I really am squirmish to identify myself with groups at all. That especially goes for identifying myself as a Christian. Not that I don't believe in Christ and God, I just don't like Christianity. I don't like its history (indulgences, crusades, etc) and I don't like its fanatics (i.e Mr. Falwell). I am stuck in the middle on this. If it doesn't feel right to call myself a Christian, what am I? I think Edge actually talked about a similar issue somewhere else where he is Christian but he doesn't like Christians. Well, that's how I feel. I just don't like feeling so alone in that. So where my rambling is headed is, does anybody else feel like this?

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It's the puppets that pull the strings.

 

[hippy]

Hmmmm....To start, this is the quote you were thinking of, I think:

"I have no trouble with Christ, but I have trouble with a lot of Christians." -Edge

And now I'll respond...Like you, Lilly, I hesitate to identify myself with a specific group because of the connotations that can bring with it (ie. being a Christian sometimes conjures up some pretty lousy images). But I also have to call myself a Christian because I believe in Christ.

I think where you probably get really upset is thinking in terms of the religion and not the spirituality of Christians. I call myself a Christian because that's what I am...I believe that Jesus was the savior and that through Him anyone who believes will live with God. Where I get upset sometimes is when people assume I'm part of a specific sect of "Christianity," or a specific group like Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic, etc. It's labels like these that give me shivers. So that's what I tell people when and if they ask about my spirituality. I don't like to call it religion because the word religion often implies things like you stated (indulgences, crusades, etc).

Edge has another quote that I really like from the same chapter of U2: At the End of the World...

"But I have less and less time for legalism now. I just see that you live a life of faith. It's nothing to do necessarily with what clothes you wear or whether you drink or smoke or who you're seeing or not seeing."

This is the way I like to live my life...without the legalism of established "religion," but with the faith of a Christian.

Hope that helped!

hippy

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And your earth moves beneath
Your own dream landscape

You can dream, so dream out loud!

"The way to be optimistic is not to shut your eyes and close your ears." -Bono

Create Light, Create Unity, Create Joy, CREATE PEACE!

 

[Discoteque]

Lilly, the things you mentioned are the very things that all Christians think about at one time or another - I know I sure have.

Christianity, like any other faith/religion, has had its black marks: the Crusades, the Inquisition, the oppression of innocent people, the rape of women, the total destruction of people, cities, lands and cultures in the "name of Christ" really turns my stomach. And this very history makes it just that much harder for many people to understand why Chirstianity is "better" than any other type of religion. Well, they have a point!

But I agree with what Hippy said...Christianity is not about a "religion" or a "cause" or a way of life...it's a personal relationship between you and Christ, letting HIM lead you in your life, and no one else. Only He knows your heart. Of course, most religions have some flavor of legalism in them, no matter how hard they try not to, it just goes with the territory. It's human nature to try and categorize everything, and that includes God. When in doubt, look no further than God's own word for the truth.

I love those two quotes of Edge's, because they pretty much sum it all up for me as well!

"I have no trouble with Christ, but I have trouble with a lot of Christians." -Edge

"But I have less and less time for legalism now. I just see that you live a life of faith. It's nothing to do necessarily with what clothes you wear or whether you drink or smoke or who you're seeing or not seeing."