News flash - the church isn't shaming you. It's rejoicing in you. It's not telling you "no" - it's saying "yes" to what is most fulfilling for you.

Many people turn away from the church or have a hateful stance in regards to religion because to them all they see are "no's" and "that's wrong, don't do that". But often times those same people don't hate their parents for telling them "no" or telling them "you can't do that, that's not right". What's the difference? The media and our degrading culture as a country.

As kids, no one is giving you ideas on how to perceive your parents. No one is saying, "look how terrible of them, you should be your own person. What do they know about what's right?" But in regards to religion, everything in the world is out to get it and convince you that religion does nothing but hold you back and restrict you and your individuality and ability to be expressive. But that's not true.

The church isn't shaming you - it's rejoicing in you.

It's not saying no to abortions. It's not saying no to sex before marriage. It's saying yes to life and the coolest most awesome miracle ever. It's saying yes to an overwhelmingly strong and intimate connection with whomever you'll be with for life. And neither of those things even have to be considered religious, they're just common things us humans deal with on a daily basis whether we're religious or not.

But because the church is the only one that stands up and says something about them (just like your parents did to you as a kid), automatically the church becomes the bad guy, when in fact the church is trying to lift you up and give you overwhelming happiness and fulfillment that the world can't give you on its own.

The church is grounded in love. That's the foundation and the core. So every boundary laid or point of view is made on love. The church doesn't say no. Instead, it says yes - to love, life, and the happiness of humanity as a whole.