I get a lot of funny looks when I respond to the question of, "Do you believe in God?" The answer is yes, I believe in a god. Sort of. Yeah, I believe in heaven. Sort of. My not so clear responses are usually met with the question of Jesus. Was he the savior? God only knows. Cue drum noise, cymbal noise and stock laughter. There are many reasons people turn to religion, specifically Christianity. Usually, they feel lost, empty or a great tragedy has struck their life and they try to fill the hole with something. There is nothing wrong with turning to a religion to fill that gaping maw, however for me it wasn't something I could continue to follow as I went through my life.
For one, those who belong to the Christian faith do not tend to be accepting of LGBT peoples. Now, that isn't true for all of them - in fact, I know several Christians who are also a part of the LGBT community. However, the widespread hatred towards people like me that permeates Christianity and its subsets has caused me to shy away from it. I judge a group, not by its rules or its basis, but by its people and it's members. And the many who are filled with hatred, unfortunately, outweigh the kind few who follow the commandment of judging none and loving all.
Another thing that doesn't settle well with me is that the Bible has not been changed, edited nor amended since it was finished, presumably when the apostles of Jesus finished writing. So why hasn't God spoken to a writer to continue the Bible or to provide updates for an ever-changing world? To me, personally, it doesn't add up. Whoever wrote about eating pork being a sin in the Bible had obviously made a connection between uncooked pork and disease, as well as anal sex causing diseases regarding homosexual sex - whether they came up with these ideas on their own or from God they were well intended. But now, modern medicine and cooking techniques have made these commandments obsolete. We wear mixed fabrics and cut our hair, and yet Christians continue to follow their outdated manuscript.
Almost every group of people have the dark side to their bunch and the KKK, white supremacists and Christian extremists are several reasons why I left the Christian faith. Now, that's not to say other groups dark sides aren't just as bad. I'm not about to jump into another faith for that exact reason.
For everyone out there who is unsure of whether or not the Christian faith is for them, do not let my nay-saying stop you. Everyone deserves to be happy and if your happiness is supplied by a belief in a higher power, a religion that is based on love, then, by all means, please be a part of it. But I will never stand for those who wish to warp said faith into justifying acts of violence and hatred. I hope that one day the world will see the error of their ways when it comes to religion.
