God has many voices. To hear some say it, they are a constant spokesperson. Those are the people I listen to at least. One of the biggest problems I have had with the church over the years is dealing with people who speak for God, condemn in God’s name, and use God’s name in vain. The church is a place for healing and learning and sadly in America we have too many people who think they are doctors and teachers.
I disagree with the denomination of the church I am in on many things. That is part of my problem. Part of the reason I wanted out of this church is because instead of staying and fighting those beliefs, I found it easier to walk away from the situation. Who am I, I thought? They are religious leaders. They chose to spend their lives dedicated to God and I can go the other way and live my own life and not worry about this nonsense. To tell the truth, this thought turned me away from one of the things that sustained me in life… participation in church. I love the church. I love the people I meet at church. I love to contemplate religion. It absolutely fascinates me. I love arguments based on religion. I love forming thoughts and listening to people’s life experiences and letting them change me. People have said, “Church arguments should not be aired in public.” My pitch is, “I need to make sure people know I don’t think like you do.”
The problem in the denomination of the church to which I belong is the role of female leadership in the church. When I talk to other people, they laugh and say, “Wow, the church is still dealing with that problem…is it 1920 yet?” I laugh and say, “Yeah, I hope next year they take the laws off the books that require black people to stop sitting in the back of church.” This is not really the case. This same group of people would be appealed if that rule were in effect. They use the scriptures to support their arguments. “As in all congregations of saints, women are to remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be subject, as the Law says. If they want to know something, ask their own husbands. at home; because it is shameful for a woman to speak in church”. (1 Corinthians 14:33b-36 NIV). In the same Bible there is a scripture that says: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, because you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).
The bible also has other paradoxes such as a book, “Philemon” which is a letter that allows and promotes slavery. It’s about retrieving a runaway slave. In fact, if you search, you can find arguments in the Bible that make slavery okay. Now, most people don’t dispute those facts today, but it’s one of the key things that kept slavery going and the belief that people are superior because of their race. Some of those beliefs still exist today and will continue to exist tomorrow. Every race has people who don’t like people of another race because of the color of their skin… EVERY RACE.
The fascinating thing about the Bible to me is that people can use the Scriptures to make arguments on almost every aspect of an issue. That’s why I think it’s completely foolish to use the Bible in arguments. I shouldn’t say use the bible, I think it is completely foolish to go beyond the words of this one scripture, (Matthew 22:36-40) 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?” 37Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”[a] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'[b] 40All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.
In church discussions, there is a group of people who say, “God is speaking to me and telling me that this is the way we should go.” On the other hand, there is another group of people who say: “God is speaking to me and telling me that we must go the other way.” There is a group of people who condemn others for their actions and say, “God is telling me that your actions are wrong.” There is a group of people who do not like to curse and say that if you say certain words you are using God’s name in vain. Oh, by the way, I’m still waiting for people to find those exact words somewhere in the Bible. These are the same people who USE God’s name in vain…by supposedly speaking for him.
I say all this to say this. The entire Bible is summarized in a single passage. This is the scripture that supersedes all others. This is the part of the Bible to which all arguments must lead. That’s all. People who believe this way are called “liberal Christians.” They are called “wicked.” The argument is that “they will let anything go”. My argument is, “YES”. Yes, I believe I can read the Bible, interpret it for myself, and follow it as I believe it is instructing me. Yes, I think I can find mentors to help teach me. Yes, I think I will change myself when I ask, not when I am condemned by someone else. Yes, I think people should never hold anything against them because of the way they were born. For me that means that because someone is born a woman or is born with gray skin, they should not be told that they cannot occupy certain positions. Similarly, I think it’s utterly foolish to pretend that the sexes are the same. Men are physically stronger than women. Women are more affectionate and affectionate than men. Is this a stereotype…yes. Are there exceptions… yes. Recognizing the differences between each other is not racist or sexist. Telling people what they can’t do that’s why it is.
One of the best examples I can think of is abortion. Abortion is not something I believe in. Not because I don’t believe in people’s right to choose, but there is the argument, when does life begin? I believe that life begins at conception. Some people don’t. It’s not what a woman wants to do with her own body…just tell me when you think life begins. Some people don’t believe that life begins until a baby is actually born. Some people believe that life begins in the middle of pregnancy. That’s okay, those are all our opinions. The only thing I have found is that knowing quite a few friends who have had abortions, the people who condemn and tell others that they are murderers have no idea what these people go through. They have no idea the amount of stress they are under and have no idea the feelings they will live with for the rest of their lives. So in this country we debate and decide whether abortion is right or wrong and that’s okay. We live under the rule of law. The law in this country allows abortion and so be it. If you don’t like it, try to change the law, but don’t put people down for following it. If you believe in the sovereignty of God, I think you have to believe that laws have been allowed to exist. The bottom line is that these people will remain my friends regardless of their choices and I will be there to support them. At the end of the day, we each live with our own decisions in life, not others.
For me it all goes back to free will. Freedom of choice is what we all want in our own lives. We all want to be able to make decisions for ourselves without being told what we can’t do. Tell a woman she can’t serve as a church leader because of the sex she was born with? Most don’t want to be a church leader… idiots. Let those who become that. There will always be people we meet in life who feel they speak for God. Like I said, two people on each side of a church argument will feel like God is speaking to them. God does not speak through me. I speak for myself. I would never pretend to put myself on the level of God. I read the Bible, I know what it says. I know arguments from all sides of the issues, but I look for them and say to myself: “Am I treating my brother as myself?” If I were a woman, would I want a man to tell me what he couldn’t do because of the way I was born? I scoff at church leaders who think they are so pious and in touch with the Bible that they think they speak for God. He takes responsibility for your own actions and thoughts. Stop using God’s name in vain and pretending to speak for him. I do not. These are my opinions. They are your opinions. Let’s discuss.