tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post3953926113953923782..comments2023-05-15T08:45:11.289-05:00Comments on Jack Scott's Discussions on Male Sexuality: Faith - The Challenge of InjusticeJack Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08273576581155029176noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-26848530131984782752012-07-16T17:34:33.404-05:002012-07-16T17:34:33.404-05:00I simply can't imagine the pain the reaction o...I simply can't imagine the pain the reaction of your parents and siblings must have put you through as a young man. The other thing I simply can't imagine is that people do such things in the name of God and think they are pleasing God by doing it. It simply does not compute for me.<br /><br />Yet, you are a great example that we as individuals cannot choose what happens to us; but we can choose how we deal with it. You feel happy, healthy and brave. That is a tribute to your choice and it also happens to be the best revenge.<br /><br />They failed. You won!<br /><br />I appreciate you sharing your success in molding yourself into a happy man in spite of everything the world has thrown at you.<br /><br />Jack ScottJack Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08273576581155029176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-56843859144769761432012-07-16T10:52:34.685-05:002012-07-16T10:52:34.685-05:00Great post. I am someone who has lost much because...Great post. I am someone who has lost much because of religion. I was raised in a family who believes the bible is the literal truth. As soon as my sisters and parent found out I was gay, I was barred from family events, holidays, etc. They were truly evil to me. Of course with 16 years of perspective on that, I realize I am happier, healthier, and braver than I ever thought possible. But at the time it was devastating.<br /><br />When someone feels they must announce their christianity to me, I walk the other way. No one will ever make me believe that religion is good.Happymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10085428746444762646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-58784673231296476312012-06-23T16:30:03.680-05:002012-06-23T16:30:03.680-05:00Mack, there is a great deal of insight and wisdom ...Mack, there is a great deal of insight and wisdom in your comment. You are right, even dogma can be good, but unfortunately it is most commonly used by fundamentalists as a weapon rather than as an instrument of nurture and peace.<br /><br />You are also right about my situation. If I had never heard of Christianity and was introduced to it by an evangelical Christian, I would think they were crazy. It is only my years of study and thought and prayer that have led me to a form of Christianity that works for me and in which I see what I believe to be the true God.<br /><br />Like you, I think people need to get away from Fundamentalist Churches, but instead they are flocking to them. Fundamentalist Churches are the only churches that are growing. The more liberal churches are dying. I simply cannot understand why people willingly subject themselves to be emotionally and spiritually ravaged by the message of a hateful and wrathful God who is going to send most of humanity to an eternal fire.<br /><br />I sat through thousands of those sermons as a child and that God never appealed to me. In fact, I came to hate that God. I wanted nothing to do with that God. Had I not had the good fortune to find that the real nature of God is nothing like that.<br /><br />I'm glad I had the guidance from people I loved and respected and the self will to find another view of God.<br /><br />Jack ScottJack Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08273576581155029176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-60175580742042209982012-06-22T12:09:17.380-05:002012-06-22T12:09:17.380-05:00This was a good post, Jack. I do wonder, though, ...This was a good post, Jack. I do wonder, though, if religious dogmas are more misused than bad in themselves. I find religion can be uplifting and affirming of faith, when practiced properly. It's only when people misuse it to selfish ends that it can be destructive. <br /><br />You have a wonderful and uplifting understanding of Scripture, but I bet if there were no religious education in your life, you would not have the love-affair with the Bible that you do. It's through years of listening to good preaching that I've learned to pray, and through that I deal with my struggles. Singing hymns, I have found answers to prayers. I also find the community support of my church to be invaluable. <br /><br />I think people need to get away from Fundamentalist churches that tear them down, but God works very powerfully in some of those old buildings, especially for broken souls like us.Mackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02417879115453658262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-59409245091678972502012-06-21T18:23:09.862-05:002012-06-21T18:23:09.862-05:00A truly wonderful and inspiring post!A truly wonderful and inspiring post!Westernstockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11251271999023783222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-14891467318067834312012-06-21T13:50:38.038-05:002012-06-21T13:50:38.038-05:00Sounds like we've traveled much the same cours...Sounds like we've traveled much the same course to arrive at slightly different destinations.<br /><br />I agree fully with you, faith never explains concrete examples of pain, injustice and loss. It frustrates the hell out of me. I know this sounds egotistical, but I sometimes think that if I were God I could have figured out a better system.<br /><br />How many times have I pondered the question, did God create man or did man create God? In weeks like the last couple, I tend to believe that God is nothing more than a figment of our collective imaginations. That would explain quite well why there are so many different views of God.<br /><br />But then there are the times, in my life to many to be pure coincidence, when things work so well even in the most difficult of circumstances that the power of God for good in our lives seems beyond question.<br /><br />Finally, I agree fully with your assertion that we do not need religion to live the only life we have (as far as we can know) and should live it in service of others.<br /><br />Yet, I for one worry very little about the afterlife. Sure it would be nice to see my parents and grandparents again and renew long lost ties, but it is not an important reason for my faith. <br /><br />I don't see the Bible as anything other than a guide to faith. It is certainly not a science book as the fundamentalists claim. It is certainly not a magical book that contains the exact thoughts and words of God either. History proves that (along with common sense).<br /><br />So these things don't have much draw on me to keep my faith in tact. I guess the reality is that as upset as I get with God and the way he chooses to do thing, in the end I see more in the world that convinces me of the involvement of a grand architect than I see that convinces me that all creation is an accident.<br /><br />For me, the end game is the same. If there is no God, I die and rest in eternal peace. If there is a God, I die and live in eternal peace. Either way, it won't be bad.<br /><br />Jack ScottJack Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08273576581155029176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-83072704607015168062012-06-21T13:27:31.584-05:002012-06-21T13:27:31.584-05:00I understand your point about the roll of religion...I understand your point about the roll of religion in tying us to be basics of just who we are in relation to God and to our understanding of his plan for us. I don't have any problem with that when it reflects religion at its best.<br /><br />Unfortunately, it seems we all too seldom see religion at its best. World wide, the Christian, Muslim and Jewish religions seem to become more and more hijacked by their respective radical wings whose real goals have nothing to do with God and everything to do with using God and religion as an excuse for asserting power over others.<br /><br />That said, I recognize the need for people to stand up and defend true religion practiced for just and good purposes. That is why I am still a member of a religious order and working from within to help keep it what it should be.<br /><br />Thanks for a thoughtful comment.<br /><br />Jack ScottJack Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08273576581155029176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-28150110435519416052012-06-20T22:25:08.767-05:002012-06-20T22:25:08.767-05:00I am glad that your faith brings you comfort.
Ear...I am glad that your faith brings you comfort.<br /><br />Earlier in my life, I was a devout Methodist, including being a Sunday School teacher for kids and adults, member of the administrative board holding various offices, and a lay leader.<br /><br />However, now I am further from faith and religion than I have ever been. Religion has given us so many wars, suffering, and the Spanish Inquisition. Faith never explains concrete examples of pain, injustice, and loss. I have finally realized that god did not create man, but rather man created god. Two of the main reasons that man created god was to explain what could not be explained, and to believe in an afterlife. Science has and continues to explore the unexplained and gives us answers. We are given but one life, and it is up to us to make the best use of it, and that best use is usually serving others, and religion is not necessary to do that.Uncutplushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13456398466578990531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703298219148864437.post-58181044023514186062012-06-20T18:47:59.803-05:002012-06-20T18:47:59.803-05:00You have stated your thoughts well. Seeming injus...You have stated your thoughts well. Seeming injustices do tend to shake us up. The death fo a loved one, especially a younger person, is always difficult. However, I don't agree with you about the supposed negativity of religion, or at least some religion. Religion is literally (etymologically) what ties you back to the basics of who you are and to God's plan for you. That's not to endorse superstitions like prayers to random "saints" and repetitious recitations of scripted prayers like Hail Mary, but pure New Testament religion is inspiring and uplifting.Jaynoreply@blogger.com