I'm a Christian, more or less conservative, and Mennonite in heritage. I was raised that way by parents who believe that it's not a true faith if you don't let it stand up to logic, and who believed that all good things begin and end in love.
My beliefs start and end with God - He (gender-neutral "he") is a real, omnipotent, transcendent Person who created the whole universe, time and space and everything that happens in them, for his glory. Everything he created was good and beautiful in the beginning, and evil is a result of our decision to do things out of line with him. I believe that he created us as his beloved children, and that Jesus' sacrifice gives us the chance to return to that holy fellowship.
Though I believe God hates sin, I believe just as strongly that God can no more hate a human being than a good mother can hate her child or an artist can hate his magnum opus. If we humans could see, just for a moment, the way God sees the world, all war would end and no one would ever be in need. We'd finally understand what Jesus meant by "love your neighbor as yourself."
I believe that there is no such thing as an unforgivable sin.
I believe that every person has an understanding or perception of the truth, even if it's never perfect (it can't be, we're finite), and that therefore Christians can learn from other religions and cultures.
I believe that everyone has a basic awareness that the world is broken and must be fixed. I believe that the true things God created are reflected everywhere in nature and art, if you know where to look. All the old archetypes in the stories are reflections and refractions of those true things, as we try to work out (or, in a way, remember) who God is and who we are.
I believe that the worst evil is to put oneself first.
I believe that the validity of one's beliefs hinges on the validity of the thing one believes in; that is to say, the thing I believe in must be true for my belief to be worth anything. If Jesus' resurrection didn't happen, then I've got no reason to be a Christian. (But if the Resurrection did happen, how awesome is that? God can undo death!)
I believe that if aliens exist (and they just might) that they were created by the same God and must have their own way of worshiping him. What that looks like I have no idea, and I'd love to find out.
I am one of those rare young-Earth creationists, for several reasons: 1) I believe that the phenomenon of Death is a direct result of human disobedience, 2) I find macro-evolution to be scientifically and logically unsatisfying, and 3) once you decide God is omnipotent, well... why not?
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My beliefs start and end with God - He (gender-neutral "he") is a real, omnipotent, transcendent Person who created the whole universe, time and space and everything that happens in them, for his glory. Everything he created was good and beautiful in the beginning, and evil is a result of our decision to do things out of line with him. I believe that he created us as his beloved children, and that Jesus' sacrifice gives us the chance to return to that holy fellowship.
Though I believe God hates sin, I believe just as strongly that God can no more hate a human being than a good mother can hate her child or an artist can hate his magnum opus. If we humans could see, just for a moment, the way God sees the world, all war would end and no one would ever be in need. We'd finally understand what Jesus meant by "love your neighbor as yourself."
I believe that there is no such thing as an unforgivable sin.
I believe that every person has an understanding or perception of the truth, even if it's never perfect (it can't be, we're finite), and that therefore Christians can learn from other religions and cultures.
I believe that everyone has a basic awareness that the world is broken and must be fixed. I believe that the true things God created are reflected everywhere in nature and art, if you know where to look. All the old archetypes in the stories are reflections and refractions of those true things, as we try to work out (or, in a way, remember) who God is and who we are.
I believe that the worst evil is to put oneself first.
I believe that the validity of one's beliefs hinges on the validity of the thing one believes in; that is to say, the thing I believe in must be true for my belief to be worth anything. If Jesus' resurrection didn't happen, then I've got no reason to be a Christian. (But if the Resurrection did happen, how awesome is that? God can undo death!)
I believe that if aliens exist (and they just might) that they were created by the same God and must have their own way of worshiping him. What that looks like I have no idea, and I'd love to find out.
I am one of those rare young-Earth creationists, for several reasons: 1) I believe that the phenomenon of Death is a direct result of human disobedience, 2) I find macro-evolution to be scientifically and logically unsatisfying, and 3) once you decide God is omnipotent, well... why not?