A brief biographical sketch of my religious background.
As a child, I was taken to a [Presbyterian] Sunday school. What I remember, are moral stories about children exhibiting “good and bad” behavior. My fondest memories are of vacation Bible school brown-bag lunches my mother packed with a buttered bologna sandwich on soft white bread, a banana, and a Hostess cupcake. My parents weren’t regular church attendees. My father milked cows. Mostly, they attended on holidays, like Easter and Christmas. I remember my father falling asleep. After these services, there would be a family dinner, either my dad’s family or my mother’s family. It seems, to me, I was born believing in God. I was taught to say prayers at bedtime, guided by my mother. I remember “talking to God”, asking for his permission. I remember that my youngest brother asked God for toys. I never really felt any kind of affiliation with Jesus. Hearing about his performance of (supernatural) miracles was weird, to me. Especially, the one where he turns the water into wine. Then, there were the verses relating to demons. Here are some of the results I got when I googled, Jesus sends the demons: The Demons And The Pigs, Matthew 8:28-34; Luke 8:33, when the demons came out of the man, they went into swine; Mark 5:13, He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out… raising Lazarus from the dead (seriously…)
Then, came the time for confirmation classes (around age 13), and I learned about the origins of the Presbyterian church, John Calvin and the doctrines of predestination -which I did not like and did not believe in. I learned the Nicene Creed, which was really just “mumbo jumbo” to me. (I believe in) Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God, came down from heaven, incarnate by the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary, crucified… and on the third day he rose… and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father… he shall come again… to judge the quick and the dead… (I believe in) the Holy Ghost… (I believe) in one holy catholic and apostolic Church… to include the holy catholic church was strange to me since, at the time, protestants were “enemies” of catholics… I’ve always been interested in learning about different religions. I’ve attended many different religious services; protestant, catholic, and non-denominational. I’ve read the Bible, cover to cover. I read the book the Jehovah Witness visitors gave me; no celebrating birthdays, no interacting with people not of their faith, focus on the end of the world… Years ago, at a rummage sale, I bought a college textbook on the Religions of the World -I was shocked at the similarities, mainly, the virgin-birth, death and resurrection.
I started out Presbyterian because that’s the church I was taken to as a child; that’s the church I was confirmed in. I did what was expected of me. I “went through the motions”. Here’s an interesting example: my husband and myself attend a preliminary discussion with the minister who was to baptise our daughter. He asked why we were having her baptized and I replied “because that’s what you do”. He told me one of the reasons for baptism was because babies are born sinful. I asked how a baby is sinful. His example, they are selfish, they cry when they are hungry, etc.
To me, the positive purpose of religion has always been, “being good”, not hurting others, not judging others, not stealing or cheating… (Matt 7:12) The Golden Rule "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7) "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13: 13) "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
I was born and raised on a farm in small community of about 500 people (there were 19 in my graduating class). I was very naive, I thought everyone was like me and my family. I was shocked when I met a man who said he was an atheist (I was 21), I didn’t known there was such a thing. I remember wondering why he would bother “doing the right thing”... he berated me, “I suppose you believe in Adam and Eve and Noah’s Ark”...
I had no exposure to people from a different race; although, I did hear comments that had negative connotations. I didn’t have any problem with my belief in my personal God until I moved to the St. Paul and thought, “there are too many people for God to be watching over each one”...
When I was in my 40s I worked as a receptionist at a massage center; I learned massage techniques and something referred to as “energy work”. When I performed “energy work” I received “messages” (in my mind, not out loud). I was instructed to “tell them something”, for example “tell her I lover her, tell her she’s right”. At first, I refused, I said (in my mind, not out loud), I’m not going to say that, she’ll think I’m crazy, she’ll tell others and the word will get around… the message kept being repeated… finally I began sharing the messages (preceded by “I’m suppose to tell you”)... the recipient was usually receptive “you don’t know how much I needed to hear that”... once, when I was working on a client, “spirits” appeared (drawn there by my client) wanting to be involved, I told them to leave (they did)... I was not seeking anything like this… my personal experiences led me to believe there are spiritual forces (both positive and negative) that use human channels…
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*BP: Religion, description. http://historicalandmisc. *
(Jody Gray) The importance and value of religion to individuals, is undeniable. The danger lies in the doctrines that were created that claim their “religion” - their God - to be the only righteous one and make enemies of any who won’t convert -directing their followers to convert or destroy people and sacred objects of any religion that is different.
Origins and development. (Anthropologists John Monaghan and Peter Just) Many of the great world religions appear to have begun (by) the vision of a charismatic prophet (who) fires the imaginations of people seeking (answers) to their problems… (Religion or belief) helps us do is deal with problems of human life that are significant, persistent, and intolerable. One important way in which religious beliefs accomplish this is by providing a set of ideas about how and why the world is put together that allows people to accommodate anxieties and deal with misfortune.
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