A little insight to Fr. Frog's faith and relationship with God.
I believe that...
God created everything, but not in our time frame. It took billions of our years to go from nothing to the present and it is no less a miracle than the purported 7, 24 hour human days given in the Genesis story. Getting hung up on how long it took or the exact process is stupid. Ignoring scientific evidence is stupid too. God still did it. As an aside consider this.
Some fundamentalist groups claim that the earth (or universe depending on their philosophy) is about 4500 of "our" years old (I don't have their exact number handy but this will do.) based upon their supposedly counting of biblical events (of which a lot of things and time frames are missing.) We are also told in scripture that "a thousand years is like a day" to God. OK. If we take all that literally then...
4500 years x 365 days per year = 1,642,500 our days
1000 years per God's day x 1642500 days = 1,642,500,000 years That's 1 billion, 642 million, 500 thousand (plus or minus) years. And the problem with the timing is...?We are inherently good by nature but sinful by stupidity. God provided a way for redemption by His grace through Jesus Christ, and gave us guidelines on how to live properly. He gives us guidance and encouragement through the Holy Spirit. We ignore these at our peril.
"God created US in His image" does not mean God looks like us. I believe that there is other intelligent life out there that He created too. "In His image" means, I believe, that we have the capacity to love others in spite of what they are like. As human Christians we refer to the "Creator" as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit," and depict Him in "our" form, but some where out there He may be known as ZX*RX', Bahd¬agazõk, and Cræblitz, and His story may be a bit different there than here. This should give theologians hours of entertainment when we meet an extraterrestrial civilization. He is still "God." Note that we cannot make God in our image.
God doesn't have a problem with alcohol, food, being wealthy, prosperous, famous, sex, the exact day you set aside for rest and worship, or the format that you choose to worship with. He does have a problem if we abuse such things.
YOU cannot forgive someone who hurt or wronged another person. Only the aggrieved person(s) can forgive the offense.
Whether the bread and wine of the Eucharist are the actual Body and Blood of Christ, simply the "real presences of Christ," or are something else is not worth arguing about unless you are a theologian with time on your hands. Something special takes place in a real and personal way--God is there for those with an open heart.
The Communion Table is God's table and not the property of a denomination. It should be open to all baptized Christians who wish to receive.
Speaking of baptism. You are baptized into the "Christian Faith" and not into a particular denomination. You may, if your denomination has a "confirmation rite" be confirmed as a Christian member of that denomination.
Yes, the Ten Commandments ARE black and white, right and wrong, and no, they are NOT suggestions.
While there are right and wrong behaviors WE do not have the right to judge and condemn others. That's God's job. We can, however, stand up for what we believe, choose who we and our families associate with, and how to live our own lives and raise our families with our standards.
Showing God's love to all does NOT mean that we have to accept everything that someone wants or does as acceptable or right. It does mean that we still have to treat them with love and kindness, even if we hate what they do.
God does not cause or allow tragedy to happen. We do that well enough ourselves. He does provide the means for us to get through it.
Christianity is NOT a pacifistic religion, but a religion of peace. We are enjoined to try our best to live at peace with others but we are not required to allow others to walk over or harm us.
The best sermons are lived, not spoken.
The greatest threat to "the Church" is politics, both internal and external.
The second greatest threat to "the Church" is church leaders who think that they are God.
The job of the Church is not political or social activism. It is keeping God's law in the forefront of the minds of the people and their politicians and showing the love of God to others.
Frequently people who would make the best ministers / pastors / priests / deacons / bishops / vergers / elders, or whatever, are kept from becoming them by the politically correct hierarchy of a denomination, just as sometimes truly unqualified people are ordained by them.
Not all theologians and clergy are "holy men" or "holy women." Unfortunately, there are plenty of scoundrels out there with their own agendas and by their works shall ye know who is who.
The use of lethal force to defend one's self or someone else against a lethal attack is NOT murder and is not a sin. However, if you are too dumb or too lazy to use a method of birth control when you have sex, you do NOT have the right to terminate the pregnancy because it is inconvenient to you. There are better solutions that don't kill the baby.
God doesn't care what denomination you are, but rather how well you follow His directions.
There is more faith in honest doubt than in all the Popes and Bishops in Rome.
If certain words, prayers, actions, customs, or gestures are meaningful to you in your worship, use them; if not, don't sweat them.
Tithing does not mean giving 10% of your gross earnings to the "church." Tithing means giving 10% of your gross time, treasures, and talents to God's work which can include the church, charities, and direct giving to a need.
What we want and what God wants are usually different things.
All prayers are answered. It is just that sometimes, not in the time frame we want nor in the form we expect. Sometimes the answer is just giving us the strength to get through the problem.
"Go forth and preach the Gospel; if necessary use words." -- Saint Francis of Assisi
Now if you disagree with any of the above, that's fine with me, but they are what shape my faith and that of many people I know, and they help me to get through life's journey. Please don't email me with rabid denunciations and condemnations--go and live your faith as you feel comfortable. God still love all of us.
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Updated 2008-08-12