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Ah, church.

Posted 04-13-2008 at 07:23 PM by wildernesse

I've been semi-attending a new member Sunday school class at the church I have been semi-attending. I figure I got invited because I started semi-tithing once I was gainfully employed, not because I expressed interest in becoming a member.

Anywho, it's been kind of a history of the UMC so far, which is fine. Today, a person talked about it being the End Times and Rapture and what not. (Leading to our pastor saying some emperor thought such and such was a "damn good idea", which would have been hilarious except I was so annoyed by the topic and the way it was brought up that I couldn't laugh.) Why is it that people who talk about the Rapture, etc. talk about as if it were the absolute truth? They never express it in a way that allows it to be their belief, or acknowledge that other people can validly believe something else was meant by whatever resources they have to support their belief. They never acknowledge that this is a fairly recent belief. They state it like it is the One True Truth, even if when you press them on it, they will admit that it is not an essential belief of Christianity.

GAR! I grew up in a church where this was part of the teaching, and it was very frightening to me, especially combined with the idea that your salvation is not assured. And my fears of being left behind or of final judgment are not uncommon. The only way I moved past them was to focus on the now--I can do what I believe to be right in the present, because I cannot control the future or what might happen after my death. My actions today are more important than what I believe will happen tomorrow. In my opinion.

Anyway, I was so completely annoyed by the fact that I feel as if I have to tiptoe around something I disagree with, and yet (!) the other person feels no such reciprocal respect for a disagreement with their belief--because, of course, they are right. I will say that the pastor apparently felt no such need to respect that belief.

That is my rant for the day. As usual, I rant here so as not to offend people I know in person. :) You chose to read this ridiculousness, so I don't feel bad about imposing on you.
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