Thurs, Oct. 31
... And this is what's real
Here we go for this week...
Friday Five.
1. Were you raised in a particular religious faith? Yes, I was raised Christian. My family has gone to an Alliance church (an evangelical Protestant denomination) since way before I was born, and I've been going to the same church ever since. It's always been a huge part of my life, and something that's been incredibly important to me. My church and my faith have been two of the biggest influences in my life... it's something that's been there for as long as I can remember.
2. Do you still practice that faith? Why or why not? Yes, I do. I "asked Jesus into my heart" when I was five, but at that age it doesn't always mean a lot. Through junior high and high school, my faith became much more real to me--I had more of a test to back up the fact that God was there, even when life sucked. There were some really good times in there, too, though--times when I could see God working in so many powerful ways... when I hd the feelings to go along with the knowledge. It's not about the feelings, though. I think that faith is like love--it's there whether you feel it or not... it's a choice, not a feeling, and that's what's kept me going sometimes these past few years. I know that God's there, even when I don't necessarily see him doing miracles and giving the big evidence of his presence.
3. What do you think happens after death? I believe that there's a heaven, and there's a hell, and which one you go to depends on what you did with Jesus during your life. I'm not God; I don't claim to know exactly how he'll judge each person, but I do believe that it has everything to do with Christ, and nothing to do with good deeds, or being a nice person, or whatever. I don't know what the specifics of heaven or hell will be like, but I know that heaven will be eternally being in the presence of God, and hell will be eternal separation from God.
4. What is your favorite religious ritual (participating in or just observing)? I really love worship services... I love the passion and the strength of the music, and the way that can be such an offering to God. I love everything from traditional hymns, to newwer worship songs, to choral music... I just love the way that it draws it closer.
5. Do you believe people are basically good? I believe that people were created in the image of God, and that we have his likeness stamped all over us, in our creativity, our ability to love, our ability to make choices, our need for relationships, our ability to forgive, and so many other things. But, I also believe in original sin--that people are inherently sinful because of Adam's first sin. We can't do anything to change that, and anything good that we do isn't our own; it's God's likeness shining through in us, even if we don't realize it. It's only through Christ that the goodness is restored to even a little bit of its original presence, and it won't be until heaven that we are actually "good" people.
infinite || abyss
posted at 11:33 p.m.
