The Gripe with Christianity:

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Pope Francis has repeatedly stated that the position of the Catholic Church is that the existence of God is not contradictory to the Big Bang, evolution OR climate change.  I know, you born again types think the Pope is the devil incarnate and consider Catholics to be terrible idolators who even have the audacity to have a different Biblical canon (you know, one not censored by the Reformation -- which is another word for pogrom against Catholics), but there are around 1.2 billion of them in the world getting on pretty well with atheists. Many of them are scientists.  In fact, around 70% of the world's scientists identify as religious -- but that doesn't stop them from understanding that Genesis is an allegory intended to explain difficult scientific concepts to primitive people thousands of years ago (probably by aliens ).

As for your heaven, nibbed:  "A beautiful mansion on streets of purest gold where the walls are made of jasper and there's a tree that bears the manner of every kind of fruit. The gates are made of pearl, big giant doors made of strong, solid, luminescent, pearl."  That sounds like the sterile, cold and vulgar imaginings of a capitalist demagogue -- certainly not my idea of heaven.  But then, my life isn't defined by the pursuit of material goods to the exclusion of all else -- maybe that's why the Protestants really hate Catholics.  

Or is it because Pope Francis is Hispanic, and therefore obviously a criminal and a rapist?

Hi, Leanne.

I can feel your heart and your passion through the words you just wrote and other times when you expressed words concerning faith. Heaven is so much more than just the stuff of gold and jewels. Without writing a novella, I was trying to describe the lovely appearance of heaven, just a small part of what it will be like. The most wonderful thing about it is that it holds the people I love. I have a great hope that when my time comes, those I love whose earthsuits are now buried in rows at the cemetery, will be there to meet me and take me for a stroll on a street made of purest gold. I want to sit under the tree of life, near the crystal river with my mum, who will have a whole perfect mind and a beautiful glorified body, I will get to know the soul I never enjoyed, because her mind was plagued in illness. My brother will be there, too, and we will be happy and laughing, forever. We won't have any pain in our hearts or feel any more sickness. No one can hurt us, ever again. My hope (faith) is that I will join them and the others there whom I love, when I take my last breath. Most of all, my Lord will be there. The One who has helped me through this hard life, the One who has protected me thus far and has never left me, nor forsaken me. The One I can cry out to when I am down or alone, the One who sacrificed Himself, for me. I am not a protestant, I am a Baptist. I don't hate Catholics. I actually love them. I just don't like the institution of the Church of Rome and how they believe you must get your salvation through a church and not a personal relationship. It contradicts the Truth of the Gospel. I have many friends who are Hispanic, too. If anything I have experienced concerning sharing faith, there is more animosity and hatred toward those of us who proclaim a simpler Gospel, but Jesus said that would happen. I just want to love people, and I want to be loved, but I understand when I share my belief it may not be embraced and I may not be loved, but i want to love people, regardless.

All the very best to you, beautiful precious Leanne

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rowens,

thank you for opening up your heart and thoughts.
I saw it as a poem because it was filled with ideas
and concern. I thought each of the slashes were the ends
of lines and imagined the whole piece in verse and stanza.


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