Post # 1
Member
161 posts
Blushing bee
So a little bit about myself: I’m a former Reformed Baptist turned Agnostic. Like many former Christians, I left my faith after disagreements with the religion over social issues such as gay marriage, premarital sex, and an overall disappointment in what I felt was a requirement to look down on people who did not share my faith.
I had one experience in particular of watching a close Christian friend (a former ex-boyfriend actually) who argued with another close gay friend of mine that there’s no possible way he could be a Christian while he has relationships with other men. Seeing the pain, hurt, and shame the latter friend felt for something he has absolutely no control over really pushed me hard away from Christianity. I stopped calling myself a Christian shortly after that experience.
It’s been several years since I made that decision and I’m now taking a class on Literature of the Bible, which has renewed my interest in Christianity. Despite knowing from my studies of the Bible how utterly impossible it is to follow the Bible to the letter and how Jesus himself was one of the most liberal figures in all of history, I’m still surprised when I meet Christians who consider themselves socially liberal.
Does anyone on here consider themselves a liberal and a Christian? How do you reconcile being a member of a group that a lot of secular groups hate because of some of their more unpopular beliefs? I feel like it would be especially hard to be a liberal Christian because you would get flack from Christians and non-Christians alike for your (seemingly) contradictory beliefs.
Sidenote: Please know that I am not trying to come across as rude! I know how religion can be wonderful and beautiful for people. I am just genuinely interested in hearing from some liberal Christians. 🙂
Post # 3
Member
3697 posts
Sugar bee
We’re out here! We just don’t get as much media attention because we don’t fit the stereotype. And yes, it can be weird to walk that line – but Jesus himself told us it wasn’t going to be easy. “Blessed are you when they hate you and persecute you and utter all manner of falsehoods against you, for my sake …” (Mt. 5:11)
Post # 4
Member
7271 posts
Busy Beekeeper
@felixfelicis: me! My church is extremely conservative so most people do not agree with my views on those issues that you brought up. I am currently searching for another church because I moved away from the congregation I was raised in. I’m hoping to find a Christian Church with more liberal views (I’ve heard they are out there)! I never purposely engaged in political conversations with people in my church because I knew they would disagree with me. Not to say I would blindly agree with someone to avoid a fight but I never brought the topics up. I guess that was my way of dealing with it.
I guess that didn’t really answer your question because I am leaving my church in search of a more liberal one, but I’m always glad to see that there are others out there like me because I rarely find socially liberal Christians (at least where I’m from)!
Post # 5
Member
1729 posts
Bumble bee
I am! There’s a facebook group called The Christian Left. I am Episcopalian and we are very liberal in our beliefs in general: allow divorce, ordain women as priests, allow our priests to marry/have families, will perform gay marriages (on a church by church basis), etc.
Being a Christian does not directly relate to being conservative.
Post # 7
Member
300 posts
Helper bee
I am happy to call myself a Christian as I am a follower of Christ but I am not religious nor did I have a religious upbringing so it’s a hard road to follow when I have atheist parents and religious Future in laws all arguing against my opinions and beliefs. It is something I have chosen to believe in and in some ways should commit myself more to expressing these beliefs as right now, it’s defiantly not easy trying to communicate about my faith with anyone other than Fiance.
Post # 8
Member
9887 posts
Buzzing Beekeeper
Yep, I’m a liberal Christian and non-denominational. I get upset and insulted when people try to force their own spiritual beliefs down my throat, so I never treat other people that way. I believe in tolerance, kindness and respect. I respect people’s right to believe as they choose, as long as they don’t cause harm to another human being. And I am pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, and lots of other pros that my conservative Christian friends are appalled by. Whatevs! I value my own opinion as highly as I value anyone else’s and sometimes more highly.
I also read tarot cards, meditate, practice yoga, believe in reincarnation and in live and let live. A lot of Christians condemn me, I’m sure, but let them. I condemn no one and have as much respect for Atheists as I do for believers. Faith or non-faith is such a personal thing and every human being has their own spiritual journey.
God looks on the heart of every person and it’s not for us to make a judgment about someone else’s beliefs. I think God knows how to do His job just fine and won’t let anyone into heaven who doesn’t “belong,” lol. 😉 That seems to be one of the key things a lot of so-called Christians are so worried about – that they’ll end up in “heaven” with some Muslims, non-believers or gay people. Haha! I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when that happens. 🙂
Post # 9
Member
882 posts
Busy bee
I am a fairly liberal Christian. The people who call themsleves Christians but hate their brothers, are not Christians. The very definition of a Christian is that one is “Christ Like.” Anyone who studies the teachings and history of Jesus can see that he never mistreated, talked down to or hated anyone, no matter their transgressions.
There are people like you out there, you might just have to church shop to find them.
Post # 10
Member
2186 posts
Buzzing bee
Commenting to follow… curious to see more responses
And also because my husband and I kind-of fall into this category. We both come from very traditional, conservative families with a strong Southern Baptist influence but we consider ourselves to be socially and religiously liberal. Our views on gay marriage, abortion, and other hot-button “conservative” topics would shock our parents/families.
Post # 11
Member
11419 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
I am an evangelical, Bible-believing Christian whom the majority of bees would define as being conservative, because I believe that God’s Word alone must be the ultimate standard on which I base my faith and life. However, most of the bees whom I have encountered who self-identify as being Christians seem also to define themselves as being more liberal.
Post # 12
Member
1360 posts
Bumble bee
James 4:12
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you–who are you to judge your neighbor?
I think if every church member followed this, we would realize how wrong we are sometimes, and how sanctimonious we can be and how that doesn’t correspond to us. Jesus lived by love thy neighbor, yes he had spats with certai people, but he never shunned anyone who wanted help or who was looking Him.
Post # 13
Member
960 posts
Busy bee
@felixfelicis: I believe myself to be one and my parents to be the same as well as my Fiance.
We all check the “Roman Catholic” box, but really there’s not one of us that supports everything that is preached.
In my opinion thats the case with everything. Who agrees with 100% of what someone else says, or does, so why should a religion be any different? I can still say I’m Catholic and I can still freely get married in the church this summer, but I don’t believe I have to hate Gays or anything of that sort.
When people don’t accept my view I simply shrug, that’s there perogative,
How do you get crap from people? Are you going around anouncing your faith and making sure everyone knows what you think/feel and that you’re right? If you have your beliefs I think they’re easy to keep, you don’t have to start arguments or engage in them, faith is a private affair IMO.
Post # 14
Member
1332 posts
Bumble bee
Here, here…many pp’s have stated exactly what I could have or would have said.
I am Christian…I go to church…I believe I am speaking to a Higher Power when I pray, and I do, I pray. The way I choose to live my life is in large part because of my faith, of which I believe means to be respectful, kind, tolerant and overall follow a set of morals, of which includes ‘threating thy neigbor as you would want to be treated’, etc.
For me, then, that includes respecting the choices of others – of which I, nor anyone else, should be allowed to ‘limit’. This includes following a different religion, or belief system, or entering into marriage with someone of the same sex.
Post # 15
Member
9954 posts
Buzzing Beekeeper
Another Liberal Christian…
Or more specifically someone who considers themself more spiritual than anything else… and no longer tied to one religion.
Both Mr TTR and I have over the years as we’ve aged, become dissolutioned with organized religion coming to realize that most of what others follow are just man-made rules that refect the “social” norms of the time more than anything else (slavery is good / bad – sexuality is a sin – virginity is good / doesn’t matter etc)
And somehow today’s Christians will climb up on a soap box and preach their beliefs as being the ONLY TRUE FAITH… (such as Homosexuality is Evil)… but somehow forget that Yesterday’s Christians (and sometimes their ancestors) did the same thing only the cause de jour was Black Slavery !!
I do not for one minute believe that GOD (the god that is the god of all of us no matter who we are, where we live, or WHEN we lived)… ONLY admits one group of human beings into heaven… so that ONLY the Christians are there, or even more specifically JUST ONE denomination.
In my world… where GOD is LOVE …. and Heaven & Earth are very much alike… there are people from all walks of life. And the only criteria is for us to truly LOVE one another, and be compassionate caring human beings.
That would be the Christianity that I know… the Christianity I aspire to… and the one that Jesus lived.
Amen.
Post # 16
Member
7271 posts
Busy Beekeeper
