debg: The semantic I hate the most

I ran across a blog of an author I used to hang out with ages ago.  A self-proclaimed pagan, you wouldn’t think we’d have much of a chance of getting along… But truth be told, I liked her a lot, and rather admired her as well. I counted myself blessed that she accepted me as a friend even though I disagreed with pretty much everything she believed in. Not everyone does that. Christians, in fact, are the worst I’ve found at this. I’ve met many self-proclaimed Christians in my life who could all tie as the least tolerant people I’ve ever met. Sad, sad, shame. They look nothing at all like the Christ they are named for….

When I met Deb  I was still rather young — in my mid-to-late 20s — and still trying to figure out how to be a woman in this wild new world beyond school and mom and dad’s house.  Deb was a few years older, so I felt like a young apprentice at times, learning how to be a strong woman at the feet of a mighty warrior…. It wasn’t what she stood for that I admired so much — nor do I believe she admired me for what I stood for. I admired her for the guts she had to stand tall regardless what others said or thought. To stay true to her convictions, embrace and own them, believe them with all her heart and live them out no matter the personal cost.

Granted, it’s a lot easier for her to "stand tall" as an ultra liberal living in San Francisco… 🙂

Anyway, I ran across this rant on Pro-Life she posted shortly after the latest presidential debate (which, by the way, put me to sleep about halfway through). I love reading stuff like this; hearing what others who think very differently than me feel about things. It intrigues me, and gets all the wheels and gears going in my mind as to why they believe that… I want to crawl inside their heads and see the world the way they see it…

There was a long time when I was pro-choice, or perhaps it might be better said, pro-limited-choice and/or pro-abortion in certain cases (like rape, incest, etc)… and for me, the lines around this issue are still blurry. I’m still stumbling around it, looking for God’s clear opinion on it…

And I have to admit, I have also questioned the validity of the language used surrounding this issue. I think most of us use inflammatory language far too much for anyone’s good… whether we actually mean to inflame or not. I think Christians are sometimes the guiltiest of all in this regard. We can be so incredibly insensitive to the culture around us and, in the end, we’ve shot ourselves badly in both feet too many times to count.

Now, don’t get the wrong idea. I believe fervently in the sanctity of human life. I believe the magic of life begins the moment of conception, and abortion for convenience’ sake is abhorrent. I think abortion is a tragedy of idolatry. We no longer sacrifice our newborns to idols, now we sacrifice our unborn to idols of ourselves. And I think that’s incredibly sad.

But I can also see very clearly that our — meaning the conservative and Christian communities — current method of dealing with, and ending, this tragedy isn’t working. As Dr. Phil says, "how’s that workin’ for ya…?" Well, sir, it ain’t.

Perhaps it’s time to try a new approach….

Before you read Deb’s journal entry, remember the signs posted at the beach when no life guard is present:

                                           Enter at your own risk. 🙂

She’s a very cool woman, but also a self-proclaimed pagan. Her language may offend some; her topic and arguments may offend others. But this is the world we live in. Deb isn’t an anomaly, she’s the norm. I just wanted to bring a bit of that into my little corner of the Internet (or is that innernets… geez-louise Dubya, did your brain disengage from your mouth or something…????)

I loved Deb years ago. I love her now. I love everyone like her!  They bring spice and electricity into every relationship. And I want to find every way I can to bring God’s spicy, electric, magical unexplainable love to every one of them! I want to drench them, not in political rhetoric or inflammatory arguments, but drench them with Love.

What amazing people God creates! How can I help them see how Amazing HE is?