My Faith

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I believe in the father, the first person of the Trinity, the creator of the Heavens and of Earth. He is the maker of all things visible and invisible, and is the one who spoke the words "let there be light." (Genesis 1:3). When Jesus Christ walked this Earth as God in Human Form, He referred to this first person as Father in a way that we cannot, yet He remains our Holy Father.

I believe in the Son, the second person of the Trinity, God the Father on Earth in human form. He was born to the Virgin Mary and was sent to bring the Good News of God's Word to all the people of the Earth (Matthew 1:18, Mark 13:10). Although Joseph was his legal father, he was not his biological father. I believe the mystery of the virgin birth remains a mystery, and as humans on Earth we should not need to question it. Rather, we should simply accept it as the mysterious ways of our mysterious God. The purpose of the second person's mission was to sacrifice Himself on the cross at the hands of Pontius Pilate and the Roman Empire for the salvation of all person's sins, past, present, and future (Mark 8: 31-33, Romans 5: 6 & 8, Romans 8:1, John 3:16-17). 

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, a mysterious and ethereal force that dwells in and around every living and nonliving thing on Earth.

I believe there will be a Day of Judgment after we pass from Earth into the afterlife, but this judgment will not be predicated on our Earthly actions but the strength of our faith throughout our lives (Galatians 2: 16).

In this judgment I do not believe any person will be banished to hell. Through his death on the cross, Jesus saved the world from punishment from all sins (John 3:16-17). This renders further forgiveness unnecessary. 

I believe in the idea of Divine Providence, that God is in and around all things on Earth and is directly involved in the happenings of the world. As such, I believe that even our meekest and most timid prayers will receive the attention of God.

All human beings are created in the image of God, known as imago dei (Genesis 1:27). Therefore, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, women, and people of color should be accepted and welcomed into the family of God as equals, not as those of lesser status or with a defection in their mental state. Jesus taught love of thy enemy and of thy neighbor (Matthew 5: 43-44) and this triumphs over all differences.

I believe that love is the teaching at the core of the Holy Bible and the entire Bible should not be viewed as a book to justify who to discriminate against, but one of who to love (Matthew 22: 36-40).

I believe that most moral teachings of the Bible are obsolete. The scriptural teachings can never be obsolete, as the scripture is the living Word of God. Moral teachings in the Bible were written for societies 2000+ years old, and as advancements in society and technology have come over those years, so have changes in what is considered morally acceptable. Christianity needs to accept new morals of today, and let go of 2000+ year old teachings (Leviticus 18:22, for example: a moral teaching of 2000+ years ago that should no longer be considered immoral today). No wonder churches have a problem retaining membership. . .

I believe the devil tempts us in our daily lives through seemingly harmless acts such as pornography or the promotion of violence. However, I believe God does not punish us for succumbing to these temptations, as Jesus himself, God in human form, sent down to Earth, experienced them during his forty nights in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).

I reject the idea of a vertical, or hierarchical faith. I do not believe that any priest or minister has a greater view to the eyes of God than any layperson or believer. I believe in the fundamental Baptist idea of the priesthood of the believer, that the relationship between God and the believer is between them only, and that it is of no business to any other person the details of that relationship (John 7:37-39).

I believe that those who truthfully follow the teachings of God are not Christian, but they are simply children of God, and that the word Christian represents the organized religion that spreads the bad news, as opposed to spreading the Good News, the gospel. Gospel is derived from the Anglo-Saxon term "god-spell", meaning literally, "good story."

I believe that every brother and sister in Christ is my sibling and that I owe them not only respect due to their presence on earth but because of their belief in God, something I share, whether our beliefs vary.

God is king, forever, Amen.