Genderless

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Am reading Altars of the World, Barbara Taylor Brown, which enriches my walk with God. In my internet browsing afterward, I came across spiritual books by Sue Monk Kidd. She has embraced a feminist theology. I have always been afraid of this because I fear the goal of feminist "theology" is to reinvent God. So much of it seems to be focused more toward feminism (and so am I, to a point) than toward God (which is my ultimate focus). I have no desire to reinvent God. I have known him far too long to want to make him into someone who fits my idea of a perfect god. He is already perfect in ways beyond my comprehension.

If I am to reinvent, I want to reinvent myself into a more Christlike woman. (Actually, this is what Jesus does. I just need to not resist. "Open my eyes, Lord, that I may see. Open my ears, Lord, that I may hear.")

But I do know that I agree that God is genderless. He created us in his image, male and female. I could call God her and be just as correct as calling Her him. God is genderless or at least both genders. In that regard, I, too, am genderless. I always have been in regard to the way I think and identify. I didn't know women were expected to be different and were treated differently until I was a young adult woman and found that the workplace discriminated against women.

Maybe I can tread lightly and gain a little understanding of a feminist's point of view -- Kidd's, that is. I need to remove this fear of "religion for feminists" and look for God in all things, wherever She may be. After all, I should know He is there. (I will stop short of calling God a "goddess." To me, God is sufficient for God, just as man (mankind) is sufficient to include me.

It's time to grow some more. Thank you, Lord, for helping me overcome my prejudices against my own kind. This has been a long journey, Lord, (more that 50 years) to find where I, a woman, fit into your plan. I am blessed to have lived long enough to travel this far. I know I cannot now go back. I am coming forward, and soon I will meet you face to face.

A short thought

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It occurs to me that when I die, I will look back and say "There were things I still wanted to try or do," but in the very next breath I will say "Thank you dear God that I have seen so much, sampled so much, and touched so much," and that will be the absolute truth. God has been so good to me and given me such a blessed life. I am so thankful to know He was there beside me through it all.

Christians and Muslims

Lauren and I have this discussion about the horror happening today brought on by Islamic terrorists. He says, It's their religion. It is violent. I say, But Christianity has had its own violence, too. There is violence in the Old Testament. The Crusades were violent. I say most, or at least many American Islamics want peace.

Now, I think there are two things going on here. Secular thought and religious thought - two universes, in a way, even though there is really only one. There are Christians who want peace and there are Muslims who want peace. Neither of these have to be religious. They are just seeking a moral and peaceful way to live. And within this same world, there are those who will take Islam and Christianity to wage terror on the world. They do not want peace. They do not want God. They want power, annihilation, evil, destruction, control.

Then there is the religious realm. I can't speak to the Muslim way of life, but I expect they are reaching to God for their everyday needs and showing a worshipful obedience to what they know because this is how you live a good and satisfying life. I can't speak to how God sees them.  I think there are Christians like that, too. I can't speak to how God sees them (or us). God handles people the way He handles them. It is not up to me to say what God does. And then there is Jesus and John 3:16, and there is self sacrifice for the Lord, there is loving God with all our hearts and minds and loving our neighbor as ourselves, where we come to the realization that He matters more than we do.

I believe Christianity goes to the very heart of God. I believe Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Light. I choose Jesus as the one who brings me to God.

Not well said, but a start to my understanding what I think and believe.