I am a C-h-r-i-s-t-i-a-n...

Day four in the writing challenge is: your views on religion.

I'm sure that some of you will recognize that title...it's a song from church school. Here's a video with the whole song. It's catchy!

That's all beside the point, though. The fact is: I am a Christian. Protestant. I believe in a triune God. I do my best to follow Christ's teachings and live my life in a loving and morally upright manner. Do I fail at times? Yes. Am I perfect? No. Is that ok? I think so.

Just because I'm a Christian doesn't mean I am anti-other religions. In fact, I think that other faith practices have an immense amount of validity and are wonderful parallels to my own faith practice. I enjoy learning about them and seeing what our beliefs have in common. I believe that Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are three branches on the same tree. I believe that our God is the same God with different names. But I also believe that other religions have the same God that I do, they just call it a different name, too. 

One of my favorite classes in college was World Religions. I had the opportunity to learn and grow in my own faith while learning about others. Another class I loved was Native American Literature. I was able to read literature from Native American cultures and derive an understanding of their faith and culture through their writings. It was very interesting to me to see that they have three types of creation myths in the Native American culture. First is the ascending where the inhabitants of the earth came up through the ground and multiplied. Second is the descending where the inhabitants of the earth came down from the skies and multiplied. Third is the appearing where the inhabitants of the earth appeared on the earth and multiplied. What a cool way to think of things! 

I don't think any religion is right or wrong. I also don't think it's my job to judge anyone based upon their religious (or lack thereof) beliefs. It's my job to love them as human beings. It's my job to be their friend. It's my job to show Christ through my actions. It's my job to preach the gospel at all times and when necessary, use words. 

I'm a faithful person. I don't mean in the manner that I don't cheat on people (which I don't, but that's beside  the point...), I mean I have faith in a higher power. Yes, you can debate the science and logic with me, but it's not a debate or a contest because my faith isn't about proof it's about believing. I believe therefore I see; I don't have to see to believe.

My faith is built on trust and love. I wasn't always this secure in my faith. My path wasn't always easy. But I've come to learn that God is the foundation my heart is built on. Christ is the model I wish to follow. I don't denounce other faiths because I'm a Christian, I support them because I'm a Christian. I believe that everyone has a path and just because it varies from mine doesn't mean it'swrong, it just means it's different.

So yes, I am a Christian, but I'm not going to turn you away because you're not. I'm not going to stop being friends with you because you're not. I'm going to love you as you are. I'm going to accept you as you are. All I ask is that you do the same for me.