Religion is a tough concept for me to grasp.

[Merinda]

As Virginia said, we all have our beliefs in something,, me,, I believe that this world is hell and that one day when I die I'll go somewhere better. Or maybe I'm wrong maybe I'll die and be reincarnated back to this hell.

Amelie , your second theory gives me food for thought

I'm sure most of us would like to be reincarnated as a female , however what guarantee do we have that we would be re-born in a free country ?

Would re-birth as a female in "Iraq" be better than the "gender prison" where we presently live in (somewhat) freedom ? , I think not.

[Amelie-Laveau]

Yea Merinda, that would be a kicker. And with my luck, I'd die and come back as a Wall St. Banker, so everyone can hate me all over again.


I see you point though,,it's like they say(who? I don't know0,, there is always someone out there worse off than yourself.

PS. Merinda, I like your avatar pic.

[Virginia]

First, Amelie, we all love you now dear! On the other hand, however, if I am still around when/if you are reincarnated, well guess it will depend on who/what you are reincarnated as for me to pass judgement on you, but that is yet to come.

Secondly, guess you all saw or heard the news about that big space rock that just missed us a few days ago. Gee, only by 25,000 miles and we did not even know it was coming until it was almost upon us, like 24 hours.
Think God was out bowling and just trying to pick up HER spare? Well, tenth frame, no more gutter balls and sorry about missing HER 300 game. Think SHE may be pissed!

It just amazes me that here we are on the third rock from the sun and actually a very small sun=star, in this tiny backwater, galaxy amongst what, millions and millions of galaxies and we have the audacity to create GOD in our own image, put words in HER mouth and blatantly put in writing what SHE thinks? Talk about big egos!

Yes, we all have to believe in something and I, well I believe that Virginia is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.

Keep on believe'n ladies, there is hope for us yet!

Virginia

[Nikki Adams]

Hello girlfriends,

First of all, thank you for keeping your responses either serious or light hearted (instead of mean). I'm weighing in as a person of faith. I am a Christian. I am also a professional with a master's degree. I don't see my faith and my intellect in opposition to each other. I also don't claim to know all the answers, or even enough to tell others they are wrong. I just know what's right for me.

I believe there is a God--a creative power behind the universe, and that there is life after this one.

Granted, the Bible is full of stories that defy logical explanation, and that is why I never claim it to be a textbook--not history, not biochemistry, not cosmology (study of the universe) or cosmogony (study of scientific theories of creation), not astrophysics, anthropology, or paleontology. In short, I am not like a specific segment of Christians (i.e. fundamentalists, evangelicals and Pentecostals) who claim that the Bible has all the answers we need to explain everything about the universe.

I also believe that the "jury is out" when it comes to questions of faith, salvation and the afterlife. For example, most Christians would answer "Who goes to heaven?" with an answer that includes believers in Christ. Some would specify only those born again, and others would include Jews (God's chosen). But there are a number of theologians who say that the saving act of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection provide universal salvation--that all people go to heaven.

Personally, I'm not too worried about that. I know that whether there's something more after this life or not, I must live every day as if it's my last--loving others, enjoying all the blessings I have, and trying to leave this world in a better state than I found it.

So, why bother with religion? For me, it gives me hope for something better to come, assurance that I am not alone in this scary universe, and a personal belief that my prayers have been answered in remarkable ways. Believe me, I'm a very logical person--very much left-brain--but I have been so awesomely surprised by the things that have happened when I surrendered my concerns to God in prayer.

Does that make me feel perfect or better than others? In no way. remember, I'm the one who acknowledges that I'm a bi-sexual crossdresser who has had sexual contact with other men without my wife's knowledge. I am not perfect, but I am comforted in believing that God loves me anyway. Sorry if this was too much of a sermon.

The great thing about being a member of a CD/TV/TG community is that we all know there are no absolutes in life, and we know what it's like to be afraid of being found to be different. That makes us tolerant, accepting humans. I may not agree with you, but I appreciate you all.

Love,
Nikki

[CJ]

Now that, there, is a post for the ages, Nikki. This is how adults talk about religion and spirituality (or about sex or politics, for that matter). Thanks for your input.

For everyone's benefit, though (including yours, Nikki), I'll repeat SilverLady's word of caution; normally, these things are discussed in the Hot Topics area of the forum. May no one be surprised if and when this is exactly where this thread might wind up, at a Mod's or Admin's sole discretion.

CJ

[SilverLady(SO)]

CJ, thank you for posting my 'warning reminder' for everyone.

As long as the posts in this topic remain as they have been - friendly, light-hearted, and/or serious but non-argumentative (like Nikki's, above) - I will be keeping this thread here in Off Topics.


- SL