Religion is not the same thing as Christianity
Sorry, Chelsea, but being "deeply religious" is not the same thing as being "Christian."
In fact, I think religion is the greatest enemy to Christianity. Because it appears so similar to it in some ways that no one realizes just how far from the truth it is. It makes you feel like you have enough of God to get to heaven, but not too much that it infringes on your life.
Religion is about working your way to heaven, about following "the rules," earning your way, trying to be good enough that God lets you in. It's about believing you have a right to eternal life because of what you do or think.
Religion is the enemy of grace!
But Christianity is about God making the way for us to get to heaven when we couldn't do it ourselves. It's about Him reaching down to pull us up, instead of us trying to work our way to Him. It's about Him giving us a gift we could never earn - undeserved grace, forgiveness, love, salvation.
Religion lets you turn God into whatever you want so that you can live however you want. It's about worshipping "God" or "god" or the universe or a cow or a female deity who only cares about woman's rights.
But Christianity is about Jesus. And that's a whole different thing! It's about knowing and following Jesus as He is in the Bible. It's about humbling ourselves before Him as our Lord and Savior, instead of following our own ideas of who we think He is or want Him to be. It's about accepting the undeserved sacrifice He made for us, instead of living like He owes us something.
Religion made Jesus more angry than any humbled sinner ever did.
Religion looks so close to the truth that so many people don't even realize how wrong they are.
I hate being called religious!
I'd much rather be called "Jesus Freak"!
And furthermore, Chelsea ... you said that legalized abortion allows more women to come into the workforce.
Well, I say that not having abortions allows more people to come into the world. (And this includes many women. Well, those who would have been women had they been given the chance at life, that chance to grow up.)
Reproductive rights are not about women's economic rights. A person's right to live should not be based on whether or not someone else can get a job or make more money. (Oh, what a horrible thought!)
At its very core, this issue is about the value of life. About whether we all have the right to be born ... or if the value of our life is negotiable, based on whether it's convenient for others or not!
My mother got pregnant with me as a teenager. She thought about having an abortion. I'm thankful she didn't. And yet, despite the fact that she went on to have five more kids after me, she still ended up getting advanced degrees and well-paying full-time jobs.
You don't have to end someone else's life to get the life you want.
And no one should be allowed to end someone else's life to get the life they want!
Women, you do have rights! You have the right to have sex when you are responsible enough to handle the possible consequences of having sex.
(But until then, I suggest you keep your knees closed.)
[This post is not for those who have had abortions and feel guilty about it. God has already forgiven all sins when Jesus paid for them on the cross. And He is offering you the gifts of grace, forgiveness, salvation, love, healing. Don't let guilt and shame keep you from these gifts. Reach out and grab them. They are yours for the taking! I've said it before and I'll say it again ... God is much more concerned with where we're going than where we've been!
But this is for those who are proud of abortion, protective of it, making excuses for it. The ones who are shouting about their abortions and riding floats that celebrate abortion in parades and demanding abortion as a "right." I know you're proud of yourself right now, but someday you'll be humbled before our God, ashamed of the stands you took. But it will be too late for you to do anything about it. Don't wait too long. Humble yourself now. Before He does it for you!]
In fact, I think religion is the greatest enemy to Christianity. Because it appears so similar to it in some ways that no one realizes just how far from the truth it is. It makes you feel like you have enough of God to get to heaven, but not too much that it infringes on your life.
Religion is about working your way to heaven, about following "the rules," earning your way, trying to be good enough that God lets you in. It's about believing you have a right to eternal life because of what you do or think.
Religion is the enemy of grace!
But Christianity is about God making the way for us to get to heaven when we couldn't do it ourselves. It's about Him reaching down to pull us up, instead of us trying to work our way to Him. It's about Him giving us a gift we could never earn - undeserved grace, forgiveness, love, salvation.
Religion lets you turn God into whatever you want so that you can live however you want. It's about worshipping "God" or "god" or the universe or a cow or a female deity who only cares about woman's rights.
But Christianity is about Jesus. And that's a whole different thing! It's about knowing and following Jesus as He is in the Bible. It's about humbling ourselves before Him as our Lord and Savior, instead of following our own ideas of who we think He is or want Him to be. It's about accepting the undeserved sacrifice He made for us, instead of living like He owes us something.
Religion made Jesus more angry than any humbled sinner ever did.
Religion looks so close to the truth that so many people don't even realize how wrong they are.
I hate being called religious!
I'd much rather be called "Jesus Freak"!
And furthermore, Chelsea ... you said that legalized abortion allows more women to come into the workforce.
Well, I say that not having abortions allows more people to come into the world. (And this includes many women. Well, those who would have been women had they been given the chance at life, that chance to grow up.)
Reproductive rights are not about women's economic rights. A person's right to live should not be based on whether or not someone else can get a job or make more money. (Oh, what a horrible thought!)
At its very core, this issue is about the value of life. About whether we all have the right to be born ... or if the value of our life is negotiable, based on whether it's convenient for others or not!
My mother got pregnant with me as a teenager. She thought about having an abortion. I'm thankful she didn't. And yet, despite the fact that she went on to have five more kids after me, she still ended up getting advanced degrees and well-paying full-time jobs.
You don't have to end someone else's life to get the life you want.
And no one should be allowed to end someone else's life to get the life they want!
Women, you do have rights! You have the right to have sex when you are responsible enough to handle the possible consequences of having sex.
(But until then, I suggest you keep your knees closed.)
[This post is not for those who have had abortions and feel guilty about it. God has already forgiven all sins when Jesus paid for them on the cross. And He is offering you the gifts of grace, forgiveness, salvation, love, healing. Don't let guilt and shame keep you from these gifts. Reach out and grab them. They are yours for the taking! I've said it before and I'll say it again ... God is much more concerned with where we're going than where we've been!
But this is for those who are proud of abortion, protective of it, making excuses for it. The ones who are shouting about their abortions and riding floats that celebrate abortion in parades and demanding abortion as a "right." I know you're proud of yourself right now, but someday you'll be humbled before our God, ashamed of the stands you took. But it will be too late for you to do anything about it. Don't wait too long. Humble yourself now. Before He does it for you!]
