Christianity

Off Center and the Orange Litmus Test

As the winter holidays approach, including our big one for those of us who celebrate Christmas, I lead my holiday celebrations with this this mindset and intention:

I attended conservative religious schools my whole life until college.

But, as a minority female in nearly all-white student, faculty, and staff schools, what I witnessed of their intentions and what I experienced from “good Christians” interacting with a non-White person (and my presence being even more confusing for them to process as my family is also White due to my adoption) vs what they preached every Wednesday (weekly, mandatory school church sessions held as part of our curriculum), Bible study class (a graded subject that affected our GPAs), what my fellow classmates and teacher’s churches put forth as their missions versus how they treated “outsiders,”… well, I have a different view of the Christian religion.

Real followers of Christianity, the concept of God, and the followers of a Jesus-led life: We should all support women’s healthcare (which includes abortions) and the LGBTQIA+ community because we should all care about people’s health, healing, and well being. Did we forget that Jesus hung out with the leper colonies? We should love our neighbors as ourselves and as God loves them (the marginalized, the ignored). Jesus hung out with those the churches of the time (and still now) love to yell at and blame for the world’s problems.

A Jesus led life does these things. Because we are ALL God’s creation and His people. We’re to lead lives of giving, sharing, loving, supporting, and understanding of our community and with love in our hearts for others.

Indoctrinated religious folks are those who provide hate-and-fear mongering blind support.

Indoctrinated religious folks are loudest and unfortunately fall into a trap of “I’m going to convert you now! You follow THIS or go to hell! You don’t like what I like? <le gasp!/scandalized!> We’re going to punish you, shame you, and damn you to hell!”

Anyone’s choice of no faith, spirituality, or religion is in their heart. Anyone’s sexuality is what it is because God made that person the way they are, whether it be gay, straight, bi, non-binary, transgender, poly, monogamous, or asexual.

Many family members and others who have been present for a long time, I feel like they sometimes believe I’m not a Christian. The problem is that I think they still feel this way.

My faith is in my metaphorical heart. I don’t have a bunch of crosses in my home, nor around my neck, or on my car, or on my shirt. I don’t go to a church every Sunday. What constitues being allegedly “Christian” nowadays doesn’t feel good to me, and those symbolic lifestyles seem as empty of a gesture as helpong the community then asking them, “Have you heard the good news?” That’s not helping people. That’s committing a selfish act with the intention of conversion. I’m also strongly politically left. I don’t think I’ve ever been a conservative, I was just forced to not share my views in my youth.

My family was strongly conservative during my 1980s/1990s childhood. My dad was a veteran, and my parents both grew up on farms in the country. My family is of German heritage. My parents were/are both light eyed, tall, White, with my dad being blonde and my mom having light brown hair, and both are of the Baby Boomer generation. (Could anyone honestly be surprised they were/are conservative?)

Having said that, being conservative nowadays means something else entirely. “The 2023 “conservative” now means blindly following the orange ass from Florida who has spent his senior years doing everything he can to spit upon and destroy democracy and common decency, incite violence and hate, marginalize and dehumanize already persecuted groups within our society, obliterate and literally burn away our educational systems (of which we didn’t have stellar systems from a global standpoint anyway), and 100% hates women and children.

Never in my life have I witnessed such a litmus test for Christianity and living a Christ-centered life. The orange ass from Florida really forced us to decide what Christianity actually is vs. selfishness, greed, and hate disguised as Christianity.

Right now, alleged Christianity means blindly following and putting millions of dollars into hateful concepts like Chik Fil A and Hobby Lobby. Continually sexualizing children, women, and preventing any and all options of humane medical treatments, including abortion.

#AbortionIsHealthcare. I firmly believe that. It saved my life when I experienced a miscarriage from a pregnancy of which I wasn’t yet aware and was causing all kinds of blood pressure issues endangering my body.

As I watch this particular brand of political indoctrinated religious troop physically and mentally beat down others nationwide, all while screaming and crying and playing victim during standard government procedures, who is the off-kilter weirdo here?

I am a person who lives my life in as a respectful, giving, kindness-led, intentional life that wants to provide others with as much dignity, care, and support as possible.

“I believe the children are our future,” (Greatest Love of All, as sung by the late Whitney Houston) and believe they should have access to ALL books and literature, including books that contain multiple researched viewpoints of a single moment in history. I believe education should be free AND easily accessible to all. I believe college and university should be free and easily accessible to all.

I believe in universal healthcare because we all deserve easily accessibe, safe, sane, and effective medicine. Why wouldn’t I want that for anyone else? A physically healthy society is a thriving society because we’re focused on what we want to do with our lives versus wondering if we’ll have enough shifts to cover medical expenses before we can focus on anything else. As someone who spent 10 years in debt and fixing my credit score because of a 2012 cancer scare and both my spouse and I needing surgery that year, and having lived paycheck to paycheck and forced to decide between gas to get to work or food for the month, why would I wish that struggle onto anyone else? This includes abortion.

I believe that women and girls deserve easy access to life saving (in both physical and mental perspectives), safely performed abortion and birth control. No person should have to be forced to give birth as a result of secual assault and/or incest. No body should be forced to give birth in general, especially if you’re a minor. Let alone a small child going through pregnancy and childbirth. This is a violation of human rights, child safety, and absolutely appalling that Roe v. Wade was overturned by the orange ass from Florida and his followers.

I believe in loving, accepting, and supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. Anyone’s love for another person who is not harming themselves or others is never a bad thing. Being in a healthy, safe, sane relationship with one or many people doesn’t hurt anyone. Love is never a bad thing to celebrate, embrace, and share with others. A flower and a vegetable may be different, but they’re both plants that deserve nurturing, care, and a safe environment to grow and thrive. Both provide and deserve to be in the world and have a purpose. The LGBTQIA+ community is the gorgeous flower to my trite method of existence.

I believe in gun control because I’m tired of seeing children go to school and die, I’m tired of seeing Black people die, I’m tired of Americans of Asian descent being attacked for a virus none of us had anything to do with, I’m tired of hearing about mass shootings. But you want to put an assault rifle in your 5 year old’s hands and display your Smith and Wessons in your Christmas card all because “Boy, howdy, do I just love these guns!” and no other reason. I’m tired of racist, unbalanced, trigger-happy, power-hungry, small-dick energy assholes being the law enforcers of our country. Police are to be a SERVICE to the community, not causing families to arrange FUNERAL SERVICES because a cop was feeling extra racist that day.

I avoid the current misogynistic, racist, and hate-filled structure of churches, If there is a church that, while not perfect because perfection doesn’t exist, but actually shows that it and its congregation has a loving, giving, respectful view because we genuiniely want to help others with ZERO plans of a “conversion session,” maybe then I’ll consider attending. As of today, at age 39, I have yet to see a church that doesn’t operate under misogynistic, non -racist, non-agenda service to its community.

I don’t believe “all things happen for a reason.” Many religious people spout this comment, but I respond with a simple: Meh. My dad and my only living grandparent both dying in 2007–my grandma right before my final year of college’s finals week, and my dad dying the day after Thanksgiving–those weren’t for a grand life purpose reason. My grandma was 99 years old, and my dad had a heart defect. Plus, he smoked all day every day and never took care of himself. There was no positive as a result of these negative events. They happened, it hurt, it still hurts to a point today, and there was absolutely nothing gained from those two things other than clinical depression and a few years of feeling like I was drowning. Neither got to see me get married or have my child. What good came of that?

Remember “free will?” I believe sometimes shitty things happen. Plus, negative choices cause repurcussions and co sequences of those choices. It wasn’t “meant to be.” It was a result of someone else’s choice to say or do the wrong thing.

What I do believe in is that it’s our intention and our choices before, during, or after the shitty thing that matters. The kindness in a gesture. Taking the moment to listen to someone having a problem or multiple problems in their day. Helping someone put their shopping cart away. General manners. At this point, as mentioned above, basic human decency is under attack.

If you see something bad happening, and it’s safe for you to intervene, say, or do something!

Indoctrinated religious people who allegedly follow a Jesus-led life but have been scammed into leading a heretic’s existence, these people who compare minorities to vermin, support guns while we reach school shooting 306 for this year alone, force birth upon women and children, support electing government officials who have physically and mentally harmed others, who go through women like toilet paper, who take away basic human function rights and needs, who believe we don’t deserve access to full perspective scope education, not separating church and state, scream at others and thinking their knowledge is higher than God’s by deciding and screaming who should go to hell, and populating four walled structures to continue this cycle of misguided self-righteousness, selfishness, narrow-minded thinking, hate-spewing, fear mongering, human decency destroying, and verbally and physically violent existence:

Stop it.

You’re not under attack. You’re upset because you’re realizing you’re not getting your way. Just because you’re receiving a “No” doesn’t mean we aren’t wrong.

You’re upset, whining, and throwing a temper tantrum of epic proportions that would make a toddler blush because you’re facing the consequences of your actions.

Christianity isn’t being attacked. You’re being held accountable.

And so, I go into Christmas with a heart filled with wanting a safe, healthy, non-violent, community-supporting, human rights-loving, society-healing, and kindness, dignity, and respect-led intention. By continually making choices and statements that keep the world in mind, not just what’s favorable and convenient to me, not because something differs from my opinion. I remain labeled as a politically left liberal because that’s the category I fall into because it is fighting for the world I want to live in. Not just because my hair is fuchsia now.

Being liberal today means living the life I know Jesus would want. That’s the world God wants us to maintain. And so, I go into Christmas with the intention of continually fighting for marginalized communities, making sure I use my privilege and resources to uplift their voices, to protect the safety of our women, girls, children, LGBTQIA+ community, for healthcare, for education, for not wanting to create nor support a fascist country, for not wanting any more violence, for not wanting people to hurt or be hurt further, for wanting healing from the traumas the orange ass from Florida and his heretic followers have caused.

I go into Christmas with a focus on a Jesus-led lifestyle, with Jesus in my heart, and hopefully living a life that reminds people why we celebrate in the first place.

One last point of order:
Jesus wasn’t white.
Jesus was an immigrant/refugee.
Jesus was Jewish.
Jesus condemned the church.
Jesus loved EVERYONE.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

For those who don’t celebrate anything, I wish you a safe, restorative, joyful winter season leading to a fresh new year!

it has a name for a reason. let’s keep it that way, m’kay?

Warning:
Below is a rant I cannot keep to myself anymore.
If you’d prefer to skip straight to the cookie recipe, please feel free to do so.

Now Precious Readers, I really hope after this post we remain friends. However, I do have an extremely serious pet peeve that must be shared.

There’s a reason it’s called “Christmas” and not “the Holiday Season.”

I know, I know. There are those who celebrate Chanukah, and Kwanza. Which is fine, I have no problems wishing someone a Happy Chanukah or Happy Kwanza. It’s those who celebrate nothing and have to make a big fuss about it that bother me.

In my place of work during my Daily Life, there are very few people who are Christians. Again, which is fine. I’m not going to shove “You should believe in Christianity” down someone’s throat. I, myself, did not become a Christian until I was 16 years old.

The problem I have is with people who are extreme to point out there is nothing. You know what? I say, let those who believe in a higher power, do so in peace. I don’t go around shoving Christianity down your throats, so please don’t Bi

If I’m wrong, or other religions, faiths, spiritualities are incorrect and there is absolutely no afterlife, reincarnation, or dispersion through the universe, then… What?  Nothing will happen when we die?

So what’s the big deal?

If we’re wrong, we’re wrong. There won’t be anything to change it and we’re all dust in the ground. Don’t go shoving your non-belief down my throat.  Honestly, what’s the harm? If it makes people act morally and humanely towards others and our environment, how is tis a bad thing? Yes, there are people who choose to use their faith as a method of hate-

which I 100% disagree with

-but 95% of believers in something tend to be more along the lines of peace towards her/his fellow man. Real Christianity specifically is of the belief that God is a God of LOVE and loves everyone, and we should treat others with love, no matter their background, sexual preference, previous sins, etc.

Now, I am definitely not saying I’m perfect.

Far from it, as you may have read in earlier posts.

I am the last person who would say I was a good person, a moral person or least of all a perfect person. However, I make choices every moment of every day to try and do my best to help others.

However, one thing I will not stand, are those who shove the idea that there is no afterlife, reincarnation, dispersion into the universe, or whatever, only to then turn around and tell me about their “Christmas” plans. Non-believers of anything should not be celebrating “Christmas.” This pet peeve irritates me to no bounds.

They should be celebrating: Winter. Or Winter Vacation. Or Snowfall. Or that crappy holiday, Seinfeld talks about: Festivus.

Christmas is a holiday specifically focused on the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This is so important, I will repeat myself:

Christmas is a holiday specifically focused on the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

No, according to the Jewish calendar, Dec. 25th is not His actual birthday, but it is the day our country recognizes as His birthday.

I wish I did not have listen to others who do not believe in Christianity use the term so casually to define their Winter Vacation plans. There is a reason it’s called CHRISTmas, and not ATHIEST-mas. Now, Jewish, Agnostics, Buddhists, etc., at least you believe in something to celebrate during the winter season, so please go and celebrate the Winter Solstice, Chanukah, Kwanza, etc. in peace. At least you are recognizing something and calling it by its seasonal name appropriately.

For those who do not believe in anything, please leave me to celebrate CHRISTmas on my own in peace, while you celebrate your Winter Vacation.

Katie’s “Christmas Rant” – out.

To perk up this blog a wee bit, since it’s a rough way to end the Christmas Season, I am sharing a Cranberry Pecan Biscotti recipe with you. Alas, it is not my own personal recipe, I found it through a co-worker. However, since Pilot and I are wickedly poor, I tend to make Christmas Cookies each year for my family. This year I tried biscotti and they were a huge hit. I have some tips below, along with a fun article that was written about biscotti.

Enjoy!

Pecan Cranberry Biscotti

Makes approximately 24 logs, or rounds

INGREDIENTS:

½ C. pecan halves, toasted (other nuts can be substituted)

1 tsp. baking powder

2 ½ C. flour

1 ¼ C. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

3 large eggs

2 large egg yolk

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 C. dried cranberries

Zest of 1 lemon and/or orange

1.  Heat oven 350°.  Toast pecans in oven.  After cooled, finely chop half the pecans, and leave remaining ones in halves; set aside.

2.  In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine baking powder, flour, sugar, and salt. In a bowl, beat eggs, yolks, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients; mix on medium low until sticky dough is formed. Add in pecans, cranberries, and zest.

3.  Turn dough out onto well-floured board; sprinkle with flour, and knead slightly. Shape into 9-by-3 1/2-inch logs. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Reduce oven to 275°.

4.  Let cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. On a cutting board, you can choose to:

a.  Cut logs on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices; or

b.  Cut logs into small,1/2 inch thick rounds

Then, place flat on baking sheet; place in oven 20 minutes each side. Cool completely and place in air tight container.

Some tips:

A reminder to allow yourself plenty of time. This is a slow-baked cookie, and will need to be baked TWICE. Once for the original dough logs, and a second time to crisp up the cut sides.

For my biscotti, I only used orange zest and a little orange juice to add to the flavor of the dough.

Before kneading dough, flour your working area and your hands thoroughly. It’s a very sticky dough.  If it’s crumbly, persevere and keep working it. If it’s absolutely too dry, add a little bit of water and work the dough thoroughly before deciding to add more. IT’s supposed to be a drier dough.

When cutting the dough, I highly recommend a bread knife. If you do not own a bread knife, a serrated blade is the next best thing.

Check out this great article from Susan Russo, featured from NPR. It has some great additional tips and a little bit of history about biscotti.

Final Season’s Greetings before the New Year approaches!

Holy cow, the New Year is approaching quickly!

What are your favorite Christmas (or Chanukah, Kwanza, etc.) recipes? Please share!

don’t worry, i won’t reference Thor

Can’t we all just get along?

So, of course, my first attempt at a weekly blog post would be to tackle a highly sensitive topic: Science versus Faith.

That’s right.

This topic is one so passionately discussed, it has divided and united colleagues, friends and even family. It has been the tiniest kindle to spark a conversation, all the way to being the vessel that spawned wars amongst great nations.

The Crusades, anyone?  Bueller?  Bueller?

One of my all time favorite shows, which is of course the entire world’s favorite: J. J. Abram’s, LOST.  Heck, an entire episode was dedicated to this debate.

Are you beginning to grasp that I’m a huge J. J. Abram’s fan, yet?

Though several critics believe the titular battle was between characters Jack and Locke, the producers insist it was actually an internal struggle of the character, Dr. Jack Shepard, a gifted spinal surgeon or “man of science” who must confront several spiritual questions by The Island, such as the concept of free will, fate and destiny.  Several plot devices are the direct consequence of a “leap of faith” choice each character makes.

Now, from previous posts I’ve made, it is clear that I am a woman of faith. But I promise, Precious Readers, I’m not going to use this blog to get preachy.  This is an important topic for any writer to explore, and this post is just to open the door for some friendly debate. 

Keyword: FRIENDLY.  Let’s keep it nice here.

Now keep in mind: religion is the “showboat” of faith, it’s the sexy representation of “faith.” But remember, “faith” is a concept. Not a religion itself. Many people forget this, but it’s true. In fact, organized religion isn’t even the top definition:

Dictionary.com defines faith as:

1. Confidence or trust in a person or thing
2. Belief that is not based on proof
3. Belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion
4. Belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.
5. A system of religious belief

Now bear with me, sciency-based peoples, you’ll have a turn too.

It’s important to note that faith was first described as “confidence or trust in a person or thing” and that “belief that is not based on proof” was definition #2, NOT #1. Having faith is not directly tied to a religion.  It is the idea of believing in something.  It can be yourself, in others, in another concept such as “love” or “destiny.”

And what about science?  Is science strictly all numbers, equations, and hard fact?  Read this next description and you tell me:

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines science as:

1. The state of knowing: knowledge as distinguised from ignorance or misunderstanding
2. A department of systemized knowledge as an object of study
3. Knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method
4. Such knowledge or such a system of knowledge concerned with the physical world and its phenomena: natural science
5. A system or method reconciling practical ends with scientific laws

The way I’m interpreting this, is that humanity has driven a hard line between science: a concept of discovery or search for understanding, and faith: believing in something without understanding.  But are these areas so clearly separated?  Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think so. I think these two concepts are more intertwined than we care to admit.

Discovery is the journey of finding something we haven’t seen or understood. Science is the process of making a discovery. But, wait a second.  Isn’t believing that “the truth is out there” its own version of faith?  Wouldn’t a scientist have to believe that there is more knowledge “out there” to pursue discovering it? Research is just a method to prove their belief, whether that proof is right or wrong. A researcher must have faith that the proof is “out there.”

Now, you may be wondering, what’s my theory?  It’ll probably be just another “Bible thumper” answer and that Christianity is the end all/be all. That believe in Jesus Christ is all that matters, and that’s it.

Well, you’d be wrong.

It is human nature to want to understand our surroundings. “Science,” the need for discovery and understanding of our world is a necessary thing. Nature, humanity, love, connection – these are all mysteries that should never go unsolved. Sure my foundation of how this world was created may be different than yours, but maybe you and I aren’t that different after all.

Some find it surprising, but I’m a Christian and I have a love of science fiction. I’m a semi-Trekker and paranormal enthusiast.  But even Star Trek was “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” Isn’t that having faith that there is more to understand, even though we don’t have proof that it’s out there?

I know. Long-ass way of getting here, but this is a lengthy topic.  But…

Riddle me this:

What is the absolute question that everyone asks themselves at least once?  Of course, the answer is: Why are we here?  The core of any human is the pursuit of finding a greater understanding of who we are and our purpose.

But wait, a second… Didn’t we just decide that was also the entire purpose of science, too?  The pursuit of understanding?

I am a Christian, but I also believe God gave me a brain. I enjoy using it. Although there are some individuals I swear have theirs shoved up their a- Oh, never mind. Back to the topic at hand! 

I believe there is a place for science and faith in this world, and discovering the unknown is the the ultimate pursuit, whether it’s science-driven or faith-driven.  Instead of thinking of them as enemies, think of them more as concepts that need each other. They’re not at war with each other. They’re at perfect balance and will help us to understand more than we ever dreamed of.

What do you think?  Does faith have a home in science and vice versa? Or are they really two different animals?

And… Ok, I can’t help myself. Maybe ONE Thor reference. Enjoy.