Okay, I admit it!
I am a HUGE sci-fi fan!
There, now you know.
It’s important that you know this, because, being an introvert, you would never see me at any of those conventions dressed up in a Xena costume. . .even if I could pull it off. (Which, I don’t think I could.)
Actually, that’s not why. . .
I love sci-fi because of stories that can be told, discussed and handled. . .and no one gets offended.
Number one topic, I think, that gets discussed in sci-fi — RELIGION. Customs, societal norms, mores. . .all that too and no one gets offended!
How amazingly awesome!
It’s like an open invitation to use your brain and think about issues that you daren’t discuss in public. I love that! The freedom to express an opinion without reprocussions, without looks. . .
This book series I’m currently reading has the ”Wizard’s First Rule”.
Essentially, it says people will believe what they are already primed for, not necessarily what is fact.
For example, in our world, a girl misses her menses, she’s had sex, and someone tells her she is pregnant. The chances that she’ll believe it to be true are incredibly high even if you haven’t offered her a grain of proof, and there is a high likelihood that she will then begin behaving according to her physical status.
That was an oversimplified example.
Here’s another one:
You move to a new area and are in search for a church. Do you pick a church that is the “truth”? Or do you pick one that you are already comfortable with? One that aligns with your principles?
Of course, that idea is “sticky”. If you already have a belief system then you, of course, believe your system is the “truth”.
But, I had asked myself that question (or something similar) a little over a year ago. And, regretfully, I found my answer was something along the lines of I was searching for “my” god; rather than the “true” God. As in I had the box all prepared, I just wanted to stuff Him in there so I could add the bow.
See, I can have these conversations with myself without getting offended. . .a little miffed at my stupidity perhaps, but not offended.
That was the end of my church hunt.
In ways I miss a “church family”. However, I am grateful, because I have had a chance to grow. I have had the opportunity to ask questions that I would never, ever, (as in never in a million years) ask in a church setting, and discover the answers. I find myself saddened that churches tend to “discourage” questions. Not that I’ve ever heard, “don’t ask”. However, one never wants to appear stupid; and the idea of questioning God in church. . . well, that just doesn’t fly.
I’m also fortunate to be surrounded by a number of knowledgeable others; one of whom I can freely ask questions of and he doesn’t seem to mind. Others, I can listen to, each of them adding something everytime I hear them.
This has been bothering me of late. People still always ask what church we attend, and somehow that makes me uncomfortable, like, by not being affiliated with a church it means we aren’t believers.
Yet, I know my faith; and I attend a “church” of one.
