skip



My Beliefs

Wondering what kind of religion or spirituality I adhere to? Not one that unfortunately like most is merely about being a good person. That's important; that matters, but I believe a life filled with the highest and most steadfast honesty and integrity, the most compassionate and self-sacrificing acts, would be worth nothing without a connection to the Source of unconditional forgiveness and love.

I adhere to one that's based on and centered around a personal, daily, living and dynamic relationship with a loving and involved God who, wanting our love intead of fear is, for a little while longer, allowing evil, disease and natural disaster to cause people to suffer and die so that unfallen angels, unfallen beings in the universe - yes, I believe they exist, and we ourselves, can see the natural result of rejecting the Source of life, unconditional love and peace.

I adhere to one that those of us who put it into practice believe is very relevant today, especially in these tumultuous times, in which we're committed to overcoming and healing from addictions and past hurts, including church wounds, and dealing with everyday life issues with God's and other's help, and helping others do the same...

...one that's about second chances and relationships with my fellow human beings of all classes, ethnicities and backgrounds that are based on active, unconditional love, instead of ones based on traditions, rituals, arbitrary rules, pretention and apathy or prejudice, a judgemental spirit and hate.

I'm a practicing Christian, as opposed to a hypocritical one, specifically a practicing Seventh-day Adventist Protestant Christian (not to be confused with Latter-day Saints / Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses).

Wait. Hold on. Don't move on just yet. Before you do, thinking, in spite of what I said earlier, that I'm yet another mindless slave of restrictive, repressive, oppressive, judgemental and hypocritical organized religion, using it as a crutch to get through life and harming others in the process, let me explain first what the words in the label I gave myself mean and why I've chosen to adhere to my beliefs, to the Bible's claims.

''Seventh-day'' refers to the 24-hour, sundown-to-sundown sanctuary of rest from work and school, from the stresses of daily life, and the worship and fellowship on Saturday, the Sabbath of the 4th Commandment which, we can testify from personal experience, is really the 4th Blessing.

''Adventist'' refers to Jesus' second advent, or coming, which we believe the signs of these increasingly troubling, sobering times indicate will be very soon.

And ''Protestant Christian'' refers to the Bible's claim that we are all unable to keep God's commandments perfectly in thought, motive and deed, as the Bible claims God does and requires us to do here on Earth and to enter heaven...

...not because they're arbitrary rules, but because they're God's eternal, unconditional love-based guidelines to true, lasting peace and happiness and therefore not restrictive, but infinitely liberating;...

...that there's therefore nothing we can do to earn our way into heaven; and that God will replace our inability to keep those guidelines perfectly with Jesus' perfect adherence to them, give us the power to keep the guidelines more and more fully while helping us overcome destructive character traits and habits...

...and take to heaven not merely those who are sincere in their beliefs, but those who both believe Jesus is our God / Man savior from our weakened condition and apply His teachings.

Does that mean I believe God won't let those who die without learning about and following Jesus and his teachings into heaven?

No. I believe God will only take to heaven those who knowingly or unknowingly have allowed Him to influence their thoughts, motives and deeds and would be truly happy in an environment where everyone keeps God's ten commandments or laws perfectly, which the Bible claims will take place through God's power.

Does being a Protestant Christian mean I'm involved in an organized religion as opposed to a spirituality that connects me in a personal way with God? That they're diametrically opposed to each other? No. For me it means I'm involved in both.

How is that possible? Because I believe true religion and spirituality are one and the same because my first priority every day is voluntarily connecting with God through prayer and the Bible.

And my second priority is connecting inside and outside my church with other people, who the Bible claims, and I and others believe from experience, are to God, no matter what they've done, of infinite value and significance, and sharing with them God's love* and His promises for them in the Bible of hope of a better life now and for the rest of eternity.

(* by supporting our communities and helping the needy through fostering inter-agency and inter-religious work dealing with social inequalities and promoting social justice)

Plus, I choose to be a Seventh-day Adventist Protestant Christian because as not merely a church, but a movement:

  1. we believe the Bible is reliable and still valid in today's world, teaching the importance of balance in the physical, emotional and spiritual areas of our lives for optimal health and happiness.
  2. we believe our interpretation of the Bible's doctrines is the most biblical, including that of death being like sleep and hell, caused by rejection of the Source of life and unconditional love, having both a beginning and in a matter of a few hours, minutes or seconds, depending on how much a person or fallen angel caused others to suffer, a very quick, merciful end a thousand years after Jesus' second coming, putting an end to disease, misery and death.
  3. we believe in progressive biblical knowledge and understanding. Meaning that while Martin Luther, promoter of Protestant Christianity like the Waldenses and Vaudois centuries before him, was prejudiced towards Jews, we today build our beliefs upon the biblical discoveries of our predecessors and add to them as we continually seek to learn and understand more from the Bible's teachings, such as unconditional love and social equality.
  4. we support freedom of or from religion through the separation of church and state. (as individuals, we hold, and are free to hold, different views)
  5. we support active* noncombatancy or conscientious objection to war. (* not evasion of military service, but instead service in an unarmed, noncombatant capacity or role such as a medic, as chosen and performed by Adventist and medal of honor recipient Desmond Doss)

Don't get me wrong. I pledge allegiance to no particular denomination, religion or spirituality. If there were another that were more biblical or reliable, based on the evidence, I would adhere to that one instead, but I truly believe there isn't one.


Naturalist Template provided by Designs by Darren. Released under a Creative Commons License.
Image of Half Dome provided by PD Photo and STUDIO7DESIGNS in Nautica 2.2 Template
Basic CSS Menu provided by CSS Play.