This is from an email conversation with one of my closest friends. She felt it was worth being a blog post, so here it is. I'm sure someone will have something to respond. :) I feel very vulnerable at this moment as I click the "publish post" button.
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Do you think that our problems with acceptance and love for our self (or lack there of) stems from an unconscious (or perhaps even conscious) belief that we are unlovable? If so, why would we believe such a thing when we've been taught that Jsus/G-d loves us? Maybe deep down we don't believe He really loves us? Is this strictly a problem we have because of life experience or is it shaped and fed by our religious ideas/beliefs? If we truly are able to grasp that we are loved by Jsus/G-d then what prevents us from loving and accepting ourselves? If we struggle with self-love and self-acceptance doesn't this reinforce our perception that we are unlovable or that we are failing at practicing our religion?
Somehow there has been a seed imbedded in our psyche and it has grown into an uncontrollable weed, much like a dandelion. We do our best to eradicate it but it always comes back. We cannot love ourselves because we are not perfect. We are not perfect because there is something wrong with us and it's our own fault. We are taught that since the Fall in the Garden we are depraved creatures, born sinners. Even with the Jsus religion telling us that only He can make us perfect we still keep trying. Because we are taught that any sign of imperfection is our fault. We are failing somewhere in our faith and that failure is manifesting itself in our lives through our constant struggling with ______ (fill in the blank).
Why do we always feel dissatisfaction with the fruits of our faith? Why do we feel farther away from our spiritual goals even though we try harder and harder? Why do we keep going from one Christian sect to another hoping to find "the Way"? Why do we always blame ourselves for taking back our burdens after having "given it all to G-d"? What is the reason we don't seem to have victory over the struggles in our lives when it seems like we do all that is asked of us and more? Doesn't this just keep the blame game (to ourselves) going?
Perhaps the problem isn't with us and our perceived inabilities to fully grasp the spirit-filled life or truly understand His Grace. Perhaps the problem is with the actual religion??? Perhaps what we think G-d expects of us (what our religion tells us He expects) and what He actually expects are vastly different? Perhaps Christianity is a man-made religion of fear, bondage and oppression and that's why it's not working for us.
Or perhaps there is no real G-d after all and the problem is religion period.
Somehow there has been a seed imbedded in our psyche and it has grown into an uncontrollable weed, much like a dandelion. We do our best to eradicate it but it always comes back. We cannot love ourselves because we are not perfect. We are not perfect because there is something wrong with us and it's our own fault. We are taught that since the Fall in the Garden we are depraved creatures, born sinners. Even with the Jsus religion telling us that only He can make us perfect we still keep trying. Because we are taught that any sign of imperfection is our fault. We are failing somewhere in our faith and that failure is manifesting itself in our lives through our constant struggling with ______ (fill in the blank).
Why do we always feel dissatisfaction with the fruits of our faith? Why do we feel farther away from our spiritual goals even though we try harder and harder? Why do we keep going from one Christian sect to another hoping to find "the Way"? Why do we always blame ourselves for taking back our burdens after having "given it all to G-d"? What is the reason we don't seem to have victory over the struggles in our lives when it seems like we do all that is asked of us and more? Doesn't this just keep the blame game (to ourselves) going?
Perhaps the problem isn't with us and our perceived inabilities to fully grasp the spirit-filled life or truly understand His Grace. Perhaps the problem is with the actual religion??? Perhaps what we think G-d expects of us (what our religion tells us He expects) and what He actually expects are vastly different? Perhaps Christianity is a man-made religion of fear, bondage and oppression and that's why it's not working for us.
Or perhaps there is no real G-d after all and the problem is religion period.
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