Of course, I can!
\nIt’s difficult for me, as a thoughtful and intelligent woman, to imagine following rules created in the medieval era. There are countless examples in the Bible, which is closest to me in my culture, where women are oppressed. There is no religion that I have found, except possibly Buddhism, where women have the same status as men. We will always be described as someone who should follow and obey their father\/brother\/ husband; it’s not the kind of life I want to live or want my daughter to live.<\/p>\n
There are plenty of crazy Bible quotes; here are two that I find particularly amusing:<\/p>\n
Exodus 35:2 is a verse from the Old Testament in the Bible.<\/strong><\/p>\n “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day, there shall be a holy Sabbath, a day of rest to the Lord. Whoever does work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.”<\/p>\n Exodus 21:7 is a verse from the Old Testament in the Bible.<\/strong><\/p>\n “When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not be released on the same terms as male slaves.”<\/p>\n Can I believe in God without having a religion?<\/strong><\/p>\n It’s about a presence within oneself and feeling God’s presence in your body and soul. You don’t need scriptures for that; you don’t need to blindly follow someone else’s words. One could argue that common sense is based on religious scriptures like the Ten Commandments; one can certainly reason that and it may feel reasonably plausible. However, I want to go back to a time before there was religion when people protected each other and ensured the survival of the species without someone telling them what to do and what not to do. All the abuses that happen in the name of God, that’s where the entire weight and significance of religion and the church fall apart for me. The church is never held accountable for all the victims who have fallen at the hands of churchmen. Perhaps internally, but never externally and never publicly. For me, the church is a way to control people, a way to ensure that men will stay in power cloaked as speaking the word of God. Look at how many beautiful churches we have across Gotland, a total of 98. Who built them? At what cost? How many lives did it cost?<\/p>\n God doesn’t need grand buildings to be worshipped. God hears you no matter where, when, and how you talk to Him. God is everything. God is your soul. God is your essence. Turn inward, not outward, and you have direct contact with God. We don’t need a church, no magical book to be close to our Creator.<\/p>\n I generally struggle with the whole concept that Jesus would be the son of God, that he died and rose again. I struggle with all statements about fishes that stretch endlessly and bread that lasts just as long. I struggle with how the Bible has been rewritten and edited so many times over the centuries that it feels like there’s nothing left of the original. I struggle with how logic fails across the entire structure of the Bible. It truly feels like a fabricated story to promote what was supposed to be promoted in society. It’s difficult to find a book that matches the content of the Bible, full of murder, war, incest, miracles, lies, and completely normal benevolence. I find it hard to live my life according to a book written in the medieval era. I find it hard to take the scripture seriously. The same goes for the Quran and the Torah.<\/p>\n As long as the roles and importance of women and children in interaction with men are not equal, I cannot take any religion seriously. We are all equally valuable in every conceivable way. Everyone’s life and existence are of equal importance to the universe, or God, if you prefer to call it that. Weighing them against each other only shows one big ego from those who wrote\/compiled the scriptures advocating for such views. If God indeed wrote the Bible, then that god is nothing for me. Not at all. A condemning and vengeful God who breaks his own commandments. No thanks. The God, or the Creator, that I acknowledge is loving, humble, all-seeing, and gives me the strength to smile an extra time every day, even if the one I’m smiling at doesn’t smile back. It doesn’t limit me because I’m a woman. It gives no right to anyone to hit me or anyone else. It does not support war or abuse. It is simply there for everyone to seek out if they so wish.<\/p>\n I am well aware that this post will rub a few of you the wrong way, and that\u00b4s ok. Be kind to your fellow person! I have dinner to cook, a daughter to annoy and coffee to sip.<\/p>\n Until later my darlings, until later.<\/p>\n \/L<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Of course, I can! It’s difficult for me, as a thoughtful and intelligent woman, to imagine following rules created in the medieval era. There are countless examples in the Bible, which is closest to me in my culture, where women are oppressed. 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\nTrust yourself, trust what you find to be common sense, and choose how to handle yourself and interact with your fellow human beings, deciding what kind of person you want to be.<\/p>\n
\nSo why does humanity need the church? Of course, the church can provide care, faith, and solace in difficult times. I believe that a community where people take care of each other is important for everyone. However, I don’t think it needs to be religious, dividing people into different classes. In the Bible, it is said that every human being is equally valuable, but apparently, that’s not the case in society, judging by how the church shapes it. Priests are more valuable than those who are not priests; men are more valuable than women, and women are more valuable than children, barely but still.<\/p>\n
\nI respect all people who respect me. We are all entitled to do this thing called life in what ever manner they find works for them. I am simply stating my world view.<\/p>\n
\nI\u00b4m sure you agree, no matter what spiritual beliefs you hold.<\/p>\n