for the record, not all branches of Christianity are full of crazies like the preachers and hell-damned ones seen on this site. i was raised Greek Orthodox, and we have never really believed in creationism or that everyone other than us is going to hell. growing up in church, i never once heard anything about sex being bad, or how everyone who wasn't "one of us" was going to hell. i was always taught that each person had to find their own path to god, and that one's faith is not something we bring up to belittle or intimidate others. a person's faith is supposed to be their own, and not something you use as a weapon to attack other people. we don't have missionaries and don't go out trying to convert people or damn them for not having the same beliefs as we do. as a religion, we have pretty much always believed in evolution, in science, and that the bible is not meant to be taken literally at every point. we were taught that much of it is simply a teaching tool, one that was created for simpler people in a simpler time. growing up, we were taught that everyone is saved, as long as you really try to lead a good life. the people who use religion and their "faith" as weapons of intimidation and self-agrandizing are simply misguided egotists who want to feel special and superior to others by judging them and looking down on everyone. please know that not all of us are like this. Greek Orthodoxy is far from perfect, but as a religion I believe we are trying to be better. contraception is accepted (and encouraged in some cases - we believe the true sin is bringing a child into this world that you are not able to care properly for, so it's ok to wait). we accept abortion in cases that are harmful to the mother, whether physically or psychologically. there is a movement to accept gay marriages and female priests, and i believe it's simply a matter of time before those get passed as well.
people are free to believe or not to believe in god, and that's ok. i believe we are all god's children, and as long as we truly try to be good people we are all saved. we are human, and we are not perfect. god knows i'm not. and that's ok. peace, love and understanding are the only way to move forward. anything else is an insult to god and to each other. people who spout damnation always seem to forget Matthew 6- the truly faithful do not shout their "faith" in public for all to see. they should pray in their rooms, away from the eyes of others. screaming one's piety in public is not faith, but arrogance. it's showmanship. it's no longer about what they believe, but what they want everyone else to think they believe. it's false faith, and one of the highest forms of blasphemy.
so please don't believe that we are all like those false "believers". there are those of us who have our beliefs and do not judge others for feeling differently. i actually feel sorry for those people. they obviously have little self-worth and feel the need to condemn others to make themselves feel good about themselves. pride is one of the deadly sins after all. they are lost, and we must teach them peace, love and acceptance by example.
that said, i'm going back to watching porn and masturbating. goodnight brothers and sisters.
