God

I still go to church. I just go to the sermon then leave. Is this really wrong?
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If there is a heaven or hell, I am definitely going to hell, probably in the seventh ring. Or maybe purgatory. I am no angel. That's means not one you'd see in a church anyway. Those of you that know a thing or two about angels know that "Lucifer" was an angel. And there are lots of different types of angels, kind of like people.
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In almost all religious text, the common theme is basically "doing the right thing, and do the right thing when no one is looking."
- This something I try to instill in my Marines. It is hard. This is the one thing that depresses me at the end of the day. These Marines are really my heaven and hell.
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Back to that church idea. I did go to the whole service, quite regularly at one point in time. I lost the need to be there. Probably the only good part about staying for the whole service is: you can sing and suck at it and no one cares. I believe this is why most people go. They can't sing so they group up with others that can't carry a tune either and disguise this as a church outing.
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The question in your head is why do I even go? It's a good question. I could watch it on TV or listen to it on the radio. Why do some people need to go to the opera, or play, or the movie theaters?
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If you know me, which most of you do not, I would tell you, 'God will not kill me yet, he isn't done screwing with me.' Or My life is similar to Job. I keep thinking this one is true, do you remember what Job got in the end?
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One thing most of are thinking is: here's a guy who goes to church regularly and I(you) don't go, there must be something wrong with me.
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I believe that America has turned into a giant bowl of lard. And on the way, 'God' got stuck in it and drowned.
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Why is the 'world' in such a hurry? I allot time in my day on Sundays, sometimes it is a workday(like Monday or Thursday) and go to a sermon. {1 : a religious discourse delivered in public usually by a clergyman as a part of a worship service 2 : a speech on conduct or duty} When you were growing up, or right now as you are growing, have you ever wanted to listen to someone's speech?
- I admit it, I didn't. I wanted to go play with my friends or play pong.
- Side note about pong, you needed 2 players to play.-
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Have you ever noticed that in sermons the only part God or whomever the deity may be, is only mentioned in the beginning and the end? The middle is usually a story about something that may have happened to you or me or someone you know. This is a known as an analogy.{ a : resemblance in some particulars between things otherwise unlike : SIMILARITY b : comparison based on such resemblance}
The proctor uses this to help us humans understand something he or she need a degree for. This way we never have to go to "church school." We just need to stop by every once in awhile and listen.
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Does God hear me? Do you hear me? Do your kids hear you? Do your parents? Do your friends?
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I am a confirmed Lutheran. That is ELCA. Yea! I was baptized, had my first communion, and then was confirmed. Since that day, I have dabbled in more than 27 different types of religion and beliefs. (Why didn't I say 28? There were a few that didn't count as a whole one maybe two thirds.)
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate what my parents did for me. And if I have a child some day I will insist on the same thing.
I did not find what I was looking for. This is why, I just go to the sermon.
The message is the same no matter which church you go to. Some people are just better than others when it comes to relaying that message. So I don't limit myself to one type religion. I tend to go to more Lutheran based services, it's a northerner thing. And if you are not Roman Catholic and go to "their" service, you will be treated like you are Lucifer himself.
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Why is it that some people don't like outsiders in "their" church? Why are they there? What message are they really saying? What sermon did they listen to?
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Communion-
{1 : an act or instance of sharing 2 a capitalized : a Christian sacrament in which consecrated bread and wine are consumed as memorials of Christ's death or as symbols for the realization of a spiritual union between Christ and communicant or as the body and blood of Christ b : the act of receiving Communion c capitalized : the part of a Communion service in which the sacrament is received 3 : intimate fellowship or rapport : COMMUNICATION 4 : a body of Christians having a common faith and discipline }
Sharing is not what Roman Catholics do. Why am I picking on this set? They are by far the worst. And it doesn't matter where you go' Atlanta, Georgia or Phoenix, Arizona' it's the same reception. Maybe they need to read the dictionary.
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Faith-
{1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : LOYALTY b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions 2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust 3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs}
I have faith.
I have faith in my country.
I have faith in the Corps.
I have faith in God.
This why I believe everything will work out in the "End."
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Death- I am not afraid. I know it will happen. Part of life is death. I just want to know before that happens that I did something or said something that made a good difference to someone. Is that asking too much? I hope not. I think this is what God wants.
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If there is a higher power, (I know I said I have faith in God. This doesn't mean the same thing) why do 'we' assume he (she) is human or even have a sex related to it. What if God is energy? A conscience energy. I don't know. I think it is better that way. Not knowing. Life is better with uncertainty.
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Some people say,' Do things for the right reasons.' If fact my boss repeats that at least 20 times a day. It's nice to say, but really, what is right? I happen to know my boss does not practice what he preaches. I have not told the others. Thing was, I was looking, and he did not do the right thing for the right reasons.
That's probably why I like the phrase. 'Do the right thing when no one is watching.' You don't know who is around the corner. This is a small world. I believe if you try to do this, you will be doing the right "thing" when it matters.
This goes back to the original idea of 'God.' If God is keeping a tally for "our judgment."
What would your score be?
I think I am still in the negatives. I am working on it though. I figure that I might get back in the black, in a couple of years.
I can't judge myself.
You can judge.
I can't be a self described "good guy."
You can call me a good guy.
Do see where I am going with this?
I hope so, if not, you've just wasted your time regarding this column. And you are probably late for something. Because your time management sucks, or you have lost your common sense.
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God and Common Sense
You can't buy God. (Maybe at Walmart, a little statue.)
You can't buy common sense. (Not a state quarter.)
You can't earn them.
You can't get them as a gift.
You can find them, but I can not tell you how.
- I believe sometimes, that man couldn't figure out what to call common sense in the 'early days' and called it God.