Latest Posts by depressionanddeconstruction - Page 5

kinda super proud of this braid today 

Do not say to me "it's all about the fetus" with that bitterness in your tone!

Abortion is not about who we like more - the mother or the fetus! This is an issue of quality of life vs. sanctity of life. And as I've said before, no one can prove at what point between conception and birth that clump of cells becomes a human. But we all agree that once it pops out of the birth canal, it is a person, and THEN it's wrong to kill it. So here's my big issue. For me, sanctity of life ALWAYS trumps quality of life. I'm not going to justify killing an unborn person just for the comfort of someone who's ALREADY been born. IF (that's a big IF) one believes that a fetus is a person, then an abortion is a murder for the sake of sparing someone inconvenience. I know I know I know there are so many reasons why someone might get an abortion. What you're saying there is that in some circumstances the fetus is not a person. Unless you don't believe a fetus is ever a person, then whatever. But you have to take a stance. If you think abortion is only justified in some circumstances, then you have some gaps in your understanding of personhood. Because you're basically saying there that only when the mother decides she wants the baby does the baby indeed become human. I'm not asking you to agree with me. I am asking you to really think about why you believe what you believe. Don't say "it's all about he fetus" as if we were choosing the fetus over the mother because if you say that to me, I will respond "yes! In this instance, it is about the fetus for me because the fetus is the one who might die!" Think about what you say. Think about what you think. This is a brutally complicated topic and we all run the risk of oversimplifying it sometimes, which is exactly what the titular statement does.

I'm Turning 20 In 10 Days

"I've come so far but I've got so far to go." 20 strikes me as a very odd age indeed. You're two decades old. You're no longer a teenager. You have a different digit at the beginning of your age. I mean, you've had the same first digit since you were 10 years old. And we can all agree that 10 is a very young age. It's a big deal. You're entering into the decade of your life where so many things are supposed to happen. Between the ages of 20 and 30, you might finish post secondary education, start a career, fall in love, move out, get married and have kids. All of those things might happen while the number 2 is the first debit of your age. And I'm not gonna lie, that freaks me out. Adding to my disquiet is the fact that one of my friends is 20 and got engaged just the other day. I'm thrilled for her and panicked for me, and it's implications regarding the stage of life I am entering. Might I add that it did not help when my father said "that's how old I was when I got engaged." It does not worry me that I am single and will not be engaged at the age of 20. What worries me is that I might be expected to be engaged at the age of 20. There's only one day's difference between being a teenager and being an adult. Teenagers have a reputation for doing dumb stuff. But adults are expected to make informed, logical decisions in life changing situations. I know that 24 hours is not going to make that big a difference in my decision-making skills. 20 is a grown up age. But it will not belong to a grown up life. I still live at home. I still ask my parents' permission. I still eat Nutella with a spoon. I still have stuffed animals. I still hate homework. I still have sleepovers. I still get stupid little crushes. For all intents and purposes, I am a child! And yet I feel as though at the age of 20 I'm supposed to undergo some transformation and move out and have a career and find a mate. And then you begin contemplating the future. Do you know what it feels like when all the moments yet to come have weight and they press down on you? When all the breaths yet to be breathed turn to lead in your lungs? When you're suffocating under the expectations of others and your own expectations for yourself? The future is heavy with paths to be chosen, mistakes to be made, hearts to be broken, prices to be paid. Like a stormcloud with rain, it's full of successes and failures, joy and sorrow, triumphs and disappointments. And you begin to wonder, how on earth am I to weather these storms of life without an umbrella? I'm not entirely gloomy about this birthday. I know the future has limitless potential for optimism and that life is what you make it and I'm very excited to become an adult! I can't wait to move out and try new things and explore brave new worlds. That being said, I'm also straight up terrified. And with that thought, I bid you goodnight.

I'm feeling wistful.

January 1st Reflections

Welcome to 2014 everybody. I know that the beginning of a new year is always a time for nostalgia and a time for optimism. It creates a fresh start for those who feel that they may need one. And I do understand the wonder when the clock strikes midnight and you start Day 1 of 365. 

But I would like to remind you that this is simply another 365 days. It's another circle 'round the sun. It's the beginning of a new calendar, which is a socially constructed method of keeping track of our planet's rotations, determined largely by greek rulers ages and ages ago. 

There is nothing magic about the new year. The single second that makes the difference in the date has no power whatsoever. The gravity you ascribe to the new year is entirely in your head. New beginnings have nothing to do with the date and everything to do with you. 

You can start over any second of any day of any month. You can quit anything, drop everything, pick up and leave. You can switch your major or your school or your career path. You can change anything at all about your life and you don't have to wait for the perfect time to do it. Firstly because there is no time like the present and secondly because there is no guarantee that the perfect time will even happen. 

If you want to lose 10 pounds, start RIGHT NOW. If you want to get your finances in order, start RIGHT NOW. If you want to fix relationships, start RIGHT NOW. If you want to reinvent your image, start RIGHT NOW. If you want to learn something new, start RIGHT NOW. If you want to develop your character, start RIGHT NOW. 

Nothing is to be accomplished by waiting. New Year's resolutions are so seldom fulfilled because too much emphasis is placed on the circumstances of the resolution and too little is placed on the conviction behind the resolution. 

The magic is in you. Not in the day. 

Why The Abortion Debate Is Such A Difficult One

The crux of the conflict of opinions on the matter of abortion is that different parties define personhood differently. I think we can all safely agree that murdering an innocent human is wrong, but what qualifies as an innocent human? At what point in development does this creature become a true person? What makes a person? Is it the soul? That intangible essence of existence, the source of all love and character? The thing that you and I fall madly in love with, the undefinable presence of someone's identity? What IS that? How do I measure that? How do I count and quantify and categorize that? How much does it weigh? What does it look like? There is no way to empirically define what makes someone a PERSON. If it's what makes them human, DNA alone would do that. But what is it that we see as sacred and precious? And more importantly, when does it occur? When is that cluster of cells infused with a a soul? When does it become more than just tissue and transform into the vehicle for an identity? When the brain develops? When the heart starts beating? When they emerge from the womb? Or at conception? Who really knows? This concept is so abstract that you can't possibly pinpoint a moment in time and say "there. THAT's when they became a person." Because as soon as they're a person, everyone unanimously agrees that they're worthy of life. As long as that issue remains grey, so will abortion. I've asked many more questions than I've answered. But if you are able to answer the questions I've asked in the space between your own two ears, you can formulate a stance on abortion. I know mine. Please, give it some serious thought. And good luck.

Love > Hate  Last rant of the day :) 

Insecurity  Four-part Rant of the Day Part 3

The Friend Zone  Four-part Rant of the Day part 2

Societal Conditioning?  New Rant yayyyy!!!  Today I filmed like four rants and this is the first :) 

thank

The only secrets I cannot keep are my own.

Not that I don't want to.

If I had my way, every single other person in the world would only ever see the carefully made-up, touched up, photoshopped, filtered, edited, reviewed and revised life. They would never know the dark spaces in my heart where the fear and insecurity reside. They would never see the times when I tripped on the cracks in the sidewalk of life. They would never even bear witness to the grimace at the text from the boy I want but can't have. Would never even know that I'm human enough to feel emotion. If I could, I'd smile and lie my way through every conversation, every interaction. I'd keep all the anxiety, all the "I can't do this", all the self-loathing, all the pitiful, sad, scared parts of me locked up deep inside. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty happy, well-adjusted, social person. But I have the parts of me I'm not so proud of, and I have my moments when they seem like the ONLY parts of me. As do we all. 

But these secrets, they're destroying me. I physically cannot exist pretending that I have no struggles, no problems, no flaws. Thankfully for me, I have people around me who care about me. I have a fabulous mama who thinks I'm fabulous too. I have absolutely wonderful friends who love me and because they love me, they tell me the truth. And by sharing my sorrows with them and confessing my downfalls to them, my secrets don't have that power over me anymore. My secrets no longer loom as a mountain that I'll never scale. They're not captives inside me anymore. They're not clamouring against my ribcage to escape my chest. They're not gripping my throat and choking me anymore. My secrets aren't my demons anymore. I've been given love and advice and perspective and the distorted lens through which I viewed my secrets has been removed by the clarity of other people's words. Wow, you mean I'm NOT a terrible person? My whole life isn't ruined? I AM gonna be okay? What?! 

You know what I mean. We're so adept at creating our own private torture. We're so skilled at turning our own heads into prisons. We obsess over our slip-ups. We play it over again and again and again and again and again and again. The endless loop of failure. We rip it to shreds analyzing every syllable, every inflection in the voice, every glance, ever thought, every breath. 

If you grew up in the church, maybe you, like I, know the fear of transparency that exists in there. We have this tendency to put on a mask every time we enter that building. Casting Crowns wrote a song I love called Stained Glass Masquerade and one of the lines says "am I the only one who's traded in the altar for a stage?" That line always resonates with me. And I heard a pastor say once upon a time "we would rather confess our sins to a sinless God than to our fellow sinful humans." I don't know what it is, but I see it in myself and my close friends - that quality of perfectionism. It's stupid cause the church is not for perfect people. It's for decidedly imperfect people. I recognize my severe imperfection and the fact that I need Jesus. So why am I so afraid to admit it to the people around me? 

Let it go. Let it out. Find someone who loves you. Someone you trust. Don't give the secrets the power. If you have no one else to talk to, talk to me. I'm never ever gonna judge you for anything. Just don't keep it a secret. 

Sometimes, I want to take your face in my hands, look you in the eyes, and say this:

You are enough. You don't have to try to be anything more or anything different than exactly who you are. You are worth it. You are worthy of my time and my attention and my love. You have so many good qualities. You can't see them all, but I guarantee you that I can. You are loved. Everyone around you cares about you. You are lovely. You touch and inspire those you come in contact with every day. I really really want you to love yourself because I love you and it makes me sad to see that you don't love yourself. Everything you feel is normal, and it's okay. But I want to tell you that sometimes feelings lie. And if feelings ever tell you that you're anything less than wonderful, and loved, and perfect exactly the way you are, they're lying. You will get through this. You are strong enough. You have people around you. You're gonna be okay. You are okay. You can do this. And last but certainly, not least, I'm very proud of you.  Love,  Me. 

I got my hair dyed and I love it so much and i just 

sorry

selfie spree 

"How the Media Failed Women in 2013," courtesy of Miss Representation. This is mind-boggling and you must watch it right now.

Katherine Brown - Fill a Stable - Fill a Stable

Hi friends! This is me SHAMELESSLY promoting my latest fundraising venture! I'm participating in World Vision's "Fill a Stable" event with my university society. It would mean the world to me if you would donate and help us reach our goal of $1200.00.  Thank you in advance :) With love,  -Katherine

I just saw this ad playing before a youtube video and I had to stop and watch the whole thing. Incredible.

What's Really Going On When Men Call Women 'Crazy'

I did have a few breakups I would qualify with, "I don't mean 'I can't be bothered to figure out where things went wrong, I mean that she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder," but for the most part, "crazy" meant "acting in a way I didn't like." I didn't realize just how damaging this attitude was in the way I related to women.

How do you feel about the 7 deadly sins?

Hey hey! :) 

You’re definitely getting tired of hearing me say this but……”I’m pentecostal”. And the 7 Deadly Sins were not taught to me in Sunday School or in church…ever. I always thought they were more of a Catholic thing. 

That is absolutely not to say that they’re not biblical. They are never explicitly listed and labeled as such, in the manner of the 10 Commandments, but they are undoubtedly mentioned in the bible on various occasions. 

Proverbs 6:16-19, for example: 

There are six things the Lord hates,    seven that are detestable to him:17         haughty eyes,        a lying tongue,        hands that shed innocent blood,18         a heart that devises wicked schemes,        feet that are quick to rush into evil,19         a false witness who pours out lies        and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Or Galatians 5:19-21:

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

For anyone out there who doesn’t know, the 7 Deadly Sins are as follows: 

1. Lust (well no worries there, there’s all manner of verses about lust in the bible)

Matthew 5:28

1 Corinthians 6:18

Galatians 5:16

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

Colossians 3:5

Job 31:1

1 Peter 2:11

2. Gluttony (lesser known, and undoubtedly lesser discussed, but no less valid)

Phillipians 3:19

Proverbs 23:20-21

Psalm 78:18

1 Corinthians 16-17

Romans 13:14 

3. Greed (definitely talked about a fair bit in the bible) 

1 Timothy 6:9-10

Proverbs 28:25

Hebrews 13:5

Matthew 6:24

Proverbs 15:27

Psalm 10:3

4. Sloth (otherwise known as laziness, and perhaps a bit surprising that it’s featured with the “deadly” sins, right? Well, let’s go to the good book) 

Proverbs 13:4

2 Thessalonians 3:10

Proverbs 12:24

Proverbs 15:19

Ecclesiastes 10:18

5. Wrath (otherwise known as anger, and given a fair amount of screen time in the bible)

Ephesians 4: 26-27

James 1:19-20

Ecclesiastes 7:9

Proverbs 15:18

Colossians 3:8

Proverbs 14:17

Proverbs 16:32

6. Envy (this one is even part of the ten commandments! Number 10: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:17) 

James 3:14-16

Proverbs 14:30

James 4:2-3

Galatians 5:19-21

1 Corinthians 3:3 

7. Pride (this is my personal favourite of the 7 deadly sins, because I think it’s a very damaging vice, and one that I know plagues me)

1 Samuel 2:3

Provers 8:13

Isaiah 13:11

Mark 7:20-23

Leviticus 26:19

2 Chronicles 26:16

SIDENOTE: This method of rhyming off random scripture references is not the best way for me to provide support for my argument. It’s quite incomplete, and I’m only doing it for the purpose of saving time and space. Taking a scripture verse or passage out of context is the quickest way to sow misconceptions, and if this answer were a sermon being preached, I would be disgusted, because I far prefer expository sermons to topical sermons. Expository sermons take a passage or a chapter or a story and really unpack it, delving deep into the historical context and themes and symbolism and ancient greek lexicon. Topical sermons pick a subject and find a bunch of verses that support it. Which is exactly what I’m doing. And I mean, I guess it’s necessary in this situation, because you asked about the 7 deadly sins. HOWEVER, if you really wanna learn about God and the bible, I strongly suggest and even implore you to look beyond a single verse. Effective study comes from understanding the context, scripturally and historically. 

Okay, so we’ve established that the 7 deadly sins are definitely biblical. That’s a good thing! And so I would undoubtedly venture to say, you should not do these 7 things. Absolutely. I’m very impressed that someone took the time to compile this list. I would just like to caution you about the name. “The Seven Deadly Sins” sounds quite ominous, doesn’t it? Almost like the Unforgivable Curses in Harry Potter. I don’t want you, or anyone, to get the impression that the committing one of the 7 deadly sins condemns you to hell forever. Nor would I want you to believe that these sins are in any way worse than any other sin. Because as we’ve established before, all sin is equal in the sight of God. Here’s some stuff I’ve said about that in past posts: 

I know it’s really hard for us to wrap our brains around, but all sin is equal to God. Lying is the same as murdering. Envy is the same as rape. It sounds ludicrous to us, because human morals have a measurement of severity, based on the effects the transgressions have on the people around us. God’s only measurement is “perfect” or “not perfect” and any sin, no matter how awful, or how trivial, is in the “not perfect” category. Romans 3:23 says “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” …”fallen short of the glory of God”. That’s what sin is. It literally means not being divine. Well if that’s the definition, then heck yeah everybody has sinned! 

***

But here’s the thing. All sin is equal in the sight of God. (James 2:10). So why are people making this big stinking deal about homosexuality when some of us have so much pride in our hearts, we can’t even hear God anymore and we probably think we wrote the bible! Some of us have so much hate that our souls are corroding away inside of us. Some of us have so much lust and secrets and shame that we can barely make eye contact. And you’re gonna look at me and say “homosexuality is a sin”? No my son (Newfoundland expression). I’ve got bigger things in my own life to deal with than homosexuality. And chances are, so do you.

I think that perhaps, these sins are regarded as deadly because of the corrosive effects they have on the people who commit them. You know how humans have a measure of severity for our sin, decided by social norms and laws? Well I think we also have an internal measure of severity for how much a given sin messes us up. There are some things that can really mess us up. And I would say that pride is absolutely unequivocally one of them. Pride messes me up every single day of my life. So maybe the people who made the Deadly Sins list looked in the bible for sins that mess us up. Lust will definitely mess you up. Porn addictions and cheating come from lust. Wrath could really destroy some relationships in your life. Sloth will make you miss every good opportunity in your life and cheat you of your future. I’ve had a bit of experience with that one. And gluttony can give you heart disease and diabetes and high blood pressure and all sorts of other scary medical problems. As for greed, well the bible says that “love of money is the root of all evil”, so there you have it. 

IN CONCLUSION, the Seven Deadly Sins are no worse than any other sin. But all sin should be avoided, and the seven are no exception. I would totally advise you to avoid them if you can. Just remember: the sins are biblical, the list is human. 

Thanks for the question :)Peace and love! -Katherine

Is your hair naturally curly or straight ?

Sighh...straight. Very straight, haha. I shouldn't complain because it's very obedient and easy to manage, and I appreciate that, but I do truly love curly hair. I'm considering a perm when it gets longer :P 

Many people have said to have spiritual enlightenment in the form of visions of Jesus or saints hearing God's voice etc. what do you think about such claims? Do you think the majority of the people who make these claims are embellishing the truth? Crazy? Or do you think God has come to them, and if so have you ever felt any jealously with regards to that?

Hey there! 

I grew up in a church and a religion that is saturated by belief in the Holy Spirit and His workings. I’m Pentecostal, and we don’t actually have saints, so I’ve never heard of someone who had a vision from a saint. However, we do belief in the nine gifts of the spirit described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 (which are separate from the fruits of the spirit, and from the baptism of the spirit): 1. Wisdom: understanding what to do in difficult situations, or receiving the solution to a seemingly unsolvable problem. 

2. Knowledge: spontaneously knowing a fact about someone or their life without ever having been told by a human. 

3. Faith: the supernatural ability to act on a belief that has not yet been tangibly validated.

4. Healing: self-explanatory. 

5. Miracles (aside from healing): anything that is divinely supernatural (meaning of God). 

6. Prophecy: foretelling the future, often in a very specific way. 

7. Discernment: that basically means calling bullshit on stuff that people say is of God, but that you know is probably of the devil. 

8. Tongues: the gift bestowed upon you when you first receive your baptism of the Holy Spirit; it’s a special “prayer” language which is unique to each believer and understood only by God. Prophecies or messages from God to the church often manifest themselves in tongues.

9. Interpretation (of tongues): When God gives someone a message for the church in tongues, he usually gives someone else the interpretation in english (or the default language of the church). 

I’ve also heard of plenty of visions, usually containing imagery that lines up the bible. The interaction of our brains with God is really really cool. For the most part, I don’t think these visions or prophecies or messages or whatever are lies or symptoms of psychosis. Granted, there have been and there are and there always will be people who know how to fake God’s presence with fancy words and a few psalms, but the work of the Spirit is genuine, supernatural and inimitable. You can usually tell when it’s a “God thing”. 

As for jealousy…I can’t say I’ve ever been jealous, per se. Being used for these gifts has everything to do with your availability. So if I’m not being used for these gifts, I know that it’s because I’m distracted, or afraid, or just shut down to being used. I’m a serious overthinker, and that usually gets in the way of me being sensitive to the Spirit. I know my shortcomings, so any negative emotions I might feel in association with the gifts is directed at myself, not others. 

Thanks for your question! :)Peace and love! -Katherine

How do you feel about the scandals that revolved around the Christian brothers (sexual assault towards youth) in Newfoundland and other similar scandals? Things like this have caused many to loose confidence with their faith, what are your thoughts on that?

Hey baby! (Don’t be weirded out, I use a various terms of endearment with all my friends and acquaintances) 

And ugh. I have a bunch of different thoughts on this topic. I’ve heard soooo many different opinions on this. I’ve heard of churches going door to door to collect donations to bail priests out of jail, priests who were incarcerated for sexual assault on a minor. Now, the reliability of these reports is dubious, at best. I honestly cannot formulate an opinion on that idea, or its truth. Now, in my own church, we had a scandal a couple years back. One of the pastors at my church was convicted of sexual deviancy, the likes of which is apparently a crime. Man, I dunno what happened. It was kind of a mess, tbh. Obviously, he lost his job at my church and I’m pretty sure with the PAONL in general. I also think they told him he could be re-ordinated if he took counselling and stuff. 

First up. Obviously, pastors/priests/reverends/whatever are people just like the rest of us. They’re gonna screw up. That’s a-given. But when they screw up in such a way that it hurts other people, we absolutely must acknowledge it. We must acknowledge the damage done, and we must take steps to show that we acknowledge it and to attempt to rectify it. I am sorry, but child pornography, and sexually assaulting young boys, or whatever, that’s straight-up awful. And I would be in 100% agreement with the church if they fired the people who committed these crimes. Any other company would. We don’t have to pretend like we’re perfect. It’s no secret that we’re really not. To preach sexual purity and selflessness and love for others and a straight moral path and then to defend those who CLEARLY violate these teachings is hypocritical, it’s not grace. Hate the sin. Love the sinner. But really, really hate the sin. Don’t defend it. Don’t excuse it. Don’t justify it. Hate it. 

On the other side of that, grace is a part of this too. Churches are full of hypocrites. That’s why we’re there. We as Christians do not think we’re perfect, rather we are acutely aware of our imperfection. We strive everyday to become more Christlike but it is a battle against our very nature and by default is possible only by the grace of God. We absolutely must forgive and accept the people who commit these heinous crimes, because that’s what God does.

I know it’s really hard for us to wrap our brains around, but all sin is equal to God. Lying is the same as murdering. Envy is the same as rape. It sounds ludicrous to us, because human morals have a measurement of severity, based on the effects the transgressions have on the people around us. God’s only measurement is “perfect” or “not perfect” and any sin, no matter how awful, or how trivial, is in the “not perfect” category. Romans 3:23 says “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” …”fallen short of the glory of God”. That’s what sin is. It literally means not being divine. Well if that’s the definition, then heck yeah everybody has sinned! 

So my point in saying that is that we need to forgive even the worst of humans, because we are just like them. I listened to this talk by Judah Smith about how we hate Barrabbas so much, the guy the jews told Pontias Pilate to free instead of Jesus. He was a murderer and they let him go free instead of Jesus! Like what the heck? Oh wait a minute…he’s me. Jesus bought his freedom just like he bought mine. We are all the same. We sin the same and God loves us the same. 

HOWEVER. All our actions have consequences. Forgiving someone and extending grace to them does not always mean that they will be exempt from the consequences of their actions. Losing your job and going to jail may be the consequences of your actions. So be it. That’s only fair, as far as fair goes on earth. 

And finally, people are gonna let you down. They’re going to shock, dismay, disappoint and hurt you. We are an imperfect being, plagued by mortality. But don’t give up on God. He’s the only one who will not disappoint you. I know His church screws up. I know some of His so-called “followers” are batcrap crazy. I know He gets a bad rep cause people misuse His label and they say one thing but do another. I know, I know, I know. I heard a comedian put it this way: “I like Elvis but I don’t like all his crazy fans.” This is why I think it’s so important for the church to be very careful about their reaction to scandals like this so that we demonstrate that we acknowledge the pain and the damage, we do not condone the behaviour, we apologize for it while still being gracious. It’s a very tricky situation. But at the end of the day, everyone’s relationship with God is their own business and their own responsibility. No one’s gonna take the credit or the blame for your eternity. My advice is to look past the stupid manmade institution called Religion. [Sidenote: I am a strong advocate of the church. I love the church. I think serving and being a part of a body of believers who will edify you in your faith is awesome.] Because God cannot be contained by a building or a group of people or a list of rules or even an idea in your head. 

God is bigger and greater than anything we’ve ever known or ever will know. He is the first, the last, the everything. He is in all and through all and nothing can be apart from Him. So don’t diminish Him to the church. Find out for yourself who He is. Read the Bible, spend time in prayer, don’t rely on secondhand information. Be a critical thinker and find out about God yourself. And find a church that you think exemplifies biblical values well and that you feel is good for you at this point in your life. 

That’s all I have to say :P 

Thanks for the question! Peace and love!-Katherine 

How do you feel about mormons?

Hello my darling! Please accept my sincerest apologies for the extreme tardiness of this answer. I will not bore you with excuses. Suffice to say, I’m sorry :( Incidentally, I am incredibly inspired to answer this question when I’m supposed to be writing an Ecology essay. Funny how that works, isn’t it? 

Now, to start off: The important thing to remember is that I am approaching this with a completely open mind, as unbiased an attitude as I can get, and an academic curiosity. Whatever your beliefs on the topic of theism, I think that’s just dandy and I find it very interesting. One of my best friends is Muslim, and many of my good friends and atheists, and I’m a Christian and it doesn’t matter. I talked to some Mormons in my research for this answer, and they were super nice! I’m not judging, condemning or criticizing. 

All that being said, obviously, since I’ve chosen Christianity, I think that’s the right choice. That’s the last I’m gonna say about it though. 

Okay, here we go. 

The first question to address when talking about Mormonism is this: are Mormons christians? 

I’m gonna have to go with”no” on that one. :S All the Mormon sources I read said they were, and all the Christian sources I read said they weren’t. Go figure, right? I really wanted an unbiased opinion on this one, so I went to good ol’ BBC. They didn’t really pick a stance. But they did give me an overview of the Mormon articles of faith. Here is some of the stuff I found: -Mormons believe that God is an exalted, perfect man. -Mormons believe that there is more than one God. -Mormons believe that human beings have the potential to become like God.

Right there, right off the bat, if you know anything about Christians and about the Bible they build their doctrine on, you’re gonna see some red flags.

God is not an exalted man. God is God. He always was, and always will be. He is eternal, was never created, and never changes in His nature. 

Hebrews 13:8 - “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” John 1:1 - “In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God and The Word was with God.” Genesis 1:1 - “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” John 8:58 - “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth - before Abraham was, I AM.’” 1 Corinthians 1:25 - “This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.” Isaiah 40:28 - “Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.”Psalm 90:2 - “Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.”

There’s only one God. 

Isaiah 46:9 - “Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” Deuteronomy 4:39 - “ Know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.” Ephesians 4:6 - “One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”2 Samuel 7:22 - “Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” Revelation 22:13 - “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”Humans cannot become like God. We are created by God, for God, and - yes - are made in the image of God, but that simply means that we have souls of spirit, and can go to heaven when we die, but we will never be like the one, the true, the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, eternal, infinite God. 

Genesis 2:7 - “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”Ecclesiastes 12:7 - “And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”Ephesians 2:8-9 - “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” 

Okay, so don’t you think it’s weird that a religion which claims to be a branch of Christianity possesses a doctrine which in some parts, is in direct opposition of the book which defines Christianity? Especially in some of the most fundamental parts of the faith - the nature of God and the nature of man. There is literally nothing else more integral to the Christian worldview than those two things. 

To ask “if God created the world, who created God?” is almost an oxymoronic question, because if God created the world, I don’t think it’s necessary for someone to have created Him. We fall so often into the trap of thinking about God in terms of our teeny tiny natural existence. We live in a universe defined by space and time, where everything has a beginning and a cause. But that’s because the very fabric of space and time itself was woven by a God who is entirely outside of space and time. Therefore, everything that exists is made by God, is of God, and could not exist without God. The periodic table of elements, the universe, light, heat, thought, existence itself is maintained by God. He. Is. Everything.  So how could you imagine that He previously existed as a man? Or that man could become like Him? Man would not be apart from Him. If you accept the very concept of GOD, you must accept also that He is the original, fundamental being, and that He is not a part of our universe, our universe is a part of Him. Trippy, I know. I’m just saying all this so that you get the scope of how drastically Mormon doctrine differs from what we’ll call “mainstream” Christianity. 

Also, I am severely skeptical of this Joseph Smith guy. 

See, the Book of Mormon happened because Joseph Smith felt that there were too many opposing voices and opinions in the world, and He needed guidance, so he just asked God for guidance, and had a spiritual experience. Now, I am of the belief that even in all things spiritual, one must remain a critical thinker. Here is the first thing I thought about Joseph Smith: “If I am confused about a certain issue and am looking for an answer, the very first place I will go is the Bible”. Come on, are there not equally as many voices and opinions now as there were in 1823? Probably more. And yet, the bible is still relevant and still adequate for any answer I need. So why would I need to go searching for some big ol’ spiritual epiphany when God’s probably just like “I wrote it all down for you! Just read!” ? And spiritual experiences are suuuuuper tricky. I dunno ‘bout you, but when I *think* I hear God’s voice I’m usually like “that’s probably my imagination.” So then I’m like “God, you better hammer this into my head or I’m not gonna believe fosho that it’s you” because I over-think so much. I just think that if this Book of Mormon was legit, it would more widely accepted by biblical scholars.

See, God’s word is unlike any other book you’ve ever encountered. His words have more power than we can imagine. His is the book that has been under attack by dictators for centuries and has never been able to be completely eradicated. It was written in three different languages, on three different continents, by 40 different scribes, over a period of 1600 years and it still has 99% internal consistency on theology and 85% consistency in spelling and punctuation. I think that’s God’s way of showing us that it’s Him. No human could pull that off. And surely a book so old would be lost by now, especially since so many powerful people have tried to destroy all copies. And yet it’s the most widely distributed book in the world. Because it’s unique. It’s divine. It is a supernatural book. And the Book of Mormon just doesn’t measure up. I just feel like if God was really in this, it would be everywhere just like the bible is everywhere, because it would have that same power in its words. But it doesn’t. 

Okay so….in conclusion!!!

I don’t know any mormons personally, but they’re people, so here’s what I know about them for sure: They’re kind and generous and empathetic. They have their strengths and weaknesses. They have their good days and their bad days. They are lovely and God loves them and I love and respect them. 

Here’s what I think about their beliefs: They’re not Christians. I think that they’re something very close, but somewhere it got twisted such that I cannot in good conscience call it Christianity. 

That, however, has no bearing on how I feel about them personally. 

The end! Thanks for tuning into another one of my needlessly-massive answers! 

 Peace and love! -Katherine 

I really love your answers to the questions you get, because they're very well thought out and it's like you actually care and put the effort in to thoroughly answer them instead of a few nonchalant lines that aren't very bible based. Plus you don't get all self righteous and judgemental when someone disagrees with you which is what a lot of these other Christian bloggers do. God bless you and I will most probably be asking you something in the future! :)

Awwww!!! I am SO, SO glad that you took the time to tell me that. Thank you very much; I really appreciate it :) Your blog is gorgeous, btw! :) 

Lost Generation

Shrinking Women - Lily Myers

Are you aware of the process of courting before engagement? It's like hands-off dating until you're engaged and then only hugs and hand-holding until you're married. How do you feel about this, is it something you would do?

Hello! I am indeed aware of such a process! In fact, one of my best friends is Muslim and that’s basically what they do…it’s like hands-off dates with a chaperone. I know it sounds sooo tiresome, but the whole point is to find out whether you are interested in spending the rest of your life with this person. And honestly, it sounds to me like they’re perfected the art of dating.

I am very incredibly interested in what it would be like. I think I really would try it. I don’t think that it’s necessary to remain pure, and I’ve always looked rather askance at the concept of saving your first kiss for your wedding day (simply because I think it’s a tad extreme, and unnecessary). So I don’t exactly think that it’s the right way to do it, but I think it sounds very interesting. It might be a good idea :P

I find that the physical aspect of a relationship has the potential to cloud judgment. Provided I can determine whether or not I’m physically attracted to someone and be aware of it (which I can, I dunno bout you :P) - because physical chemistry still is and always will be a very important part of a relationship - I think that it’s a “smart” way to do dating. You spend your time productively finding out how your values and worldview line up, and discussing thoughts and ideas instead of just, like, macking. :P

Because as important as physical chemistry is, it’s not what holds a marriage together. Mutual respect, appreciation, admiration and commitment is what holds a marriage together. And it’s possible that the way most people do dating focuses too closely on the physical aspect, and doesn’t prepare them for the future. So I think the process of courting *could* potentially produce stronger marriages. 

So in theory, I’m all for it. In practice…….

Honestly, I don’t even know if I could do it :P Well, I guess I could. I probably wouldn’t like it though :P When I’m in a relationship, the mental energy I devote to the physical part is divided evenly between paranoia about PDA and “I can’t wait to kiss him again”. So I think in one way, it’d be best kind! In another, it would annoy me. Thankfully, my love language is not physical touch! It’s words of affirmation, so I think that as long as I got to talk and text, I’d survive. 

Haha that was probably a long of information about me you didn’t need to know. But hopefully, it helps you understand my perspective. :) 

Thanks for the question! Peace and love! -Katherine 

Thanks for the follow. Blessings!

No prob bro! Thanks for stopping by :) 

I live ur blog :)))))))) so much

Aww! :) Thanks bro!

With regards to your homosexuality conversation as a gay Christian man, I don't agree with this. For a number of reasons. I believe God would want everyone of his children to be happy. I am not having sex until marriage but, when I marry my boyfriend I want to adopt children and live a normal life. I have always had a very strong devotion to The Lord, I love him, and I know he loves me. He made me this way for a reason. I don't believe he would condemn me for sharing my love.

Cool! It’s awesome to get your input on this; thanks so much for stopping by to chat :)

I think that also makes perfect sense. After all, Psalm 37:4 says to delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. And later on in that same chapter, it says “The Lord directs the steps of the Godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” 

Okay so I have a question, and you totally don’t have to answer it! But if you’re down to answer it, what’s the deal with your church? Are they cool with your life plan, cause that would be awesome, and I haven’t as of yet come in contact with a church like that. So I’m just really interested to find out. 

Thanks! Peace and love :)-Katherine