Who in The Hell Left The Gate Open?

The Ten Commandments

1. I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

3. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.

4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

5. Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long.

6. Thou shalt not kill.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

So I got up this morning and read the comments of those who commented on the homosexuality blog. I noted the very different point of views. So of course I had to play on such strong differences in opinion. We have not had much religious discussion, yet it is such a passionate topic.

One blogger said

"If I choose to engage in premarital sex, adultery, or other immoral or illegal acts, it is a sin. So, this sin does not out weigh the others".

Another blogger said something similar as the first

"a sin is a sin is a sin."

Another blogger said

"I do not think it's a path to hell. I believe God loves all his children....unconditionally and it is man who places boundaries on letting people be themselves for control or just out of a lack of understanding."

My grandmother used to say that you commit adultery if you remarry and your first spouse is not dead. Many churches believe alcohol consumption is a sin. Some folks think you should not even wash clothes on Sunday, because the commandments says that it is the Sabbath and we should keep it holy. I do think that man has added their own "sins" to modern day religion; however, I do believe the ten commandments are valid words of God. I do believe God gave them to Moses on Mt. Sinai.

So weigh in... is a sin is a sin is a sin? Do they all carry the same weight? If you don't think you will go to hell for some sin, which ones are doom for you? Is there anything you believe to be a sin that is not specifically written in the ten commandments?

Sickness in Sodom and Gomorrah

I am sitting here watching the new season of the Real World. Denver, that's where they are. There is a super religious black guy and a very southern-baptist homosexual white guy on here, and they are roommates. They have agreed to disagree on homosexuality. Homosexuality, that's something we have not ever really talked about. The black guy's point is that homosexuality is wrong, that homosexualtiy is a straight path to hell. The white guy argues that the Bible is man's interpretation of God's word and that he should not be punished for something he has no control over.

I am from Virginia, the Old Dominion state, the land of right wing conservatives. This past November in Virginia, same sex marriage was on the ballot. Something I never thought would ever be a people's choice option in that state. The body voted to ban same-sex marriages, defining a marriage as a union between a man and a woman. My question is, is marriage not just a legal union for homosexuals or is it a bond they want recognized by the church as well? Is it that these people just want legal right to assets upon death or separation from their partners?

In my hometown there are speculations of homosexual preachers and homosexual congregations. To me this is paradoxal. Churches are places for the sick to be cured. In my opinion, church is not a place to embrace the wrongdoings. But who am I to say that homosexualtiy is wrong? I am certainly not the end all. What if this is something they can't control. What if it is a sickness just like depression or a chemical imbalance.

So weigh in...is homosexuality a choice? Do you think it is a path straight to hell? Should the same sex marriages be allowed?

The Human Stain...

Fill me with your joy so new
So I can show my love for You
This joy I have is real and true
For all my sins are washed away
Yes all my sins are washed away

The pain I felt so deep inside
The tears I could no longer hide
There's joy now cause' You're by my side
Yes all my sins are washed away
Yes all my sins are washed away

Washed away
Gone astray

For all my sins are washed away
Yes all my sins are washed away

- Kirk Franklin "Washed Away"

We all have stains. Things in our life that cannot be washed away. Or at least washed away with Tide or Cheer or Woolite. Nothing with bleach alternative can rinse us of.

I just found out that a friend of mine from college is now the Pastor of a church. A leader, a spiritual leader for a flock. And even though I hate to admit it, the first thing I thought of was how he used to flirt and chase women and party hard. How in the hell could he direct someone to Christ? Then I thought of my husband's friend, who now lives for the Lord. The same person who after a near death experience smoked weed through a trachea in his windpipe. At the time I thought he should be praising the Lord for being alive he was acting like it was not a privilege just to be here. But now...he leads to Christ as well. Sad to say the first thing I thought of when I heard about the new plights of both of these guys was "Who in the hell left the gate open?"

I have done many things I am too ashamed to admit, both now and when I was younger. I have run with the wild bunch. Been a "fast ass". Hung with the hoods. "Smoke, drink, and dance the hoochie-coo", that's what the old folks would say. Does that mean that I can't be a good wife now? Can I not be a great mother? Am I not a role model? Christ says if I repent today, my yesterday is non-existent. I will be reborn. Can my resurrection not start now?

Timing for awakeness is not always up to us. Shouldn't I have wanted to be a better person and live right when he spared the life of my daughter? Or maybe when he took my grandparents ten days apart? Why now do I wanna be a better person?

Truth is, Christ can know my heart, my changes, my new life, but humanity will turn a blind eye to my neo persona. Why is it that humans are so judgmental about a past? Will OJ always be the killer? Will Michael Jackson always be the pedophile? Will Tookie Williams always be the murderous gang banger? Will I always be Candee?

So weigh in...why is it that we can never let go of a person's past? What makes us better? After all isn't a Saint a sinner who fell down and got back up again?