Religion has often been intertwined with elected office.  To better explain my views about some political topics, my own journey of religious change may shed better light on my opinions to be expressed in later posts.

From the beginning of my life, I was involved in one of the most strict sects in this country.  Based on Arminian theology, my denomination considered itself the direct lineage of the "true" Wesleyan doctrine, having broken away from the Church of the Nazarene, which itself had broken off from the Methodist Church.  However, it is very different from the Methodists of Wesley's day, and unrecognizable to the current United Methodist Church.

In the opinion of the Bible Missionary Church (From here on called BMC), they are the special church with the only true way to Heaven.  They even look with suspicion on all other churches of similar beliefs, because of slight variations from their idea.  They are also protectionists of their members, discouraging any association with another denomination, especially in courtship and marriage.

The rules are many and strict--women wear dresses below the knee, with hose in even the hottest weather, sleeves on both men and women must be below the elbows, no TV or movies are allowed, no bowling, no skating rinks, no participation in organized sports, no circus, no "worldly places of amusement."  Music of any kind other than the Christian music recorded by members of the denomination is deemed "worldly." On Sunday, members are not able to go out to eat or to work (except medical), and not allowed to shop.  Even the children cannot go out and play a game of baseball, for that would be "breaking the sabbath."

The BMC teaches that you must be "saved" (go forward to the altar and confess your sins), and then, as a complete second "work of grace", you have to be "sanctified", an experience that completely removed the sin nature.  Of course, the preaching I experienced was usually of a type of warning to avoid all of the above mentioned transgressions, and others that the preacher might think up on the spot, otherwise you would "backslide", and have to start all over again.  Yes, even the ones who were "sanctified" could "backslide."  Have I lost you yet?

Folks,  I'm not making this up.

At the age of 34, the culmination of my experiences and presence of horrendous hypocrisy in the church were such that I could no longer be a part of the organization.  So, even in the face of the scorn and cruelty heaped upon those who leave the church, I bid them farewell.  For ten years, I rarely attended any church, and started objectively evaluating everything I had been taught.

So, what do I believe now?

I consider myself a Christian.  I believe in a higher power, we all call "God." I attend a wonderfully uplifting United Methodist Church, who sees their role as a place to worship, not to tell you how to live.  That's God's job. It's that simple.

What about creation?  Evolution?  That's an interesting question, and I haven't found many people who believe like I do.  Was the world created in six literal days as Genesis says?  No.  Scientific evidence is in support of evolution.  So--is evolution the way God used to create what we see around us?  I believe so, because the increasing order found in evolution is against the second law of thermodynamics, and the statistical improbabilities of such increase in order point, in my mind, to a higher power.  See, I told you that you wouldn't agree!

Was there a flood in which only 8 people, and two of every living thing was on a boat that came to rest on a mountain in what is now Turkey?  Absurd.  How did the Kangaroos get to Australia, and nowhere else?  Was it an allegory?  Yes.

What do you do about abominations?  Do you pick and choose?  Do you actually kill your child for disobeying?  Is the abomination of planting two crops in the same field, or wearing a garment of two different kinds of cloth as bad as other ones, or are we going to make excuses for them because "that was the old times?"

Not even the New Testament gets it right, because in 1 Peter, there is instruction in how a slave should submit to his master (yea, it's there).

I believe the Bible should be viewed in its historical context, and realize that it is a way that fallible humanity expressed the inexpressible higher power.  Period.  I don't know the answers, and I am highly suspicious of anyone who presumes to know the mind of God.

Well, that's my view.  It may explain some future posts regarding modern-day US politics.

To everyone of every religion, Peace--
Anthony