Chances are, you don’t care. However, if you do, I thought I’d point out several things that have changed in the 4 years since I began blogging. And, being the Original Link Whore that I am, I thought I’d start a True Confession(al) meme in the process:

How have your political views changed since you began blogging?
I no longer believe in voting Party line. Truth be told, I’m not even sure that I have any faith left in the Republican Party. I’d ask for a Mulligan on last election’s vote but, since I’m certain I wouldn’t have voted for Kerry, I suppose I would have wound up voting for the greater of two idiots.

Are you a Conservative or a Liberal? Or are you one of those other l-words?
To the extent that Conservative means ‘traditional values’ — and traditional means ‘philosophia perennis‘ in its most broad terms — then I suppose I am ‘conservative.’ However, since Conservative has lately been equated with Ann Coulter-ish attention-getting thoughtlessness, I’d prefer being lumped in under the “l-words.” Make mine a liberterian to go… with a small L, thank you. Oh, and ‘rare,’ please.

What’s the short version of what you believe?
I believe in life. I believe life was created by a Creator. I don’t believe in a tricky, pissy, vengeful or irrational Creator. Therefore, I don’t believe that Creator played games with carbon dating. I believe that Creator reveals to all of us what we are ready to understand when we are ready to understand it. Thus, I have no problem with those who once believed the earth was flat — until science proved otherwise.

Scientists have found out much more about our world, our lives, our origins than when the Bible was initially written. I do not believe God intended us to be confined by that written work any more than I believe the Founding Fathers intended us to be confined by the Constitution (and those who disagree better re-think their positions in light of a Constitution without the Bill of Rights). I believe science discovers what God wants us to understand at the time the discovery is made.

Hence, I believe in scientific theory supporting evolution — and not the concept of an Earth created by a God determined to dupe us. The world is as old as our scientists believe… if not older.

While we’re on the topic of what God has created… I also believe that some of us are born gay and, since I don’t believe in a God who makes mistakes, I believe one’s sexual orientation does not matter in the least bit to God or to me. I believe we owe our Creator respect, and that there is no better way to demonstrate our respect — and our gratitude for having been created — than to respect our fellow creations and the perfection by which they were created.

And, yes, that’s the short version.

How do you justify your views to those who do not share them?
Re vera, cara mea, mea nil refert.

I’m a Christian, and the only one who has the authority to tell me that my views are right or wrong is God. When it comes to religion, I mind my own business: I practice what I believe, and I leave others to practice what they believe, too. My religion is based on Jesus freeing us from the contractual obligations imposed upon Israel. My religion is, therefore, based on the New Testament (with healthy doses of the Apocrypha, the Gnostic books and my own personal beliefs as well).

However, even under the Protestant version of the New Testament there are only — I repeat only two laws: Love the Lord… (etc.) and Love thy neighbor (etc.) There is nothing about being gay, using birth control, drinking, watching SpongeBob or whatever the Christian jihad du jour may be. In fact, I seem to recall the New Testament saying something to the effect of those without sins throwing stones… judging not lest ye be judged… et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Why are you answering this?
Because I started it. And because I had some stuff to get off my chest. Otherwise, my one good bra would no longer fit. (For my psychotic stalker from way-back: that is not metaphorical.)

If there were no attention to be gained by answering this, would you still have the same answers?
I answer to my Creator every night when I pray. I could not possibly care less what my fellow creations think about my answers, so long as I believe my Creator is satisfied with them.

So, because I declared this a meme, I’m going to tag Chaz, Beth, John, Stephen, and Glenn with this (and meanwhile I’m humming Meatloaf’s “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad”). However, even if you’re not on the list, I challenge you to answer it, too!

Friday, March 23rd, 2007, 9:32 pm   |   Blog bites, My Venomous Life, Politics Bite, Time Wasting Bites  |  RSS feed Comments and pings are currently closed.