After midnight

So it's after midnight. I can't sleep. Neither can Tai, apparently. He got out of bed to go watch tv. I'm not in a tv kind of mood, so here I am at the computer - again. Or is it as usual? Not terribly sure what to write about, but feel like writing, so here goes...

I was asked today, as I am asked relatively frequently, why I hang out in a pagan chatroom even though I'm Christian. The answer is pretty simple - I have people that I consider "friends" there. I don't think that's really what people want to know, though. I'm pretty sure they mean, "Why aren't you preaching at us like all of the other Christians that come in here?"

That answer is simple, too. The majority of pagans that I've met have done more research into Christianity than most Christians I know. These are folks who have looked at various religions/paths and chosen what is right for them at this point in time. I figure, what right is it of mine to tell them what they ought to believe? Of course, other Christians challenge this - isn't it our duty to go out and proclaim that Jesus is Lord and share the joy that is being His? Yes. And I do...in my own way.

See, I find that an awful lot of the non-believers that I've met are not Christian at least partially for the simple fact that they don't like the hypocrisy. Not that they don't like the teachings of Christianity. They see the hypocrisy of the Church and of people who claim to be Christian, and they don't want anything to do with it. They see people cramming thoughts and beliefs down others' throats. They see people being judgemental and rude in the name of Christ. Quite frankly, I don't care for those people either. ;o)

Thus, my brand of "conversion" is a bit different from the average Christian's approach. I figure if I show people that some of "us" are just plain old ordinary people - with the same problems as everyone else, with senses of humor, with kids that we occasionally want to strangle, with the same loves and heartaches as the rest of the world - maybe, just maybe, their negative image of Christianity will change. Maybe some day, if they begin to doubt their own paths, they will take mine into consideration when they look for something different. If that never happens? I'll still respect their right to believe whatever they want to believe. Heck, my own belief system GIVES them that right - free will. *shrug*

My son, A, on the other hand, is what we of the chatrooms call a "fundie" - a fundamentalist. He will argue and fight anyone who challenges him about God. I'm not entirely sure where he gets this from. Some of it may have been my ex-husband's influence, but I'm under the impression that there's more to it than that. Watch out world - you've got another 9 years before he'll be an adult, out on his own, probably banging on doors and selling Jesus.