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What made you become a progressive Christian?
(lemmy.world)
After my parents parted ways, the one who had custody went down the "charasmatic Christian" path that swept Reagan into office, and that God wasn't compassionate, caring. He was forgiving, but punitive. I ran away from home a lot until the police couldn't make me return to a physically, verbally, emotionally abusive home. I went through my Laveyan Satanism phase, an atheist phase, militant antitheist phase, all the whole exploring other religions and philosophies. Except for Laveyan Satanism (very Randian, imo, selfish, myopic but that's just my perception; Satanic Temple people seem very nice, if they are sincere, but I'm not aware of personally knowing any), they seem to be, to borrow from Zen, fingers pointing at the same moon, the finger being what people look at, but it's not the moon. Anyway, a bunch of stuff happened and I was tired of being angry, so I just... surrendered. Not "gave up," but accepted where I found myself, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I stopped asking, "why is this happening to me?!” and said, "okay, what are you trying to teach me, because apparently, I'm very stupid, and I don't get it!" I stayed to myself for well over a month. I felt my feelings. I began to see myself in those who wronged me, if not when I did it, but it was different because, then how I could have said/done, if I thought/it looked like this or that. I forgave others. I forgave myself. I forgave God. I realized how blessed I am, to even be alive, when I can count ten times I should have been dead, I have a roof, good food, good friends, and the parent who was there for me, while they have their own issues, they are here. Their flaws are between them and God, mine are between God and me. And our relationship slowly is improving. We've made peace with ourselves, each other, and with God. I'm so grateful. And I've learned to look at life's challenges as a free membership to a spiritual gym. The good times are rests between reps.