Not Ashamed to Love

It's no secret. I am a "born again" Christian. Wait! Don't leave! I'm not here to force my spiritual beliefs on you. Anyone who knows me well also knows that I have a soft spot for atheists. Actually, I want to have respect for people even (and especially) when they have differing views than myself regarding...just about everything. I see everyone as my teachers. They all teach me something I may not already know.

There is such a controversy and turmoil surrounding religious beliefs all over the world. And words like "born-again" and "atheist" make so many people cringe. My rebellious nature wanted to explore and find out for myself who these "atheists" were that are said to be so awful. About nine months ago, I began by joining in on their discussions on a blog called the Friendly Atheist and getting to know them. REALLY know them. Genuinely know them.

There is a quote by Henry David Thoreau which I love:

"Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant?"

That is the purpose in everything I do these days... to be able to see other perspectives... and to teach others to see them as well.

We are not that different. We are all unique in our own way, and yet we are all the same. If we just stop for a moment to look without the clouded lens... and listen, really listen, beyond the noise and the chatter, then we can see and hear a whole new perspective that we had not seen or heard before. And it is not right or wrong as we had thought... it is only a view from a different angle.

As far as the spiritual part goes, if you know what you know to be true for you... then what can possibly change that? Will respecting and loving each other change that?

The reason I am writing these thoughts here is because it is my passion to share what I have learned about people. It is my passion to learn and share the perspectives that are different from my own.

I want to learn about the different beliefs. I want to learn about the different cultures. I want to learn about the different lifestyles. I want to learn about the different personalities. I want to find out what and how others think. I want to learn what makes each of us unique and still fit into the big picture like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. I believe that realizing and accepting our differences can teach us that we are also very similar, and... everything is connected. I tried to illustrate that in my video, but it's only one person's view. I know I am but one small insignificant note in the symphony of humanity.

The reason for my involvement with the MBTI stems from that.