budnkota

hhmmm.. some food for thought on here. I am not sure how to describe what I mean and am a little concerned that it's going to come out in a way that I don't mean...
First off, I am not and I won't for my son. We are not a member of a church, but when he's old enough, he will select for himself what he wants to do.

I am not one for wearing of religion on the coat sleeve. I don't follow any specific religion (because I think there are elements of truth in all, but no one will ever get it all right), but I do not beleive that God wants people cheaply advertising their faith (bumper stickers, license plates). And there is a lot of that. I believe that it is the most personal thing in the world, and is not meant to be a public performance. To me, that's what things like baptism are. Just a show. That doesn't mean that people can't share their beleifs- we have a Meals on Wheels friend whose husband in a pastor. We've participated in several events at her church to which she has invited us. She is really the poster woman for sharing her faith in an appropriate manner.

I'm suprised about hte baptist stereotype, b/c I am very, very impressed with the community mindedness of this baptist church. it's a huge facility with a community center that offers free admission to the pool, gym, etc every sunday afternoon, has a free community skate park, offers a extensive food pantry and clothing program for people in need. They've come into where I work and volunteered to paint, clean - work their bottoms off. They also have a school at their facility which is a colloaboration of 11 (?) denominations working in partnership to educate these kids K3-12 and is highly successful, with SAT scores 40 pts above state average and many times #1 in Istep scores. It seems that if you were elitist about your particular beleifs, you wouldn't be welcoming others to share your efforts.