Do You Think God Or Jesus Would Get Mad If Someone Had Sex Before They Got Married?

I'm super Impressed by the way you handle these questions! Personally while I love church and have been going since I was very little, I'm not overly religious. But I just love the way you handle questions that are like borderline, and right on the line of offensive to your beliefs. I also really like how while you answer them, you aren't forcing your own beliefs like I've have watched others do. I have always had a huge amount of respect for you, but it has grown since discovering your blog!!

Ahhhh Emily you're gonna make me cry! Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and write that; it means so much to me. I'm really really glad that you told me that because my hope is to present an image of Christianity that is not judgmental or intolerant but rather real and accepting and loving. Your words are very encouraging, and hold great weight because you're an incredible person. You're loving and accepting and you know what you believe, which I respect so much. And your blog is beautiful :) I love seeing it on my dash every day. Lots of love, -Katherine 

Yo whether you're pro-life or pro-choice, you have to admit that the argument that goes like "what if the aborted baby could have cured cancer ???" is GROSS. If you are pro-life and you use that argument, I am disgusted with you. Like think about. Really think about it. Does it mean that a baby is only worth saving if they would have cured cancer? Does it mean that their worth is entirely dependent on their accomplishments? Is it really not enough to say that they're worth saving because they're a PERSON? This argument betrays your deep ignorance concerning your own belief of personhood. You're arguing that a baby is only worth what they may become later, and you're therefore implying that they are not worth anything now, which is absolutely antithetical to pro-life ideology! Besides that, the idea that people have to be useful to society in order to be valuable is revolting. A person's worth is not dependent on their achievements. A person has worth because they are a PERSON. If you're pro-life, you should know that. Stop using that "cure for cancer" crap.

RANT Warning: indelicate language and imagery. Okay, so apparently as much as 54% of men and 42% of women are STUPID. I'm sorry but I'm not gonna be all politically correct about this. Anyone who answered yes to any of those questions is STUPID. STUPID AND WRONG.  For anyone out there who's a little bit confused....

RAPE IS NEVER OKAY. 

No matter what. No matter who long you've been dating, no matter how much money he spent, no matter what her level of sobriety, no matter what he's seen of her or done with her, no matter what mixed signals he's gotten, NO MATTER WHAT. It's not okay to force sex on a woman who does not want it.  And let's just stop and examine two of the conditions up there:  a) He is so turned on he thinks he can't stop. b) She gets him excited sexually. 

Ohmygoodness. MAN UP. Newsflash: Guys get turned on all the time. It's not exactly a novel thing. Guys can get turned on for no apparent reason. 

As a guy, are you seriously gonna try and tell me that you couldn't help it?  (This is where it gets graphic) ...That your dick was hard so you just HAD to ram it inside of her? That's bullshit! (I get vulgar when I get angry).  Oh, you were horny. Oh you poor baby. My heart bleeds for you, it really does.  MAN UP.

You're not an animal. You're not a robot. You don't HAVE to do everything your body wants you to. As a human, you SHOULD have morals. And you are able to reason and make choices. If you know that rape is ALWAYS WRONG (which it is) then you CAN walk away. You are not so weak that you are helpless against the primitive desires of your flesh.  So when I hear someone say something like "he's so turned on he thinks he can't stop" or "she gets him excited sexually", you know what I think? I think that "he" is a cowardly, lazy, spineless, weak, pathetic BOY. Because any man who cannot master his body and decide to respect women despite his physical urges is no man at all. 

This is the guy who, ignoring the opinions of others, bee-lined toward those whom His culture had identified as sinful. Jesus modeled it for us and He told story after story to make sure we got the message. He desperately wanted us to know that His Father seeks the lost like a shepherd looking for His scrappy sheep. He searches for us like a woman who’s lost a precious coin. He welcomes the very worst sinners with the delight of a father whose son was dead but is now alive. Before He ever suggested, “Go and sin no more,” Jesus first welcomed and received unrepentant sinners.

A Pragmatic and surprisingly comforting perspective about the Trump 2nd Presidency from the ACLU

***Apologies if this is how you found out the 2024 election results***

Blacked out part is my name.

I’m not going to let this make me give up. It’s disheartening, and today I will wallow, probably tomorrow too

AND

I will continue to do my part in my community to spread the activism and promote change for the world I want to live in. I want to change the world AND help with the dishes.

And I won’t let an orange pit stain be what stops me from trying to be better.

A link to donate to the ACLU if able and inclined. I know I am

action.aclu.org

The ACLU is Fighting Back Against Trump

As the Trump administration moves toward the White House, the stakes could never be higher. But the ACLU is ready to fight back! As Presi

Okay so. I'm what one might call an evangelical christian. God is my reality - the foundation upon which my life and my identity is built. And it's pure love and joy.

But sometimes, being a christian really sucks. I feel guilty, like all the time. I feel guilty for stuff i do. For stuff i don't do. For stuff i've done. For stuff i haven't done. For who i am. For who i'm not. Sometimes i just feel guilty, just like, in general? No reason. I'm just chillin and feeling guilty without any idea why. I think that is due, in no small part, to my christian upbringing.

And it really fuckin sucks. the story of God's love for humanity is all about redemption and freedom and perfect unity with God themself. but humans' interpretation of that story is like, "wow, we are shitty. we are all so shitty. we're, like, the worst. we have to feel very bad about this and hate ourselves and punish ourselves for this until we die." Like, way to miss the point!?

And then, kids like me grow up in that environment and end up feeling guilty all the time for no reason! It fuckin sucks!!

My Testimony

My testimony is, simply put, the story of how I became a Christian and what God has done in my life. When I was five years old, I decided that I wanted to have a relationship with Christ so I prayed with my mom and invited God to become a part of my life. Ever since then I’ve had a relationship with God, and I’ve tried to live every day as He would want me to live. That was 12 years ago and I’m so thankful that 5-year-old me made that choice. God has taught me some amazing truths over the years.

No matter what I’m going through, He is always there for me. Whether it’s conflicts with my friends or worries about the future, I can talk about it to him and I’m not worried about it anymore. As a result, I’m a pretty happy person most of the time because I don’t have all these trivial little cares weighing me down.

One of the most amazing things I’ve learned sounds very simple but is actually mind-blowing: God loves me. The creator of the universe…loves me. The one who made the sun and the stars loves me! He knows me. He knows everything about me, and He still loves me! I feel so special, so important, so loved.

I know that God has a plan for my life and that He is going to use me to do amazing things. I am living every day according to the purpose He has given me. I don’t have to live to please people, I don’t have to be popular, I don’t have to fit in because my significance is in Christ.

I can tell you that I am a teenager who is happy, secure, confident, and I have significance and purpose. I don’t need drugs or alcohol or sex to make me feel alive or fulfilled. A teenager who can say that is so rare in today’s society. And it’s all because I have God!

I am so thankful that God has given me people in my life who have taught me these wonderful truths, and now I want to tell others about them because they’ve made such a great difference in my life.

January 1st Reflections

Welcome to 2014 everybody. I know that the beginning of a new year is always a time for nostalgia and a time for optimism. It creates a fresh start for those who feel that they may need one. And I do understand the wonder when the clock strikes midnight and you start Day 1 of 365. 

But I would like to remind you that this is simply another 365 days. It's another circle 'round the sun. It's the beginning of a new calendar, which is a socially constructed method of keeping track of our planet's rotations, determined largely by greek rulers ages and ages ago. 

There is nothing magic about the new year. The single second that makes the difference in the date has no power whatsoever. The gravity you ascribe to the new year is entirely in your head. New beginnings have nothing to do with the date and everything to do with you. 

You can start over any second of any day of any month. You can quit anything, drop everything, pick up and leave. You can switch your major or your school or your career path. You can change anything at all about your life and you don't have to wait for the perfect time to do it. Firstly because there is no time like the present and secondly because there is no guarantee that the perfect time will even happen. 

If you want to lose 10 pounds, start RIGHT NOW. If you want to get your finances in order, start RIGHT NOW. If you want to fix relationships, start RIGHT NOW. If you want to reinvent your image, start RIGHT NOW. If you want to learn something new, start RIGHT NOW. If you want to develop your character, start RIGHT NOW. 

Nothing is to be accomplished by waiting. New Year's resolutions are so seldom fulfilled because too much emphasis is placed on the circumstances of the resolution and too little is placed on the conviction behind the resolution. 

The magic is in you. Not in the day. 

Hey Katherine :) (its michaela) I love your blog! I also love the show 19 kids and counting with the Duggar family. I was just wondering if you watched the show and if so, do you like the Duggars as well? :) god bless! xox

Hello dear! I must confess, although I am familiar with the concept of the show, I had never seen a single clip. So when I read your question, I went and watched a couple episodes. I think they seem like really nice, really friendly people. They're a little bit more conservatives in their traditions than I am, but from what I can tell, it's nothing extreme or worrisome like that.

For example, from what I've read, their decision to abstain from using birth control was because they thought it caused their first miscarriage, as opposed to it being a religious thing, as I had originally thought. I mean, they did say they were gonna let God decide how many children they have, but I don't think they chose not to use it because they thought it was unholy or un-biblical or anything, so I definitely find that reassuring! 

I definitely adore children, but 19 or 20 would be way too much for me! So I think Michelle and Jim-Bob are a little bit crazy and also very very impressive people :P 

I'm not a huge reality tv fan, so I don't foresee it making my top 10 favourite shows or anything, but they really do seem like lovely people. :) Lots of love! -Katherine :)