Video Rant #2: Feminism Is In A Relationship With Modesty And It's Complicated.  *The Little Ding You

Whats your opinion of bisexual people?

Hey :) Thanks for your question! How shall I put this? Bisexual people fall under the umbrella of “all people” and I have only one single opinion on all people: All people are beautiful and wonderful and lovely. All people are worthy of love and respect. All people are treasured fiercely and intimately by their creator. All people are loved by God and by me. 

Regardless of age, gender, colour, creed, religious views, sexual orientation. Regardless of their past. Regardless of whatever they might think is wrong with them. 

That is the only opinion I will ever offer on people, in general. And really, it is NONE of my beeswax who other people love/are attracted to/sleep with.

I have talked a bit more in depth about the conflict between homosexuality and the church here, here and here.  In every single one of those questions, I and the question-asker both specifically used the word “homosexuality”. Now that I think about it, I suppose you could generally apply the opinions expressed in those posts to anyone of the LGBTQ community. In conclusion, it doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter what you believe or how you live. My job is to love you. Period. And that’s what I’m gonna do. :)  

Thanks for the question! Peace and love! -Katherine 

God does not expect you to be a Wall Street executive. God does not wish you were making six figures. God does not wish you had a happy-go-lucky personality. God does not wish you would just “Get yourself together already!” We are not on our own. We are not broken beyond repair. We are not doomed to be our parents (2 Kings 21:21; 2 Kings 22:2). We are not condemned by our heavenly Father for being in process (2 Peter 3:15). He knows us and loves us and is working patiently in and with us

That full thing about sex was deep. As a christian who has drifted away, I took more out of that than any devotion. Good work, Im not gonna stop - but I respect your decision.

WHAT! DUDE MAN BRO. (Okay, I know I just effectively destroyed any illusions of me being deep). But wow, thank you for taking the time to come tell me that. :) I appreciate that a lot, and your respect for my decision! The respect is reciprocated for yours. :) Mostly I'm just glad you actually took the time to read it and moreover, actually got something out of it. 

You're awesome and I love you. Thanks :)-Me 

I loved your response about Margery Kempe, but I take issue with the "too heavenly minded" quote. Borrowing from Randy Alcorn's book Heaven, being heavenly minded is something missed in the Church today. Paul was very heavenly minded, but that drove him to focus all the more on serving Christ on earth. I think the two go hand-in-hand for Christians. If our heavenly focus is neglected, we are more likely to become wrapped up in things of this world that do not last.

Aw hi! Thanks for that :) I'm really happy you took the time to tell me that you liked my response. And also, that is a very excellent point!  I agree that there is definitely a rampant and dangerous pandemic of people who are far too earthly minded to be of any heavenly good. And really, I'd rather be of heavenly good than of earthly good because forever is an awfully long time, and if what I do only has any significance in this world, then I've essentially accomplished nothing. I suppose that I used the quote rather flippantly because I agree with you that heavenly thinking should truly be our motivator for...everything. And that everything we do in this world should be done with the consciousness of the double consequences: natural and supernatural consequences. Again, thanks so much for stopping by to chat :) And thank you for pointing out that blind spot in my earlier response. :) 

What would your reaction be if right now the story of the life of Jesus, and the bible were completely proven to be fiction? Do you think you would still have faith in something more than ourselves?

Well, see…people have been trying to tell me my whole life that what I believe is fiction. I’ve had friends, coworkers and teachers who put religion in the same category as fairytales. I’m really over it, cause the truth is that both creationism and darwinism are based on someone’s experience and observations, and both theories require a little bit of faith on the part of the believer. Furthermore, as I’ve outlined in a previous post, there is ample evidence supporting the veracity and credibility of the bible. 

Therefore, should such an event occur wherein the bible was exposed to be fraudulent amid a massive media storm, prompting a worldwide scandal, I expect that I would be one among thousands who point-blank refused to accept it. I wouldn’t be out protesting in the streets or anything, but I would just quietly and contentedly carry on with my life as if nothing had happened. You might call me pigheaded and stupid and any number of other negative adjectives, but it would probably be nothing I (or at least my religious group) haven’t been called before. 

Here’s why: I don’t believe what I believe because of something anybody else told me. I don’t believe what I believe for anybody else. I believe what I believe because of my own experience. So nothing external can sway my belief. No single force of this world can sway my convictions, because they are firmly rooted in a force that is decidedly outside of this world. 

All that being said, let’s play devil’s advocate for a second and say I’m wrong. What if after we die, there’s nothing but blackness and emptiness, and this life is all there really is (an idea that I honestly find completely absurd). If this life is the be-all, end-all, then I did pretty good. Barring the possibility of injury or illness, I probably lived a longer, happier, healthier life (both physically and psychologically) because I didn’t drink, smoke or fall prey to other addictions. I had a strong sense of self-value. I successfully avoided STI’s and teen pregnancy by eschewing sexual promiscuity.  I treated others with respect and acceptance. I loved people. I helped a lot of people. And I was surrounded the whole way through by a community of people who encouraged and supported and loved me (the church). All because I believed in Christ. Now, all that I just listed is NOT the reason I believe what I believe. They’re just perks - happy side-effects in the physical world -  of a decision which has eternal repercussions in the spiritual world. 

And what if I’m right? Then I get to live forever in paradise with my loving creator. Sweet deals. But what about you? If I’m wrong, there are really no downsides for me. But if you believe something else, and you’re wrong, what happens to you when you die? I dunno man. I’m not into the whole high-and-mighty, holier-than-thou, self-righteous, I-get-to-go-to-heaven-and-you-don’t shtick, but it’s still something to think about. Cause I have no qualms about what happens after my death, and it’s a very comfortable feeling to have. It’d be nice if everyone could be this comfortable with the idea of their own demise. 

That’s all I have to say :PThanks for the question! I know it took forever and a day for me to answer it, and I’m sorry. I hope you haven’t given up on me and actually read this answer. Peace and love! -Katherine 

If your parents weren't religious do you think you'd still have strong faith?

Of course not. Where, I ask you, would I have met Jesus in the first place, if not for my parents? Who knows, maybe He would have arranged a meeting for me at some point in my life. I hope that parallel-universe me would be sensible enough to open up to Him. I often wonder what I'd be like if I didn't know Jesus. I speculate sometimes that I'd be rather more promiscuous, with significantly lower self-esteem. I would most likely be a lover of alcohol. Beyond that, I have trouble figuring out what parts of me are me and what parts are Jesus. Would I have the same love and compassion for people? Would I have black and white views or would I be all grey areas? I don't know the answers to those questions. I don't know where I'd be if I didn't know Jesus. But I do know that I'm grateful I never will. I'm exceedingly thankful that I got that early introduction, cause my life with Jesus is frickin awesome! HahahaThanks for the question :)Peace and love! -Katherine 

So judging from your first question, Some people clearly don't respect your views or share the same passion for god. My question to you then is: The people who don't know god the way you do, are they weak in a bliss of confusion, incapable of hearing God's call?

Hmmm...."weak in a bliss of confusion, incapable of hearing God's call?" that is a very interesting way of wording it, and definitely one that I had never considered before. So I think I can confidently say no, that's not at all what I think about people who aren't as crazy for God as I am. Okay, you know when you discover this awesome video on the internet that's just hilarious, or an amazing song, and you wanna show it to your friend right away because you'll KNOW they'll love it as much as you do? That's kinda what it's like for me. Like, I love everybody no matter what their opinion on God is, but at the same time, I do live my daily life operating on the assumption that everyone needs Jesus. I need Jesus desperately and the difference He's made in my life is incredible. So I guess I view people who aren't, y'know, "God-crazy" like me as people who just haven't discovered Him yet. Like either they haven't been told about the youtube video, or they were told and haven't watched it, so they don't know how awesome it is. Totally not incapable of hearing His call, not by any stretch. God works and speaks and moves in mindblowing ways, and sometimes people who seem super "far" from God hear His voice super clear while others who seem super "close" aren't even listening, haha :P And there you go! Peace and Love! -Katherine 

Also in regards to Paul, there are many who believe that he was either a widower or divorced (perhaps his wife left him when he became a Christian). He speaks to older widows and says they shouldn't get married but stay like him, which many take to imply that he had been married but chose not to remarry. Also being married may have been a requirement to be on the Jewish council. Anyway, I loved your response, but I just wanted to address those two things. Have a blessed day :)

Hmmm…that’s really cool! I’d never even heard of that theory until now! I will definitely be doing some digging. This then, is a good example of why fact checking is important. I think I’ll see if I can make some edits to the earlier response to correct that misinformation. Regardless, do you still agree that a celibate marriage is probably not so much a great idea? Haha :) Thank you very much, I’m so glad you took the time to message me! It’s always great to get input from people smarter and wiser than I am haha. Also, thanks and I hope you have an awesome day too :)-Katherine 

have you ever experienced or witnessed a miracle?

Hmm...I don't thiiiiink so. Obviously, I've seen lots of divine stuff: tongues and interpretation, slain in the Spirit, prophesy, etc etc. I'm been in the room with people who were healed. Two examples come to mind: 1) A woman with chronic pain for years instantly pain-free. 2) A girl with scoliosis literally feeling her spine being straightened.

The former is from YC, October 2012 and the latter is from YB2, August 2012. I've heard so many first hand witness accounts from friends, family, and church family who report amputated arms growing back and countless healings. If you count a healing as a miracle, then the answer is yes. I actually, for some weird reason, put miracles in a different category, so I'm inclined to say no. Haha Have a great day! Peace and love! -Katherine 

What's your opinion on homosexuality?

(If you don’t wanna read all those words, just skip to the bottom where it says “Moral of the story”)Jesus said that the most important commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (okay, cool, makes sense) BUUUTTT….the SECOND most important commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39; Mark 12:29-31) And there are entire chapters of the bible devoted entirely to the importance of loving people (1 Corinthians 13) So! Here are the facts: Fact Number 1: Jesus loves you. Like, He really, REALLY loves you. Deeply, passionately, intimately, overwhelmingly. He loves you enough to die for you. He loves you so much that He DESPERATELY wants to have a personal relationship with you - to talk to you, to hear your thoughts and to walk with you through this life. Fact Number 2: I love you. I think that every single person in the world deserves to be loved and deserves to be respected simply due to the fact that you are a person and God made you and loves you. Okay, so now we’ve established that Jesus loves you and I love you, for no other reason than the fact that you’re alive, and no matter what. That cannot be altered, edited, ignored, abated, cancelled out, destroyed or denied. Moving on…I cannot confidently give you an opinion on Nature vs Nurture. If science has yet to confirm the varying influences of these conflicting forces, I will not presume to attempt to do so. I have a basic knowledge of the bible (as in, I’ve read it and journaled about it lol) and limited knowledge of the research behind the genetic role in homosexuality. Therefore, I am not qualified to give you my opinion in that area.  Interestingly, I recently read a novel for my English course called Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson, which is both her debut novel and an autobiographical novel (while not actually being an autobiography). It’s about a girl who grows up in a Pentecostal household (which happens to be my denomination) in northern England in the 60s and turns out to be a lesbian. Which, I’m sure you can guess, causes all sorts of conflict in her family and in her church community. The religious characters in the novel condemned her, saying that it was a malicious act of will on her part. They said stuff like “You made an immoral proposition that cannot be countenanced.” and “Never trust a sinner.” Those quotes made me pretty angry because they demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of God and sin. About halfway through the novel, in the margin of the page, I penciled the words “Byes don’t know the bible.” (I’m from Newfoundland. We say byes.) Because EVERYONE’S A SINNER! And the very nature or sin has nothing to do with willpower. You can’t magically wish yourself holy. You know? The people in the book seem to think that if one wants to be a ‘good’ person, to be perfect and righteous, you just have to choose to do so. Which is crap! People are not good. We are physically incapable of being good, by nature of the fact that we are born in to sin and we suffer from what is called “the human condition” (which just means being mortal and making mistakes). I’m not sure how that relates to homosexuality, but I hope that gives you some insight into my view of humanity and perfection in general. Finally, like I said in my last answer, I think that EVERYBODY NEEDS JESUS! As aforementioned, Jesus loves you and desperately wants a relationship with you. And I personally believe that you would benefit greatly from a relationship with Him. Everybody. Heterosexual, Homosexual, Transsexual, Bisexual, Asexual! EVERYBODY, no matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, what you’ve done, where you’ve been, what you’ve been through. He loves you RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW! And He wants to have a relationship with you exactly how you are right here right now. To wrap this up, if Jesus thinks there’s something in your life you need to change…whether it be pride, laziness, gossip, lust, whatever….He’ll tell you. And I will try to focus on what He’s trying to tell ME! And I’ll keep trying to work on my issues and not presume to discern what He wants to tell you. Moral of the story: My job is to love, not judge.  

Peace and love!-Katherine