I hate being interrupted. I really hate it. And when I�m interrupted more than once or twice, I generally just shut up because I figure that what I have to say will be ignored even if I do get it out. Because of that, I want to give others, who might be even more timid about sharing their thoughts, a chance to say what�s on their mind.

And, I suppose rule three would be that all are welcome. Regardless as to age, social standing, culture. They do have to be able to speak and understand English, or have a good interpreter.

But yeah, I think that about sums up what I want in a church. I don�t want to be preached at, so I won�t preach at other people. (This diary is evidence of that. For those who want to listen to what I have to say, do so. For those who don�t want to listen, you don�t have to read me.)

I may just have to start a group like that.

*chuckles quietly* You don�t know how serious I am.

Don�t expect to hear about The Church Of Jennifer or anything like that, cause I�m not the focus. God is. And, a little meeting like that could actually be called a �church� by what current churches represent.

Oh, and another big hot spot, so to speak... Would I allow gay people to be a part of �my� church? You bet. Some people think that they have the right, because of Old Testament comments about men lying with men being sin, to say that someone who is gay can not be a Christian.

I personally believe that the second I say someone can�t be a Christian, I stop being a Christian. I believe that when I tell someone else that their behavior means they can�t possibly be loved by God, I remove myself from the Grace of God.

My rule regarding all who would attend this hypothetical church?

No sex during services or on the grounds. Homosexual? Don�t have sex in church or on the grounds. Heterosexual? Don�t have sex in church or on the grounds.

Why? Because I wouldn�t go to your house and strip down and have sex with my husband while you�re talking. I wouldn�t have sex in your house. It�s just rude.

Would I allow talk about homosexuality in �services�? Sure. Any topic on your mind, we�ll talk about it and apply Biblical principles. Into the Dominant/submissive lifestyle? You�re welcome to discuss that too. Into bestiality? *shudders* I�m not, but I�ll do my best to discuss it with an objective viewpoint.

Christ may have condemned sinners for their sins, but I am not Christ. I am His sister. I am God�s child. I am here to listen and understand, not to condemn.

I personally believe that bestiality is not just disgusting, but wrong. But I won�t stop someone else from believing differently. You�d better not force your beliefs on me or my pet, but I won�t condemn you for what you believe.

Hard to imagine? Possibly. Disgusting to think about? Yes, quite possibly. But again, it is not my job to judge you.

And, while we�re on the subject of things I think are completely and despicably repugnant, would I allow conversation about pedophilia during �services�? You bet I would.

I don�t like pedophilia. I don�t agree with any part of it in any form. That doesn�t mean, however, that to know about it is wrong. That doesn�t mean that someone who is interested in the subject is wrong to be interested in the subject.

I reflect on something that Charles told me a while ago. And I think I have found a place for it in my philosophy. (I don�t know if this is the twist he had in mind... but this works for my life)

I don�t remember his exact words, but this is the gist (I think). If you�re going to teach someone of a different religion, you have to know their religion.

When he first told me that, I didn�t believe him. I accepted his opinion. But now, I�m thinking that he may be more on the money than I realized. He did not tell me, ever, that in order to understand someone else, I have to become that person. That�s what I thought he was telling me at first, though.

Regardless... the point as per discussions of bestiality or pedophilia in a church service... If you can�t talk about it in church, where can you talk about it? If you can�t talk about something which is of interest to you, in church, then that provides a separation between religion and life. I just really believe that if you have to hide something from God... you�re not open to Him. you�re not actually living within the relationship.

Anyway... my digressions are getting worse, it seems.

There are times when I have wanted to talk about certain aspects of sex. But, due to the extremely private, hush-hush, don�t-talk-about-it attitude of both church and family, I grew up with a �knowledge� that sex was bad. And I don�t mean kinky sex. I mean straight laced, vanilla sex.

I grew up with the knowledge that sex was a bad word. And I grew up with a healthy fear of any and all conversations which were truly intimate. With friends, with parents, with acquaintances... I wouldn�t discuss matters of sex. I wouldn�t allow myself to think about it. There was such an overwhelming sense of shame and bad-ness when I thought about anything even remotely sexual.

To this day, I still find it difficult to talk so openly about sex and personal sexual details. Don�t get me wrong, I can flirt and use sexual innuendo with the best of them, but when it comes to ME and things sexual... *shakes her head* It�s often very, very terrifying for me to talk about it.

If I had a church, I would make a point of being willing to discuss anything. Whether I personally liked or enjoyed the activity or not. Whether I had an interest in the activity or not, I would find a way to talk about it.

If you can�t talk, then there�s no where for the confusion to go. If there�s nowhere for the confusion to go... if there�s no new information coming in, you start making choices based on little to no information. And that is when you start to fail.

So, if I were to start a church, would I refuse conversation of any topic? No, I don�t think so. God will listen to me talk about anything, whether it�s societally acceptable or not. So, Why should I tell someone else they can�t talk about what�s on their mind?

I suppose I should add a little qualifier in there... I would allow talk about any topic as long as the talk were tasteful. I would absolutely not allow the church service to turn into a discussion of the best positions for deeper penetration. But I would encourage all questions and thoughts and then I would do my best to find the scriptures to answer those questions.

Like Charles said, the only stupid question is the one you don�t ask.

Anyway, now that this specific entry has reached ten pages and now that it�s almost three hours after I started writing, I think I�m going to bring this to a close. I�ll discuss the whole Saturday/Sunday church thing on another day.

Thank you for hanging in so long. I had fun with this entry. Many thoughts and much music later, I�m doing quite well. *chuckles*

Stay safe, folks.

Peace unto thy hearts.