"Christian with a side of..."

For quite a while now I've been pondering this post but wasn't sure whether I should share it or keep my thoughts to myself. I've been bolstered by the fact that I'm starting to read more and more people who are somewhat on the same wavelength. Maybe people are starting to open up some when it comes to religion. I am.

I was raised in a Christian home and from an early age I've known the Bible. I pretty much accepted what I was taught as being it. When I became a teenager, I began to question some things but was discouraged from voicing those questions because it was"wrong" to do so. Now I'm coming to accept the fact that my beliefs do not completely line up with traditional Christian thinking.

I believe that regardless of what religion one identifies with, we are all worshiping the same entity. Even those religions that have multiple deities, in my opinion, represent the same God with each deity being one of the many aspects of God. That being said, clearly I  don't necessarily subscribe to the idea of salvation exclusively to Christianity. Spirituality should bring us closer to each other and closer to a higher power, regardless of the differences in how we worship. I believe that the aim of all religions is to improve the quality of life for its believers, and many religions have the same or similar teachings in regards to morality.
I feel like there are too many holes in the Christian dogma to blindly accept everything and interpret them literally. I mean, parts of the Bible were possibly removed (look up Council of Nicaea); other things have been lost in translation and so has been bastardized from the original meaning. So instead of depending just on what a preacher or teacher tells me a passage means, I trust my spirit; when I feel convicted about something, that is "the God in me" steering me back to the right path.


But, as you can tell from the title, I still identify with Christianity. I still attend my church and love it (most of the time). Why? Well the details are a bit complex, but the broad view is very simple: this is the way that I have experienced God. Although I believe in the validity of other faiths and incorporate some of their teaching and beliefs into my life, I know this works for me. Besides, how will there ever be open dialog and enlightenment if everyone who sees things differently runs away? Change has to start from within. Of course I don't think that I'm going to change the entire Christian way of thinking. However, I want to encourage the thought that we can all coexist and that one way of thinking isn't inherently bad just because it differs from our beliefs.