Breaking it Down with Religion and Politics

First of all, I feel I should explain a little about my religious and political beliefs. I am a member of the United Methodist Church and am well versed in the doctrine. I believe in Christianity and science. I am educated and rational. I believe the Apostle's Creed is an accurate summation of beliefs:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
    the Maker of heaven and earth,
    and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
    born of the virgin Mary,
    suffered under Pontius Pilate,
    was crucified, dead, and buried;

The third day He arose from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,
    and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
    from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit;
    the holy catholic church;
    the communion of saints;
    the forgiveness of sins;
    the resurrection of the body;
    and the life everlasting.

Amen.

As for politics. I first and foremost believe that my rights end where another person's rights begin. Meaning I do not get force my perspective on you and you do not get to force your perspective on me. I am a liberal in that I believe no one's liberty, life, and/or happiness should be unjustly limited or governed by any other person or government.

I hate that right-wingers have labeled themselves as the "right to life" party. I am pro-choice when it comes to abortion legislation. NOT PRO-ABORTION. That is an inaccurate and insulting term. I am pro-choice. Meaning I believe that I, nor any government, has the right to make reproductive choices for private citizens. It is about individual freedoms and the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Here is how I am more "right to life" than the right-wingers. I believe that your right to life includes your right to health. You cannot have life without health. I believe every American (and really every human) has the right to have access to healthcare. There should never be a situation where a person is sick and does not go to the doctor because they can't afford it. America's healthcare policy is totally NOT pro-life.

Additionally, I believe that every child has a right to a safe home. Republicans routinely restrict funding to foster care and welfare without offering better alternatives for the wellbeing of the children. How is taking food stamps away from children right to life?

I just don't think you can call yourselves pro-life and not support legislation that protects a citizen's rights to health, life, and prosperity. It's all laid out for you in plain English in our Declaration of Independence. You can check it out online at http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/.

It also really bothers me that republicans have branded themselves as the "Christian Conservatives." As a Christian, I find this offensive. Christians who follow Jesus' teachings should embrace legislation that upholds Christian values. Values like taking care of the sick and the poor. Values like cherishing children and providing for their welfare. The examples of Christ's empathy and mercy are boundless. The parables teach love and generosity.

To summarize my points, my Jesus is a liberal. He believes in caring for the sick and the poor. He believes in loving everyone regardless of their nation, creed, color, income, occupation, or gender. He speaks out for the enslaved, the oppressed, the marginalized, etc. And that is the only type of savior I could believe in. Jesus loves illegal aliens, hookers, gays, criminals, as well as Christians, the Jewish, Muslims, Buddhists, and all walks of faith. 

In Matthew in the New Testament (which according to the New Covenant trumps any laws in the Old Testament) relates to us Jesus' most important commandments. Matthew 22:37-38 "Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (NIV Edition)

Taking away people's rights to health and life are not only un-American, they are anti-Christian.

Providing for the poor and for the disenfranchised is an overwhelming Christian value.

Approaching life with an attitude of love and openess is Christian.  

I forewarned you that I would spout my liberal ideals on this blog. If you disagree that's fine. This is America and I don't trample on your right to believe what you choose. I reserve my right to believe what I believe and to think you are less than intelligent. If you object to my less than intelligent statement, please visit this web site to review some empirical research, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/intelligence-study-links-prejudice_n_1237796.html.

First Time for Everything

So I have never done this before. I'm sure everyone's first blog starts that way. I have a degree in journalism so I should be better at this. It's been a while since I wrote anything. There was a time when I wanted to be a writer. I have a box on my book shelf right now called "Write a Novel in Six Weeks." The cellophane is still on the box. It has been on said shelf for 2.5 years now. I still plan to use it someday. Don't judge.

I have wicked ADD so carrying a plot and storyline with the same characters through 300 pages sounds exhausting. I thought for a while about trying to write multiple novels at one time to try to keep myself interested in the projects. Kind of like write book A until I get bored. Then switch to book B, etc. But I just got confused. So I added two more to my stack of novel attempts. I also can't decide whether to write a memoir or fiction. I feel like the memoir would be a better novel, but I don't know that I want to dump all my dirty secrets into a public work (weird coming from a new blogger I know). I would probably be pretty good at fiction, but I would hold myself to the "Harry Potter Standard" and would never feel like my works measured up. Alas, I am too afraid of failure.

Anyhow, I thought the blogging would be more entertaining and allow me to share my experiences. I am under no delusion that my life is glamorous. But I do find myself in weird situations. I believe my (mis)adventures could be moderately entertaining. I also think my ever-changing outlook on life from cynical to extreme optimist makes it hard to anticipate my actions/reactions.

Topics of interest I plan to cover: dachshunds, weight loss, marriage, politics, weight gain, family, loss, achievement, and basically shoving my opinion on anything from climate change to salsa down your proverbial throat.

Warnings: I am a liberal and will spew my liberal thoughts and ideas on this blog. I am a huge sports fan and will discuss my theories and opinions at length. I love my husband but routinely realize we have nothing in common (except that we love each other). I have both horrible and awesome taste in music/movies/television. Be prepared for schizophrenic tastes and hobbies.

I hope you all stick around to learn more about the Bama Belle turned Austinite Liberal.