Organized religion vs faith....

I am not pushy with religion. I enjoy talking about it and conversing with people who are willing to exchange thoughts and ideas on it. I am a baptist and will always be won because I enjoy that faith and like the people who are part of the little church I belong to. Yes some of them are pushy and like to shove their religion on others instead of drawing people into a discussion, they like to thump them into submission but there are many there who are just warm wonderful people who live what they believe.

I have a foster sister who used to call me and begin her conversations, are you going to church? and when I said yes I was attending the methodist church, she would say, "oh, dee, you know methodist do not go to heaven." No I did not know that. No one has shown me a verse in the bible that says that. I, myself was not satisfied with the church I was attending so began attending the local baptist church and when she called, I heard, "oh, dee, you know baptist do not go to heaven. Why don't you find a church of God and go to it........." then she would precede to tell me the glories of attending the right church. Of course, I did not hear most of what she said. I learned to keep peace in the family by tuning her out years ago just as my late brother in law who was the lowly catholic in the family.

You know, when I hear people say who is going to heaven or hell I always think, won't these people be shocked when they get to heaven (IF they get there) to find out exactly who all is there. I am betting my foster sister will fall over in a dead faint when she sees there are just as many catholics up there as there are members of the protestant faith.

That is why when someone assumes another person did not go to heaven, I feel like saying, how do you know? Do you know what was in that persons heart? Only God knows that. And if someone shows me where it says what church I have to attend to get into heaven, I wish they would show it to me. I will find that church and go. Until then, I am going to do what I have been doing. Attending church when I can, reading my bible and praying.

Earlier in the post I mentioned a methodist church. Nothing against the church but I found that if I was not a part of the upper echeleon in the church, or did not dress with the best, or be a part of the right family in our town, I just did not fit in. They were a bunch of gossiping old biddies. Not all but far to many and it happens way to often in churches. I have seen some of it in our church but not as much, it seems and that is one of the negative things about many churches today.