MoG-Starr
Member
Hiya.
I'm Shawn. I'm a 27 year old Army Medic, stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, but originally from Ohio. I am married to an amazing girl, and together we have a 3 year old son and a 1 year old daughter. I am currently attending Southwestern Assemblies of God University (online).
I like to read, a lot, and have a pretty knowledgable base about just every major and some minor religions. I was raised in an AG church, and was active in Royal Rangers (for those who know what that is), eventually earning a Gold Medal of Acheivement there. I fell away from faith around 2004, around the time I joined the Army. I was deployed to Iraq from 2005-2007, and came home with some PTSD symptoms. I began to spiral a bit, and engage in a pretty wild time of girls, alcohol, partying and everything that goes along with that lifestyle. I met my wife at the end of this time, with her effectively putting me back on track. At this point, the rest of my life came back together, but I still had not reconnected with the Lord. It all still seemed so distant. An old friend and spiritual mentor sent me a copy of Lee Strobels Case for Christ, and while the book itself was not what brought me back, it did prompt me to begin researching on my own again. You see, I had this notion that since I was raised Christian, and since I'd never really investigated the matter objectively, that my opinion growing up was skewed, unreliable and based too much on raw emotion. While I don't think I found all the answers this time, I came into it with a more scholarly, open mindset from the start. And the one thing that I cannot answer rationally, the one thing I couldn't explain away, the thing I believe meant to be the cornerstone of my faith has become just that. Jesus Christ died, was entombed, was Raised from the dead on the 3rd day, and was seen by numerous eye witnesses, many of whom had life changing experiences as a result. I talk about the Resurrection a lot these days, because to me it is the most important event in history, and in my personal relationship with the Lord. The sheer weight of the facts, the cumulative volume of mass is so overwhelming in favor of this being a very real historical event cries to be realized.
Anyhow, I won't pretend I don't have my issues with the state of the Church and with Christianity as a whole. I do. The Church, in my honest opinion, is a mess, and a lot of things associated with mainstream Christianity are not things I want to associate myself with. The judgment passed on others, the borderline hatred of other groups and peoples, the superficial hypocrisy that I see all too often, the empty faith and utter lack of concern for others, the involvement in politics, the greed and immorality that is so prevalent. These things and more trouble me deeply, because the reflection that we all too often give of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Would Christ have refused to go near the poor? Would He have refused to eat with a homosexual? Would He have verbally or physically attacked another person because they chose a life opposite His teachings? Or would he reach out, without judgement, and embrace them in love and genuine concern?
I'm ranting. I'll stop haha. Anyhow, I look forward to getting to know everyone, and wherever you are right now, I hope you're having a blessed day.
I'm Shawn. I'm a 27 year old Army Medic, stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, but originally from Ohio. I am married to an amazing girl, and together we have a 3 year old son and a 1 year old daughter. I am currently attending Southwestern Assemblies of God University (online).
I like to read, a lot, and have a pretty knowledgable base about just every major and some minor religions. I was raised in an AG church, and was active in Royal Rangers (for those who know what that is), eventually earning a Gold Medal of Acheivement there. I fell away from faith around 2004, around the time I joined the Army. I was deployed to Iraq from 2005-2007, and came home with some PTSD symptoms. I began to spiral a bit, and engage in a pretty wild time of girls, alcohol, partying and everything that goes along with that lifestyle. I met my wife at the end of this time, with her effectively putting me back on track. At this point, the rest of my life came back together, but I still had not reconnected with the Lord. It all still seemed so distant. An old friend and spiritual mentor sent me a copy of Lee Strobels Case for Christ, and while the book itself was not what brought me back, it did prompt me to begin researching on my own again. You see, I had this notion that since I was raised Christian, and since I'd never really investigated the matter objectively, that my opinion growing up was skewed, unreliable and based too much on raw emotion. While I don't think I found all the answers this time, I came into it with a more scholarly, open mindset from the start. And the one thing that I cannot answer rationally, the one thing I couldn't explain away, the thing I believe meant to be the cornerstone of my faith has become just that. Jesus Christ died, was entombed, was Raised from the dead on the 3rd day, and was seen by numerous eye witnesses, many of whom had life changing experiences as a result. I talk about the Resurrection a lot these days, because to me it is the most important event in history, and in my personal relationship with the Lord. The sheer weight of the facts, the cumulative volume of mass is so overwhelming in favor of this being a very real historical event cries to be realized.
Anyhow, I won't pretend I don't have my issues with the state of the Church and with Christianity as a whole. I do. The Church, in my honest opinion, is a mess, and a lot of things associated with mainstream Christianity are not things I want to associate myself with. The judgment passed on others, the borderline hatred of other groups and peoples, the superficial hypocrisy that I see all too often, the empty faith and utter lack of concern for others, the involvement in politics, the greed and immorality that is so prevalent. These things and more trouble me deeply, because the reflection that we all too often give of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Would Christ have refused to go near the poor? Would He have refused to eat with a homosexual? Would He have verbally or physically attacked another person because they chose a life opposite His teachings? Or would he reach out, without judgement, and embrace them in love and genuine concern?
I'm ranting. I'll stop haha. Anyhow, I look forward to getting to know everyone, and wherever you are right now, I hope you're having a blessed day.
2. But He knew what He was doing haha.