A Late Merry CHRISTmas??

Holy Holiday craziness. Today is definitely a lazy, chill day for me. Christmas this year was great! Our Christmas Eve open house was another great success. I love seeing family and family friends that I haven't seen in such a long time. *I must give my Uncle Chris major Uncle points for finding out what to get me for Christmas from my blog!!! :) A PANINI SANDWICH MAKER!

I went to the Boy's Grandma's house yesterday to open more presents and eat dinner, which was absolutely delicious by the way! The Boy did very good for Christmas presents this year. He got my a Lakeshore learning store (for my future classroom), new workout clothes and a very cute painted wine glass. I would say he gets good boyfriend points these past couple of days! 

I also went to the annual candle-light service at the Church down the street from my house. It's a yearly ritual that my sister, my neighbor/best friend, and her family and then my Mom go. Sometimes my Grandma comes with, or sometimes she's too tired and skips out. 

Church in our family is not a priority, nor is it a weekly or monthly event we do. So my sister and I never were required to go to church or Sunday school. Ironically, my Grandma (my mom's mom) was a Methodist Pastor for the majority of her adult life. She made my Mom and Aunt go to church every....and I mean EVERY SINGLE Sunday of their childhood and adolescent years. My Aunt is  still is a little bitter about My Grandma making her go to Church the Sunday after her Prom. (To be honest, I would be too!) So needless to say, she is very strict about her religious practices and events. My Mom and Aunt just accepted the way their Mom was back then and just went along with what she wanted them to do. My Aunt has since then, been non-religious. Maybe even a little bit Atheist. My mom on the other hand could take it or leave it. 

I was baptized Methodist, along with my sister. But growing up religion was never something we practiced as a family (and I was completely OK with that). Partly, because when my Dad was younger religion was largely forced on him. He was told what religion he was and he HAD to practice and preach it; even if he disagreed with it. He outspokenly hated that!

(me and my dad, golfing on his B-day!)

I asked him one time, "Why don't we go to church regularly?" And he told me, "I promised myself that when I had kids I would never force religion on them. If they wanted to explore the religion on their own I would fully support it, but since I was forced to believe in something I didn't, I hated it; and to this day it still brings back that same feeling." I truly appreciate and thank my family so much for not forcing ANY religion on me and my sister.

I believe in a higher power. Now what that higher power is, I do not know. I was listening to the Pastor at the Christmas Eve service this year and just asking so many questions. 

My sister on the other hand is a 110% skeptic. And she is probably one of the smartest people I know and brings up some really thought-out good questions for all the religious people that go by 'the word of the lord'. She gets frustrated when she asks my Grandma her questions because my Grandma won't answer my sister's question but just babble on about something else and my sister gets angry. So my sister has all these questions that still go unanswered. No religious person has ever been able to answer her questions. Here are some of her questions that she comes up with herself. If anyone can help me to help her answer them in a respectful way, please let me know.

*Everyone says that the Bible is the "Word of the Lord', yet the Lord did not write the bible. Why do people say this? Science has disproved Christianity, so why don't people listen to that? Why does God allow suffering and so much evil in the world? If he is so almighty and good, why does he continue to put harm and suffering in people's life?

The more I think about these the more I could agree with her. Now let me be clear...my sister is NOT atheist. She does believe in A higher power, she is just continuing to search and find out what that is exactly.