We're All Sinners

Wait...what?  I said I didn't believe Christian dogma, and I promised to talk about something positive next time, so why am I talking about sin?  Well, I just thought that since it's Sunday, it would be fun to get some old-time religion going.  Um...just kidding!!!!

You are not a sinner in the Christian sense that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  There is no Original Sin, no inescapable sin passed down from your ancestors to you, nothing that you've done to piss God off so much that he'll send you to Hell for eternity if you don't believe the right things.  I will be devoting an entire post to Hell sometime in the near future.  But for now, let's get on to my uplifiting message.

You are an expression of the divine!!!  The creative force of the universe is inside of you; it's inside of everyone and everything.  It's so awesome to know that my baby is an expression of the divine.  Knowing that, how can I ever treat him/her like anything but that? 

I attend a Unity church.  Unity teaches that we are all expressions of the divine.  Unity follows the teachings of Jesus (although often interpreted radically different than mainstream Christian churches and thus is why I don't consider myself a Christian).  Unity believes that Jesus is divine, but no more divine than the rest of us.  Jesus is the expression of our highest potential.  He reached the highest level of consciousness that can be attained.  We all have that potential within us.

So where does sin come in?  A few weeks ago, my minister talked about sin in her Sunday message.  Sin is a term in archery that means "to miss the mark."  So, by sinning, you are missing the bullseye.  You must go and pick up your arrow and try again.  Unless you have never made a mistake and are always hitting your bullseye in life, you are a sinner.  You're not going to Hell, because Hell doesn't exist.  The only thing that exists is love.  You have the potential to be like Jesus (or Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Buddha, Martin Luther King Jr., whatever spiritual/religious leader inspires you).  You just have to keep trying.

Who I Am and What This Blog Is About

This is the first blog I've ever written. I hope it is a successful venture.

I'll start off with a little information about me. I'm a registered dietitian, a vegan, and an animal rights activist. I strongly believe that animals should not be bred and raised for lives of misery just to become our breakfast/lunch/dinner. But being vegan doesn't just help the animals; it helps us. A well planned vegan diet is healthier than a diet with meat and dairy. It's also better for the planet, as animal agriculture is worse for the environment than the automobile industry. I'll probably expand more on these topics later.

Besides being an animal rights activist, I am 7 months pregnant with my first child and am planning a homebirth. I love being pregnant. Feeling the baby move and seeing the movement rippling on my stomach is the highlight of my days now, although I am endlessly frustrated that every time I place my husband's hand on my belly, the baby stops moving. Seriously, every time! I am really looking forward to meeting my baby.

I currently work in a health clinic with children. I see parents interacting with their children everyday at my job, and let me tell you, I am often very disturbed by what I see. Some of my views on parenting have come from watching these interactions.

I used to be a Christian, but I no longer claim that title, as I no longer believe most of Christian dogma. My husband and I are trying to find ourselves, our place in the world, and our spiritual path. It's hard work! We are currently attending a Unity church.

So, what is this blog going to be about? Well, it's going to be what I feel like writing about that day, and that's going to be a wide range of topics. I will discuss different aspects of veganism, obstetrical and birth issues, parenting, and spirituality. I hope you enjoy it.