Christian Opinions Not Allowed

My husband recently posted a question on Yahoo! Answers about the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. He is worried that his outspoken Christian opinions on the morality of homosexuality will end up getting him kicked out. The responses he received were unhelpful to the extreme. Basically he had twenty or so military members tell him that, because of his "hatred" and "intolerance" for the Gay community, he needed to do the military a favor and get out  because he was not welcome. I have talked to multiple members of the US Army and none have agreed with the repeal. So why was his post so unwelcome? My thought is because he's a Christian.
  Christians are slowly becoming the minority. We have lost almost every amendment right because we're seen as intolerant and hateful, yet most of us aren't. I do not agree with the homosexual lifestyle, yet i have beloved friends who are gay. I believe that a man and a woman were created with a penis and a vagina for a reason. I think homosexuality is morally repugnant and unnatural, and if you thought really hard about it, you would, too; yet i love my gay friends more than anything else. How is this possible? Because as a Christian, i can love the person, yet hate the sin. Too often Christians hate the person and the sin, which causes the rest of us to earn a bad name. Yet i digress, because this blog is not about that. It's about religious intolerance, or Christian Intolerance.
     Why do people reject Christianity? To me, it's one of the few things in this world that makes sense. Too many people are afraid to have moral values because they'll be seen as Christians. This confounds me. It's wrong to have an abortion. I believe most women have an abortion because they are uneducated about other ways and truly believe that this is their only way out. They're not thinking about the little one growing inside of them. The little heart beating. I believe that abortion is an abomination. Each child has a reason for being, even those born with mental diseases and defects, and those born to abusive families. They serve as sad reminders that we are not and will never be a perfect society until Jesus returns. They serve as brave lessons to us all about compassion, love, and the faults of man. Why destroy something like a child?
     Why are those labeled pro-life automatically labeled as Christians and automatically rejected? Because their opinions go against the norm  of society. Because their opinions are the moral truths, and most everyone is too happy living in sin to realize that they'd be happier living without it.
     We as Christians are slowly losing every right we've ever had because of what we believe. We believe everyone deserves a chance at life. We believe that a man was born a man and a woman was born a woman for specific purposes in life to be explored together as a man and woman. We believe in an all powerful God who created us, sent His son here to die for us, and saved us so that we can live with Him forevermore. Christianity is rejected while Islam is becoming embraced.
     Why is Christianity losing its' place in the world? Losing its' voice? Because no one stands up for God anymore. Because no one stands up for the truth or morality. Because no one stands up for what is right.

The church

Two of Elmer Towns descriptions of what a church is really about sticks in my mind: that a “church community is a bonding of people” and that it “allows for diversity” (100). I believe that churches everywhere are failing in regards to these two examples of what a church should be/do. There are very few churches that could label themselves “multi-cultural”, and only a small percentage of those actually have a multi-cultural feel, and by that i mean that the different races mix and mingle and are not separated. Have you ever walked into a church and seen for yourself the different cliques inside that building? If it is an ethnically diverse church, the different races are sitting with their race. There is no mixing and mingling, and that truly does make me sad. I am not sure, though, how this could be fixed by the church as an institution. This is one of those things that a person themselves would have to do. It is part of the bonding of the community. I have been to many different churches. The one i’ve gone to recently is mostly African American, but i love it. It truly is an ethnically diverse community. They make you feel welcome and loved. It’s daunting if you’re going for the first (or second) time because it’s one of those churches where everyone knows everyone else, but they make sure you feel welcome. The community is the key to a good church.

Personally, i think more services need to be held outside. Elmer Towns writes, “The Barna Poll suggests most people today want to know God, but wish to do so outside the established church” (97). When people think of church, they think of a building and stuffy old people sitting in old, worn out pews. It’s time to break the misconception that you have to wear dresses and slacks and sit in a pew in order to be in church! I’m all for being barefoot in the grass holding a conversation with a minister who not only preaches, but lives and teaches what he knows. Why does no one ever argue with the preacher? If they are discontent with his preaching, they find a new church without ever talking to the preacher. And why are we always afraid to approach the pastor (the bigger the church, the truer this is)? Smaller churches definitely have their advantages where this point is concerned. My home church is a full 20 members (on a good day) big. My pastor is the most incredible man i’ve ever met, and if i disagree with him about something, i know he’ll listen and we’ll discuss it.

This is what a church should be about! Diversity and openness! The word of God never changed, but the “Church” has, from what was once a gathering of a group of people to discuss the works of Jesus to a large congregation listening to a single person spoon feed them how they should be living. Church has become synonymous with Sunday morning worship service and a Wednesday night Bible Study, neither of which are truly open for discussion, and besides, who would want to argue with a pastor? He knows what he’s talking about.

Strong and weak

"I'd rather be known as the one strong enough to walk away versus the one that was too weak, and felt they HAD to stay..."


I had someone tell me this today, and i must say, i truly disagree with this statement. I think it takes more strength to stand strong and work through whatever it is you're going through than to walk away (depending on the situation. Every situation is different.). 


i guess that's really all i have to say.

On Divorce

Matthew 19: 3-9: "And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, 'Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?' He answered, 'Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.' They said to him, 'Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?' He said to them,'Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.'" (ESV)

What happened to marriage? What happened to vowing your life to someone for better or for worse? For richer or for poorer? Why do we give up on the ones we pledge to love?

Now a days one can get a divorce for the silliest of things, such as the significant other doesn't do dishes, or this person said that, etc, etc. They aren't willing to set aside their differences and work through their faults. In other words, they don't fit that person any more so they're throwing them aside like they would a pair of jeans.

This really does infuriate me.

I have friends who are divorcing or are the children of divorce. I'm the child of a divorce. My husband is the child of divorce. We all know that it sucks. 

The friends i have that are divorced or are divorcing are the ones i never thought it'd happen to. They are the ones that i look at and say, "if they can't make it, what chance do i have?" But John and i have made a commitment to stay married, for better or for worse, for richer and for poorer. Those of you that know us know that we've already been  tried and tested multiple times. And it's only made us stronger.

If you're married, engaged, have a boyfriend/girlfriend, or even just want one eventually, get it in your head now to make it a full commitment. Don't even let the word "divorce" enter into your marriage or relationship. Rededicate yourself to the person you swore you'd spend the rest of your life with. Don't become a statistic.

Borderline Personality Disorder

So John's known for a while now that i have something wrong with me. Not like bad wrong, but something is off in the way that i act. Last night i had yet another emotional meltdown while i was talking to him. This morning i apologized again (and again and again) for it and we kind of started talking. I told him that i was fine and that whatever i thought was wrong, it was all in my head. He pretty much said bull, then surprised me by saying that he does think i have a personality disorder (to be specific, borderline personality disorder, named because it was thought to be borderline psychosis- encouraging, huh?). I was pretty much shocked from here to whatever. I had a normal childhood, wasn't abused, and the only mental disorder in my family is on my dad's side (my aunt has clinical depression). Yeah, i've joked around about stuff like that before, but never have i actually thought i had something wrong. John, however, thinks there is, and after researching this, i actually have to admit that i agree.
     Borderline Personality Disorder is most commonly found in women and is marked by "intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, at most a day." People with BPD are often cutters, are full of self loathing, have trouble keeping any kind of relationships, are afraid of being alone, and have trouble finding themselves and what they want to do in life. I read over the symptoms, and i knew that it was me that they were talking about.
     I know, i sound so dramatic don't i?
     Right now, life's not bad. I'm pretty content at the moment, almost to the point where i feel like i don't need help. But i also know that in a few hours i'm going to be frustrated and hurt because John is going to go to bed instead of talk to me. Because i get that way almost every night. Some nights are a lot worse than others. Last night was a very bad night.
     I always joked that i had bi-polar disorder because my mood changes were so frequent. But people with bi-polar disorder don't all of a sudden go from one extreme to the next. People with borderline personality disorder do. And if you know me, you know me well enough to know that i do. I can be so happy and carefree one minute, and then punching myself in the gut the next. Those who know me know that i can't stand myself. So, i'm finally going to suck it up and get help. Not for me (because if it were just me, i wouldn't dream of getting help because i'd still be convincing myself that whatever i'm feeling is all in my head), but for my family, and my son.

So yeah. Just thought i'd share. Here is the link if you'd like more info on BPD:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/borderline-personality-disorder-fact-sheet/index.shtml

These are my confessions

I have a confession. I LOVE photography. Not just love it, no, i ADORE it. I have for a really long time; it’s just lately that i’ve become a lot more serious about (and by lately, i mean in the past five years or so). My favorite things to take pictures of are plants and animals. I would die to be a wild life photographer! I want to swim with dolphins and play with wolves and be able to capture things that other people can’t.

This is where my dream shatters. It’s hard to take a picture from a different angle that hasn’t been done, because it’s almost always been done. Sure, you can put your own unique twist on it, but it’s not going to guarantee you a spot in National Geographic magazine. Too many people today are picture takers (i refuse to call them photographers because they aren’t). As someone put it so nicely to me today, “Go for it. Be a photographer. Everyone else is.” How do you stand out in crowd full of people?

Another reason i haven’t pursued this dream is because i am terribly afraid of what others might think. I do have friends that are professional photographers. My last want is for them to think i’m copying them or just doing what they’re doing (kind of going back the “everyone else is doing it” quote). My wonderful husband would love nothing more than for me to take a flying leap into the unknown. I’m an overtly withdrawn person. I don’t take leaps. I prefer to stay in my own sheltered world where there aren’t any risks and i don’t have to worry about failing. I’ve almost literally given up on any dreams i may have once had because of my own misgivings.

But not today. Today i have made the commitment to follow my dreams. I am going to pursue my dream of photography. I will find a way to stand out in a room full of other people. I’m not going to hide because i’m afraid of what others are going to say. Yes, other people’s opinions matter to me, but i will not let them dictate what i can and can not do!

My name is Victoria Hershman. I love to take pictures of wild animals and plants, as well as of people because they tend to have a while side as well. Starting today, i’m going to pursue my dreams instead of squashing them.

What are your confessions?

My mommy lied

If you're like every other child living in the USA, there are two phrases you grew up hearing: "You can be anything you want to be when you grow up" and "You're very special!".

These are lies.

One of the first thing i wanted to be when i was little was a teacher. Next, a paleontologist/archaeologist. Next was a zoologist followed by an egyptologist followed by an actress. Then i decided i wanted to be a screenwriter or just a regular author. Right now, my dream is to be a photographer and a writer. I can't truly make up my mind on what i want to do, but each time i change my mind my mom is right there, telling me that i can do anything or be anything i want to do/be. That i'm special enough to do it and do it well.

But i don't believe it.

My sister in law just posted a picture she took with her Nikon. It was a close up shot of a bee on a fence. The thing that bothered me the most about it is that the focus wasn't totally on the bee. It was blurred all around it, so you can see where the camera focused. The legs of the bee were blurred, while you can see every grain on the fence. For some reason, it just didn't look right to me.

Or maybe i'm just insanely jealous.

I want to be a photographer. Taking pictures has been a big passion for years. It's just lately that i've thought of actually maybe taking it to the next level. But there's no way i'd be any more special at it than my sis-in-law.  She's not a phenomenal photographer, but i feel like i'm never going to match up to her. I can't even afford a decent DSLR camera.

I have these same feelings about my writing.

I have troubles writing anymore because i know that i'm not special enough to bring something new to the table. I'm not as good as i once thought i was. There are people that are far more exceptional than i am. What makes me think that i can even be in the same league as the people that i'd be up against in the professional world. I have nothing that makes me stand out.

So mom lied.

I can't be special. And i definitely can't be anything i want to be. There are limits to everything that i do, the most stringent are the ones that i place on myself. It's sad, really. It all goes back to jealousy. Or maybe it's just me not having enough faith in myself to see the potential that everyone else sees in me. Whatever it is, i probably won't grow up to be the photographer or writer that i want to be. But i know that i can be the best mom i can be to my son and the best wife i can be to my husband. And that is enough for me.


For now.

Ethical Torture

Here's the scenario: you've captured a terrorist and his family. He has information about a nuclear bomb that's hidden in one of the US' major cities and is scheduled to detonate soon. You have no idea where the bomb is at or the exact time of its' detonation. The terrorist isn't talking, so you bring his 7 year old daughter in. You threaten to torture her instead. You light a lighter and hold the flame next to her, inching it closer to her skin. What would you do after this? Would you actually hurt her?

I find it truly sad and deeply disturbing that this is a scenario we are even considering. I find it even more disturbing and depressing that this scenario happens more and more often in our world today. I do not agree with the concept of torture at all. I am a very peaceful person and believe very firmly in diplomatic solutions first and foremost. I wonder how the people that conduct the tortures are able to sleep at night; are able to go home and be with their families and see their children after witnessing the horrible things that they have done.

This is a very difficult scenario. On the one side, if you don’t obtain this information, millions of lives are going to be lost. In the long run, who would know or even care how that information was obtained to save those lives? In that case, the ends justify the means. The life of one for the life of many. But this decision is not an ethical decision. We, as humans inhabiting this earth, believe that it is wrong to kill another person. We believe that it is wrong to hurt another human being. Why should torture be the exception to this thinking? The morally acceptable response to this situation is to let the girl and her family leave after being questioned. Maybe one of the family members would be more willing to talk than the actual terrorist. Solutions can be reached without torture. Torturing his children may be the only thing that works on him, but why not talk to his family and see what they have to say?

 *Note: This was a discussion board post topic for my philosophy class! 

The importance of friendship

I had a long conversation with a very good friend today. She made me happy in ways i don't think even she realized.

Lately i've been incredibly lonely. I don't really have friends down here. I spend my days cooped up in either my house or my mom's house with my baby. I love my son, more than anything else in the world, but sometimes i need a break. I haven't had a break from him since my birthday when another very good friend of mine and i went shopping in Brunswick, and that was only for a few hours. I have gone crazy most every day just from lack of social interaction. I have no one to "hang out" with. And i think John is feeling the strain as well because i'm leaning on him more and more. 

I have major personality and dependency issues. The few true friends i have know this and still love me for it. But it's hard to make new friends because a lot of times they don't want friends with that kind of baggage. But, if you think about it, we're women. We all have those issues! 

Being away is really making me appreciate the few friends i had before. People i thought were aggravating or annoying or geeky before i now look on with new eyes. I appreciate their dorkiness in new ways. And i appreciate my friends all the more.

I am a very social person. I enjoy being out and about and being around people. The problem is, i haven't had that interaction in a long time, not really since i left Emmanuel. I think this is where some of my dependency and personality issues come from. I'm not getting enough social stimulation. 

Being an Army wife is not conducive to making friends. People are constantly coming and going in your life. This is one of those times i wish i could just settle some place and be happy. But i know it won't happen for a while. 

Friendship is one of the most important things in life. Your girlfriends (or guy friends) are the ones who help you get by, who help you make sense of it all. Without the love of friends we're hollow creatures. I love and cherish the friendships i have, and i do look forward to making new ones. 

Give me a break!

While i was pregnant, everyone was so nice to me. When i went to the store, people would hold doors open for me, let me get a cart before them, and even let me go in front of them in line. I had people come up to me all the time offering me advice on food, stretching, how to get rid of stretch marks, and even advice for what to do after my baby was born, like how to deal with colic (too bad i can’t remember any of the advice). But now that Balian is here and he’s over three months old, everything has changed. Instead of the friendly advice, i get criticisms. God forbid someone hold the door open for me while my arms are full to bursting with a diaper bag, a car seat holding an increasingly heavy infant, and shopping bags. And God help me if Balian starts crying in the store. Anyone i pass while he’s crying will stop what they’re doing, coo at him, then glare at me like i’m doing something wrong.

“No, he’s not hungry, he just ate.”

“No, i just changed him.”

“He’s spoiled and just wants to be held.”

So what is it with this double standard that we hold? While a woman is pregnant, she is expected to take it easy, keep her feet up, and not do anything but be spoiled. Yet as soon as that baby is out, she is expected to turn into super mom with the abilities to suddenly multi-task, take care of a house and child, and (sometimes) return to work.

And let’s not forget the ever important look factor. So much pressure is put on a woman to lose all the weight that she spent the last nine months gaining.

I don’t know about most women, but i feel like the time for help from kind strangers is after the baby is born, not before.

Yes, i only gave birth to a 6 lb, 3 week early munchkin, but you know what? It still hurt like hell, even with an epidural. Because of the fact that i spent the next four days confined to bed rest (yay for pre-eclampsia), i was feeling alright after i was released because my body was finally healing. Most women don’t get that luxury. That six week postpartum rest is there for a reason, yet most don’t get to enjoy it because of the pressures put on them by society.

Yes, i’m blaming this on society once again. Women throughout the centuries have gone from the very essence of evil to gaining super powers. This is pretty evident in the fact that a woman is only allowed six weeks of recovery from what could be the most traumatic experience of her life. Only six weeks to spend with the new life she’s miraculously brought into this world.

I’ve had three months so far with Balian. Full time. 24/7. And i’ve loved it. I cannot even imagine going back to work at 6 weeks! I would love to work now, but i don’t want to leave him! There is this amazing and precious bond between mother and child those six weeks just doesn’t cover.

I say moms should be given a lot more help than they are offered. Doors should be opened for her. She shouldn’t be glared at for her crying child. And she definitely shouldn’t feel like she’s not welcome.

Doors are no longer held open for me. If i drop something, no one rushes to help me pick it up, even with a wriggling, screaming child in my arms. I’m not super mom. I haven’t lost all the weight.

But i’ve never lived up to society’s standards. Why start now?

Faith of a Spiderweb

Faith like a Spiderweb

            Lately I’ve been really challenging my way of thinking in regards to Christianity and religion. Actually, challenging isn’t really the word for it. Ignoring would be a more appropriate term. I’ve been ignoring God, I’ve been ignoring the Bible, ignoring anything and everything to do with all of it. Not because I doubt God’s existence. I firmly believe that He’s there and that He’s watching us and so on. My theology is screwed up at the moment. I’m not quite sure how to believe in God.  Trying to figure this all out is confusing, and i’ve turned into an incredibly lazy person. I’m lazy physically, mentally, but especially spiritually. If it requires too much thought or process, I don’t want to do it. Exercise takes away from my morning nap. And generally at night I’m trying to keep my munchkin awake so he’ll sleep through the night. I hate doing my homework because I feel as if i don’t have the mental capacity to do it, which isn’t true. I’m just that lazy.

Getting the picture yet?

            God tells us that we can move mountains with the faith the size of a mustard seed. Just a mustard seed. The funny thing about seeds is that they can grow to be great things. A mustard seed, for instance, gives us the mustard plant which is harvest to use in the making of my favorite condiment ever: mustard. You gain things with a mustard seed. It blossoms into something so much larger. But I don’t even have the faith of a mustard seed. My faith is more akin to a spider’s web. A spider’s web is made up of thin strands of whatever it is that comes out of a spider’s ass. These strands are not very strong to us. They can be easily wiped out, and the spider is then forced to rebuild. A spider’s web is used by the spider to catch whatever nasty creepy crawlies come its’ way.

This is what my faith is like. A web.

I can pull so much bs out of my ass without blinking an eye. Yes, I’ll pray for you, but I seriously doubt God hears it. Because it’s not real. I can say the prayer with as much compassion and conviction that I know, but it’s still not going to matter diddly squat because my heart and my mind are in the wrong places. I know nothing of the Bible, nothing of theology. I know nothing of God. My faith breaks loose with the slightest breeze, whether it is a good breeze or a bad one.

The worst thing about all of this? I have no desire to change where i’m at with God. At least, not at the moment. I keep trying to figure things out in my mind, and most of the time, it just doesn’t work. I’m a weak individual, and i’m totally unsure how to ask Him for help. Just asking is easier said than done. Maybe i’ll figure it out one day. And maybe on that day, i’ll be ready to take the challenges He has for me, instead of being a lazy Christian.

On being an Army wife

I have a whole sum total of four Army wife friends (Sandra Duran [soon to be Sandra Hicks], Amanda Blackiston, Hallie Bruce, and Janai Deitt). Of those four, i really only consistently with two of them. John isn't even in the real Army yet (he graduates from his training on December 9th) and i already feel so out of place. Being an Army wife means supporting your soldier regardless of what is going on in the world and regardless of what you think of his job or the government. Your soldier can't even really talk badly about the government in public. Since he has to show support, so must you.

Sometimes i feel like, even though he has one of the safest jobs in the Army (if there even is such a thing) he has the worst (for me). I know that, down the line especially if and when he decides to try for PsyOps, there will be days that he's gone and i won't know where. I know that, once he deploys, there will be times i won't hear from him for a month or more.

It sucks. Bad.

I'm not worrying about him now because i know where he's at all hours of the day (pt in the morning, then back to the barracks to shower and get ready for class, class until 4:15, then formation, then remedial pt, then dinner, then back to the barracks, then errands if he decides to run any). Right now it's simple. It sucks, because he's forever away, but it's simple. I can live with it because i can talk to him every night. But i don't know how i'm going to handle deployment.

I wasn't meant to be an Army wife. But now i find myself in the position that i have been made one, and i have to step up to the plate and become one.

I love my husband. He is everything to me, and i've told him repeatedly how proud i am of him that he is doing this. It hurts a lot for him that he can't be here. He wants nothing more than that. But he's set aside his own feelings, his own wants and desires, to do what is, first and foremost, right for his family. And i'm finding that as he does that, i'm finding strength to do that as well. First and foremost is our family. We each have two different roles to play. He's the provider, the protector. I am the caregiver. They are two very very different roles, but they weave into each other like a single piece of elven rope, inseparable and indestructible.

My job as an Army wife is just as important as his job as a soldier. While he's taking care of things on the front lines, i'm taking care of things here on the home front.

Now i just have to remember that during the times i can't talk to him. No one said this was going to be easy, but it's a challenge that i can and will overcome. And be all the better for it. :)

A Day in the Life

After a restless night’s sleep, I wake up with the first sounds of Balian’s fussing. After about an hour of listening to him toss and turn, waking himself up, he finally begins to cry. I pick him up and he quiets down. I take him into his room to change his diaper and get him ready for the day. I have two sets of onesies: one set for just hanging out around the house, and one set for when we go out. Today I put him in a lazy day one. Then I take him to the kitchen where he watches me make his bottle. It has to sit for about five minutes before he can eat, so we go and turn on the TV to Will and Grace, then we take the puppy outside. While Scotty wanders around doing his thing, I sit in a chair and play with Balian. When Scotty is finished, we go inside, sit in the chair, and he eats while I watch Will and Grace. Normally when he finishes eating he falls asleep and I hold him and watch The Golden Girls. When he wakes up, I set him on his back on the floor in the living room and we play. He loves to kick his legs and wiggle and laugh. If I smile at him, he’ll smile back. He also tries to copy a lot of the things that I do, like if I put my hands above my head, after a bit he tries to do it. He also watches my mouth intently and tries to talk. After a while of playing, I give him his medicine for his reflux. Then he has to wait thirty minutes before he can eat. I feed him again and then we feed the puppy. Balian plays for a while, and then takes another little nap on the floor. I use this time to write or to do homework. Sometimes, especially when he falls asleep on me, I’ll take him into our room and lie down with him until he wakes up. After he wakes up again, he eats again, plays for a few, and then goes down for a longer nap, generally a couple of hours. If he hasn’t gone down for this long nap by about 5, then he won’t take a long nap. I give him his medicine again, wait thirty minutes, and then feed him. After he eats, I finally get to eat. We sit and watch NCIS or Law & Order: SVU until about 8. In between 8 and 8:30 he gets a bath. He’s really beginning to like baths! He’ll laugh and giggle and splash and just have a good time! Until it’s time to get out and dry off. He still despises lotion being put on him. After he has his pj’s on and is all ready for bed, he gets his last bottle. After he’s fed and burped, we wait on John to call and say goodnight, then it’s off to bed. Once Balian’s in bed, I work on homework, talk to John, and write. I go to bed at midnight most nights, and am up about every two hours checking on Balian. At around 7:30 am, my day begins again.

Sin and Evil

The differences between what the Bible says and what our culture says are not incredibly different. Most people believe basically in the same values and beliefs. For example, almost every person, Christian or not, believes it is wrong to murder. They believe that a child should respect their parents regardless of situation. And nearly everyone values human life. But for everything similar, there is a contradiction. One thing that Christians are taught is that all humans are sinful from birth. The biggest problem for anyone (including Christians) in believing this statement is that by saying that humankind is sinful from birth you are including ALL of humankind. This includes men, women, and children, tiny babies. No one wants to think that the newborn that they are holding is a sinful creature. How can something that tiny, innocent, and defenseless be a sinner like me? From this stems the thinking that not all of man is sinful. Something happens that makes them that way. The man that abuses his children was abused himself. He doesn’t know anything different, which is why the cycle continues. I watched an episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit that exemplifies this thinking. In the episode, a man was charged with the rape of five different women. They had solid, undeniable evidence (he had videotaped himself raping the women to put on a website), yet he pleaded not guilty for reason of mental defect. His defense? Porn made him do it. He was addicted to porn and because of the addiction he felt that he was lead to believe that the women he raped wanted it to be that way. Regardless, he was still found guilty and faced the maximum charge, but the fact that he even used that defense shows how off track our society, our culture, has become from what God has shown us and revealed to us through His word. We are all, every single one of us, sinful in nature.

            I think the other main problem people have with believing that they are sinful in nature is that they believe that sin means evil.  Having a sinful nature does not mean having or being evil in nature. They are two different things. I’m a sinful person. I was born that way, and although I try not to, I sin every day. My biggest sin is letting my temper get the best of me. My three month old son has my same temper and shows it every day. However, this does not make us evil. There are those who believe that drinking alcohol is a sin, but does it make you evil? Of course not! But our culture dictates that, instead of sin, anything that’s not good is evil. There is no middle ground, it’s only black or white. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. To a Christian, good is from God, the middle ground is sin (humanity), and evil is of Satan. You can be good and still sin. Everyone on earth is inherently sinful. No one is inherently evil.