{"id":658,"date":"2023-03-18T04:45:37","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T20:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gen-e-sis.com\/blog\/2021\/02\/06\/i-used-to-be-a-christian-and-im-glad-i-was\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T17:56:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T09:56:59","slug":"i-used-to-be-a-christian-and-im-glad-i-was","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/handelbarweb.com\/blog\/i-used-to-be-a-christian-and-im-glad-i-was\/","title":{"rendered":"I Used to be a Christian and I\u2019m Glad I Was"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBaby Bathwater Theology Remix<\/span>\n
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\n Never kill the baby and worship the bathwater. This bilingual memoir remixes theology with forgiveness, musical epiphany, and the rubble of cancelled concerts. Featuring Larry Norman\u2019s rebel gospel, Don McLean\u2019s haunted Americana, and a Rickie Lee Jones ticket that never got scanned \u2014 it\u2019s faith with feedback, grace in stereo.\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

I used to be a Christian and I\u2019m glad I was. Christianity yielded more benefits than less. For example, if I hadn\u2019t been a Christian I would not have encountered so many wonderful people. Especially wonderful were the one\u2019s that had no idea they were wonderful. Sure there was hypocrisy, as there still is now, but less so. But I had always looked for an excuse to choose forgiveness over judgement, and mercy over vengeance (and similar\u2026). And then I encountered Larry Norman, and everything went up a gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

J\u2019avais l\u2019habitude d\u2019\u00eatre un chr\u00e9tien et je suis content. Le christianisme a donn\u00e9 plus d\u2019avantages que de moins. Par exemple, si je n\u2019avais pas \u00e9t\u00e9 un chr\u00e9tien, je n\u2019aurais pas rencontr\u00e9 tant de gens merveilleux. Surtout merveilleux ont \u00e9t\u00e9 les ann\u00e9es qui n\u2019avaient aucune id\u00e9e qu\u2019ils \u00e9taient merveilleux. Bien s\u00fbr, il a \u00e9t\u00e9 l\u2019hypocrisie, car il est encore pr\u00e9sent, mais moins. Mais j\u2019avais toujours cherch\u00e9 une excuse pour choisir pardon sur le jugement et la mis\u00e9ricorde sur la vengeance (et similaires \u2026). Et puis j\u2019ai rencontr\u00e9 Larry Norman, et tout est all\u00e9 \u00e0 la vitesse sup\u00e9rieure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I like my music. In fact I am very much defined by it. So when I heard Larry Norman for the first time, all sorts of bells went off. In spite of my many-splendored and mentally-irregular musical tastes, Larry was like glue to them, reinforcing them. The first live concert I ever attended was a Larry Norman \u2018unplugged\u2019 one. That was probably 1979 and it took 20+ years for me to attend my next concert. That was Don McLean and I was so surprised when he sang \u2018Crossroads\u2019 as that song had me at 15. A Rickie Lee Jones concert would have been first but, sadly, that concert was cancelled. I still have the ticket somewhere amongst the rubble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maintenant, j\u2019aime ma musique. En fait, je suis tr\u00e8s d\u00e9fini par elle. Alors quand j\u2019ai entendu Larry Norman pour la premi\u00e8re fois, toutes sortes de cloches partit. En d\u00e9pit de ma colline de l\u2019adieu et mentalement-irr\u00e9guliers go\u00fbts musicaux, Larry \u00e9tait comme de la colle \u00e0 eux, en les renfor\u00e7ant. Le premier concert live que j\u2019ai jamais assist\u00e9 a un Normand de Larry d\u00e9branch\u00e9 \u2018un. Cela a probablement \u00e9t\u00e9 1979 et il a fallu 20 ans et + pour moi d\u2019assister \u00e0 mon prochain concert. Ce fut Don McLean et j\u2019ai \u00e9t\u00e9 tellement surpris quand il a chant\u00e9 \u00abCrossroads\u00bb comme cette chanson m\u2019a eu \u00e0 15 ans. Un concert de Rickie Lee Jones aurait \u00e9t\u00e9 le premier, mais, malheureusement, ce concert a \u00e9t\u00e9 annul\u00e9. J\u2019ai encore le ticket quelque part parmi les d\u00e9combres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So Larry reinforced Christianity by reinforcing and re-adjusting my world view. (At this point it is safe to say that Christianity is only readjusted by the dollar \u2013 becoming more and more judgement- and vengeance- oriented, rendering unto the Caesars of fear (spawning hatred) and consumption (spawned of the dollar) \u2013 such a waste. [ed:better as a footnote? {mind your business!}] (Bracket checker?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alors Larry renforc\u00e9 le christianisme en renfor\u00e7ant et en r\u00e9-ajuster ma vision du monde. (A ce stade, il est s\u00fbr de dire que le christianisme est seulement r\u00e9ajust\u00e9e par le dollar \u2013 devient jugement et de plus en plus de vengeance orient\u00e9e vers le rendu des C\u00e9sars de la peur (la haine de ponte) et de la consommation (engendr\u00e9 du dollar) \u2013 un tel des d\u00e9chets [ndlr:. meilleure en bas de page {l’esprit de votre entreprise!}] (Bracket Checker)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My world view, my serious world view (you gotta laugh!) it was just that \u2018do unto others\u2019 thing, a lot of cheek turning, forgiving and remembering, the stuff that all the other \u2018wise\u2019 religions say \u2013 the heroic quest \u2013 the many-splendored smell of the thing. And here was this Larry Norman guy singing it. Well bless my cotton socks, wrap me up in towels and feed me to the mendicants!, knock me down with a feather and call me Bruce!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ma vision du monde, ma vision du monde s\u00e9rieux (! Tu dois rire) c\u2019est juste que \u00abfaire \u00e0 autrui \u2018chose, beaucoup de tourner la joue, de pardonner et de se souvenir, les trucs que tous les autres\u00ab sages \u00bbque les religions disent \u2013 la qu\u00eate h\u00e9ro\u00efque \u2013 l\u2019odeur colline de l\u2019adieu de la chose. Et voici ce qu\u2019il Larry Norman gars chantant. Eh bien b\u00e9nir mes chaussettes en coton, moi de conclure en serviettes et me nourrir aux mendiants!, M\u2019abattre avec une plume et appelez-moi Bruce!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I quit Christianity in 1980 and it took 20+ years to get over it, but I\u2019m over it; over it and glad of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

J\u2019ai quitt\u00e9 le christianisme en 1980 et il a fallu 20 ans et + pour s\u2019en sortir, mais je suis sur elle; sur elle et heureux.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now Larry has his detractors, and I wish them healing, for mercy still is better than justice, forgiveness than vengeance et al, so busy measuring darkness, missing the light. There is a bit of me in all of them, so by my will, they are forgiven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maintenant, Larry a ses d\u00e9tracteurs, et je leur souhaite la gu\u00e9rison, la mis\u00e9ricorde est toujours mieux que la justice, le pardon \u00e0 la vengeance et al, tellement occup\u00e9 \u00e0 l\u2019obscurit\u00e9 de mesure, la lumi\u00e8re manque. Il ya un peu de moi dans chacun d\u2019eux, donc par ma volont\u00e9, ils sont pardonn\u00e9s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[I recently discovered I am of French ancestry (circa 14 something) so am including paragraph by paragraph French translation a la google translator, unabridged – make of it what you will – adjust your algorithms accordingly – free faulty – as opposed to fault-free – French tuition]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[J’ai r\u00e9cemment d\u00e9couvert que je suis d’ascendance fran\u00e7aise (vers 14 quelque chose) je le suis aussi par la traduction, y compris le paragraphe du paragraphe fran\u00e7aise d’un traducteur de La google, int\u00e9grale – en faire ce que vous voulez – ajuster vos algorithmes en cons\u00e9quence – sans d\u00e9faut – par opposition \u00e0 sans faute – les frais de scolarit\u00e9 fran\u00e7ais]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this meandering drivel has adjusted your emotion state in any positive way, please check out kiva.org<\/a> for added warmth. Ditto if the result was negative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Si ce radotage m\u00e9andres a ajust\u00e9 votre \u00e9tat \u00e9motion en aucune mani\u00e8re positive, s\u2019il vous pla\u00eet consulter kiva.org<\/a> pour plus de chaleur. Idem si le r\u00e9sultat \u00e9tait n\u00e9gatif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peace out law abiding citizen cain abel bayonet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citoyen respectueux de la Paix \u00e0 ba\u00efonnette respectueux Cain Abel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Which just goes to show how easy it is for things to get lost in translation \u2013 lol)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Qui va juste pour montrer combien il est facile pour des choses \u00e0 se perdre dans la traduction \u2013 lol)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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