DianneGardner's Journal, 03 September 2015

You can be a student of Jesus without believing he is God. He was a great teacher with wonderful ethics, according to the writings about him. It sounds like you are a wonderful, conscientious person who does great works. My oldest son is also an atheist who is more caring and generous than most of the "born agains" that I know . . . also a Democrat like his mother. :-) 

I agree absolutely....I want to be a sheep not a goat and I want to do for the least of these...get that big time..we are called to help our brothers..words are just sound and fury signifying nothing.I will be judged by my actions.....my husband is a confirmed atheist as well...there is no better man in terms of how he treats family, friends, me... he was a generous employer when in business for 25 years.. Am proud Democrat too..you go baby..I think many kids now are moving toward a more secular view...the whole country is I think.. my mantra...freedom of religion, freedom from religion...think the US Constitution says that too.. I have had some very bad luck with so called Born Agains...one stole $10,000 from me...he used to say when he did something wrong that it was "all washed clean in the blood of the Lamb"...pretty sure that was not what was meant by that phrase..still looking for him and my 10 grand.. 

I usually try to stay out of things like this but as I read your first sentence I felt a little sad. "I judge people by their contributions". There are many people that prefer to be "behind the scenes". Some people choose not to advertise all that they do. I understand that there are people who want others to know the helpful things they do but please don't "judge" someone when you don't know 

Contributions to society is what really counts. A lot of religious zealots can learn from your example...  

Rckc, I believe Dianne was just defending herself from a few prior attacks. I also judge people by their contributions/actions. You know the people who are doing good works behind the scenes whether they advertise it or not. They don't have to shout, "Hey, look at me," to be noticed. You notice. They are the people who garner love. 

You are an amazing woman 

I guess that is kind of my point. If you are ok with what you are doing you shouldn't feel like you have to defend yourself to anyone or toot your own horn, so to speak. And no, I don't think you can know all of what a person is doing or not doing. Be responsible for our own actions and not judging other people, good or bad.... 

Contributions to society don't have to be out in the open. They can be as simple as taking care of yourself and your family properly to volunteering and giving money when you can. I have heard very religious people say they have a moral compass and then turn around and hurt people by their actions. A gave a friend of my daughter's a home one time when his mother kicked him out of the house for loving a girl in another religion, he was 17 and living in his jeep. He's a good kid. I too am not a believer but Jesus knew the score. There are always ways to serve and look outside yourself instead of just complain, judge and coerce. Seems like you ask "How can I help" and then do instead of "what's the matter with you" and scoff. We can all do a little more, I'm glad you posted.  

Thanks to everyone for posting. Obviously we are a diverse group of folks with different viewpoints. Hope we all emerge from this dust up as friends. Our true common enemy I think is our issues with food and overweight and resulting health problems. My plan is to get back to a focus of where I can find common ground with other people on the site. Obviously we all resent being judged without being known in our totality.  

Diane,you seem to be extraordinarily busy in so many area's of assistance to the community.. I wonder when you have time to take care of yourself. Remember, that Jesus went off by himself to rest and connect with his Father. I worry that you are running yourself ragged. In the past, I was like you believing that if there was a need that I had to fill it. What a hectic life I led. but as I got older, and developed developed chronic pain. I could not keep up and felt bad that I could not help everywhere. It took a very long time relax. And I found that there were other people who could fill the bill. It also took me a long time to let go of the feeling that I could do better than they. I was a perfectionist. That was another area that I had to work on. I was so very stressed and had low self esteem because I always had a sense that I should do more. Life is much more peaceful now that I have remembered the saying that to LET GO AND LET GOD is the way to get to Serenity.  

In my fellowship which is AA that is a favorite phrase. GOD can stand for many things in AA....Good Orderly Direction, Group of Drunks...and I certainly do have a Higher Power..its just a non traditional model...thanks so much for your concern...and I know the Higher Power has to work through human beings... Best. Dianne :)