Everyone’s eyes were glued to me, faces burdened with the question: “Did she really just say that?” It was 2:05 pm. A summer Sunday. The sun beat on my barren shoulders, who were soon to be covered up in the temple. My toes, fighting like siblings, for space in those sexy red heels. My left arm cradled the Holy Bible, while my alto saxophone weighed down my right. I attend the First Evangelical Haitian Baptist church religiously, from two to five pm every Sunday afternoon. Every fourth sunday of the month we conduct youth sunday in English, and on those days I lead praise and worship. As you can tell, I have an immense passion for music, whether playing or singing. It is fairly ironic though. I love music but I am severely deaf in both …show more content…
of my ears. My father once said “God is funny sometimes, but he never makes mistakes”. The upstairs of the church comforts me.
The walls, burgundy red, match the pews downstairs. Sunlight pervades into each room through the stained glass windows decorated with figures of Christ. When I arrived to class, it had only been about 5 or 6 people there already. These people were like my siblings. Different colored crayons all raised in the same box. Growing up, it was just me, my sister Tara, and our childhood friend Kaitland from church. We were the three musketeers. Especially after my parents separated, my mom would drop us off at Kaitlands house early in the morning so that her father could give us a ride to school. Ten years after the divorce, both of my parents are happily remarried and my dad was two more kids, so I have three siblings now. It's very convenient that my parents live 10 minutes apart and not halfway across the country. I go to church with my dad most Sundays, but this Sunday he was working. I went …show more content…
alone. I looked around the room to see if anybody caught what this man just said. Maybe I misunderstood him. Maybe I took his words out of context. Because I know a Man of God has love for all, right? Bibles opened on laps, teacher mid lesson, and something he says catches me off guard. “God created Adam and Eve, Not Adam and Steve. God is not happy with Gay people (referring to all LGBT members). Do not encourage this behavior. Send them to Christ”, he exclaimed. I’m thinking to myself, “ ?” I hold back my questions initially because it is rude to question an adult, especially at church. But I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Before he slipped off into another subject I raised my hand saying, “Sorry, but I heard you say that God is not happy with Gay people?’ “Correct, they are sinners, most of them knowingly, and this upsets God” he replied with confidence. “Well if you say that, then isn’t God unhappy with all of us?
Aren’t we all sinners? You can’t hold one sin as worse than the other ones.”
He then proceeds to give me a lousy answer not really saying anything at all regarding my question. Either way, it wasn’t for him. I knew it was too late to change his traditional ways, but I wanted my classmates to hear it. I wanted to show them that you don’t have to agree with everything a teacher or mentor says. I wanted to teach them not to silence their thoughts
Now what does this tell you about me? Why not just write about my family, and friends, and obstacles? Why not write about my good grades and amicable characteristics? Why would I choose to depend my college acceptance on this story? This essay is not about if I’m “supposed” to hate gay people as a Christian. This essay is about standing up for something that I believe in, and I believe that makes me stand out. Often as followers of Christ, the religion as a whole tends to single out homosexualitry and separate Gays from God’s love. That’s why I raised my hand that day. I was tired of hearing these ignorant comments from my parents, or my aunts and uncles, or my church leaders. This just goes to show that when I believe something is wrong, I am going to say it. I’m going to voice my opinion. Would I do it again? I sure would, and not just for this issue but many others. As a younger generation there are just some things your parents can’t understand. My friends and family
will tell you, I am determined and blunt. I will do anything to achieve my goals and I will say outloud what people are holding in their hearts.
One day while in the streets of Hackney, feeling lost and sorry for myself, I heard the pleasant sounds of singing. I had not heard such a cheerful and loving sounds since I stoped going to Sunday school. I followed the sound of the voices...
...(363) I feel she is repeating herself by saying committing a sin may make you feel terrible or make you feel like you're a bad person or even tear you down but you can ask for forgiveness and start over and live an honest life.
The word community is defined as a group of individuals residing in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. We all, whether we know this or not, belong to particular communities and even sub communities (self contained community within an unusually large area). One particular community that I've been a part of during my entire life is the Haitian community. An Haitian Community is usually a place where a group of Haitian nationals reside, we share many cultural beliefs and practices together. In this paper I will be investigating some of the beliefs and practices of the Haitian Community.
[INTRO] Chillingworth is the worst sinner because he committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, an unforgivable sin.
The two cultures that I identify myself with Haitian culture and American culture. The American culture is more dominant and I identify myself most with this culture. Although I was born in Haiti and Haitian culture was once my dominant culture, it is now my co-culture. Nonetheless, a combination of these two cultures would be Haitian-American culture.
Once Enlightenment philosophies created new views on individual’s natural rights and their place in society, resistance to oppressive government was inevitable. The core beliefs of freedom and equality above all served as a catalyst for the revolutions in America, France, and Haiti. Because of these shared ideals each revolution is interconnected with the revolution before it. However, the waves of this revolutionary movement that swept through the Atlantic World became increasingly radical with each new country it entered. By looking at the citizen involvement and causes of the American, French, and Haitian revolutions, the growing radicality of these insurrections can be better understood.
The Age of Revolutions was a period of time in which many global revolutions took place, especially within America and Europe. A revolution is an overthrow of government or social order in favour of political change. There were many revolutions that took place between 1760 and 1840, most notable being the American Revolution from 1775 to 1783, and the French Revolution beginning in 1789 and ending in 1799. These, along with the Napoleonic Empire, which carried on from the French Revolution and lasted until 1815; all greatly transformed the Atlantic world. This occurred through these global revolutions, which inspired another revolution within the slave island of Haiti. The focus of this essay will be on the aforementioned revolutions,
NLT). We are not to walk away from sin we are to run! God makes it clear. Sin is not a bargaining tool that we allow certain sins to be more deadly than others are. Sin is sin.
We are all sinners. Although one may try hard not to sin, all humans eventually succumb at some time or another to sin. While people may not able to avoid the fate which awaits them, the power of free will allows people to decide how they will respond to sin. While some may respond with guilt and regret, others may react with a sense of redemption and a renewed sense of responsibility.
that he is not a teacher, however he was not at all happy with the analogy, but
It was magnificent. The first thing to catch my eye was a monstrous chandelier that hung from the 50 foot ceiling. It was awe inspiring. As my eyes surveyed the room, it was hard to miss the antique maple pews that provided seats for approximately 300 people. Plush emerald green carpet was the grounding to the room. It's path led directly up to the stage which was home to a variety of items. The band, pulpit, arid baptismal were the most obvious. Above the stage was a huge dome, it was colored in shades of blue, mauve, white, and several other soft accents. A bright light was right in the center of its point. Our gazing was soon interrupted when the official greeter returned. This time she was quick and to the point. She collected our cards and informed us that service was about to begin. Within a matter of minutes, a middle-aged man stepped up to the pulpit and asked us to stand.
The Baptist faith believes in the precepts of Trinity, Heaven, and Hell. Surprisingly Mary does not have a special place in the Baptist religion. They don’t teach the assumption of Mary because Mary is seen as just Jesus’ mother. As for the belief in Saints, they really don’t designate saints because they believe that we all have been saved and we are all God’s messengers. Unlike Christianity, Baptists don’t have bishops or Cardinals. The Baptist religion has a much more loose structure than the Catholic faith.
In this essay, I will explain how religion is sometimes used to mobilize against LGBT people, how some people’s religious and personal doctrines conflict regarding LGBT issues, and how religious belief and community can be a positive force for the LGBT community.
In the early summer mornings, when the sunshine is young and playful, inside the church another realm is born. Sitting in the back rows one can see a heavenly mist flowing though the windows and filling the sleepy altar with life and hope. It is a different dimension in the breast of an unsuspecting world. Moments such as these bring you joy and reassurance and also show you that there really is someone out there: your soul is elevated, your mind is thirsty for new experiences and your body is strengthened.
I opened my mouth and shook my head. From deep inside my soul a melody flows out of my chest, off of my tongue, and finally caresses my lips with the sweetest touch, and my song fills the air with a boldness like that of the glory of the angels. The sound of my song is that of unfathomable wonder, a voice as sweet and smooth as the face of a child. I sing and sing and sing my heart out, and I wonder and wonder and wonder in awe of the sound that is coming from my mouth and my throat and my soul, and I sing with more power than I have ever felt before.