Ok, folks, simmer down. My fellow Christians, try not to sound so defensive; this has been a friendly thread, at least so far. I felt kind of like I was standing alone as the main proponent of Christianity; it's good to hear from you. I read MMario's & Jeri's posts last night & was troubled by them. I know that I will see them in person this weekend & I don't want us to feel uncomfortable together. I've met Jeri before & really like her & I've been looking forward to meeting MM, someone I've known online for a long time. I feel that God woke me up 15 minutes early today w/ the specific intent that I answer some points. First of all, I don't feel that I'm better than other people & I certainly don't think I know all the answers. And I respect people's right to their beliefs, whether I agree w/ them or not. Here are my current thoughts--MM, my understanding of the Christian Bible is that, yes, Jesus came to the world to provide a means to reconcile all people w/ God, but that individual salvation is based on each person believing & accepting that reconciliation. I certainly agree that how we live has more importance than what we say we believe, but each Christian is an imperfect human being & we are each at different stages of maturity, both physical & spiritual (Some people, like me, are stubborn, slow learners!).We are straying from the thread topic, though. I think the heart of it is yes, of course, you can sing gospel whether you believe the lyrics or not. It tends to have simple tunes, satisfying harmonies, & may even make you feel good. If I think that good feeling is the Holy Spirit trying to convince you of the truth of the lyrics, that's just one point of view. I guess my point is just the distinction that while an unbeliever may get a good feeling from singing gospel or may just perform it, for me, it expresses the core of my existence & is worship. By all means, sing. Marty, thank you again for starting this thread. It's provoked some good thinking & I know it has allowed me to express some thoughts that have bothered me for a long time.
best,
bbc