Slippery slopes...

It never fails to happen. When we become enlightened, or have an epiphany about something, we want to share it with the world.
Not surprising. And mostly a good thing to share.
A trend that I've seen, though, is to start shoving it down everyone's throat. For example, the entire meaning of life for atheists is to prove that God doesn't exist; that people who believe in God are non-thinking trodlodytes. There is no real celebration or purpose in being an athiest unless it's making a case against non-atheists!
I can be guilty of this as well...I'm rabid about women in leadership positions should they be called. However, I am just protecting my rights, and standing up for the rights of others. If I'm in a place that is bigoted and teaching the wrong biblical stuff, though, I just leave. I might say something if asked, but otherwise, shake the dust off.
What I'm getting at is this: There is such a wide variety of "believing" in the world today among Christians. Variety about the nature of God, the difference in denominations. People write books to knock down the way others think about who God is. Why? Doesn't denying someone's belief about God just make Him really small? I told my friend that sometimes God is that Dad figure that I can snuggle up to and rest against. Sometimes, He is the Warrior walking beside me, giving me the right words to say and standing with me. Is this all in my head? Hardly. God doesn't fit in ANYONE'S box! He can do anything, be anything to anyone...He knows OUR need!

Just write about who YOU think God is, and it may speak to many people. But, trying to destroy the belief system of others makes us no different than the people who we think are closed-minded.
Why can't we just agree on the basics? We believe in God. How's that for a start? Does it matter if I think God is everywhere and you think God is a deity off there somewhere in the ether? Does it matter if you think Jesus looks like all those long-haired pictures that are everywhere, and I think He had shorter, curly hair, and hazel eyes?
It really doesn't, does it?
Let's build up. Let's stop being so pompous in thinking that we've "transcended" all other beliefs. Let's stop trying to stomp on others' beliefs and concentrate on what WE believe. You never know. Relating your personal story can have a lot more impact than throwing out a Perry Mason line of attack on someone else's thoughts.
If we have common ground to maintain relationship and can accept each others' differences, isn't that what God really wants? And isn't that what being a true Christian is all about?