Re: You know what you believe when...
Many smelly onion layers later, I had recent conversation with an artist acquaintence - one who is fearful to believe in a loving God. "HIS stipulations are quite clear", he challenged when I suggested MERCY may prevail, and that LOVE is not war, hate, fear, guilt, shame, etc.
The talk ended badly as I left saying only, finally, simply - "YOU are all about the HELL-fire - GOD is not".
My childhood indoctrination is a work in progress - a process to shed one skinny piece at a time. I am glad I gave no more to my children than the generality of the truth that "God is everyone, and everywhere and ..... "
They have so much less to be confused by, to shed and to get over - free to choose.
seek2clean