No....I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.

So, my parents are in town and have been for almost a week. I have been neglecting my therapeutic blogging because of their visit, although I could probably have really kept up and probably should have kept up with it while they've been here. But what are you going to do?

My parents decided to come visit me because of the sadness in my voice...or so I was told. But I really think that it was to come and hang out with my brother and I because they are lonely down there in their "Old Folks" retired neighborhood. Luckily, they have gotten a lot of things done for my brother's wedding while in town, so it has really been the best for everyone.

While here, to appease them I decided to attend the church that they like in the area called McLean Bible Church. I know some of you are groaning just thinking about it, but I thought, "What the heck." I could use something different to cheer me up. Here are my thoughts of the entire experience.

Upon first walking into the place, I was struck by how many young people, my age that were there. This I really did like, because I associate most church experiences with lots of older folks. When I walked into the door, I couldn't believe it. The place has a freakin cafeteria. That is crazy. Families were all nestled into the small tables, in the cafeteria like in the mall food court and I couldn't help thinking that maybe they were shopping for comfort. Maybe like me.

After finding our way to the sanctuary, or rather auditorium, I was floored by how big this places was. It was almost like a sports arena, but not in the round. I noticed how large the musical/orchestra area was and floored that a church, even one as big as this one, could have so many musically inclined folks. I have to tell you though, when the music started it was actually pretty good. Churchy, preachy music, but good and contemporary sounding, with a slight bit of holiness, oldies thrown in. I liked it.

Of course, then came the sermon. This is given by the guy on the radio who has the commercials that say, "Not a sermon, just a thought". Well, he actually sounds just like he does on the radio which was reassuring or disturbing, I don't know. I was happy with most of the message concerning being a holy person and sharing the word and such, but dissatisfied by it in the end. I was hoping that the MBC (as it is called) was not a closed church. A closed church is a church that preaches against homosexuality and says that God loves everyone, but that homosexuality is immoral.

This condemnation that the church made very clear disturbed me and confused me. In many ways this was an extremely contemporary church. They even had a freakin coffee bar for god's sake. Do the folks at MBC know what kind of hipster, open, poetically tragic people started the coffee bar phenomenon? I mean just watch, So I Married an Ax Murderer or Reality Bites. Anyhow, I was disappointed.

My initial observations of the church, although slightly hokey, seemed promising. But their positions regarding sexuality seem archaic and very un-modern. According to my good friend Wikapedia (always a very true source) many Christian churches have come to the conclusion that homosexuality is not immoral. These include liberal congregations within the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, the Moravian Church, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Methodist Church of Great Britain, and Friends General Conference. My belief that one's sexuality can never be immoral is a fundamental belief that I cannot go back on.

So, I've decided to become Episcopalian,...if only I can wake up in time to make it there for a service. Or, I will use MBC to find a nice Christian boy to be my new boyfriend and then teach him the true ways of the world. I haven't decided which I will be doing yet.