Today we watched the news as a terrible story unfolded. The pictures and video showed us the faces of terrified children. One little boy no older than 8 sat with his Mom, his hands were clasped tightly over his mouth, his eyes wide with shock. A mother was shown weeping and falling to the ground as she talked on the phone, the look of confusion and pain on her face broke my heart. The pictures brought it all home. Today I pray for everyone involved in this incident, I pray for comfort, and for us to remember this, and fight for a better future. I have never been one for prayer without action, you can't wait around for the world to be fixed.
One day during the first week of school, I was picking up Kaitlyn and she said something that shocked me a little. She said 'Mommy, I'm scared of getting shot at school'. I thought ok, you can't always protect your kids from life, so I asked why she was scared. She said 'we have drills, the teacher says a word and turns off the lights, then we hide and we are very quiet, that way a person with a gun couldn't find us'. My first instinct was to take her home and never let her out of my sight again, but what would that help?
When I was in High School Wedgwood Baptist here in our area was attacked by a gunman, he shot kids at a see-you-at-the-pole rally. Recently a movie theater in Aurora Colorado had a similar incident, kids were killed there too. Last week a man bought a gun and didn't realize a round was chambered, as he got into his car the gun went off, killing his young child. The man tried to preform CPR to no avail, what must he have felt as his child died in his arms? Those are just a few cases of what is going on in our country. We have double the number of school shootings than the rest of the world... COMBINED.
Awful, hateful people are cashing in on this today, 2 of them happen to be professing Christians.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/fischer-god-didnt-stop-ct-school-shooting-because-hes-gentleman-who-doesnt-go-where-he-not-w
and this post from Victoria Jackson's Facebook page
My friend Jim Riley posted this today:
"Wasn't the Connecticut killer just doing what abortionists do every day? It's a wonder we don't have more 20 year old "dads" doing what women and doctors have been an accomplice to for years in America. When you forget the TEN COMMANDMENTS, people, THIS is what you get."
This behavior is atrocious, and I'm pretty sure the God I believe in wouldn't endorse this. I am saddened by these attitudes, I wonder if these people know they are turning many away from the Lord.
I am personally a gun owner, we own multiple handguns and rifles. We practice caution first, safety of our kids is of dire importance. So I say this as a gun owner. I would give up my guns if it would cut down on this violence, however I don't think outlawing weapons would help. I agree with restricting weapon types, disagree if you want, but I don't think we need assault rifles. That alone won't help though, we need to educate EVERYONE who purchases a weapon in the US. They need to have safety classes and classes on gun care. This wouldn't stop the massacres, but it would stop some of the singular accidental shootings caused by ignorance of the weapon. Some people feel like the anti-gun agenda is being built on the bodies of innocent victims, but we have to ask why there are enough innocent victims in our country to build an agenda out of it. I don't seek to belittle today's deaths by backing a political goal, don't get that idea.
Besides that there isn't much to say on it. No laws or legislation will give back the lives we have lost. It won't cure the scarred hearts of the kids who survived today. The best thing we can do is make a positive change in the world around us. The good people need to stand up and be heard, because in these incidents we see amazing people who show what is truly right with this world.
-A 13 year old risks life and limb to try and rescue a 6 year old, the younger girl sadly didn't make it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2177698/Colorado-cinema-shooting-Kaylan-13-tried-save-life-youngest-victim-Veronica-Moser-Sullivan.html
-A security guard goes back into a Portland mall with an active shooter on scene to save the mallgoers
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/12/portland-mall-shooting-hero_n_2286050.html
-many heroes emerged during the Columbine shooting. A boy jumped on top of people to protect them. A 15 year old held an exit door open so that people could escape, he was killed in the process. Here is a list.
http://www.angelfire.com/tx2/coroner/colhero.html
Do not lose heart, do not lose faith, if you don't believe in a higher power don't lose faith in humans. In the darkest of times we see who is great, because there is usually 1 or 2 shooters, however there are multiple heroes in every case.
(some of the links are bad, copy and paste)
Friday, December 14, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
Cherry picking, and my problem with the Bible
I am confused about how people view the Bible, but the way I see it you either believe it is all literal, some part a parable, or not true at all. My issue is with some of the people who see it as all literal, and totally relevant in modern times. I'm Baptist, so really most of the Old Testament rules aren't applicable anymore. We eat 'unclean meat', and the NT (New Testament) says specifically that circumcision isn't a must. So all things considered for this specific blog, I will only be talking about the NT, specifically 1st Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 14:34
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
1 Corinthians 11:6
For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered
These two verses are straight out of the KJV of the NT. Yet why are they ignored in the modern church (in most protestant sects). I know as Baptists we don't follow it, lots of women come to church without hats, some even have short hair. I'm not saying we should follow these verses, all I'm saying is why follow some and not all. If you consider the Bible literal and modernly valuable then how can you quote scriptures against homosexuals, birth-control, and not backing Israel, but not live these. It really takes away from the validity of what you are saying.
Gifts of the spirit are also spoken of in Corinthians, it says plainly that some people have them, yet I know of churches who say people don't speak in tongues or prophecy, once again, that is Cherry Picking, and it ruins credibility.
1 Corinthians 14:39
Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues
I guess these specific verses where in my heart because they embody some of the very reasons why I doubt my faith sometimes. Even after I get over the fact that the Bible values men over women (don't give me the separate but equal nonsense, according to some scripture I'm a bad woman because of the way I live). Even past that I see that the church agrees with me, so it glosses over this scripture. I don't mean to take this out of context, I only bring it up because it is such a huge cause of personal conflict.
The gifts of the spirit thing bothers me because my Mom is a huge believer in this gifts, and over the years people have told her that her belief is misplaced. That bothers me because I don't see where they are coming from. It's like people who only believe in the King James Bible, as if it's a direct translation from the original scrolls, it's not...
I was bothered by this yesterday, so hopefully writing it out will help me gain some clarity. I know some Christians have reasons for not following this, and some do follow it totally. I just wonder how we can expect people to see us as truthful and valid if we don't ask ourselves these questions.
1 Corinthians 14:34
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
1 Corinthians 11:6
For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered
These two verses are straight out of the KJV of the NT. Yet why are they ignored in the modern church (in most protestant sects). I know as Baptists we don't follow it, lots of women come to church without hats, some even have short hair. I'm not saying we should follow these verses, all I'm saying is why follow some and not all. If you consider the Bible literal and modernly valuable then how can you quote scriptures against homosexuals, birth-control, and not backing Israel, but not live these. It really takes away from the validity of what you are saying.
Gifts of the spirit are also spoken of in Corinthians, it says plainly that some people have them, yet I know of churches who say people don't speak in tongues or prophecy, once again, that is Cherry Picking, and it ruins credibility.
1 Corinthians 14:39
Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues
I guess these specific verses where in my heart because they embody some of the very reasons why I doubt my faith sometimes. Even after I get over the fact that the Bible values men over women (don't give me the separate but equal nonsense, according to some scripture I'm a bad woman because of the way I live). Even past that I see that the church agrees with me, so it glosses over this scripture. I don't mean to take this out of context, I only bring it up because it is such a huge cause of personal conflict.
The gifts of the spirit thing bothers me because my Mom is a huge believer in this gifts, and over the years people have told her that her belief is misplaced. That bothers me because I don't see where they are coming from. It's like people who only believe in the King James Bible, as if it's a direct translation from the original scrolls, it's not...
I was bothered by this yesterday, so hopefully writing it out will help me gain some clarity. I know some Christians have reasons for not following this, and some do follow it totally. I just wonder how we can expect people to see us as truthful and valid if we don't ask ourselves these questions.
Faith Confusion
So anyone who reads this blog knows I have been on a kind of spiritual journey over the past 2 years. It has been a hard one, on one hand I have met with resistance, disappointment, and anger from some, but others, others have been kind, and surprised me in ways I couldn't even imagine. I have made friends, and gained a confidence I never knew I could have.
A needed apology
To those who think I have been hard on the others of my faith, or hateful to people. It was never my intent to upset anyone. If you know me, you know my humor can be cutting, and mean, but I really don't like to actually hurt feelings, or make people feel bad. My philosophy has always been to try and treat others the way I would want to be treated, but I fail frequently, and I am sorry for that. I guess the reason I have been harder on my own faith, is that I was struggling to understand it, to grow in it. The best way for me to do that is to exercise my doubt, and I have been shown that this comes off as harsh. I am so thankful that my Christian friends have stuck through this with me, they have kindly reprimanded and help me see the good in our religion. My family has been a huge part of this, though they have been confused by my actions they have stuck by me, and I love them even more for it. I am also thankful for my non-Christian friends, who remain my friends even though our ideas on God (or a lack of one) are very different.
Things I don't apologize for
Just because I am sorry for the way I have bothered people with this, doesn't mean I'm not strong in my conclusions.
Yes I believe in marriage equality, I don't believe this effects my salvation in any way. I don't approve of using my faith to legislate the morality of others, I feel that it's not only a sin to force my faith on others, but also a crime of the worst kind. I do not have any hate for those who don't believe the same as me on that issue, but my anger lies in the lack of trying to understand why I may feel the way I do. I am passionate about this, and my posts, blogs, and attitudes will continue to reflect this. If it bothers you hide my posts, and ask me not to discuss it with you, I will respect that. Just for the record I am not gay :).
I believe in abortion, birth control, and In-Vitro. I don't think God has anything against modern medicine, that's really all that needs to be said about In-Vitro. I am not Catholic, but the quiverfull lifestyle is becoming more and more common in our church. Much respect for those who live it, that is your choice, just as it is mine not to. Don't tell me all good Christians home school, because it isn't true. Some good Christian women have to work, either out of necessity or desire, and some have no desire to home school. I am a terrible teacher, teaching wasn't a gift God gave me, so my kids go to school. Sometimes I wish I could home school, but it isn't going to happen. I also believe birth control is a good way to control family size. It doesn't cause miscarriages, it stops ovulation. IUD's are the only form that stops implantation or fertilization. I don't use one because of my beliefs, but it's MY belief, not to be put on someone else. Abortion is a sad subject, do I think life begins at fertilization? maybe, I personally believe it begins at implantation when it starts to grow, 1/4 of all pregnancies end before implantation, that's why I believe that's the point of life, but once again that's just me. I believe taking abortion rights away would not stop abortion, it would just add to the number of dead pregnant women. Outlawing sin doesn't make it go away, that is a proven fact. I also can not begin to comprehend being pregnant due to rape, therefore I can't say anything about it. I do believe that abortions shouldn't be allowed after the point of viability, unless in the cases of severe deformity.
I am not a republican... I'm not a democrat either. I don't believe the republican party best embodies my values. I try to keep faith out of it, but even if I didn't, I still don't think they embody my Christian values. I hate being told to change my vote, give me a good argument and I will listen, but don't tell me to change and give no reasons.
To rap it up I hope that I can be forgiven for any anger you have felt from me. I hope you will feel free to discus, or not discuss, my opinions with me. I will respect you either way. I will listen to criticism with an open mind and heart. I may not change, but know that I will pray over it, think about it, and research it. Even if I debate, I am listening...
A needed apology
To those who think I have been hard on the others of my faith, or hateful to people. It was never my intent to upset anyone. If you know me, you know my humor can be cutting, and mean, but I really don't like to actually hurt feelings, or make people feel bad. My philosophy has always been to try and treat others the way I would want to be treated, but I fail frequently, and I am sorry for that. I guess the reason I have been harder on my own faith, is that I was struggling to understand it, to grow in it. The best way for me to do that is to exercise my doubt, and I have been shown that this comes off as harsh. I am so thankful that my Christian friends have stuck through this with me, they have kindly reprimanded and help me see the good in our religion. My family has been a huge part of this, though they have been confused by my actions they have stuck by me, and I love them even more for it. I am also thankful for my non-Christian friends, who remain my friends even though our ideas on God (or a lack of one) are very different.
Things I don't apologize for
Just because I am sorry for the way I have bothered people with this, doesn't mean I'm not strong in my conclusions.
Yes I believe in marriage equality, I don't believe this effects my salvation in any way. I don't approve of using my faith to legislate the morality of others, I feel that it's not only a sin to force my faith on others, but also a crime of the worst kind. I do not have any hate for those who don't believe the same as me on that issue, but my anger lies in the lack of trying to understand why I may feel the way I do. I am passionate about this, and my posts, blogs, and attitudes will continue to reflect this. If it bothers you hide my posts, and ask me not to discuss it with you, I will respect that. Just for the record I am not gay :).
I believe in abortion, birth control, and In-Vitro. I don't think God has anything against modern medicine, that's really all that needs to be said about In-Vitro. I am not Catholic, but the quiverfull lifestyle is becoming more and more common in our church. Much respect for those who live it, that is your choice, just as it is mine not to. Don't tell me all good Christians home school, because it isn't true. Some good Christian women have to work, either out of necessity or desire, and some have no desire to home school. I am a terrible teacher, teaching wasn't a gift God gave me, so my kids go to school. Sometimes I wish I could home school, but it isn't going to happen. I also believe birth control is a good way to control family size. It doesn't cause miscarriages, it stops ovulation. IUD's are the only form that stops implantation or fertilization. I don't use one because of my beliefs, but it's MY belief, not to be put on someone else. Abortion is a sad subject, do I think life begins at fertilization? maybe, I personally believe it begins at implantation when it starts to grow, 1/4 of all pregnancies end before implantation, that's why I believe that's the point of life, but once again that's just me. I believe taking abortion rights away would not stop abortion, it would just add to the number of dead pregnant women. Outlawing sin doesn't make it go away, that is a proven fact. I also can not begin to comprehend being pregnant due to rape, therefore I can't say anything about it. I do believe that abortions shouldn't be allowed after the point of viability, unless in the cases of severe deformity.
I am not a republican... I'm not a democrat either. I don't believe the republican party best embodies my values. I try to keep faith out of it, but even if I didn't, I still don't think they embody my Christian values. I hate being told to change my vote, give me a good argument and I will listen, but don't tell me to change and give no reasons.
To rap it up I hope that I can be forgiven for any anger you have felt from me. I hope you will feel free to discus, or not discuss, my opinions with me. I will respect you either way. I will listen to criticism with an open mind and heart. I may not change, but know that I will pray over it, think about it, and research it. Even if I debate, I am listening...
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
If you have ever said poor people shouldn't have iPhones read this.
I am a member of what is aptly named 'the working poor' and I am sick of the statements being made about those of us on welfare. I get so frustrated with the Facebook posts and things that are said to my face that I want to hurl. Yes I have an iPhone, and a laptop, and even an iPod, does that bother you? Yes we get foodstamps, under $100 a month, but it is helpful. So lets go through some issues I have noticed.
First off I have heard it said that you should get rid of college grants. I've heard people say they don't want their taxes going to help people go to school. What I would like to say about that is why not? Do you realize how expensive school is? One semester of UTA nursing school is just 1000 dollars less than I make in a year. I got a job to help with bills and school, but it really doesn't cover much. I'm just lucky I don't have to put the kids in daycare, because that would take literally my WHOLE paycheck, all of it. Safe to say I can't afford school on my own, and the catch is, if I don't go to school then I can never, never make a life for myself. I would have to keep living paycheck to paycheck forever, and I want more for myself and my family, surely you can respect that.
The next thing I hear is that people on welfare shouldn't have iPhones or other expenses that aren't absolutely necessary. Well first off I got my phone as a gift, the other stuff I bought when things were good. Some months things are great, some months we have extra money, we put some in savings, but sometimes we buy stuff for ourselves. I think we deserve it, me and Stephen work hard for what we have. He works a physically intensive, exhausting, hard job, he is a good father and husband, so he does this job to take care of us, he goes everyday, and he works hard. I work a job that most people wouldn't want to do. I take care of people who are awesome, and I love them, but it's emotionally taxing to a point I can't even describe, at least once a shift I consider locking myself in a bathroom and having a panic attack. I've been kicked, bitten, knocked out, spit on, called every name in the book,and worse. I think every now and then we should be able to buy something we want. I also think every now and then I should get to take my kids out, or buy them things they want. Like I said things are good right now, and they will be for awhile, but I know they will get hard again, so even though I bought stuff, I also put money in our savings, so that we can float for awhile. However, I know if a car breaks, or I need another surgery, we will be in trouble.
Calling all poor people lazy, is like calling all Christians fundamentalists, it's just not true. Sure some people work the system, but most don't. We truly need the help, and we only take what we need. We work just as hard as anyone else, and why should it mean less then other peoples work just because we make less. There is only room for so many at the top.
I have tons of other issues... How can you be against birth control and abortion, but you are also against welfare? If you are Christian why aren't you actually doing what Jesus would do? I also don't believe most voters have really researched the issues. Romney has no actual tax plan, yet people say he will fix our economy, does that seem logical? Obviously the other guy hasn't fixed things. So why do what we did before and expect better results? Stephen believes if Romney is elected things will immediately get better, because the large corporations want him to win. So they will hire a bunch of people they are holding back on hiring right now. People will say, so glad we elected him, but in reality anything he does won't actually work that fast, and the uptick in jobs will be artificial.
Some of Obamacare is really awesome, free vaccines, pre-existing conditions accepted. If they do away with his plan will these things be taken away? That won't be good at all. This really has nothing to do with faith or religion, these problems exist among the faithful and the Atheists. I'm not trying to pick on one group of people. I just with people would exercise some empathy before saying things.
We have strayed pretty far away from the original intent of this Blog, I realize that, most of that is because we are living through a pretty intense election year, and have become interested in politics. I would love to post more on Religions, but I have very little time, and the research involved just can't be done right now.
First off I have heard it said that you should get rid of college grants. I've heard people say they don't want their taxes going to help people go to school. What I would like to say about that is why not? Do you realize how expensive school is? One semester of UTA nursing school is just 1000 dollars less than I make in a year. I got a job to help with bills and school, but it really doesn't cover much. I'm just lucky I don't have to put the kids in daycare, because that would take literally my WHOLE paycheck, all of it. Safe to say I can't afford school on my own, and the catch is, if I don't go to school then I can never, never make a life for myself. I would have to keep living paycheck to paycheck forever, and I want more for myself and my family, surely you can respect that.
The next thing I hear is that people on welfare shouldn't have iPhones or other expenses that aren't absolutely necessary. Well first off I got my phone as a gift, the other stuff I bought when things were good. Some months things are great, some months we have extra money, we put some in savings, but sometimes we buy stuff for ourselves. I think we deserve it, me and Stephen work hard for what we have. He works a physically intensive, exhausting, hard job, he is a good father and husband, so he does this job to take care of us, he goes everyday, and he works hard. I work a job that most people wouldn't want to do. I take care of people who are awesome, and I love them, but it's emotionally taxing to a point I can't even describe, at least once a shift I consider locking myself in a bathroom and having a panic attack. I've been kicked, bitten, knocked out, spit on, called every name in the book,and worse. I think every now and then we should be able to buy something we want. I also think every now and then I should get to take my kids out, or buy them things they want. Like I said things are good right now, and they will be for awhile, but I know they will get hard again, so even though I bought stuff, I also put money in our savings, so that we can float for awhile. However, I know if a car breaks, or I need another surgery, we will be in trouble.
Calling all poor people lazy, is like calling all Christians fundamentalists, it's just not true. Sure some people work the system, but most don't. We truly need the help, and we only take what we need. We work just as hard as anyone else, and why should it mean less then other peoples work just because we make less. There is only room for so many at the top.
I have tons of other issues... How can you be against birth control and abortion, but you are also against welfare? If you are Christian why aren't you actually doing what Jesus would do? I also don't believe most voters have really researched the issues. Romney has no actual tax plan, yet people say he will fix our economy, does that seem logical? Obviously the other guy hasn't fixed things. So why do what we did before and expect better results? Stephen believes if Romney is elected things will immediately get better, because the large corporations want him to win. So they will hire a bunch of people they are holding back on hiring right now. People will say, so glad we elected him, but in reality anything he does won't actually work that fast, and the uptick in jobs will be artificial.
Some of Obamacare is really awesome, free vaccines, pre-existing conditions accepted. If they do away with his plan will these things be taken away? That won't be good at all. This really has nothing to do with faith or religion, these problems exist among the faithful and the Atheists. I'm not trying to pick on one group of people. I just with people would exercise some empathy before saying things.
We have strayed pretty far away from the original intent of this Blog, I realize that, most of that is because we are living through a pretty intense election year, and have become interested in politics. I would love to post more on Religions, but I have very little time, and the research involved just can't be done right now.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
National Coming Out Day: Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you
No, I'm not gay, I am a straight, cisgendered, female. I was born in the right body, with the right parts, and I like boys for the most part. Things in that area have always been pretty simple for me, but lets face it, not everyone has it easy. Luckily I come from a family, who even if I was gay, would still love me. They would be shocked, concerned for my welfare, and scared for the things I faced in the future, but they would never choose not to love me. Many people have to live with the fear that if their parents, family, and friends find out who they truly are, they would be shunned. That is not okay! I'm disappointed to live in a country where some people aren't allowed to marry the person they love. Not only that, I've heard people say that homosexuals CAN'T love like straight people. Who the heck are they to say that just because you are gay or transgendered your love is not equal to theirs. That they aren't deserving of the same recognition for their commitment by their government and peers as a straight person is. Recognition that they are dedicated, and working hard for a lasting relationship. Maybe recognition that they are parenting a child together, a child they want to raise in a world where things are equal. Don't we all want the next generation to grow up in a safe place, where you can say, hey, I'm gay, and not fear being beaten or mocked?
I had never heard of National Coming Out day prior to this year, but I think as a group we need to come together and decide that all people need to be accepted and loved. No more hating the sin and loving the sinner, no more saying that you are showing your love by pointing out what they are doing wrong. That is just hate speech dressed up. I DON'T CARE what religion you are, or what political party you are, everyone deserves certain rights.
What if your husband or wife was in a serious car wreck, you would want to comfort them, but a homosexual couple in a civil union doesn't have this right. Imagine the person you love is laying there, hurt, maybe near death, scared for sure, and you can't even hold their hand. Now imagine your spouse dies, where do the kids go? In a straight marriage they go to the other parent, no questions asked, for a gay couple in a civil union that isn't the case. Now they have to fight for the child that they have raised just like any other parent. Now imagine you are the child, one of your parents is dead, now you may loose the other, surely NO ONE thinks this is okay. How does that not make you sick?
I'm so very tired of people saying things like "it's against the Bible" or "marriage is one man and one woman" or "it goes against my God". I don't care if you think it's against your faith, I don't care and you shouldn't either. This country IS NOT a Christian country, if you think it was a country founded by Christians, for Christians you need to take another History class or 2. It was founded by people seeking freedom, the freedom to be who they were, the freedom to worship as they pleased. I don't care if you believe they are born that way, or it's a choice, EVERYONE SHOULD BACK EQUAL MARRIAGE RIGHTS. To deny anyone a civil right shows that you lack empathy. If you ask yourself honestly, what would I want for my kids, parents, sister, or brother, and you answer honestly you would want them to be with the person they love. It won't hurt or belittle your marriage, any injury to marriage is one that the straight community has caused. Spousal abuse, adultery, apathy, we did this ourselves. The idea of marriage has always existed outside of Christianity, if you believe it's just a Christian institution then why don't you get upset when Atheists get married. Remember St. Valentine, he married Christians outside the law, that's right, CHRISTIANS WEREN'T ALLOWED TO GET MARRIED, and now we are doing that to others?
I didn't care at all about this issue, or any issue for that matter, until about a year and a half ago. It didn't effect me, so I didn't care. No one close to me was gay, even now, I don't have any close gay friends, no one in my family is gay, but it's an issue that effects us all. This touches me, it hits a chord with me, and it should with everyone. No religion has the right to govern others. I don't believe this is what Jesus or God would want. Whatever God you worship (or not), whatever prophet you believe in, I don't think they would be okay with this, and if they were, that is not a God I would worship, or a prophet I would revere.
Do not be mistaken, this is a Civil Rights issue, say it isn't and you are kidding yourself. No one should be allowed to deny a Civil Right for ANY reason. It is crazy that this is still up in the air. This isn't a Biblical, religious, or political right, it is just right.
So today is National Coming Out Day, and Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you, and I know you will respect it, and I know you will still love me. I am not gay, but I believe in Equal Marriage Rights, and I think everyone should.
I had never heard of National Coming Out day prior to this year, but I think as a group we need to come together and decide that all people need to be accepted and loved. No more hating the sin and loving the sinner, no more saying that you are showing your love by pointing out what they are doing wrong. That is just hate speech dressed up. I DON'T CARE what religion you are, or what political party you are, everyone deserves certain rights.
What if your husband or wife was in a serious car wreck, you would want to comfort them, but a homosexual couple in a civil union doesn't have this right. Imagine the person you love is laying there, hurt, maybe near death, scared for sure, and you can't even hold their hand. Now imagine your spouse dies, where do the kids go? In a straight marriage they go to the other parent, no questions asked, for a gay couple in a civil union that isn't the case. Now they have to fight for the child that they have raised just like any other parent. Now imagine you are the child, one of your parents is dead, now you may loose the other, surely NO ONE thinks this is okay. How does that not make you sick?
I'm so very tired of people saying things like "it's against the Bible" or "marriage is one man and one woman" or "it goes against my God". I don't care if you think it's against your faith, I don't care and you shouldn't either. This country IS NOT a Christian country, if you think it was a country founded by Christians, for Christians you need to take another History class or 2. It was founded by people seeking freedom, the freedom to be who they were, the freedom to worship as they pleased. I don't care if you believe they are born that way, or it's a choice, EVERYONE SHOULD BACK EQUAL MARRIAGE RIGHTS. To deny anyone a civil right shows that you lack empathy. If you ask yourself honestly, what would I want for my kids, parents, sister, or brother, and you answer honestly you would want them to be with the person they love. It won't hurt or belittle your marriage, any injury to marriage is one that the straight community has caused. Spousal abuse, adultery, apathy, we did this ourselves. The idea of marriage has always existed outside of Christianity, if you believe it's just a Christian institution then why don't you get upset when Atheists get married. Remember St. Valentine, he married Christians outside the law, that's right, CHRISTIANS WEREN'T ALLOWED TO GET MARRIED, and now we are doing that to others?
I didn't care at all about this issue, or any issue for that matter, until about a year and a half ago. It didn't effect me, so I didn't care. No one close to me was gay, even now, I don't have any close gay friends, no one in my family is gay, but it's an issue that effects us all. This touches me, it hits a chord with me, and it should with everyone. No religion has the right to govern others. I don't believe this is what Jesus or God would want. Whatever God you worship (or not), whatever prophet you believe in, I don't think they would be okay with this, and if they were, that is not a God I would worship, or a prophet I would revere.
Do not be mistaken, this is a Civil Rights issue, say it isn't and you are kidding yourself. No one should be allowed to deny a Civil Right for ANY reason. It is crazy that this is still up in the air. This isn't a Biblical, religious, or political right, it is just right.
So today is National Coming Out Day, and Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you, and I know you will respect it, and I know you will still love me. I am not gay, but I believe in Equal Marriage Rights, and I think everyone should.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
What I want in a candidate... By Stephen
A list of things Stephen would like from a presidential candidate.
1. I don't need gun control
I like guns, and I think everybody should have one. If you don't want people to kill each other then you were born on the wrong planet. Americans were given the right to have guns just in case they needed them for another revolution. I don't think our founding fathers imagined the government they were setting up would last as long as it has.
Gun violence would exist even we had gun control, criminals don't follow laws, and you can't gun control away the crazy. You'd also be a lot less likely to talk in a movie theater if you thought the guy
behind you was packing. "What was that, was that text important" <shoots the iPhone>.
2. I am tired of the war on drugs; so stop it.
Has our war really done anything at all? I mean, right now I could drive ten minutes and talk to a guy who could pretty much sell me anything I want. True the war has made it more expensive for me to buy drugs, but I can still buy them. Oh, I know, the war was meant to make drugs expensive so organized crime syndicates could make loads of money in order to gain huge influence in small countries. Look, just legalize them and tax the crap out of them. It'd be cheaper.
3. Let Rod and Todd get married.
Come on people; what the Hell is wrong with you? How can you deny people the right to loose half their stuff in a divorce. Think of how fabulous those weddings would be. You will let the most vile sycophantic serial rapist murderer get married as long as it's to somebody of the opposite sex. That's just crazy. Priorities people, please get them straight.
4. Concise and adequate tax policies.
Anyone who pays taxes knows the whole system is effed up. I would pay more if it would help, but I don't think it would. I know of people who skirt the tax brackets. Make a certain amount get taxed % of what you make. Then get a raise and get taxed more, but bring home less over all. I know people who pay nothing and get huge tax returns. Others who pay more in than I make in a year and still owe more come tax time. A flat tax seems like it would work, but where do you set that mark. 10% I guess, but it's something I don't know a lot about. Just make the entire system simpler. I seem to remember an incident involving tea and it had something to do with taxes. It was probably important, but it slips my mind.
5. Respectable foreign policy.
We seem to get really involved in other countries when they have something we want. If you have oil we are in, live in some crap country with no resources, well that sucks. You'll just have to live with that militant dictator that is killing all of your people. Call us when you find gold or oil. If we took our substantial military power and used it to benefit the countries who needed the help most I think a lot of people around the world would be more supportive of our country in general. How many homes could have been built in Africa with the money we spent on bombing Iraq? If we weren't in a lot of places where we shouldn't be there might be less hate.
6. I like stem cells and so should you.
Nobody really knows the benefits of researching those little guys. They could be the cure for everything or be useless. The thing is we don't know. Why should we limit ourselves when the possibilities could be endless.
7. I could use some socialized medicine.
Why is it that all other major economic super powers of the world have this and we don't? I don't pay the policemen to kill the bad guy. I don't pay the fireman to put out fires. So why do I have to pay the medimen to unbreak my legs? At least in my own town anyways. So we have the best medical system in the world; as long as you can pay for it. We already have social programs for everything else, what's one more? Bet you could pay for it with the money you save not fighting the war on drugs.
8. Abortion needs to stay legal.
I'm a guy, so as far as I'm concerned my opinion doesn't matter on this subject. Let the ladies get this one. I wouldn't do it myself, but I don't want the option to not exist.
9. They're taking our Jobs!!!
This country was founded by immigrants. It was built by immigrants. It is maintained by immigrants. We rock and people want to live here, why keep them out? If they don't find work a lot of them go home. I'm not 100% on what sort of government assistance these guys get. If they get any at all. Which is fine I guess. They keep this country running and will continue to do so as long as we continue to rock. If you want them out then suck more.
10. Believe in whatever invisible being you want, but don't use it to dictate the way I choose to live my life.
If you have some holy book that says it's wrong, but you have no reason other than it irritates your personal deity, then it's not a real law. This country was founded on libertarian values of freedom from tyranny. I'm willing to bet that most of them weren't even Christan's. I find it irritating that people use a 2000 year old manual to decide things for a country filled with people who may or may not believe in it. Using it to justify ludicrous sanctions and regulations on people and their activities is completely counter productive. Religious doctrine is what gave us the dark ages, the Renaissance was fueled by people breaking away from the accepted religious governmental practices. Jesus didn't say nothing about no YouTube.
There isn't a candidate out there who wants what I want. I live in Texas so my vote doesn't count unless I vote Republican. I honestly think the whole country is messed up. I think the only way it will ever be fixed is if we are forced to. So I say vote for the worst candidate possible. Break the thing until we are at war, with a 50% tax rate, and 10 dollar a gallon gas prices. Then maybe, just maybe we can throw away the crap system we have in favor of a better one.
Professional Apathist
Stephen Hatfield
1. I don't need gun control
I like guns, and I think everybody should have one. If you don't want people to kill each other then you were born on the wrong planet. Americans were given the right to have guns just in case they needed them for another revolution. I don't think our founding fathers imagined the government they were setting up would last as long as it has.
Gun violence would exist even we had gun control, criminals don't follow laws, and you can't gun control away the crazy. You'd also be a lot less likely to talk in a movie theater if you thought the guy
behind you was packing. "What was that, was that text important" <shoots the iPhone>.
2. I am tired of the war on drugs; so stop it.
Has our war really done anything at all? I mean, right now I could drive ten minutes and talk to a guy who could pretty much sell me anything I want. True the war has made it more expensive for me to buy drugs, but I can still buy them. Oh, I know, the war was meant to make drugs expensive so organized crime syndicates could make loads of money in order to gain huge influence in small countries. Look, just legalize them and tax the crap out of them. It'd be cheaper.
3. Let Rod and Todd get married.
Come on people; what the Hell is wrong with you? How can you deny people the right to loose half their stuff in a divorce. Think of how fabulous those weddings would be. You will let the most vile sycophantic serial rapist murderer get married as long as it's to somebody of the opposite sex. That's just crazy. Priorities people, please get them straight.
4. Concise and adequate tax policies.
Anyone who pays taxes knows the whole system is effed up. I would pay more if it would help, but I don't think it would. I know of people who skirt the tax brackets. Make a certain amount get taxed % of what you make. Then get a raise and get taxed more, but bring home less over all. I know people who pay nothing and get huge tax returns. Others who pay more in than I make in a year and still owe more come tax time. A flat tax seems like it would work, but where do you set that mark. 10% I guess, but it's something I don't know a lot about. Just make the entire system simpler. I seem to remember an incident involving tea and it had something to do with taxes. It was probably important, but it slips my mind.
5. Respectable foreign policy.
We seem to get really involved in other countries when they have something we want. If you have oil we are in, live in some crap country with no resources, well that sucks. You'll just have to live with that militant dictator that is killing all of your people. Call us when you find gold or oil. If we took our substantial military power and used it to benefit the countries who needed the help most I think a lot of people around the world would be more supportive of our country in general. How many homes could have been built in Africa with the money we spent on bombing Iraq? If we weren't in a lot of places where we shouldn't be there might be less hate.
6. I like stem cells and so should you.
Nobody really knows the benefits of researching those little guys. They could be the cure for everything or be useless. The thing is we don't know. Why should we limit ourselves when the possibilities could be endless.
7. I could use some socialized medicine.
Why is it that all other major economic super powers of the world have this and we don't? I don't pay the policemen to kill the bad guy. I don't pay the fireman to put out fires. So why do I have to pay the medimen to unbreak my legs? At least in my own town anyways. So we have the best medical system in the world; as long as you can pay for it. We already have social programs for everything else, what's one more? Bet you could pay for it with the money you save not fighting the war on drugs.
8. Abortion needs to stay legal.
I'm a guy, so as far as I'm concerned my opinion doesn't matter on this subject. Let the ladies get this one. I wouldn't do it myself, but I don't want the option to not exist.
9. They're taking our Jobs!!!
This country was founded by immigrants. It was built by immigrants. It is maintained by immigrants. We rock and people want to live here, why keep them out? If they don't find work a lot of them go home. I'm not 100% on what sort of government assistance these guys get. If they get any at all. Which is fine I guess. They keep this country running and will continue to do so as long as we continue to rock. If you want them out then suck more.
10. Believe in whatever invisible being you want, but don't use it to dictate the way I choose to live my life.
If you have some holy book that says it's wrong, but you have no reason other than it irritates your personal deity, then it's not a real law. This country was founded on libertarian values of freedom from tyranny. I'm willing to bet that most of them weren't even Christan's. I find it irritating that people use a 2000 year old manual to decide things for a country filled with people who may or may not believe in it. Using it to justify ludicrous sanctions and regulations on people and their activities is completely counter productive. Religious doctrine is what gave us the dark ages, the Renaissance was fueled by people breaking away from the accepted religious governmental practices. Jesus didn't say nothing about no YouTube.
There isn't a candidate out there who wants what I want. I live in Texas so my vote doesn't count unless I vote Republican. I honestly think the whole country is messed up. I think the only way it will ever be fixed is if we are forced to. So I say vote for the worst candidate possible. Break the thing until we are at war, with a 50% tax rate, and 10 dollar a gallon gas prices. Then maybe, just maybe we can throw away the crap system we have in favor of a better one.
Professional Apathist
Stephen Hatfield
Why I stopped going to church
I tell people it's my schedule, fact is that's a half truth, which means it's a lie. So I apologize to everyone at my church for saying it. Here is the truth, I was mad at a sermon. This may seem petty and shallow, but after having to comfort my sobbing child after what she heard in a sermon, I just couldn't listen anymore.
It was a few months ago, I had been going pretty regularly (this is before I had my job, my schedule really does prevent most church attendance). The preacher was preaching on families. He said a few words about equal marriage rights, I thought, I don't agree, but hey, he is allowed his opinion, I don't have to agree. Then he went on, he started talking about what a family should be. I prayed right then, please take a different path, please just SHUT-UP. I thought, why don't we have a children's church... because I knew where he was going.
See, most people in my church are Christians, married to other Christians, who home school their wonderful Christian kids. They are right wing, they are in the middle class, they are the social norm in our church. Not to say anything negative, I love the people there, they are some of the nicest people I have ever met. I feel safe among them. Some of them are my friends on Face Book, they know my stance on things. Have I ever gotten one disparaging remark, no, they are the best of the Christian community, and have cemented my love of Christ, I can't say enough good things about them.
They aren't like me in one important way though, our upbringings, our families are very different. Yes, I am unequally yoked to an Atheist, yes I am liberal in my social issues. I don't home school, we are poor, and both me and my husband come from a shady past. On this Sunday the pastor said that a home should be two Christian parents. My daughter perked up, she knows Stephen isn't Christian. He said some more on the subject, I watched her. He said non-believers went to Hell, I watched as her face fell, and tears sprang to her eyes. He said the best home is one with a Christian mother and father. She whispered something to Grandma... and that was it for me, I was angry.
So what if it's true, does my 6 year old need to hear that her Father is going to Hell, or that her parents made a mistake in getting married. Anything else the pastor had said was now washed away by my daughter's tears, and all I could hear was this sermon.
We discussed it later. So I read to her out of Corinthians
1Corinthians 7:12-14
To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
She had a ton of questions, we talked for a long time, at the end of it she wasn't much better. I understand that adults can deal with things like that, but she is all but a baby, why couldn't the man have just left that part out. I'm not sure how people will feel after they read this, but the fact is, until my daughter is old enough to deal with such painful things, I can not let her hear things that will wreck her. Things that teach her fear instead of love, hurt instead of hope. We should rejoice in faith, not be sad.
I hope in the future I get up enough courage to say all this to my pastor. I feel he is a kind man, and will try to be understanding, but part of me thinks he will laugh at me... Silly heretic, of course your daughter needs to hear her Daddy is going to Hell. I really miss my church friends, and hope I can get over this fear soon. I still wouldn't be able to make it every Sunday, but at least I wouldn't be scared to go.
It was a few months ago, I had been going pretty regularly (this is before I had my job, my schedule really does prevent most church attendance). The preacher was preaching on families. He said a few words about equal marriage rights, I thought, I don't agree, but hey, he is allowed his opinion, I don't have to agree. Then he went on, he started talking about what a family should be. I prayed right then, please take a different path, please just SHUT-UP. I thought, why don't we have a children's church... because I knew where he was going.
See, most people in my church are Christians, married to other Christians, who home school their wonderful Christian kids. They are right wing, they are in the middle class, they are the social norm in our church. Not to say anything negative, I love the people there, they are some of the nicest people I have ever met. I feel safe among them. Some of them are my friends on Face Book, they know my stance on things. Have I ever gotten one disparaging remark, no, they are the best of the Christian community, and have cemented my love of Christ, I can't say enough good things about them.
They aren't like me in one important way though, our upbringings, our families are very different. Yes, I am unequally yoked to an Atheist, yes I am liberal in my social issues. I don't home school, we are poor, and both me and my husband come from a shady past. On this Sunday the pastor said that a home should be two Christian parents. My daughter perked up, she knows Stephen isn't Christian. He said some more on the subject, I watched her. He said non-believers went to Hell, I watched as her face fell, and tears sprang to her eyes. He said the best home is one with a Christian mother and father. She whispered something to Grandma... and that was it for me, I was angry.
So what if it's true, does my 6 year old need to hear that her Father is going to Hell, or that her parents made a mistake in getting married. Anything else the pastor had said was now washed away by my daughter's tears, and all I could hear was this sermon.
We discussed it later. So I read to her out of Corinthians
1Corinthians 7:12-14
To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
She had a ton of questions, we talked for a long time, at the end of it she wasn't much better. I understand that adults can deal with things like that, but she is all but a baby, why couldn't the man have just left that part out. I'm not sure how people will feel after they read this, but the fact is, until my daughter is old enough to deal with such painful things, I can not let her hear things that will wreck her. Things that teach her fear instead of love, hurt instead of hope. We should rejoice in faith, not be sad.
I hope in the future I get up enough courage to say all this to my pastor. I feel he is a kind man, and will try to be understanding, but part of me thinks he will laugh at me... Silly heretic, of course your daughter needs to hear her Daddy is going to Hell. I really miss my church friends, and hope I can get over this fear soon. I still wouldn't be able to make it every Sunday, but at least I wouldn't be scared to go.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Hitler BAAAAD!!!
We watched a video today that was supposed to change the minds of pro-choice individuals by comparing the Holocaust to abortion. So first we decided to put down our own ideas, then see if we changed at all.
I. Abortion Pros (this is for the actual act, not the legality of it)
1. It costs less than raising a child.
a. It costs around $300,000 dollars to raise a child from birth until they leave for college
b. Whether you use Medicaid, or pay out of pocket, it costs about $20,000 to give birth in a hospital, versus $1,200 for an abortion.
2. To save the kid from cruddy parents.
a. About 317,000 kids are removed from homes with drug addicted parents every year.
b. About 1,460 die from abuse every year. Seventy percent are children under the age of three.
c. Child molestation or rape is a huge issue, with three million reports a year. About one third of girls are raped or molested before the age of eighteen, and about one out of seven boys before the age of eighteen. Remember, these are just reported cases.
d. Many children live their lives in these conditions with no help from the outside.
e. The kid won't end up on Toddlers and Tiaras... seriously, have you ever watched that show??
3. The father has no say (this is in both pros and cons)
a. An abusive man can not force a woman to have a child, trapping them both into his abusive lifestyle.
b. A rapist no longer has power over her once the baby is gone, making her free to move on.
4. You don't have to give a kid up for adoption
a. A woman doesn't have to sit and ask herself "What if?", knowing that her child is alive out in the world.
b. There isn't any sign of visible guilt.
5. You could be aborting someone who will do great evil, like the Antichrist.
II. Abortion cons
1. Emotional damage
a. There are cases of extreme depression. Postpartum Depression still can occur, even without the delivery of an infant.
b. There is a bit of anxiety, which also comes with the depression.
c.There is a tremendous amount of guilt that comes with terminating a pregnancy. Believe it or not, women don't come skipping out of the abortion clinic care free.
d. It is often a deep regret for women, because they know they can never take it back.
2. Physical damage (keep in mind that most of these side effects have a chance of about 2%)
a. There is always a possibility of infection, and in some cases, severe infection.
b. There is a possibility that a woman can then no longer be fertile afterward.
c. Along with the possibility of severe infection, death is also an extreme (but very possible) side effect.
d. Abortion increases the likelihood of ovarian, breast, cervical, and liver cancer.
e. Abortion could cause Uterine Perforation, which can cause problems with subsequent pregnancies.
f. All of the above could, in fact, cause problems with later pregnancies once a woman has decided she wanted to become pregnant.
i. Chances of having a child with disabilities are higher.
ii. Placenta Praevia- where the placenta attatches to the uterine wall close to, or on, the cervix, causing bleeding during pregnancy.
iii. Abortion increases the likelihood of pre term birth.
g. A woman could suffer from cervical lacerations.
h. Another possible side effect is endometriosis, which means that the uterine wall grows on the outside of the uterus. It is pretty painful.
i. Teenagers are more likely to suffer from these problems after having an abortion than an adult female.
3. Social difficulties
a. There is a difficulty with trusting the people around you, due to fear of their judgement.
b. The people whom you do tell, could call you names or "shun" you.
4. In cases of abortion because of prenatal testing, saying the kid could be handicapped, you could be aborting a normal embryo/fetus.
a. Pre natal testing isn't 100%
b. I personally know of a woman who the Dr. said would have a kid with Downs Syndrome, and the kid was born totally normal.
c. You would always wonder if you had done the right thing, after all.
d. Kids with handicaps can grow up to live normal, productive lives.
5. Spiritual issues
a. If you are Christian/Muslim/Etc... the guilt could be overwhelming. There have been woment who have committed suicide due to the guilt of an abortion.
b. Others of your religion may make you feel bad about the decision you have made.
6. Not covered by insurance
7. You could be aborting someone who could change the world for the better.
8. Dad has no say
a. The father could want to pay for pre and postnatal care and want to help take care of the baby
b. The abortion could tear the couple apart in the end.
c.The father could be greatly effected by this. It is his kid, too.
9. Adoption is an option, plenty of people want kids.
a... however, there are about 127,000 kids in the US waiting to be adopted, now if homosexuals could adopt more freely that number would go down, but that's another issue...
Here is the documentary that we watched over the subject:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7y2KsU_dhwI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Allie's initial reaction to the movie was to scream "aaaaarrrrgh," then "WHY are we comparing abortion to the Holocaust?" We all were pretty amazed at how ignorant the people were. Stephen said that what this movie really shows is how our education system sucks. This is why most of his answers to the films questions are super sarcastic, he thinks it was stupid. So here are our answers to the questions posed in the film.
Questions from the movie:
1. Who was Hitler?
Allie: (beats head on wall)
Stephen: "Anybody who doesn't know who Hitler is should have been aborted."
Sara: "A pop singer? Seriously... does he have a Twitter?"
2. Would you shoot Hitler given the chance?
Allie: "Heck ya!"
Stephen: "Yes I would. And his Mom, abort him, or burn his grandparents. I don't care. Hitler bad, Oh I already knew that. What does this have to do with abortion?"
Sara: "Yup."
3. Would you kill Hitler's Mom while she was pregnant with him, knowing his future?
Allie: "Yes, right in the pregnant belly."
Stephen: (see previous answer)
Sara: "Sure."
4. Would you use a bulldozer to cover up a pit filled with Jews, some alive, if you would be shot if you didn't comply?
Allie: "I honestly don't know."
Stephen: "Yes I'd bulldoze em', and I'd shoot a man in Reno just to watch him die."
Sara: "I'd probably take the bullet."
5. Would you shoot the same Jews if you were told to, knowing this would save them from being buried alive?
Allie: "Yes, rather than see them suffer."
Stephen: "I'd feel bad about it later, but I could kill them and be okay with it while I did it."
Sara: "I could look them in the eye and shoot them if it meant preventing their suffering before their death."
6. Is abortion okay?
Allie: "I personally couldn't do it, but I won't judge or deny someone else the right to make that decision."
Stephen: "Cars kill more people than abortions. Make cars illegal!!! I am totally okay with abortion. Honestly, though, it doesn't matter what I think. I can't give birth. I think guys really should have no input when it comes to abortion."
Sara: "I think it should be legal. Do I think it's wrong? Yes. Would I do it? No. But you shouldn't try to legislate morality."
7. When is it a baby?
Allie: "After it stops looking like a sea monkey and has all its organs."
Stephen: "Egg=baby, just like a seed=tree in progress. Sentient life is probably later"
Sara: "Upon implantation, before that it's just a mass of cells."
8. It's okay to kill a baby in the womb when? ( his asking this question this way bugs me, it's a zygote, then a blastocyst, then an embryo, then a fetus)
Allie: "In cases of rape, mother and the child are in danger, or baby subject to poor quality of life, like being a vegetable."
Stephen: "Before its smarter than a chicken."
Sara: "When the mothers life is in danger, or the baby will live a short time in suffering, and then die young."
To Sum It Up
Sara- Obviously this is a really important issue, like I said before, I am against the act of abortion. However, outlawing it will not end it. Women have been having abortions since written history began. Outlawing it will merely make women return to back alley abortions that are even more dangerous than the legal ones. I would never judge someone who has had an abortion, nor try to make them feel bad for having one. I have no clue what it is like to be in that situation, or how hard that decision would be. I do believe that if the baby will be seriously sick with illnesses like anecephaly, Tay Sachs, Trisonomy 13, then abortion is the just and kind thing to do. IF, you can bring yourself to do it.
Stephen- Bad movie, bad comparison, good use of stupid people to make your point. People are always okay with killing as long as it is for the right cause. Such as our war for Independence: "King of England bad!" Civil war: "Slavery bad!" WW1: "Germany bad!" WW2: "Germany still bad!" Iraq war 1: "Oil good!" Iraq war 2: "Brown people bad!"
Allie- Hitler? Somebody should stop that guy!!!
In all seriousness, this guy obviously sought out the most ignorant people specifically to make himself look like a genius. These poor people probably faced tougher issues picking out what shoes they wanted to wear that day, and he is bombarding them with the horrors of the Holocaust (which they apparently had no idea even happened) and comparing it to abortion. OF COURSE when you compare abortion to the Holocaust people are going to change their minds. Even comparing the two seems like a far stretch. It would make more sense to compare our treatment of homosexuals and Muslims in this country to the horrors of the Holocaust than abortion. Even THAT doesn't compare. OH, and it is COMPLETELY UNFAIR to say that God will solely judge you based on the Ten Commandments because we are all guilty, even Captain Preachy pants. Besides, he forgot about the most important, yet least known commandment of them all: Commandment Eleven- Thou shalt not be a street douche bag and dye yourself silver. That ones for you, silver, Asian street performer!!!
Friday, August 3, 2012
Calvinism and Hobbes
The one thing that is pretty common knowledge about Calvinism is the 5 points they hold universally true.
The five points of Calvinism are as follows:
1. Total depravity (original sin)- basically that sin is the natural state of men.
2. Unconditional Election (God's Election)- this seems to be the hot button issue of this faith. The idea of predestination.
3. Limited atonement (Particular Redemption)- not everyone is intended to go to heaven.
4. Irresistible grace (effectual calling)- Those who are saved desire to follow God's law. No one can resist the election of God.
5. Perseverance of the Saints- The elect cannot be lost.
There is another form of Calvinism, I actually hadn't heard of this until I started doing research.
" Hyper-Calvinism" --emphasizes irresistible grace to such an extent that there is no real need to evangelize; furthermore, Christ may be offered only to the elect.
This seems strange to me as part of Christianity has always been to witness to others. This, in fact, is the backbone of many churches.
Actually growing up I was taught some of these points, mainly that a true believer wants, and needs, to do as God wishes. We feel guilty when we stray, and desire forgiveness. The other one being that those who are truly saved cannot be unsaved, once your name is in the book, it is there.
It seems that Calvinism, and my religion (Southern Baptist) are pretty tied together. Before the 1700's many churches were Calvinist Baptist, but of course 2 groups formed, based on who believed in predestination, and who did not. In England the Calvinist Baptists were known as Particular, the other Baptists were known as general. When Baptist churches began to become popular in the early south the name Regular was then applied to Calvinists. Soon the groups were in a huge controversy, in the midst of this they started calling the Separates 'Arminians', named after a man who opposed the teachings of Calvin. This argument they had around the 1780's was solved by basically calling everyone a new name, and changing the old ones. Some people believe that in this fashion Baptists have their roots in Calvanism, but that would also be denied by many religious historians, and I of course have no idea :).
http://www.sbclife.org/Articles/2010/10/sla13.asp a link from the SBC on the matter
I really enjoy some of the points of Calvinism, but it brings up that age old 'free will' argument. As a child I would do silly things, like suddenly stick my arm in the air, then I would ask my Sunday school teacher, "Did he know I was going to do that". They always calmly answered that he did, he knows everything, they even had a verse that illustrated that nicely.
Jeremiah 1:15, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
Now this verse is obviously about one person, but other verses show evidence that he knew all of us from the beginning. -Isaiah 43:7-1 Corinthians 2:7-Ephesians 1:5. Also
Acts 13:48
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
Most of these verses also back the idea that we were predestined. Many Christians argue that this nullifies the idea of free will, but is free will even an issue. The first book in Ephesians pretty much lays our for us that we were made according to God's will, and we will be what he wants, whether we like it or not. I don't at all think predestination messes up free will, I have two examples.
1. Take a kid, your kid who you know well. Lets say this kid happens to love apples more than anything. Then you take a bucket filled with apples, and one with brussel sprouts. Now I know that the kid is going to pick the apples, did I take away her free will. In much the same way if we are following God's will we usually have the right choice outlined for us.
2. Before my kids were born I decided I wanted to live in a small town, be a nurse, and have at least 2 kids. Did this planning take away anyone's free will?
Okay, another point I find interesting is that God's grace is sufficient. The argument I have heard for predestination that sounded the best was this. It's God, and if he wants you in his flock, you will be in his flock. One of the verses they use to illustrate this is in John.
John 6:41
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.
http://opc.org/new_horizons/NH99/NH9902a.html
This is a pretty good site, complete with scripture that shows a lot of the aspects of Calvinism.
Of course this doctrine also means that some people have no hope of ever entering. This is pretty firmly, illustrated with Matthew 7:21. After talking about being able to know true Christians by their fruit, Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven". He goes on to say he will basically shun these people. It also says in the Bible that even demons know he is Lord. There are many verses that seem to back up Calvinism, but as always it is in the interpretation and in the context around the verse.
Calvinism is so complex, that I don't feel I can do it justice with just a few days of research. It is intertwined with many different faiths, and encompasses a lot of scripture. I will continue to gather information and see if I can scrape together another blog before too long.
The five points of Calvinism are as follows:
1. Total depravity (original sin)- basically that sin is the natural state of men.
2. Unconditional Election (God's Election)- this seems to be the hot button issue of this faith. The idea of predestination.
3. Limited atonement (Particular Redemption)- not everyone is intended to go to heaven.
4. Irresistible grace (effectual calling)- Those who are saved desire to follow God's law. No one can resist the election of God.
5. Perseverance of the Saints- The elect cannot be lost.
There is another form of Calvinism, I actually hadn't heard of this until I started doing research.
" Hyper-Calvinism" --emphasizes irresistible grace to such an extent that there is no real need to evangelize; furthermore, Christ may be offered only to the elect.
This seems strange to me as part of Christianity has always been to witness to others. This, in fact, is the backbone of many churches.
Actually growing up I was taught some of these points, mainly that a true believer wants, and needs, to do as God wishes. We feel guilty when we stray, and desire forgiveness. The other one being that those who are truly saved cannot be unsaved, once your name is in the book, it is there.
It seems that Calvinism, and my religion (Southern Baptist) are pretty tied together. Before the 1700's many churches were Calvinist Baptist, but of course 2 groups formed, based on who believed in predestination, and who did not. In England the Calvinist Baptists were known as Particular, the other Baptists were known as general. When Baptist churches began to become popular in the early south the name Regular was then applied to Calvinists. Soon the groups were in a huge controversy, in the midst of this they started calling the Separates 'Arminians', named after a man who opposed the teachings of Calvin. This argument they had around the 1780's was solved by basically calling everyone a new name, and changing the old ones. Some people believe that in this fashion Baptists have their roots in Calvanism, but that would also be denied by many religious historians, and I of course have no idea :).
http://www.sbclife.org/Articles/2010/10/sla13.asp a link from the SBC on the matter
I really enjoy some of the points of Calvinism, but it brings up that age old 'free will' argument. As a child I would do silly things, like suddenly stick my arm in the air, then I would ask my Sunday school teacher, "Did he know I was going to do that". They always calmly answered that he did, he knows everything, they even had a verse that illustrated that nicely.
Jeremiah 1:15, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
Now this verse is obviously about one person, but other verses show evidence that he knew all of us from the beginning. -Isaiah 43:7-1 Corinthians 2:7-Ephesians 1:5. Also
Acts 13:48
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
Most of these verses also back the idea that we were predestined. Many Christians argue that this nullifies the idea of free will, but is free will even an issue. The first book in Ephesians pretty much lays our for us that we were made according to God's will, and we will be what he wants, whether we like it or not. I don't at all think predestination messes up free will, I have two examples.
1. Take a kid, your kid who you know well. Lets say this kid happens to love apples more than anything. Then you take a bucket filled with apples, and one with brussel sprouts. Now I know that the kid is going to pick the apples, did I take away her free will. In much the same way if we are following God's will we usually have the right choice outlined for us.
2. Before my kids were born I decided I wanted to live in a small town, be a nurse, and have at least 2 kids. Did this planning take away anyone's free will?
Okay, another point I find interesting is that God's grace is sufficient. The argument I have heard for predestination that sounded the best was this. It's God, and if he wants you in his flock, you will be in his flock. One of the verses they use to illustrate this is in John.
John 6:41
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.
http://opc.org/new_horizons/NH99/NH9902a.html
This is a pretty good site, complete with scripture that shows a lot of the aspects of Calvinism.
Of course this doctrine also means that some people have no hope of ever entering. This is pretty firmly, illustrated with Matthew 7:21. After talking about being able to know true Christians by their fruit, Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven". He goes on to say he will basically shun these people. It also says in the Bible that even demons know he is Lord. There are many verses that seem to back up Calvinism, but as always it is in the interpretation and in the context around the verse.
Calvinism is so complex, that I don't feel I can do it justice with just a few days of research. It is intertwined with many different faiths, and encompasses a lot of scripture. I will continue to gather information and see if I can scrape together another blog before too long.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Chick-fil-a SUCKS!!!
Gay marriage has been all over the headlines lately. I post about it on FB and Twitter a lot, and people have been asking me questions. I thought a blog entry would be the best way to explain how I feel about it. First off, yes I am a Christian, backing gay marriage doesn't make me a non-believer. I believe that Jesus is my Lord, his spirit lives in me, and I try to do what he tells me. I fail sometimes, but I repent and get back on track. I pray constantly, many of my prayers are about what to believe and what to speak up about. I feel that God has lead me to be understanding and loving to everyone without exception.
Okay, someone asked if I back gay marriage, or if I was just trying to get people to think. The answer is a little of both, I back gay marriage because I don't think the Bible should be used as a weapon to take away something that is so clearly a Civil Right.
Here is a great site on how the Bible was used to fight interracial marriage, and the verses used.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/marracbib.htm/
From this site: Jeremiah 13:23: "Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil."
At least one white supremacist group interprets this passage as implying that one cannot start with a Black-White interracial couple and produce White offspring. 2 However the clear sense of the verse appears to be that if a person has habitually committed evil deeds, it is almost impossible for them to change completely and start going only good.
Now pretty much everyone agrees that this is a civil right, but a long time ago it was viewed in much the same way homosexual marriage is now. Women's rights have also been denied by people saying the Bible was against it. James the Preacher is a character on YouTube, he claims the Bible says women have to be stay at home Mom's, and that they shouldn't be allowed to wear pants, only skirts and dresses. The fact is that the Bible can be interpreted a billion different ways, that's why there are thousands of denominations of Christianity.
I figure that if your a Christian, why do you even need the little piece of paper the city gives you when you get married. Go in front of a preacher, get married in front of your church community and in the eyes of God. I don't really think God cares about your little piece of paper. Why not leave that secular institution to those who are secular. It is insane to me that this is even still an argument.
Here is what seals the deal for me. I put myself in the place of a kid, a kid who has always liked people of the same sex, ever since he can remember. He has fought it, he has prayed, and he has wept over his problem. He goes to church because he loves God and wants to please him. He prays every day, he confides in a few people who also pray for him. Yet he still likes boys, so he decides that he is sinful and disgusting. The people of his church just back it up, they make him feel even worse, he continues to beg God to lift this off him, to make him 'normal'. So this kid has 2 choices, either become an Atheist, or constantly hate himself. He could have the thoughts and just not act, that would be okay right, but no
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
So basically this kid is sinning just for his thoughts. This just breaks my heart for people, and that's why I speak up about it. I'm not God, I will not tell someone that they are sinning by being gay. I can find many pastors online who say that being gay isn't a sin, and of course I can find many who say it is. So labouring under the assumption that it is a sin, it's still no worse than any other sin. It's no worse than looking down a girls shirt when she leans over, or watching a handsome neighbor mow his yard. Pre-marital sex, divorce, masturbation, lust, watching suggestive movies, these are all equal to being gay if you consider it a sin.
Alllie says its a real shame that people use a tool given to us to help us live a moral live in now used to demoralize a set of people and treat them as less than human. If marriage is a simply Christian institution then maybe only Christians should be allowed to get married. This is how silly she thinks this is. She would like for everyone who reads this blog to put themselves in someone elses shoes, she wants them to remember that in our past Christians weren't allowed to get married. Valentine's day is celebrated because St. Valentine was still marrying Christian even though it was illegal in the Roman Empire. So what gives us the right to do that to someone else when it could still be us fighting this fight.
Stephen (the Atheist point of view). He says he could care less if gay people get married. He doesn't understand why Christians think that it's any of their business. He says everybody is being pretty stupid about it.
Okay, someone asked if I back gay marriage, or if I was just trying to get people to think. The answer is a little of both, I back gay marriage because I don't think the Bible should be used as a weapon to take away something that is so clearly a Civil Right.
Here is a great site on how the Bible was used to fight interracial marriage, and the verses used.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/marracbib.htm/
From this site: Jeremiah 13:23: "Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil."
Now pretty much everyone agrees that this is a civil right, but a long time ago it was viewed in much the same way homosexual marriage is now. Women's rights have also been denied by people saying the Bible was against it. James the Preacher is a character on YouTube, he claims the Bible says women have to be stay at home Mom's, and that they shouldn't be allowed to wear pants, only skirts and dresses. The fact is that the Bible can be interpreted a billion different ways, that's why there are thousands of denominations of Christianity.
I figure that if your a Christian, why do you even need the little piece of paper the city gives you when you get married. Go in front of a preacher, get married in front of your church community and in the eyes of God. I don't really think God cares about your little piece of paper. Why not leave that secular institution to those who are secular. It is insane to me that this is even still an argument.
Here is what seals the deal for me. I put myself in the place of a kid, a kid who has always liked people of the same sex, ever since he can remember. He has fought it, he has prayed, and he has wept over his problem. He goes to church because he loves God and wants to please him. He prays every day, he confides in a few people who also pray for him. Yet he still likes boys, so he decides that he is sinful and disgusting. The people of his church just back it up, they make him feel even worse, he continues to beg God to lift this off him, to make him 'normal'. So this kid has 2 choices, either become an Atheist, or constantly hate himself. He could have the thoughts and just not act, that would be okay right, but no
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
So basically this kid is sinning just for his thoughts. This just breaks my heart for people, and that's why I speak up about it. I'm not God, I will not tell someone that they are sinning by being gay. I can find many pastors online who say that being gay isn't a sin, and of course I can find many who say it is. So labouring under the assumption that it is a sin, it's still no worse than any other sin. It's no worse than looking down a girls shirt when she leans over, or watching a handsome neighbor mow his yard. Pre-marital sex, divorce, masturbation, lust, watching suggestive movies, these are all equal to being gay if you consider it a sin.
Alllie says its a real shame that people use a tool given to us to help us live a moral live in now used to demoralize a set of people and treat them as less than human. If marriage is a simply Christian institution then maybe only Christians should be allowed to get married. This is how silly she thinks this is. She would like for everyone who reads this blog to put themselves in someone elses shoes, she wants them to remember that in our past Christians weren't allowed to get married. Valentine's day is celebrated because St. Valentine was still marrying Christian even though it was illegal in the Roman Empire. So what gives us the right to do that to someone else when it could still be us fighting this fight.
Stephen (the Atheist point of view). He says he could care less if gay people get married. He doesn't understand why Christians think that it's any of their business. He says everybody is being pretty stupid about it.
Monday, April 16, 2012
#IfGodhadTwitter :)
I was looking through old blogs this week, thinking about how much my opinions have changed in just the short time I’ve been working on this. I find myself to be less judgmental, and over all more friendly. It is interesting how a little research and much thought can change things so much. Not only have I been researching for the blog, but talking to people on social networking sites to learn about others.
One place where I have really found some friends (yeah I haven’t met them in person, but I would call them friends) is on Twitter. When I first made the Twitter account I made it my goal to talk to all types of people, different religions, different backgrounds. I’ve found the people I get along best with on this site are Atheists… That’s right, Atheists. At first I spent much of my time being offended that a majority of non-theists seemed to consider Christians, and people of other religions stupid, ignorant, hateful…the list of derogatory terms goes on and on.
After a few months I found out that it was all a reaction though. They were all nice to me, well a few weren’t, but a huge majority were. So I figured they were reacting to the way others treated them. It got me thinking, why is this group perceived as an immoral bunch of jerks? I just wasn’t seeing it. I did see debates, some got nasty, a friend of mine was actually called an abomination for being a homosexual. It made me hurt for him, and I could see why they fought back. Religion is dangerous, it’s been used to dominate, hurt, and cause hate throughout history. When done correctly it's not supposed to be like that, compassion is the key. This is not to say that Christians have the monopoly on morality. Morality transcends pretty much everything, religion included. Murderers, pedophiles, and evil people exist outside of religion, location, color, and sexual preference.
The religious people I know, whatever flavor, are usually kind, so I was taken aback by the behavior on the net. Christians calling out Atheists, Muslims, Pagans, and people of all sorts, just because of what? I had no clue why anyone would do that, that’s not really the way to show Christian love and compassion. Don’t get me wrong, I have talked to some awesome Christians on Twitter, but the mean ones are just so vocal, and horribly nasty.
I had assumed that it would be all about what shows people are watching, what they were having for diner, but most of what I see is arguing/debating. I have joined in on a few, trying to be a voice of Christian moderation, but it doesn’t always work. Some Atheists still just don’t like me, and of course that’s their perfect right. After years of being treated badly and told they are going to a Hell they don’t even believe in, they are leery to say the least. The amazing thing is how many people of my own faith tell me I’m not doing things right. They say I'm not right-wing enough, or that it's wrong to hope for marriage equality.
Really the main thought on this is to give people a chance, whatever side you are on. I would like to give props to the people on Twitter who have shown me a new way of looking at things, and who have been kind even when others weren’t. I have been irritated with a few conversations that have started out with people telling me I'm stupid for having faith, or that I don't value science or reality. The other end of that is fundies who butt in on conversations by telling non-believers that they are destined for Hell.
I hope my friends on Twitter keep fighting for compassion and equality. It is sad that it's not just the obvious thing, and it startles me that something as simple as a social site is such a battleground of political and religious opinion. Thank you out there in Twitterland for everything, and I hope to have many civil debates in the future, and conversations about slang in other countries :)
One place where I have really found some friends (yeah I haven’t met them in person, but I would call them friends) is on Twitter. When I first made the Twitter account I made it my goal to talk to all types of people, different religions, different backgrounds. I’ve found the people I get along best with on this site are Atheists… That’s right, Atheists. At first I spent much of my time being offended that a majority of non-theists seemed to consider Christians, and people of other religions stupid, ignorant, hateful…the list of derogatory terms goes on and on.
After a few months I found out that it was all a reaction though. They were all nice to me, well a few weren’t, but a huge majority were. So I figured they were reacting to the way others treated them. It got me thinking, why is this group perceived as an immoral bunch of jerks? I just wasn’t seeing it. I did see debates, some got nasty, a friend of mine was actually called an abomination for being a homosexual. It made me hurt for him, and I could see why they fought back. Religion is dangerous, it’s been used to dominate, hurt, and cause hate throughout history. When done correctly it's not supposed to be like that, compassion is the key. This is not to say that Christians have the monopoly on morality. Morality transcends pretty much everything, religion included. Murderers, pedophiles, and evil people exist outside of religion, location, color, and sexual preference.
The religious people I know, whatever flavor, are usually kind, so I was taken aback by the behavior on the net. Christians calling out Atheists, Muslims, Pagans, and people of all sorts, just because of what? I had no clue why anyone would do that, that’s not really the way to show Christian love and compassion. Don’t get me wrong, I have talked to some awesome Christians on Twitter, but the mean ones are just so vocal, and horribly nasty.
I had assumed that it would be all about what shows people are watching, what they were having for diner, but most of what I see is arguing/debating. I have joined in on a few, trying to be a voice of Christian moderation, but it doesn’t always work. Some Atheists still just don’t like me, and of course that’s their perfect right. After years of being treated badly and told they are going to a Hell they don’t even believe in, they are leery to say the least. The amazing thing is how many people of my own faith tell me I’m not doing things right. They say I'm not right-wing enough, or that it's wrong to hope for marriage equality.
Really the main thought on this is to give people a chance, whatever side you are on. I would like to give props to the people on Twitter who have shown me a new way of looking at things, and who have been kind even when others weren’t. I have been irritated with a few conversations that have started out with people telling me I'm stupid for having faith, or that I don't value science or reality. The other end of that is fundies who butt in on conversations by telling non-believers that they are destined for Hell.
I hope my friends on Twitter keep fighting for compassion and equality. It is sad that it's not just the obvious thing, and it startles me that something as simple as a social site is such a battleground of political and religious opinion. Thank you out there in Twitterland for everything, and I hope to have many civil debates in the future, and conversations about slang in other countries :)
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Why God Why? No seriously, I want an actual answer.
It has been a long time since we have written a blog, it has been a really hard few weeks, and we were very distracted. On March 14th a friend of mine, she was the girlfriend of my youngest brother in law, she died in a car wreck. She had been 18 for a month, upon receiving the news, after the denial, I decided God was a jerk. I know this sounds awful, and I am over feeling like that now, but I'll be honest, I blamed Him. I didn't understand how a beautiful wonderful girl like that could just die. It sounds silly because at my age is should be apparent that sometimes people die, but this one seemed especially brutal. My brother in law has grown into such a wonderful person that I just sort of expected life to come easy for him.
I have never lost a friend, I have had a few be fairly horrifically injured in car wrecks, but in the end they survived. The driver of the car, a girl I didn't know, was badly injured, the other 2 passengers were also injured, one minorly, the other fairly severely, but he is okay. I just keep thinking about this girl, who is barely 16, sitting in a hospital room, blaming herself. I guess I would too, but if we are honest with ourselves we all know that we have done silly things. I've sped, when I was a teenager I went 100 everywhere (not literally, but yeah, my speedometer hit 100 more than twice). I hate to think that this child has to carry this around with her for the rest of her life. I hope and pray that this girl gains some measure of comfort over time, and forgives herself.
In these situations why is such a common question, sadly there is NO answer, no one knows, if you are religious you have to believe that God had some motive or reasoning. If you aren't religious I don't know what you do. In my head right now though, there is NO reason, nothing at all can explain to me why things like this happen. Adding to this situation is stress in my home life, money problems, and school. I've gotten to the point where I just don't know what I'm doing anymore.
From anger, to prayer, to anger again, I get no answer. It's frustrating, I am struggling to continue believing that this will somehow work out for the better. One thing has helped me though, it is oddly a quote from Charlotte's Facebook page (the friend who passed away) I don't know where the quote came from, but it goes like this "Everything will be ok in the end, if it isn't ok, it isn't the end." Another quote off her page also struck me as poignant, it seemed oddly fitting in this situation "
I have never lost a friend, I have had a few be fairly horrifically injured in car wrecks, but in the end they survived. The driver of the car, a girl I didn't know, was badly injured, the other 2 passengers were also injured, one minorly, the other fairly severely, but he is okay. I just keep thinking about this girl, who is barely 16, sitting in a hospital room, blaming herself. I guess I would too, but if we are honest with ourselves we all know that we have done silly things. I've sped, when I was a teenager I went 100 everywhere (not literally, but yeah, my speedometer hit 100 more than twice). I hate to think that this child has to carry this around with her for the rest of her life. I hope and pray that this girl gains some measure of comfort over time, and forgives herself.
In these situations why is such a common question, sadly there is NO answer, no one knows, if you are religious you have to believe that God had some motive or reasoning. If you aren't religious I don't know what you do. In my head right now though, there is NO reason, nothing at all can explain to me why things like this happen. Adding to this situation is stress in my home life, money problems, and school. I've gotten to the point where I just don't know what I'm doing anymore.
From anger, to prayer, to anger again, I get no answer. It's frustrating, I am struggling to continue believing that this will somehow work out for the better. One thing has helped me though, it is oddly a quote from Charlotte's Facebook page (the friend who passed away) I don't know where the quote came from, but it goes like this "Everything will be ok in the end, if it isn't ok, it isn't the end." Another quote off her page also struck me as poignant, it seemed oddly fitting in this situation "
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Again I don't know where the original quote came from.
I really do think things will turn out okay, but at the moment I'm not at all enjoying the journey. If nothing else this death is a precautionary tale to show us all that we should let people know how we feel, and that death can happen at any time. Through my life I have frequently struggled with anger at God, my own idea that I am entitled to anything gets in my way. The fact is we are entitled to nothing, not money, not happiness, and not even life. It is all a gift, Atheist, Christian, Wiccan, or Jew, we all have the ability to help out others and make ourselves happy.
I know this blog is pretty scattered, but I am having a hard time organizing my ideas, thanks for staying with me. I hope things get better soon for everyone, I will be praying for it, and doing my best to add action to my prayers...
Thursday, March 1, 2012
The Devil Within, Part One
It starts with a frantic call from a friend. You doubt that it is anything serious, but you grab your Bible just in case. You rush to be with her. As you pull up into the drive way, there is a heaviness in the air that makes all the hairs on your neck stand up. You say a quick prayer, and open the car door. In the back of your mind, there is doubt. This kind of stuff only happens in movies, right? As you approach the house, the air around you grows heavier and heavier, and the need to turn tail and run grows stronger. Instead, up the stairs and to the porch you go, one stair after another. Your feet seem to grow heavier, as if they were slowly turning into concrete. You get to the front door, and peer through the front window. You can see that there is a circle of people gathered around a dear friend. You also hear what sounds like chanting. Maybe they were serious, could this really be happening?
You knock on the front door, and the echo startles you, and you mentally chastise yourself for getting so worked up. A man you barely know opens the door, and lets you in. The scene would be absolutely silly, if the air wasn't so oppressive. The friend who called is crying and praying aloud, which is odd because she never cries, and you have never seen her pray which is unnerving. There are more people sitting around in the circle with Bibles, crosses, and all of them are praying and crying. The reason why they're praying, the woman in the middle, is rocking back and forth with tears streaming down her face. Her skin is shiny with perspiration and the expression on her face is desperate and sad. As you watch, she vomits into a bucket, her back arching with the severity of her heaving.
The room smells of sweat and fear, you begin to believe that something you don't understand is going on. You approach the young woman and put a hand on her shoulder. She snaps her eyes toward you and gives you a look that makes your skin crawl. In the second that you meet her eyes, you begin to realize that you aren't looking at your friend anymore. There is someone, something, looking back at you. It chills the blood to look at her. The only thing you can think to do is to pull out your Bible, and start reading.
No, this isn't a scene from a low budget horror movie, this is a scene from real life. It may seem crazy to you, but things like this happen all the time. The real question is whether or not this is a possession, or a psychological disorder.
Modern cinema is ripe with movies of haunting and possessions. Many claim to be true stories, but does this claim hold any weight? Due to recent experiences, we have decided that there are things out there that we do not understand, and perhaps we never really will.
Sara: "I don"t believe in ghosts, unlike some people. I believe in demons. I interpret scripture from the Bible to mean that people's souls usually don't hang out on Earth after they die."
Allie: "I am in agreement with Sara on the spirit thing. I don't believe in spirit possession, but I do believe that there are demons among us. I realize that this might make me absolutely insane. There are demons in this world, but if there are such beings, wouldn't that also mean that there are angels and God in this world as well?"
Saturday, February 11, 2012
A rant just for me
As most of my friends and family know, my daughter was baptised last weekend. I was, and am so very proud of her. If you aren't around her often let me tell you a few things about my little girl. She is strong willed, ornery, selfish (she is barely 6 though, so it's pretty normal), and hyper to the point of driving me insane. She is also kind, very funny, so very smart, and beautiful. I love her more than pretty much anything, her and Andrew pretty much tie. Recently when I started going back to church she was all for it. She wanted to hear out of the Bible every night, and shock... she wanted to act better because that is what God would want. Her behavior improved over the next few months, others may not see it, but it makes worlds of difference around here.
This change wasn't all her, since I had been away from the church, not just the church, but ignoring God for so long, my parenting was fairly lacking. I started to change too, no I'm not a great parent now, but I am getting better every day. Kaitlyn and Andrew are such a huge blessing, and I'm just sorry I didn't see Kaitlyn as one right from the beginning. Since she wasn't planned I failed to realize that she was still part of God's will for me, and I thank him every day.
Of course her baptism was marked with some drama. For about 3 days I was very angry about some of the people that didn't come. It amazed me that my newly Muslim friend showed up, it made my day in fact. I had to question though, why some other people weren't there. Kaitlyn asked about a few people, but I just said that they had to work (remember that I may not be specifically talking about you). I realized this was more my hurt feelings than hers though, and that these people didn't even know I was angry, so it was silly, and now forgiven, without them even knowing that there was a problem, and I guess that's best.
Matthew 18:21-22
21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
It's funny, in the years of drinking, partying, and not showing up to church at all, no one questioned my faith. In the past 2 months, since I started this blog, my faith has been called into question on an almost daily basis, whether on Twitter, or in real life. I say things that people assume mean that I am not a Christian, well let me tell you, I may not be the same type of Christian as you. As long as I believe in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit... As long as I believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, and died on the cross for our sins... As long as I believe that he rose again, and that the Holy Spirit lives in me, then how am I doing it wrong. I try to act right too, lets just throw that in there. If you knew me on the same level my friends know me, then you would see it.
This blog started one way, but why can't it change every now and then? Sometimes I can't research, our net has been down for almost a week. Sometimes Allie can't help me, and it's just a ton of work to do with school going on, not to mention having the kiddos :) I will continue to spend my time talking to Atheists on Twitter, not specifically to convert them, but because they give a unique perspective, and have intelligent debates. I hope to show them that most of the Christians I know aren't bigots, they are loving, caring, accepting people (not accepting of sin, but loving the person, and people always come with sin). I will continue to raise my kids to not hate anyone, and I hope they both grow up to be kind, compassionate people, who always do what they can to help others out.
Thanks again to everyone who came to the Baptism, and to everyone who couldn't make it, thank you for your prayers and the help you have given along the way <3
Psalms 8:2
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger
I struggled with the choice of letting Kaitlyn get baptised at such a young age, but she showed me that it was the right thing to do. She prays a lot, during the summer I told her that God answers prayers, I failed to mention that you don't always get what you want. My then 5 year old decided to dig up some grub worms one night, gross I know, it gets worse. She proceeded to take a bath with them that night, and all of her worms died. Kaitlyn cried, oh how she cried, then she prayed. I was about to go in to her room when I heard her say "Dear God can I please have some more grubbies". So I ended up digging up grub worms outside with my phone is a flashlight. In 30 minutes I had just found two, but that would have to do. I took them in to Kaitlyn, and she said "Wow, God works fast". To be honest I pulled a Moses, in my head I thought, hey, I got those worms, then she climbed down her bunk bed ladder and hugged me and said "God made you get me grubbies". Silly children and their ways of making you see things...
Sara Hatfield
This change wasn't all her, since I had been away from the church, not just the church, but ignoring God for so long, my parenting was fairly lacking. I started to change too, no I'm not a great parent now, but I am getting better every day. Kaitlyn and Andrew are such a huge blessing, and I'm just sorry I didn't see Kaitlyn as one right from the beginning. Since she wasn't planned I failed to realize that she was still part of God's will for me, and I thank him every day.
Of course her baptism was marked with some drama. For about 3 days I was very angry about some of the people that didn't come. It amazed me that my newly Muslim friend showed up, it made my day in fact. I had to question though, why some other people weren't there. Kaitlyn asked about a few people, but I just said that they had to work (remember that I may not be specifically talking about you). I realized this was more my hurt feelings than hers though, and that these people didn't even know I was angry, so it was silly, and now forgiven, without them even knowing that there was a problem, and I guess that's best.
Matthew 18:21-22
21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
It's funny, in the years of drinking, partying, and not showing up to church at all, no one questioned my faith. In the past 2 months, since I started this blog, my faith has been called into question on an almost daily basis, whether on Twitter, or in real life. I say things that people assume mean that I am not a Christian, well let me tell you, I may not be the same type of Christian as you. As long as I believe in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit... As long as I believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, and died on the cross for our sins... As long as I believe that he rose again, and that the Holy Spirit lives in me, then how am I doing it wrong. I try to act right too, lets just throw that in there. If you knew me on the same level my friends know me, then you would see it.
This blog started one way, but why can't it change every now and then? Sometimes I can't research, our net has been down for almost a week. Sometimes Allie can't help me, and it's just a ton of work to do with school going on, not to mention having the kiddos :) I will continue to spend my time talking to Atheists on Twitter, not specifically to convert them, but because they give a unique perspective, and have intelligent debates. I hope to show them that most of the Christians I know aren't bigots, they are loving, caring, accepting people (not accepting of sin, but loving the person, and people always come with sin). I will continue to raise my kids to not hate anyone, and I hope they both grow up to be kind, compassionate people, who always do what they can to help others out.
Thanks again to everyone who came to the Baptism, and to everyone who couldn't make it, thank you for your prayers and the help you have given along the way <3
Psalms 8:2
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger
I struggled with the choice of letting Kaitlyn get baptised at such a young age, but she showed me that it was the right thing to do. She prays a lot, during the summer I told her that God answers prayers, I failed to mention that you don't always get what you want. My then 5 year old decided to dig up some grub worms one night, gross I know, it gets worse. She proceeded to take a bath with them that night, and all of her worms died. Kaitlyn cried, oh how she cried, then she prayed. I was about to go in to her room when I heard her say "Dear God can I please have some more grubbies". So I ended up digging up grub worms outside with my phone is a flashlight. In 30 minutes I had just found two, but that would have to do. I took them in to Kaitlyn, and she said "Wow, God works fast". To be honest I pulled a Moses, in my head I thought, hey, I got those worms, then she climbed down her bunk bed ladder and hugged me and said "God made you get me grubbies". Silly children and their ways of making you see things...
Sara Hatfield
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Fundamentalism is a four letter word.
When we started this blog the goal was to show all different faiths in a (mostly) unbiased way. We have found that nearly impossible. Both of us identify as Christian, and it's very hard to separate that from what we read and see. Another thing we have found is that it is hard to write about something you aren't interested in, some religions are just more colorful than others. The last thing we discovered, and I guess we were fairly naive about it, is that Atheists and Fundamental Christians are fighting a very angry, and mostly pointless battle on the Internet. I have been following a diverse set of people on Twitter, I'm fairly new to it, but I wanted to see what kind of people were out there. I followed Atheists, LGBT activates, Fundamentalists, Muslims, Jews, and all sorts of other people. (Sara7133, if you want to follow mine). The fighting is fairly nasty, the folks from the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) tweet up a storm, and their tweets are as nasty as their signs. Tweets like this are very common from that set
Fred Phelps Quotes @FredPhelpsQuote
Now the sodomites have taken over America. There isn’t 1 politician that doesn’t jump every time a fag squeals. Maybe it's too late for USA.
Jonathan Phelps @GodShakes
More @US Army song: Hating God, cowards hearts, ziplock bags for body parts, and your Army goes marching to hell.
That isn't even scraping the surface of their insanity. Here is one from Godswordislaw, another evil person who has decided to embarrass Christianity.
Dr. Keith Roberts @GodsWordIsLaw
Christians are the founders of America and WE determine who gets rights in this country - and pervert homosexuals should not get any.
The other side isn't much better, it seems there are Atheist fundamentalists, and they are also pretty mean. The common belief among Atheists seems to be that Christians are stupid. It's just not true, just because the loudest Christians are ofter ignorant doesn't mean the rest of us are. I find it a little offensive, but the only way to prove it wrong is to calmly show them over time that you aren't dumb, and it does seem to take a lot of time.
Another atheist @kaimatai
Creationism died as a biological model 150 yrs ago, yet its brainless-tail keeps twitching today #atheist #atheism
Monica @Monicks
To be able to cling to your religious beliefs, you have to ignore science & facts—that's when you come across as an idiot. #atheism #atheist
The fact is that these fundamental Christians are scaring people away from Jesus. Muslim fundamentalists scare Americans, they make all Muslims look bad, but from personal experience I know that most Muslims aren't scary people. Once again though, the loudest are the scariest. Religion has a very dark side, Christians need to work as a group to dispel these attitudes, only when we start speaking kindly to those who believe differently will people see that fundamentalist are the exception, not the rule. People who are part of the LGBTQIA set seem to be common in the Atheist community, and are sometimes pretty angry. Of course they are, they are treated terribly, what do we expect? I might be angry if all through my life I had been considered a second class citizen, shoot, I'm still a little angry at how the Bible talks about women, but that's something I have been trying to sort out for years. Just because I don't like it, doesn't mean I don't believe it :)
Atheists, Muslims, Jews, Pagans, and Christians are all just people. We should all take them on a case by case basis, not as a whole. Twitter, Facebook, Google +, these seem to be the new battleground of faith. The problem is that you can't really get a good feel of how people are in real life on these sites. How can I tell sarcasm from sincere belief, unless you put the word in the message? People are also more bold online, it's easy to be loud when you remain in relative anonymity. The sad fact is that the rudeness and hate on these social forums won't end anytime soon, or ever...
Fred Phelps Quotes @FredPhelpsQuote
Now the sodomites have taken over America. There isn’t 1 politician that doesn’t jump every time a fag squeals. Maybe it's too late for USA.
Jonathan Phelps @GodShakes
More @US Army song: Hating God, cowards hearts, ziplock bags for body parts, and your Army goes marching to hell.
That isn't even scraping the surface of their insanity. Here is one from Godswordislaw, another evil person who has decided to embarrass Christianity.
Dr. Keith Roberts @GodsWordIsLaw
Christians are the founders of America and WE determine who gets rights in this country - and pervert homosexuals should not get any.
The other side isn't much better, it seems there are Atheist fundamentalists, and they are also pretty mean. The common belief among Atheists seems to be that Christians are stupid. It's just not true, just because the loudest Christians are ofter ignorant doesn't mean the rest of us are. I find it a little offensive, but the only way to prove it wrong is to calmly show them over time that you aren't dumb, and it does seem to take a lot of time.
Another atheist @kaimatai
Creationism died as a biological model 150 yrs ago, yet its brainless-tail keeps twitching today #atheist #atheism
Monica @Monicks
To be able to cling to your religious beliefs, you have to ignore science & facts—that's when you come across as an idiot. #atheism #atheist
The fact is that these fundamental Christians are scaring people away from Jesus. Muslim fundamentalists scare Americans, they make all Muslims look bad, but from personal experience I know that most Muslims aren't scary people. Once again though, the loudest are the scariest. Religion has a very dark side, Christians need to work as a group to dispel these attitudes, only when we start speaking kindly to those who believe differently will people see that fundamentalist are the exception, not the rule. People who are part of the LGBTQIA set seem to be common in the Atheist community, and are sometimes pretty angry. Of course they are, they are treated terribly, what do we expect? I might be angry if all through my life I had been considered a second class citizen, shoot, I'm still a little angry at how the Bible talks about women, but that's something I have been trying to sort out for years. Just because I don't like it, doesn't mean I don't believe it :)
Atheists, Muslims, Jews, Pagans, and Christians are all just people. We should all take them on a case by case basis, not as a whole. Twitter, Facebook, Google +, these seem to be the new battleground of faith. The problem is that you can't really get a good feel of how people are in real life on these sites. How can I tell sarcasm from sincere belief, unless you put the word in the message? People are also more bold online, it's easy to be loud when you remain in relative anonymity. The sad fact is that the rudeness and hate on these social forums won't end anytime soon, or ever...
What level Druid are you?
Druidry, or Druidism, is another form of Paganism. It is a nature based faith that is becoming fairly popular. I feel that in these times when the health of our home is in question, people are turning to faiths that show a reverence for nature. Pagan religions are perfect for this, especially Druidry. Druids can be monotheistic, polytheistic, or anything in between, they can also choose to not believe in any sort of Deity. Druidry is very old compared to some other Pagan beliefs, it started in Europe over 25000 years ago. Many Druids of the past were converted to Christianity. Their history is somewhat shady, not too much is known of them.
Christianity and Druidism are compatible, as it can be a philosophy as opposed to a faith. Some Pagans also combine it with Wicca, Buddhism, or Hinduism. Some monotheistic Druids worship the Christian God, thankful that he made animals, plants, and the wonders of nature.
There are many myths about Druids, like they have ritual killings. Many historians believe they actually practiced human sacrifice. It seems however that a prejudiced Julius Caesar recorded these stories, so this isn't believed to be accurate, however some sources would disagree. Other people through history have recorded the Druids sacrificing humans, they were burned to the deities on a wooden figure called a Wicker Man (now a terrible movie). Archaeological evidence has shown mass graves that where filled with human sacrifices. Recent findings show that old school Celtic Druids may have even practiced Cannibalism. Stonehenge is also believed to have been created by Druids. Stonehenge however is shown to be older than the beginning of Druidism, many rituals have been practiced there however.
It is hard to sort out the difference between Celtic Druidism, which is generally polytheistic, and the modern form of Druidry that can be Atheistic. Most sources don't really differentiate. They are both nature-centric, but the practice of all druids can vary greatly. Modern Druidry has some Gods, or personifications of nature, that are commonly believed in. The Green man is the God of, or personification of plants. The red man is the personification of, or God of, animals. Since modern Pagans are offshoots from Celtic paganism the history is the same.
This is the best link that someone sent to us for more information on Druidry.- http://druidry.org/
Christianity and Druidism are compatible, as it can be a philosophy as opposed to a faith. Some Pagans also combine it with Wicca, Buddhism, or Hinduism. Some monotheistic Druids worship the Christian God, thankful that he made animals, plants, and the wonders of nature.
There are many myths about Druids, like they have ritual killings. Many historians believe they actually practiced human sacrifice. It seems however that a prejudiced Julius Caesar recorded these stories, so this isn't believed to be accurate, however some sources would disagree. Other people through history have recorded the Druids sacrificing humans, they were burned to the deities on a wooden figure called a Wicker Man (now a terrible movie). Archaeological evidence has shown mass graves that where filled with human sacrifices. Recent findings show that old school Celtic Druids may have even practiced Cannibalism. Stonehenge is also believed to have been created by Druids. Stonehenge however is shown to be older than the beginning of Druidism, many rituals have been practiced there however.
It is hard to sort out the difference between Celtic Druidism, which is generally polytheistic, and the modern form of Druidry that can be Atheistic. Most sources don't really differentiate. They are both nature-centric, but the practice of all druids can vary greatly. Modern Druidry has some Gods, or personifications of nature, that are commonly believed in. The Green man is the God of, or personification of plants. The red man is the personification of, or God of, animals. Since modern Pagans are offshoots from Celtic paganism the history is the same.
This is the best link that someone sent to us for more information on Druidry.- http://druidry.org/
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Something Wiccan this way comes.
I guess we are going to start on a sort of series on paganism. Since I grew up in the Baptist church I was taught that witchcraft is possible one of the worst sins you could commit, that scared me away from Wicca, and other 'magic' practicing belief structures. This is all new to me, so bear with me. Allie has more experience in this area, so hopefully she can fill me in.
I guess we will start with Wicca since it's the most common. Let me start by saying that Wiccans aren't Satanists, as if this needs to be said anymore, but just to be sure (and Satanists don't worship Satan). Wiccans honor the Earth, and everything on it, their Holy days are in-line with nature. Wiccans do, however, practice a form of magic. The creation of Wicca is fairly new, the various branches of Wicca can be traced back to Gardnerian Witchcraft which was founded in the U.K. in the 1940's. Here are some basic beliefs.
Everyone has the divine (or goddess) within.
One should develop natural gifts for divination or occult magic (often spelled 'magick' by occultists.)
Divine forces or nature spirits are invoked in rituals.
The Goddess, as either a symbol or a real entity, is the focus of worship.
Nature and the earth are sacred manifestations of the Goddess.
Everyone has his or her own spiritual path to follow.
Rituals and celebrations are linked to the seasons and moon phases.
Meditation, visualization, invocation (calling on forces or gods/goddesses), chanting, burning candles and special rituals trigger a sense of the mystical, thus reinforcing the core belief system.
These seem to be accurate, but my research was done on the Internet, so I'm sure it is flawed :). There are many forms of Wicca, some choose to believe in one God/Goddess, both, or they can be polytheistic. Wicca can also be Atheistic, as in they believe that the Gods/Goddesses are symbolic of nature. As I see it one of the most misunderstood things about Wicca is the Pentagram symbol. When I was a child I noticed that it is was also the symbol for the Eastern Star portion of Masonry (I will study this further, but I just wanted to point it out). However in that form the star is upside down. I remember my childhood friends being terrified of this symbol. At a young age I read a book my Dad had on religion and realized that it was a symbol of blessing, when I tried to convince my Christian friends that it was not evil, they got angry at me. The Pentagram or Pentacle is also a symbol of protection, and can be carried much like Christian would carry a cross or rosary.
One of the issues with Paganism as a whole, and specifically Wicca, is that it was a 'flavor of the month' religion through much of the 90's. Teenage girls did it to piss of Daddy, people thought it made them enlightened or spiritual. When asked about their religion though, they had little knowledge. Me and Allie believe this belittled the religion as a whole, and it is still recovering from the image of being a passing craze.
One of the things we can all enjoy about Wiccans is their stance on the Golden Rule. http://www.wicca.com/celtic/wicca/rede.htm here is a website for the full Wiccan Rede. It states that you should harm no one, live and let live, and give back what you take. These are great principles for anyone.
As opposed to other religons Wicca seems to be fairly innocuous, which is always a good thing. They celebrate gender equality. Some feel homosexuality is an affront to the God/Goddess, although many others disagree. They don't have a book that is like the Bible to them, they have a few instructional books, but no main doctrine. They don't have a unified view on the after life, generally they believe in an after life... reincarnation, a Heaven type plain called the Summerland. Before they can go to the Summerland however they go to a purgatory like place, where their Karmic slate is wiped clean, then they can choose to enter Heaven, or be reincarnated (the Celtic tradition of Wicca). They are generally left wing affiliated. Like most things in the Wiccan faith, Abortion is pretty up in the air. Their believes are so varied from one type to the other, that it is hard to have any definitive answers.
These are just the basics, there are many facets of this religion, and in one Blog page it would be impossible to describe them all accurately.
Here are a few links
http://paganmurmur.blogspot.com/2011/11/10-things-about-wicca-that-wiccans.html
http://www.controverscial.com/The%2013%20Principles%20of%20Wiccan%20Belief.htm
http://www.wiccanbookofshadows.50megs.com/
I guess we will start with Wicca since it's the most common. Let me start by saying that Wiccans aren't Satanists, as if this needs to be said anymore, but just to be sure (and Satanists don't worship Satan). Wiccans honor the Earth, and everything on it, their Holy days are in-line with nature. Wiccans do, however, practice a form of magic. The creation of Wicca is fairly new, the various branches of Wicca can be traced back to Gardnerian Witchcraft which was founded in the U.K. in the 1940's. Here are some basic beliefs.
Everyone has the divine (or goddess) within.
One should develop natural gifts for divination or occult magic (often spelled 'magick' by occultists.)
Divine forces or nature spirits are invoked in rituals.
The Goddess, as either a symbol or a real entity, is the focus of worship.
Nature and the earth are sacred manifestations of the Goddess.
Everyone has his or her own spiritual path to follow.
Rituals and celebrations are linked to the seasons and moon phases.
Meditation, visualization, invocation (calling on forces or gods/goddesses), chanting, burning candles and special rituals trigger a sense of the mystical, thus reinforcing the core belief system.
These seem to be accurate, but my research was done on the Internet, so I'm sure it is flawed :). There are many forms of Wicca, some choose to believe in one God/Goddess, both, or they can be polytheistic. Wicca can also be Atheistic, as in they believe that the Gods/Goddesses are symbolic of nature. As I see it one of the most misunderstood things about Wicca is the Pentagram symbol. When I was a child I noticed that it is was also the symbol for the Eastern Star portion of Masonry (I will study this further, but I just wanted to point it out). However in that form the star is upside down. I remember my childhood friends being terrified of this symbol. At a young age I read a book my Dad had on religion and realized that it was a symbol of blessing, when I tried to convince my Christian friends that it was not evil, they got angry at me. The Pentagram or Pentacle is also a symbol of protection, and can be carried much like Christian would carry a cross or rosary.
One of the issues with Paganism as a whole, and specifically Wicca, is that it was a 'flavor of the month' religion through much of the 90's. Teenage girls did it to piss of Daddy, people thought it made them enlightened or spiritual. When asked about their religion though, they had little knowledge. Me and Allie believe this belittled the religion as a whole, and it is still recovering from the image of being a passing craze.
One of the things we can all enjoy about Wiccans is their stance on the Golden Rule. http://www.wicca.com/celtic/wicca/rede.htm here is a website for the full Wiccan Rede. It states that you should harm no one, live and let live, and give back what you take. These are great principles for anyone.
As opposed to other religons Wicca seems to be fairly innocuous, which is always a good thing. They celebrate gender equality. Some feel homosexuality is an affront to the God/Goddess, although many others disagree. They don't have a book that is like the Bible to them, they have a few instructional books, but no main doctrine. They don't have a unified view on the after life, generally they believe in an after life... reincarnation, a Heaven type plain called the Summerland. Before they can go to the Summerland however they go to a purgatory like place, where their Karmic slate is wiped clean, then they can choose to enter Heaven, or be reincarnated (the Celtic tradition of Wicca). They are generally left wing affiliated. Like most things in the Wiccan faith, Abortion is pretty up in the air. Their believes are so varied from one type to the other, that it is hard to have any definitive answers.
These are just the basics, there are many facets of this religion, and in one Blog page it would be impossible to describe them all accurately.
Here are a few links
http://paganmurmur.blogspot.com/2011/11/10-things-about-wicca-that-wiccans.html
http://www.controverscial.com/The%2013%20Principles%20of%20Wiccan%20Belief.htm
http://www.wiccanbookofshadows.50megs.com/
Friday, January 6, 2012
LGBT and some other letters.
Homosexuals getting married seems to be the new 'it' topic. I just don't get why this is a problem. It is silly to be against religious law systems like Shariah Law, or Cannon Law, and then try to legislate your Christian morals. Let's face it folks, not everyone is Christian, nor would that make things any better, judging from the way some Christians act. It hurts me to think that this kind of ridiculous bigotry is still going on. I don't know, couldn't we try just not having a whipping boy for a little while, maybe take responsibility for your own faults. What I mean by that is that people like Glen Beck, Rick Santorum, and other public fixtures blame same-sex marriage for destroying hetero marriages. HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE???
I don't think you should EVER use your religion as a stepping stone to attain moral high ground (that you probably don't deserve anyway). This should certainly be the case if you are running for president. If your marriage is failing lets go blame a gay person, that will help. It seems like the Republicans this year are debating over who can be the biggest bigot. It's sad to me, I'm a Republican, I want to have respect for the nominees, but I just can't muster any this go round.
This issue is bordering on a national obsession, are peoples lives so boring that they have resorted to hate as entertainment. If it disgusts you to think about 2 men having sex, then don't think about it. It hurts me to think about the pain it must cause when people say it's wrong for you to be with the one you love. It bothers me to think about some of my gay friends, who would be great parents, not being allowed to adopt.
Here is a great website from the LGBT community http://www.goodasgay.com
and then there is insanity like this http://christiansforamoralamerica.blogspot.com/2012/01/gaystapo-is-coming-for-our-churches.html What the heck dude, and who coined the phrase gaystapo... stupid, just stupid.
It surprises me that some Atheists are even on this bandwagon. I certainly don't get that, but here you go... http://news.change.org/stories/atheists-against-gay-marriage
For the Christians among us, and everyone else, here are some Bible verses about love... Note that none of them say except gay people, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, women who have abortions, or Liberals.
Matthew 5:43-44
43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
I'm not saying I agree with everything in this article, but I liked it http://www.believeoutloud.com/boltoday/20110928/top-5-questions-with-answers-lgbt-acceptance
This one is long (same as above, I'm not saying I'm in full agreement, but it adds some perspective http://www.believeoutloud.com/boltoday/20111230/clobbering-biblical-gay-bashing
I guess what I am trying to say is that above all show love. No matter who or what you are, it's your best bet. If you can't muster up love, do what grandma said. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.
A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.
Mohandas Gandhi
It is easy enough to be friendly to one’s friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business.
Mohandas Gandhi
I don't think you should EVER use your religion as a stepping stone to attain moral high ground (that you probably don't deserve anyway). This should certainly be the case if you are running for president. If your marriage is failing lets go blame a gay person, that will help. It seems like the Republicans this year are debating over who can be the biggest bigot. It's sad to me, I'm a Republican, I want to have respect for the nominees, but I just can't muster any this go round.
This issue is bordering on a national obsession, are peoples lives so boring that they have resorted to hate as entertainment. If it disgusts you to think about 2 men having sex, then don't think about it. It hurts me to think about the pain it must cause when people say it's wrong for you to be with the one you love. It bothers me to think about some of my gay friends, who would be great parents, not being allowed to adopt.
Here is a great website from the LGBT community http://www.goodasgay.com
and then there is insanity like this http://christiansforamoralamerica.blogspot.com/2012/01/gaystapo-is-coming-for-our-churches.html What the heck dude, and who coined the phrase gaystapo... stupid, just stupid.
It surprises me that some Atheists are even on this bandwagon. I certainly don't get that, but here you go... http://news.change.org/stories/atheists-against-gay-marriage
For the Christians among us, and everyone else, here are some Bible verses about love... Note that none of them say except gay people, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, women who have abortions, or Liberals.
Matthew 5:43-44
43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
I'm not saying I agree with everything in this article, but I liked it http://www.believeoutloud.com/boltoday/20110928/top-5-questions-with-answers-lgbt-acceptance
This one is long (same as above, I'm not saying I'm in full agreement, but it adds some perspective http://www.believeoutloud.com/boltoday/20111230/clobbering-biblical-gay-bashing
I guess what I am trying to say is that above all show love. No matter who or what you are, it's your best bet. If you can't muster up love, do what grandma said. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.
A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.
Mohandas Gandhi
It is easy enough to be friendly to one’s friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business.
Mohandas Gandhi
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
A hard topic
One topic that most people don't like to deal with is abortion. However it is one of the major selling points of any presidential hopeful. I just don't understand how you can stand on a podium and tell someone that what they are doing is evil, and that God hates them, when you don't know any of the facts. For a man to stand up and say it is even worse because lets face it, child rearing still falls mainly on the female, and certainly the 1st 9 months are her problem. I understand that abortion in most cases is not the best alternative, but can't people handle this better.
How much time did Jesus spend picketing, I'm sure if he were alive today he wouldn't be standing outside of a clinic with disgusting pictures of aborted babies on signs. I think that Moses, Abraham, Muhammad, and any other prophet had better things to do. Maybe instead of holding up hateful signs you should offer the woman entering the clinic financial help, maybe you could offer to adopt the child. I know some people aren't in a position to do this, but could you buy her a cup of coffee, or offer a shoulder to cry on after her procedure. In most cases the woman didn't want an abortion, she saw it as her only way out.
Obviously sometimes an abortion is called for, in cases of tubal pregnancy, or other life threatening emergencies. Sometimes a woman who has been on fertility treatments gets pregnant with 6+ babies, now some families can handle this, but to insure the best outcome for the children sometimes the doctors do a selective abortion.
One of the more controversial reasons for abortion is cases of mental/physical defect. Me and Allie have spent much time working in group homes for the handicapped. The stories the higher functioning residents can tell you will terrify you. Stories of rape, beatings, and starvation are the lighter stories. Some residents I have talked to were tied to a bed in their own feces for days, and subsequently had to have the maggots flushed from their bedsores. These are just the stories that the residents who can talk will tell you, one of the girls I worked with clawed her own eyes out, but she was non-verbal, so who knows what happened. I understand that some, maybe most people with a mental handicap don't live this kind of life, at least I hope they don't. In some cases the child may have no chance to ever have a life without pain or suffering, in cases such as Tay Sachs, anencephaly, or trisomy 13. I don't know if I could have an abortion under these circumstances but I could certainly understand why a woman would choose that route.
The other case that sometimes makes people accept abortion is rape or incest. In these cases I believe that it is atrocious to tell a woman she is evil for not being able to deal with a pregnancy. Not to mention raising the baby if she doesn't opt for adoption. In cases of incest the woman may fear deformity or retardation, with rape they may fear that the child will have the same tendencies. Maybe she just doesn't want to look down every day and see growing evidence of what she went through. Or they may hate their child, what if he/she looks like their father. If they opt for adoption they will have a life of wondering where their child is now, did they do the best thing? No one can judge, not even if they have been in that situation, every case is different. The last thing a victim needs is people piling hate on them, save that for the rapist.
I believe that a baby is a person as soon as it implants, before that an IUD or the Plan B pill will take care of the problem. Some even see these options as abortion. I can't argue with them, but I can say that it doesn't help to be mean, hate seldom changes minds. Understanding, better use of birth control, sexual education, education on abstinence, and counseling are way better tactics. (Noticed I didn't say abstinence alone, if you think that works you weren't a normal teenager).
Hopefully in the next few weeks we can attend a few churches and get back to the basics. On Easter we will be attending Jimmy Swaggart's church in Baton Rouge for Camp Meeting, that should be an interesting one :) Sorry we got off track, it's been a busy few weeks...
How much time did Jesus spend picketing, I'm sure if he were alive today he wouldn't be standing outside of a clinic with disgusting pictures of aborted babies on signs. I think that Moses, Abraham, Muhammad, and any other prophet had better things to do. Maybe instead of holding up hateful signs you should offer the woman entering the clinic financial help, maybe you could offer to adopt the child. I know some people aren't in a position to do this, but could you buy her a cup of coffee, or offer a shoulder to cry on after her procedure. In most cases the woman didn't want an abortion, she saw it as her only way out.
Obviously sometimes an abortion is called for, in cases of tubal pregnancy, or other life threatening emergencies. Sometimes a woman who has been on fertility treatments gets pregnant with 6+ babies, now some families can handle this, but to insure the best outcome for the children sometimes the doctors do a selective abortion.
One of the more controversial reasons for abortion is cases of mental/physical defect. Me and Allie have spent much time working in group homes for the handicapped. The stories the higher functioning residents can tell you will terrify you. Stories of rape, beatings, and starvation are the lighter stories. Some residents I have talked to were tied to a bed in their own feces for days, and subsequently had to have the maggots flushed from their bedsores. These are just the stories that the residents who can talk will tell you, one of the girls I worked with clawed her own eyes out, but she was non-verbal, so who knows what happened. I understand that some, maybe most people with a mental handicap don't live this kind of life, at least I hope they don't. In some cases the child may have no chance to ever have a life without pain or suffering, in cases such as Tay Sachs, anencephaly, or trisomy 13. I don't know if I could have an abortion under these circumstances but I could certainly understand why a woman would choose that route.
The other case that sometimes makes people accept abortion is rape or incest. In these cases I believe that it is atrocious to tell a woman she is evil for not being able to deal with a pregnancy. Not to mention raising the baby if she doesn't opt for adoption. In cases of incest the woman may fear deformity or retardation, with rape they may fear that the child will have the same tendencies. Maybe she just doesn't want to look down every day and see growing evidence of what she went through. Or they may hate their child, what if he/she looks like their father. If they opt for adoption they will have a life of wondering where their child is now, did they do the best thing? No one can judge, not even if they have been in that situation, every case is different. The last thing a victim needs is people piling hate on them, save that for the rapist.
I believe that a baby is a person as soon as it implants, before that an IUD or the Plan B pill will take care of the problem. Some even see these options as abortion. I can't argue with them, but I can say that it doesn't help to be mean, hate seldom changes minds. Understanding, better use of birth control, sexual education, education on abstinence, and counseling are way better tactics. (Noticed I didn't say abstinence alone, if you think that works you weren't a normal teenager).
Hopefully in the next few weeks we can attend a few churches and get back to the basics. On Easter we will be attending Jimmy Swaggart's church in Baton Rouge for Camp Meeting, that should be an interesting one :) Sorry we got off track, it's been a busy few weeks...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)