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
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