Misplaced Christianity

I'm feeling a bit like a grouchy old fart tonight.

I went to my daughters orchestra concert tonight, and it was awesome as usual. At least, right up to the end...

The director informed us they were going to play and the audience could sing along. Here I'm thinking something cute like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or Jingle Bells.

Instead, it was a medley of four songs about Jesus.

Seriously?

Now I realize that the christians all want to claim this time of year for themselves, and I have heard all of the arguments so please don't waste your time crying to me about the holiday. I understand your position.

My position is that I am not a christian, and I don't wish to have your religion shoved down my throat at a concert unless, of course, I know it's going to specifically be a christian concert.

Now I'm a very tolerant atheist. I don't mind if you call the holiday Christmas, or the tree a Christmas tree. I don't mind christmas carols, or christmas movies with religious themes to them, etc...

But tonight my tolerance was really pushed to the edge when the audience broke out into song as if I were in a church. I've never in my life felt as offended as I did tonight. And for me, that's rare.

Before you get all high and mighty I want you to stop and think for a minute if you were made to stand in an auditorium and made to listen to everyone around you sing about satan, or Allah, or perhaps something else you found distasteful.

If I attend a church ceremony I expect to hear christian music, if I watch a christmas movie I expect to hear christmas music and be exposed to a christian theme. Heck, tonight I even expected to hear the typical songs of christmas being played. What caught me off guard, was for the director to actually have the audience start belting out tunes to worship Jesus.

I'm just saying... It made me feel dang uncomfortable and I really did not appreciate the unexpected turn of events.

Am I going to raise a big stink about it, and act like many atheist jerks would? No, because I'm above that sort of childish type of actions.

Will I vent on my blog about it though? You betcha!

Would love to hear your thoughts on this as long as they are not going to be how wrong I am and that I should just suck-it-up because christianity is the only religion on the planet.

Why Are We Here?

Life is an interesting thing to ponder. Not only the lives of human beings, but animals as well.

What is it that drives us to go on day after day?

Animals have an instinct for survival, they really don't sit and wonder why they are here. They live day to day eating, drinking, breeding and fighting without really giving it much thought.

People, on the other hand, go beyond instincts. Perhaps it is our intelligence that has helped us cope with questioning our place on this planet, or allowed us to create mental shields to prevent insanity to creep in if we do.

When civilization was young we had the ability to wonder why we were here, but no knowledge to answer such a cosmic question. As humans formed into groups to enhance their chance of survival, there had to be pressure for their leaders to explain the mysteries of life.

Science was way out of the grasp of these ancient wisemen, yet they needed an answer for their followers.

Enter religion.

The leaders of the ancient cultures came up with the only answers they could, they made stuff up. Tales abound throughout history of all manner of gods, goddesses, and other spiritial beings in an effort by man to explain the unexplainable.

These stories were told for so long that they were believed to be true. After all, the wisemen and leaders of mankind would not lie to their people.

We now know that the Sun and the Moon do not rise and fall at the whim of the gods. Our weather is not controlled by sacrafices, and people do not get sick because the spirits are angry.

Many of you who are with me so far are about to tune me out, get upset, and maybe even stop reading.

People have been under the influence of religion for so long and believe in these stories so strongly that they are willing to kill, and die, for these creations of ancient man.

We no longer fear the biological events that once demanded an explanation, yet society still cannot accept the fact that human beings are in control of their own lives and nothing more.

It seems to me that the next logical step is for people to realize that there is no supreme being guiding their lives and determining their destiny. This is already starting to happen.

Unfortunately, before many people will arrive at what to me is an obvious conclusion, they will bounce around to other religions trying to discover something that is not there.

If you're still reading and have not ran away screaming "Blasphemere!", then at the very least you are thinking I don't know what I'm talking about.

I think your anger and denial is preventing you from seeing the truth in what I say. Think about your belief system and compare it to all the other religions of the world, old and new. Can you say with a clear conscience that your belief is the only true one and all the rest are made up?

Why then are we here on this planet if not for some divine purpose? Alien experiments I tell you!

We're here because that is how we evolved, nothing more, nothing less. We just happen to be a species that was lucky enough to make it to a position near the top of the food chain. It's our intelect that got us where we are today, just like it was our intelect that helped us cope with scary questions thousands of years ago.

Since we are no longer afraid of the dark, it's time more of you step into the light and drop silly superstitions.

Belief #2 - Power of Prayer

As I study various religions throughout the world, there are many things that seem to be consistent with all of them. The obvious one tends to be that their religion is the only way, and all others are doing it wrong. The second most common thread is that of prayer.

Each religion calls it something different, or goes about it in unique ways, but when it comes right down to it, whether your chanting, dancing, singing, or speaking to your god/goddess, you are attempting to tap into some unseen mystical force to affect a change. For this article I will call any of these ways various religions use to join their thoughts together as prayer.

It’s interesting to me that all religions have the belief that there is some invisible energy that they know is out there, but they can’t explain. They know that if they all get together and think the same thing that sometimes they can make a difference. Or can they?

Unless you’re living under a rock, you have heard about the power of prayer. Are we really affecting things with prayers? Can we change our lives, or the lives of others, through some intangible force of nature? My thinking is not really.

What prayer does for people is gives them hope. Prayer provides the necessary vehicle to focus our subconscious mind on the good things in life. By praying we bring those things to the forefront that we want to occur in our lives, and push the bad thoughts deeper down inside of us.

When a large group of people gather together, and all pray for the same thing, it reinforces these thoughts and strengthens the belief that whatever is being prayed for will happen. It’s the old saying that there is strength in numbers.

The human mind is both weak and powerful. Its weakness comes from the susceptibility to be influenced and controlled subconsciously. Things happen to us daily that change our actions. Bad habits are formed from our inability to sometimes control our own actions. The power of our minds pretty much comes from the same source. It is our subconscious that keeps us safe, and throws up warning flags when danger rears its ugly head.

The subconscious, a curse, and a blessing..

A lot of what we do is based on instructions received from our subconscious while our minds are on autopilot.

This is why placing a message to yourself someplace that you will see it every day, such as on the bathroom mirror, is the method used by many to obtain their goals. Reading this message several times a day will implant it into your subconscious so that unknowingly to you, your mind begins working behind the scenes to make happen what you are trying to achieve.

We can pray for someone to get better, but the plain truth is, we’re not helping him or her a bit unless they are actually in the room hearing our prayers. If they are present, all of the emotional and positive thoughts may very well improve their ability to heal. Not by some religious force, but by affecting their subconscious and strengthening their belief in their own ability to get better.

Sometimes the physical ailments are beyond our prayers, and no matter the amount of soul strengthening our prayers do, the person will not get better. It isn’t because God does not care, it’s because the sick person cannot fight the ailment mentally.

Doing a dance to the gods so that rain will come, or the crops will grow, will never work. If it rains soon after the dance, we will assume our prayers were answered. If the rain stays away, then the gods must be angry. Our prayers cannot affect the weather, because it has no subconscious to affect. It simply is nature, and will flow as it was designed, and not by the whim of a bunch of scantily clad loonies prancing about a campfire.

In order for prayer to work, and in this I mean the subconscious altering power of it, there needs to be a strong belief and a focus. In the Christian faith, that focus is God, and his son Jesus. Because everyone has the belief that God is real, and a part of them, they all focus their collective prayers onto God. This strengthens their focus, and gives everyone a central conduit through which to channel their emotions.

Wiccans know that there needs to be a focus also. It’s interesting that in the Wiccan faith they will tell you they believe in a god and a goddess, but it seems to me that they don’t really believe in this the same as Christians. To Christians, God is a real entity, floating somewhere in the heavens and playing with our lives here on Earth.

To a Wiccan, the god and goddess represent the Yin and the Yang, male and female, the basics of the natural order of things. Many Wiccans pick and choose which god or goddess to focus their energies and prayers to. It could be Thor, the god of thunder from Norse mythology, or it could be Isis, the goddess of love from Egyptian mythology. Which god or goddess is not the point of the exercise, it’s merely a means to the end result.

For a Wiccan, it’s the focus of the prayer, not so much that they think that Isis is really sitting on a cloud listening to the prayer. In this respect, Wiccans are not fooling themselves into thinking there is some mystical being that controls our lives.

I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it in the future. It amazes me that followers of a religion can laugh at other religions, such as the old Greek or Native American religions, yet steadfastly believe that their mystical hocus pocus belief is real. The truth is, in another couple hundred years I believe that most of the religious hold outs today will be forgotten and amused about over a dinner table in the future.

So belief #2 is The Power of Prayer. I believe that there is indeed power in prayer. The power to help each other through hard times, the power to achieve a strong focus on the positive things in life while moving the negative things into a lesser spot in our subconscious minds. Prayer is a good thing, and it should be embraced and used whether or not you believe in a higher power.

It’s more important to believe in yourself, and in the goodness of those around you. If you require a focus to strengthen your belief, then utilize the one that works for you. Whether it is God, Jesus, Thor or Isis, choose a focus you are comfortable with.

Belief #1 - An it harm none, do what you will

This is the first article in an attempt to lay the groundwork for my beliefs. Because I enjoy discussing religion and other belief systems, many people want to know just where exactly I stand in this whole religion thing.

So here it goes.

As you follow along with this article, and those that will certainly follow, you will discover that my beliefs are not necessarily anything new. In fact, many religions cover the same ground. The big difference is, that I have yet to find one single religion that believes exactly as I do.

Many religions tend to clutter up their basic edicts with all manner of ceremony and mysticism. They focus on telling you why you should believe as they believe, instead of why they believe what they believe.

Organized religions are structured for the purpose of gaining members, and keeping them. Many religious folks have a kind and trusting heart, and truly believe they are keeping with their faith by being good little sheep. After a while, these people are so conditioned to follow that they stop thinking about it.

Let’s pick on the Christian religion for a bit. Not because there is anything wrong with it, but because it will reach the most people for the discussion.

Many Christians are Christians because that is what the majority of the people in our country believe. Their family has Christian roots, and going to church is what they have always done. You’re taught early on that you don’t dare question your faith or you’ll be on an elevator ride to hell.

I talk with Christians and find out that they have dedicated their lives to Christianity, gone to church all their lives, and are shocked by anyone who is not Christian themselves. They have memorized Bible verses, volunteered for good causes, and pray at the dinner table.

Then, I start asking basic questions about their religion, such as, “Do you know how the Bible was written? Who wrote it, and where it came from?”

Very few people can answer that question, yet they will beat you over the head with it as if it is written in stone. If you truly research how the Bible was written and translated, it would scare the snot out of you.

Don’t get me started with the somewhat darker parts of the Bible. Go to the “Forums” on this web site if you’d like to really know some interesting things that the Bible says.

As usual, I’m digressing in a big way. I can’t help myself sometimes. Let’s get back on track.

The point to the past few paragraphs is that religions tend to overindulge with a lot of extra clutter. Many of them also come from a time that is so old that it takes years just to understand most of it. We hire other people to try and explain the teachings from a long time ago, and put some modern perspective on the whole thing.

When the day is done, we find as many different interpretations to religious history as there are people doing the interpreting. Yet the guy you follow on Sunday knows just how it is. Praise the Lord, and pass the Kool-Aid!

I have elected to not buy into the organized religious route. My belief is in myself, and my ability to think independently. Sure I listen to what others have to say, I read the Bible, and I learn what I can from the religious world around me. Then, now here’s the real clincher, I make up my own mind about who to follow and what to believe.

That being said, belief #1 comes to us from the Wiccan religion, and in a lot of ways from many other religions as well. Am I Wiccan? Hardly, I just feel that the Wiccans have summed it up nicely. Straight and to the point.

Belief #1 – An it harm none, do what you will.

What this is saying, is you can do anything you'd like, believe anything you wish, just don't hurt anyone else in the process.

This is central to my belief, and the foundation on which all other parts of my belief system are firmly built. You could say that it goes hand-in-hand with freedom. With belief #1, there is no need to explain that people have certain freedoms.

Lincoln said it best, "That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

This first belief does not conflict with the Christian teachings many of us have been raised on. Unless of course you’re somewhat fanatical in your Christianity and believe that if you’re not Christian, then you need to die.

So there it is, belief #1. Any thoughts on this first volley into my religious outlook on life? I’d love to read your thoughts.

Generally Speaking

You should know that I am not a religious man. Not in the context of any organized religion anyway. On the other hand, I am not an anti-religious man. Throughout history religion has played a major part in each race or people, and each country where human beings have sprung. I recognize its existence, and the role it plays in our society.

Recently, Lt. Gen. William G. “Jerry” Boykin has been placed in the spotlight based on some comments he made at church. What do I think about this?

In the military we are taught that we do not wear our uniforms to any organization or function we attend so that it does not give the appearance that the military is endorsing such a gathering. In fact, we are even discouraged from wearing our uniform outside the performance of our normal duties. For example, you don’t go to the mall in your uniform on the weekends to shop.

As with most things I comment on, I have not done a weeklong in-depth research into all of the facts of this case. My opinions spring from basically what I know by listening to the radio, watching the news, and reading brief news articles on the subjects. That being said, I’m not sure if the General wears his uniform to a civilian church, or to a church on a military base.

Now that I think about it, this should not be the issue either. The problem as I see it, is not that the general spoke his mind, based on his faith and belief system, or even that he slammed another religious belief in the process. The big problem is that he did it in uniform, and as a general. If he was talking wearing a suit and tie, this would have gone nowhere, but he was wearing a symbol of our country, and preaching against another religion in that uniform.

Every Sunday many military folks attend church, and say things like, “Lord please help bring our military home safely.” Some may even say, “watch over our military and protect them in their duty.” These comments are fine, and welcome in the spiritual uplifting that they provide to friends and family that hold the same belief system.

To quote Uncle Ben, “With great power comes great responsibility”. A general of the United States has great power, and great responsibility. Just as a political leader has to be careful what they say, how they say it, and to whom they say things, a general does as well.

Wearing of the uniform is not something you parade around in to impress people. You should not go into church in uniform so that everyone at church knows you’re a general too. A suit would be more appropriate in a civilian church setting on a day-to-day basis. Especially if you’re going to climb up on the soapbox and start preaching with a big dose of political commentary mixed in.

There is freedom of speech in this country, and that’s not what this is about. He has not been told he cannot speak his mind, or do so at church. Again, the issue was that he was doing so as a general of the United States military by wearing his uniform. This is wrong. And again, not wrong because he wore his uniform to church, but wrong because he began speaking about issues that can inflame a current situation.

Despite what Christians may think, there are many U.S. service men and women who are not Christian. I was one of them. Occasionally things would come out like Bible study after work, or praying in some meeting that would make me a little uncomfortable. If you start allowing leaders to attempt to rally their troops based on Christian teachings, eventually those troops are going to start feeling just as divided as the country does.

In the military we all shave our heads and wear the same uniform for a reason, so that we are all one big happy team. Start dividing that team by race, sex, or religion, and you will have a big mess on your hands.

If a general stood in a mosque, in uniform, and began telling of the joys of Allah we’d string him up big time. Or perhaps a general may stand up and pray to the goddess for strength and end the prayer with blessed be. How would you react then? Don’t whip out the, “well our founding fathers B.S.” either until you have read most of my articles on this site.

As I have mentioned time and again in my writings, we must be careful where religion is brought into the mix. Unfortunately, many of the Christian faith have not left the crusades behind them, and still believe that because they believe, the rest of the world should too.

One Nation Under Buddha?

The pledge of allegiance is back in the news for having the words “under God” as a part of its makeup. This time, the case is being brought before the highest court in our land.

If you do a search on this web sight you will find that I have covered this topic on a few occasions. It seems that the time has come to cover this once again.

Before I get into it, let me first submit a few questions for you to think over. Please answer the following questions honestly to yourself.

1. Is the United States of America founded on the principles of freedom for all?

2. Does the first amendment of the Constitution of the United States say, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;...”?

3. Would you be offended if your children had to pledge their allegiance to our flag as one nation under Buddha?

If your answer was yes to these three questions, then you must surely see that having every child in school swear allegiance to our flag under God is not respecting everyone’s beliefs. How could you not?

I would rather change the pledge back to its previous form before it was forced to be changed by a religious group in 1954, so that all may pledge their allegiance without concern that they are also pledging allegiance to God.

You read that last paragraph correctly. The “under God” part of the pledge was only added in 1954. So all of you nut jobs that think it was something we have been saying since 1776 need to get a reality check.

I’ve heard Senator’s saying crap like, "Our Founding Fathers must be spinning in their graves. This is the worst kind of political correctness run amok, …" – Sen. Kit Bond, R-Missouri

As I have shown in previous articles, our founding fathers were not proponents of a government in which God was prominently a part. In fact, I recently found this interesting quote from a Baptist preacher who wrote about the proper relationship between church and government. John Leland (1754-1841) agreed with Thomas Jefferson’s and James Madison’s view on religion and the government. The following is an excerpt from a July 4th oration on July 5th 1802.

“. . . Disdain mean suspicion, but cherish manly jealousy; be always jealous of your liberty, your rights. Nip the first bud of intrusion on your constitution. Be not devoted to men; let measures be your object, and estimate men according to the measures they pursue. Never promote men who seek after a state-established religion; it is spiritual tyranny--the worst of despotism. It is turnpiking the way to heaven by human law, in order to establish ministerial gates to collect toll. It converts religion into a principle of state policy, and the gospel into merchandise. Heaven forbids the bans of marriage between church and state; their embraces therefore, must be unlawful. Guard against those men who make a great noise about religion, in choosing representatives. It is electioneering. If they knew the nature and worth of religion, they would not debauch it to such shameful purposes. If pure religion is the criterion to denominate candidates, those who make a noise about it must be rejected; for their wrangle about it, proves that they are void of it. Let honesty, talents and quick dispatch, characterize the men of your choice. Such men will have a sympathy with their constituents, and will be willing to come to the light, that their deeds may be examined. . . .”

This is just one of many such views on the same subject. Our founding fathers fled religious persecution in England. Heck, many of our immigrants from the time this country was founded have arrived here for the very same reason. Religious freedom! This same reason is what continues to draw many people to this country.

Now, suddenly, Christians think they own this country, and its laws, and scream holy hell if someone tries to level the playing field. The fact is you zealots, you don’t own this country, or its laws, or the rest of us who live here and don’t believe as you do.

As I have said in the past, it’s the religious freedom that we are fighting for that will ensure that Christians will also be allowed to practice their religion unmolested however they choose. But when you start trying to shove it down the throats of people who do not believe as you do, then you cease to be good examples of your faith, and instead show the ugliness of humanity that people gather in spiritual groups to avoid.

I welcome your comments, and better yet, meet me in the forums and we can discuss your views if they conflict with mine. I welcome an opportunity to discuss this matter further.

A large part of living in this world in peace comes from the end of our pledge, which states, “indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Halloween, A Religious Holiday?

Ever since I could remember there have been people that have claimed that Halloween was really about worshiping evil, and should be condemned. They don’t celebrate it, they scoff at those who do, and they generally like to make you feel like you’re a bad person for doing so. Luckily not all people feel this way; many have Halloween parties and activities.

Is Halloween about devil worship? Is it a holiday for witches? Do the dead walk the Earth? Time to set the record straight about just exactly what Halloween is, and I think it will surprise you…

Since the United States is such a young country compared to the rest of the world, many of our holidays started long ago in countries far away. Halloween is no different. Far as I can tell, it began as a Celtic tradition.

The ancient Celts celebrated the years harvest and end of summer on October 31st. The harvest festival is called, Samhain (sow-en), to ring in the Celtic New Year. Since this was also the time when the sun was losing its hold in the Northern hemisphere, and winter was coming on, superstitions called for this night as the time when the veil between the world of the dead, and the world of the living, was at its weakest.

Festivities for the harvest during the day turned to protecting themselves from the dead at night.

People would put out the fires in their homes so that the dead would not be attracted to their house. They would instead build large bon fires on the hill tops to honor the sun, and possibly to attract the wandering souls to the bon-fires and away from their villages.

It was no holiday for children, but adults would dress up as spirits to scare way other spirits that walked the Earth looking for bodies to inhabit. During this time it was common to blame things on the “tricks” of spirits much like we refer to gremlins doing things today.

When the Celtic people were conquered by the Romans, they were not very receptive to changing their ways to the Roman beliefs. As with all religious conversions, the Romans had to come up with some way to integrate these people into their own traditions.

In 835 Pope Gregory IV moved the celebration of all the martyrs (later all saints) from May 13th to Novemeber 1st to coincide with the pagan celebration of Samhain. With this move the Romans also integrated the celebration of their harvest traditions, and the celebration of their Goddess Pomona, the Goddess of fruit and trees. The apple, common to many Halloween traditions such as bobbing for them and dipping them in caramel, was the symbol for Pomona.

All Saint’s Day is a day to worship the Saint’s, or the Holy Ones (All Hallow’s). The evening before, or the e’en, of All Hallow’s is where we get the combined name of Halloween. Essentially, the night before All Saint’s Day, thus, Halloween was created by the Roman Catholic Church. The term Hallow’s Eve means the Holy Evening.

On November 2nd the Catholic Church also has All Soul’s day, which is the commemoration of and prayer for all of the souls in purgatory.

On Hallow’s Eve people would go door-to-door asking for bread or cakes and in return, they would say a prayer for the recently deceased from that household. It was believed that when people first died, they would linger a bit before actually passing on. These extra prayers would help their loved ones on their way.

Trick or treating probably emerged from the “tricks” played on people by the spirits of the Celtic belief, and the “treats” gathered by the Roman beliefs. Today, the tradition has evolved into our children dressing up as all manner costumed beings, and going door-to-door asking for treats.

Since many modern Christian religions no longer have the deep associations with Saints, and don’t celebrate All Saints, and All Souls, it is understandable why they may come to view Halloween as nothing more then commercial trappings with an evil connotation.

So you see, the intent of Halloween is not evil, but to protect ourselves from evil, and to honor those who have died. Instead of wasting your energy worrying about superstitious beliefs that are unfounded, embrace Halloween as a time to reflect on the lives of those who have passed-on recently, and a time when children of all ages, can dress up and have fun before winter is upon them.

Happy Halloween!

Survival of the Fittest

In nature, the strong survive and the weak die. It’s one of the most basic natural laws.

Many people enjoy their superior feeling over the animals, and indeed most of what thrives on Mother Earth. When you get right down to the nitty gritty, we are part of nature, we are animals. Our survival follows the same principles of nature. In the realm of mankind, the strong still survive, and the weak still die!

Starving people and countries that cannot, or will not, help themselves will die. Leaders of countries who bully their people, and keep them forever buried in the past so that they can be brainwashed and cowed into obedience, are killing their people. These leaders claim the United States is evil essentially because we have things they do not. They further claim that because we do not make our women subservient, pray on little carpets daily, and rule our people with terror and weapons, that we are inferior religious-wise.

All I have to say is… WHAT? How the heck is killing your own people, and ruling them with terror, while letting them starve to death, a better choice? These people are truly stupid. To think, followers of these leaders actually blow themselves up for this lifestyle. Hello…tap, tap, tap… McFly?… Anybody in there?

Am I missing something here? Is there some really cool thing that I don’t understand about this life choice? If there were, would someone please let me know? Anyone? Explain to me what the Islamic religion has that is so awesome that I need to blow myself up to be a part of it?

We were only moderately oppressed and we kicked the Brits clean off of our shore! Of course, this is what the leaders are afraid of in their own countries. Give your population too much freedom and you’re out on your ear! Look what happened to Russia. They loosened their grip on their people, let in some free thinkers, lightened up on the government a little and oops! Bye, bye communism.

Funny how the elders in Russia tried to put the cork back in the genie bottle. That lasted all of what, a few hours? Just goes to show if you give people some freedom, they won’t put up with tyrannical ways any more.

I hope the Iraqi people get this thought process going soon. Those little bastards that do the “noodle dance” holding Sadam’s picture after every U.S. soldier gets killed need to disappear from the street. Yank their happy ass into a back alley and show them what partying over the death of a U.S. soldier will get them.

We ARE the fittest, let’s start acting like it!

Commandments

I’m amused at Judge Roy Moore of Alabama crying about his monument to the Ten Commandments. It amazes me that a judge does not understand the fundamental basis for our government and its views on religion.

In fact, I often shake my head listening to Christians cry that their religion is being attacked, and that this is the work of atheists who are bent on destroying religion.

Hello? McFly [knock, knock, knock on the head] Wake the heck up! It’s the very same Constitution that has allowed Christianity to flourish over the years in this country. Not only can’t you erect a Christian-based monument at a courthouse, but you also cannot place a statue of Buddha, Satan, or a pentagram there!

Just take a step back and think people. If you don’t want to see other religious artifacts gracing a certain public facility, then the Christian artifacts cannot be there either. Sorry, but it’s what has made this country so great!

I’m so sick of hearing that this is the end of the world for you folks. That keeping religion out of public things such as courthouses and schools is the end of Christianity and this country. Are you so dang insecure that this scares you?

The goal of any religion, whether you want to believe it or not, is to recruit more members and keep those that you already have your claws into. The problem is, that mainstream churches, and organized religion, are slipping away. People are getting sick of the holier-then-thou attitudes, and they are no longer afraid of the dark. No longer do we require a fictional supreme being to provide guidance and protection.

This scares many Christians, because in reality it’s not that they are truly concerned for the well-being of others, it’s that their scared to death that their little religious gang safety blanket is becoming unraveled. They can’t accept that what they have dedicated their lives too, might have been the wrong choice, and if God doesn’t exist, what will they put their faith in to cope with the stress of day-to-day living? Who will hold their hands and tell them what to do? What will happen when they die? It can’t all be for nothing!

Have some sad news for you all. Our legal system was not from the Ten Commandments, nor Christianity. Most of it came along way before the Bible and its stories. The Constitution is in place to prevent you zealots from trying exactly what you are trying to do! See some of my other entries to explain that this country was not founded by Christianity! So stop saying that it was!

Here are a few more quotes just to annoy you some more.

“History I believe furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government." -- Thomas Jefferson, 1813

"Leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church and the private schools, supported entirely by private contributors. Keep the church and state forever separated" -- Ulysses S. Grant, 1875

"The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be left high and impregnable." -- Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, 1947

Have a FREE day! Courtesy of your United States Government

The Grim Reaper

What happens to us when we die? This could be a really short commentary because nobody really knows for sure.

Christians will be the first to stand up and proclaim you go to heaven to meet JC and the boys. Some believe you will reincarnate into another life form. Still others think we merely leave our bodies as wisps of vapor and float around until we are called upon again to inhabit another baby.

What do I think? For once, I’m not certain. Oh, I have some theories. Those that know me are well aware that there is little I don’t have an opinion on. To be perfectly honest with you, I have no clue what happens to us when we depart for the happy hunting ground.

I’d like to think there was some happy place where we all go and get to rule over our own planet, or get a harem of a hundred of virgins. Then reality creeps into the picture and I think that when we die, we just…well…die.

When I finally cease to be a burden to my family I want to be cremated. I think the Native Americans had the right idea. What sense does it make to get placed into a box and buried six feet underground? So that others can come and look at the headstone and cry on your birthday? How silly is that?

My mother is upset that I don’t want to be buried, but I hope I outlive her so she won’t be too upset over the fact that I won’t be taking up residence among the critters of the underworld. I’m talking worms and beetles, not demons or devils. Instead, I will be burnt to ash, and perhaps dumped into the ocean to have my remains placed back into nature. Even in death, I wish to be of some use. No need to hang onto my ashes in an urn forever. What good will I be doing in there?

When we die, I’m betting that our soul, life force, or whatever it’s called, leaves our bodies and goes back into the mix. The Force if you will. From there who knows where we’ll end up. It would be cool to be aware of cruising around without a physical body, but I think we sort of loose most of our realization that we are even alive. Would we still be alive then? Hmmm, I wonder?

I truly hope that when we die, we’re all cognizant of the fact and can all meet again and have a huge gathering of friendly vapors. Since we’re not sure, let’s all live for the now. Be friendly and nice to all you know and encounter. After all, you could be stuck with them for all eternity!

Freedom of Bondage

[This was a reply to an article by Bob Lonsberry (8-12-03) on his site about getting government to make marraiges be only between a man and a woman.]

Although I do not approve of the gay life style, life choice, or whatever. I do believe this is still a free country. I served over 20 years in the Air Force to make sure it stayed that way!

When we talk about fighting for our rights and freedoms this country provides each of us, you all are the first to raise the patriotic cheer.

If there is a group trying to exercise their right to utilize that freedom you jump on the hypocrite wagon.

Christianity is not the only religion/belief system in America! Anyone have a problem with that or care to state that it is? Go ahead and show your stupidity!

That being said, I think Christians have every right to state that marriage is indeed their doctrine, and as such should be only between a man and a woman. Marriage is, after all, a Christian belief.

On the other hand, gays, or any other non-Christian person should also have every right to be bonded in any such similar form as they wish, and should be able to receive the same governmental privileges as those who are married in the Christian way.

This is not the United States of Christians! And I for one am getting really sick and tired of hearing how if you're not Christian, then you must be lower then whale crap.

I have one simple question for you "Christians". Do you truly love your fellow man, and treat them as you would have them treat you?

Most of what I read on these comments every day from people who call themselves Christians are one of the reasons I don't call myself that any more.

Zealots and fanatics can be found everywhere. I believe there is a passage that says, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone".

Go ahead, start flinging!

Separation of Church and State

It’s amazing to me how adamant people get when talking about religion and this country. In the Christian camp you have a whole bunch of uneducated folks screaming that this country was founded on Christian beliefs and values. In the other camp, you have people armed with the truth.

I have recently been enlightened about some interesting information about this country, our forefathers, and exactly what they thought about the Christian viewpoint.

An interesting thing happens when you read Article 11 of the "Treaty of peace and friendship between the United States of America and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli, of Barbary”, also known as the “Treaty of Tripoli”. You discover that this document, which began with a signing on 4 November, 1796 (the end of George Washington's last term as president), clearly lays out what the forefathers were thinking when they formed this country.

"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Musselmen; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."

The Senate approved the treaty on June 7, 1797, and officially ratified by the Senate with John Adams signature on 10 June, 1797.

It is also interesting to note, that many of the founding fathers were not Christian, but Deist. A Deist is defined in Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1941, as: “One who believes in the existence of a God or supreme being but denies revealed religion, basing his belief on the light of nature and reason."

Here are a few quotes from some of those fathers…

Thomas Jefferson, Third president and author of the Declaration of Independence: "The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter." -- Thomas Jefferson (letter to J. Adams April 11,1823)

James Madison, Fourth president, and father of the Constitution: "Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise."
"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity, in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution."
From: The Madisons by Virginia Moore, P. 43 (1979, McGraw-Hill Co. New York, NY) quoting a letter by JM to William Bradford April 1, 1774, and James Madison, A Biography in his Own Words, edited by Joseph Gardner, p. 93, (1974, Newsweek, New York, NY) Quoting Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments by JM, June 1785.

Benjamin Franklin, delegate to the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, said: ”As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion...has received various corrupting Changes, and I have, with most of the present dissenters in England, some doubts as to his Divinity; tho' it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the Truth with less trouble." He died a month later, and historians consider him, like so many great Americans of his time, to be a Deist, not a Christian.
From: Benjamin Franklin, A Biography in his Own Words, edited by Thomas Fleming, p. 404, (1972, Newsweek, New York, NY) quoting letter by BF to Exra Stiles March 9, 1790.

Thomas Paine was a pamphleteer whose manifestos encouraged the faltering spirits of the country and aided materially in winning the war of Independence:
I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of...Each of those churches accuse the other of unbelief; and for my own part, I disbelieve them all."
From: The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine, pp. 8,9 (Republished 1984, Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY)

So just because Christians have managed to add, “In God we trust” to our money, and “One Nation Under God” to our pledge (incidentally, both were added to these items later), this does not mean the country was founded on their teachings, just that they have infiltrated their beliefs into our society.

What this country was founded on was freedom. All men are created equal! Nowhere in the Constitution, which is the supreme governing document of this country, does it say that this country was created for Christians alone!

The next time you get offended about something government is doing, or not doing, that isn’t Christian, ask yourself instead is it allowing for the freedom for others to practice their beliefs? The Constitution, and the separation of church and state, are for the protection of the Christian belief as much as it is there for the protection of all other religions.

As the song says, “This land is your land, this land is my land.” Some of you need to start acting like Americans, instead of zealots!

The Force

It sounds silly, but in the first Star Wars movie, when Obi Wan explained what The Force was all about, I could really relate. For some reason it struck a cord in me.

I truly believe that there is some energy, life force, or something like that within every living thing, or perhaps even undulating around all of us in the space between. Are we all connected through that life force? Perhaps, but at this point I wouldn’t make any claims to that effect. What I do think, is that this life force is what we tap into when people pray, no matter what type of religion they follow. It’s why prayer sometimes seems to work.

Prayer, in my opinion, is merely a form in which many people can join their life forces together to focus on a central goal. In this way, the human life force can become collectively stronger then it is normally. That’s why churches ask for group prayer, and why witches formed covens. You have all heard that there is strength in numbers.

Living together for a long time, and in close proximity to one another, somehow allows us to recognize the life force of another. This would explain why we have feelings about another person even when we’re miles apart. Apparently this life force is not affected by distance. There is a huge amount of stories where someone was thinking of someone they have not spoken to in years and the other person suddenly calls. Twins will tell you they seem to have an even stronger connection with each other then most of us do.

Through the years I have discovered that I seem to have the ability to sit back and observe things that sometimes escape others. Or perhaps others notice these things too, but are either to busy to contemplate there importance, or allow their beliefs to lump the observation into another category. Whatever the case, it’s difficult to not just stand up and yell, “Don’t you see this?”

I’m too scientific, or analytical, or whatever. This is why I have a hard time wrapping myself around the idea of an invisible supreme being that conveniently created everything, and is somehow pulling all the strings. So why then do I think there is some invisible force that interconnects everything? Because of the stories, claims, and observations I have mentioned already. These are things we can observe, almost all of us have experienced. Calling it a “life force” is merely an attempt on my part to try and put a label to a phenomenon.

Why does prayer work for Christians, Wiccans, Buddhists, Muslims and Jews? Because, just maybe, it’s not about the belief system that was created by man to explain this power, but the power itself. If God granted the power of prayer, then how can Wiccans use their magic (basically prayer) to accomplish the same things?

Maybe God doesn’t care if you call him Goddess, God, Buddha, Odin, Zeus, or Allah. Quite possibly, if some supreme deity does exist, he’s out there somewhere laughing at all of our feeble attempts to categorize him/her into a religion. In the end, if we all live a good life, that should be what counts. I’ve been told I’m more Christian then many Christians. That makes me feel good. I try to live a good life, and treat others well.

What do you think of this explanation? After all of this I can truly say, and with a straight face, may the Force be with you!

Freedom

I have recently retired from the United States Air Force. My reasons for enlisting, and serving the country for over twenty years, are that I believe in this country with all my heart.

Upfront, and foremost, in that belief is the ultimate belief in freedom for everyone. I realize that there must be rules to govern us within reason, but the ultimate goal, even for our laws, should be freedom. I think we sometimes overlook that point in striving to do the right thing. Not to rag on Christians again, but they tend to be the worst in this country to force their belief system on everyone.

One recent example is the “One Nation under God” line in the pledge. I was amazed at the outcry when someone suggested to have this removed from the pledge. If this country stands for freedom for all, and more explosively freedom of religion, then statements about God should not enter into our national statements.

Some of you at this point are probably assuming I hate Christians or something. On the contrary. If the whole country were true Christians we’d all be better off. All I ask is for religious tolerance for all. What if someone wanted to change the pledge to, “One nation, under Buddha”? I can hear the Christians screaming when reading this. Then why should it read “under God”?

I’m not an ignorant person. I fully understand that God, and the Christian doctrine played a substantial role in the formation of this country. But this country was first inhabited by Native Americans, not Christians. Why should they recite the line “under God”? This is what I mean, Christians think this is bad, evil, and terrible, because they cannot tolerate any other religions interfering with their rise to complete global domination.

Sounds a bit harsh eh? But it’s true. We saw the reality of this with this whole pledge business. But the truth is, I served this country so that there is freedom for everyone, including Christians! Do I hate Christians? Absolutely not! Do I hate Christians who try to force their will, and the teachings of their religion onto others. Hate is a strong term, so let’s just say I don’t care for them, and I will fight them (figuratively speaking) all the way.

This country was founded because one flavor of Christians were persecuted and oppressed in Europe, so they fled to the New World to practice their religion without oppression, and vowed to allow anyone else to do the same. How soon we forget our own history.

I stand for freedom for all, as long as it does not hurt others in the process. Take a look in the mirror and ask yourself what you really stand for, Christian or not.

Get Religion

Okay, lunchtime, and time to take a few moments to jot down some thoughts.

For years I have been studying religion. Not necessarily as a vocation, but as a life interest.

I grew up, like any other good little church-going person. Went to Sunday school, and church weekly.

Around the time I was graduating high school, I began to wonder what religion, more specifically Christianity, was all about. Not one to leave questions unanswered, I made an appointment with my minister and had a discussion about what exactly this whole church thing was about. As I suspected, it was all B.S. according to the answers I received. In a nutshell, it boiled down to the fact that most of the promises made by the Christian religion boils down to faith. They can't explain it, you just have to rely on faith that it is so...

This to me was the ultimate cover for a religion. Just do as we say, and take it on faith that all of what we say is true. Now, isn't this what was wrong with leaders like Jim Jones, or even the Comet crew? Don't ask questions, just have faith! Is it any wonder we're referred to as sheep in the Christian mythos, and Jesus is our Shepherd? I, for one, am no sheep.

Let me bring up a few points on why the "mainstream" Christian line of thinking is not for me.

1) The Bible is a collection of stories written long ago. It was assembled by numerous men who decided which books were the inspiration of God, and which didn't quite fit in to the message these men wanted to have in their Bible. That's right! There are many books, stories etc... written about the same time that didn't make the cut.
Now let's say I was going to start my own religion, and I walked into Borders and began pulling pieces from various books and sticking them all into one book I was creating that was going to be my Bible. Of course I would be careful to only insert those things that backed my thoughts on how my religion should be. The rest would be tossed out. When I was finished, I would label this the word of God, because all of the stories had to have been inspired by God himself. No really, have faith this is true! And don't you dare question this fact, or you will be put to death as a heretic. Point? The Bible was written by MAN, not God. You do realize the tooth fairy isn’t real either?

2) This brings me to the next point. Christians always enjoyed a good cleansing. Whether it was the destruction of entire cities by both God and his followers, or the variety of Holy Wars and Crusades, Christians have always killed those who did not believe as they do. Today, Christians like to pretend that this was not so, and really get whiney if you bring this fact up to them. Now they are peace-loving, unless you say you don't believe, then they look at you as if you have a disease, and feel sorry for you because you are going to hell. They will, of course, pray for you.

3) Most of the death and wars in our worlds history has sprang from religious intolerance. Someone always wants to kill someone else because of religious differences. And don't get me started on the loonies who kill abortion doctors because these doctors are killing innocent babies. Killing someone, regardless of the reason, is wrong you ignorant wackos! Unfortunately, there are times when you must defend yourself. I am not saying defense is wrong, only not enjoyed by those who truly cherish life.

Perhaps tomorrow I'll share more on this topic, or take you to a place more sane. I look forward to reading any comments you may have on the subject. Let me assure you, comments without intelligent thoughts will be disregarded as uneducated ramblings...

Until next time,