Why Get So Mad Christian?

I have experienced many times before that it is almost never beneficial to try and explain facts (And I mean cold hard scientific evidence with general facts concerning the bible) with a follower of Christianity in the United States of America...especially in the south...especially in Texas.

***Please note for this piece that I am speaking not of all Christians in general nor all Christians in Texas but of the Christians whom I've met and spoken to in person.

I've never discussed such matters with someone face-to-face outside of Texas as I am not fortunate enough to travel much (or maybe that's my own fault) so I don't have any experience with others from outside the state.

What I am basically attempting to say through mediocre writing skills is that I find it very hard to show Christians how ridiculous their faith is by presenting them with cold, hard facts. I mean, it is somewhat understandable: I would find it terrifying as well if everything I knew was all made up and even ridiculous-my world would be shattered.

So yes, I understand how it could be somewhat difficult to accept the truth that God and Jesus are like Santa Claus-made up friends that your parents told you about to keep you in line and to give you a little joy in your ever-so-troublesome childhood days. ;)

I don't, however, understand why some Christians can be so stubborn and reject all the facts. Does it not seem quite odd that one is willing to literally live by a book that is 2,000 years old rather than investigate and accept scientific findings and evidence as real and true? Well, that is exactly what I have experienced with the Christians I've spoken to.

It seems though that when one confronts a believer with facts and evidence that the Bible and Christianity as a whole is a fraud-they get very upset and don't want to hear one word of it...why? If one is so firm in their beliefs then why are they not willing to defend them or defend their beloved god? If you're so sure that "God", "Hell", "sin", "heaven", and all those other cute imaginations are real and that it should have an effect in my life-prove it with evidence. Don't give me that tired old shit about needing faith because that only requires one not to think and just accept things the way they are without any evidence for the claims made. You wouldn't just have faith when your doctor tells you that you need it so that your body will simply overcome cancer without treatment, would you?

Image via HoboStuff

-Peace-

Eat Ice Cream Forever

Why aren't we able to eat ice cream and just be normally healthy? Well, I'm not completely ignorant-I understand that what ice cream contains is not so bueno for your body. I just wish that life and science would allow us to eat ice cream all the time!

I think back to the times when I was a kid (by age) and all the times I ate ice cream...OK, I don't remember one instance of me eating ice cream but I do know that I just had some and it was delicious! What kind? Well it was the chocolate covered drumstick with peanuts and vanilla flavored ice cream inside....do you want one, yet?

This may seem a bit ridiculous but I honestly wonder why we can't just be able to sustain eating ice cream 24/7 without turning into a blueberry or having a heart attack. Think how wonderful it would be to eat that favorite ice cream of yours whenever you wish...what's your favorite? You got it? Now, imagine being able to come back after playing some sports game with some friends, running by yourself, or just coming inside from a very hot day and being able to grab that ice cream and enjoy it without the worry of any health issues. That's the world I'd like to live in.

Well, actually, I don't know what else that world would be like but I would most definitely appreciate the ice-cream-all-the-time-with-no-worries part.

So what about you? What would be your choice of food to eat 24/7 and not have to worry about, gaining weight, increasing cholesterol, pissing off major arteries, or any other health-related issues?

Image via Ice Cream People

-Peace-

Violent American Cherry Pie

[I borrowed the title from a song by the punk group Aus-Rotten (I'm sure their genre is labeled something more specific but that is not my focus here ;) ) which quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. along the lines of "...violence is a part of American culture...it is as American as cherry pie." Very fitting for this post.]


It has become apparent to me, and I'm sure many others, that American society is obsessed and littered with violence.

Image via ~thedustyphoenix

The violence which we so love is seen everywhere: T.V., music, movies, and on countless pictures and videos all over the internet. The internet in particular is most troublesome as you can find some of the most disgusting acts of human violence towards fellow humans, animals, etc.

I'm sure many people would say I'm being too much of a "pansy" or other beautiful names for speaking out against videos that display innocent people being harassed, publicly embarrassed, or physically and/or sexually assaulted but I am a human being. I know many people throughout America get a good laugh or some other sick joy when watching other people suffer, and I am sad to say that I once partook in this championing of violence. I am, however, glad to say that I no longer view violence as "fuckin' awesome man" or "badass".

It seems as if all this violence and our obsession with it has only halted our progression away from racism, sexism, antisemitism, and other negative social factors. These days, Americans are much quicker to wish harm or death upon someone because they don't like what they said or simply because they don't like who they are.

I guess what I am asking is not when can we all get along, but rather when we will start acting like rational humans and not pre-homo sapien savages?

Atheism is Peace

Yes, atheism is peace. When one thinks of the term "Atheism", it's quite normal for one to only associate a few things (sometimes negative) to it. Atheism, as defined by Dictionary.com is either:

1. the doctrine or belief that there is no God.
   

or

2. disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings. Now, for most people, those two definitions seem to hit the nail right on the head! But for many, even atheists themselves, those two definitions do not contain the whole idea that is atheism. There are even those who say that atheism is not just atheism but it can also be weak atheism and strong atheism.

I'm not going to get into whether atheism is strong or weak but rather that it is peace. Atheism is peace because it's knowing the truth. It is not hiding behind a lie of superstition and fairy tales that help you sleep easier at night. It doesn't allow you to just listen and act, but to listen, interpret, and then choose how to act. It leaves you with the only option of reasoning.

Inside religion and faith, reason doesn't exist. You can argue it all you want but there is no reason in religion and faith. Religion and faith require the human mind to be set to "Play-Doh"-that is to allow it to be molded to whatever said religion/faith wishes. Works out really well for controlling the masses as Karl Marx noticed.

Atheism gives you peace because it tells you that you can't just let "God" do all the work and let "Him" workout his plan for you (I wonder when people who say things like that will begin to realize how ridiculous it sounds). Atheism makes you realize that there is only us. Just us humans, animals, plants, bugs etc. So for us to all get along we need to work out our problems with each other and the environment ourselves. There is no sky fairy that is going to join in and stop quarreling and fighting and murdering and-OK, well obviously we can see this never happens.

Atheism will allow you to look at life and truly appreciate it. You cannot truly appreciate life if you take part in superstitions such as religion and faith because for the most part, the religious believe they are going to be rewarded with a graceful afterlife and will experience great joy for all eternity (Yes, people really believe that). I never really thought how much I should enjoy things, even small things, before I discovered Atheism. I thought life was filled with experiences but that there was even more once I would go to "Heaven."

I am very glad now that I have realized that there is not a "Heaven" and that this life is the only life that I will ever have and I must enjoy it as much as possible. It is quite challenging to enjoy all things but that challenge is most rewarding when overcome. It really makes waking up and going to bed everyday truly worth doing so.

Best of all and most importantly, Atheism is peace because it frees your mind. No, it is not a drug but it is most certainly a key to unlocking that most horrid set of chains (religion/faith/god) and thinking for yourself. You don't think what the preacher told you or the priest or a bible-thumper or your severely religious relative etc. You think because you wish to gain more knowledge. You think to better your understanding of the world around you.

Atheism is peace because it shows you that there is reason, that we as humans must work out our own problems, that life is beautiful because it's the only one, and that you can think for yourself.

-Peace-

Buying Joy

I've noticed lately that here in the U.S. things have become very material oriented. I mean, it seems as if we define ourselves as a materialistic set of consumers...we buy, shop, buy, and shop. I think you get the point.

I am by no means free of this charge as I find myself also wishing for material products such as technological gadgets. However, since I've noticed this somewhat trait of American society, I've also pondered if it's all so harmless. I mean doesn't it help the economy for us to consume, consume, consume? Well, statistics show that it in fact does; US Consumer Spending.



My question is not whether consuming is good for the economy or not but more so is it good for us as people? I think that with all the consuming we do we might become too involved with material matters and less about each other.

I would think that after a while one would realize that they are putting too much emphasis and time on spending and buying rather than caring and loving but I have personally been shown otherwise.

Hopefully we just don't forget that there are things in life (LOVE, real human connection, etc.) that are more important than that new outfit or that new cell phone coming out.

-Peace-

Don't Just Hear, Listen!

Too often I experience the unfortunate part of life that is, well life. More specifically, I'm talking about learning from your mistakes; making yourself a better person (in your own view, because that's all that matters).

It can be a bit difficult (and often very difficult) to be able to do more than just hear, but listen. What I'm talking about is accepting positive criticism. It's already making you twitch, no? ;)

It's something that will come up more than once in your lifetime, and every time it has the same eye-opening effect that makes your brain circuitry (oh, and emotions!) go wild.

Your experiences may or may not be similar to mine but either way they are human experiences and we can relate. We all can understand that each one of us wants to be able to be understood and not just heard.

I had the issue of listening to a very important person in my life. I heard the person, but I didn't, unfortunately, listen. Not until now. For me to listen to this person, I had to begin to accept the fact that I was capable of making a mistake. Yes, that last statement sounds quite ridiculous but it's the truth and I'm very glad I recognized that issue.

When I began to listen and accept the fact that I am not perfect (oh so hard) I remembered that the other person is just as capable of such error. I also remembered that that person is a great love of mine and accepts not only my successes but also my failures.

After listening, I actually felt happy. Yes, I did recognize that there was something about me which needed molding but that is perfectly O.K. Now, I feel great that I am able to understand where that person was coming from and put myself in their shoes and their socks and see things from their point of view.

So, before you begin to speak on any matter of which you feel is important to you to anyone, think just a bit more and then listen.

-Peace-

Fmylife-No, GMH | Gives Me Hope

Fmylife.com has been quite a popular destination for people to snatch a laugh or two at other people's problems, issues, downfalls, etc.

Now, although I would get a nice laugh or two out of someone's demise, I've found a site with the same idea of sharing someone's life experiences but with a more optimistic approach. That site is Gives Me Hope


The site is the complete opposite of FML, it is the light side of life, while FML is most certainly the dark. I'm not opposed to FML, but I do believe it is important to have something like GMH to remind us that there isn't just bad. There is also good. And a lot of it.

Give it a quick look and I'm sure you'll get a smile (or smirk) out of it!

-Peace-