What a pity that our phantom can't be here!

[master_jesus]

Last saturday I sat down at about 4pm and started reading "1984," which I had not read before. I read pretty much straight through till about 1am when I finally got to the last four words of the book. Which I havn't read yet. Just kidding. I really enjoyed it. I've read books before that I "couldn't put down" but this one was like some sort of

Comments

The freedom in faith

[master_jesus]

I think that there can be a level of freedom in faith if you let it come to you. Some people are restricted by their faiths, every thought and action is restricted by a set of rules and regulations governing every aspect of their lives. That is not for me, never for me, I don't think. But for those that find a level of understanding, those that feel they have come upon the truth in their religion, it can be freeing. It is freeing to know what can't be seen. But the old saying "the devil is in the details" is never more clear then when you have a religion that should free you of the worries of the everyday life, but really only adds to it. You get caught up in the small things, you are forced to do things you think you are supposed to do. Cleansing the body, the mind, the spirit, so as it can be pure is the goal, but often it just weakens all three, and leaves a person struggling to get by, being tormented day to day that in order to keep up with their truths they have to work constantly to maintain them. But the truth needs no maintaining. If something is true today, it will be true tommorow, and it will have been true yesterday. If the truth will set you free, then why do so many religions hold you back, keep you from being free? Live by the book, die by the book. There is no room for adlib. But religion can't be something that can be contained in the words or thoughts of men, but rather something that can be felt, flowing from person to person, flowing all around us. The truth is not restricted to books or churches. The truth can set you free, but only if you allow it too.

Tracy

[master_jesus]

I think it just depends really on the individual because religion to me is different from person to person. Like I can see how it can be damaging. I grew up Catholic and all but one of my close friends in high school were Catholic and each and every single one of us cried after losing of virginity. We weren't raped, we did it because we wanted to but we heard the voice of our religion telling us it was an evil dirty sin and to deny are natural sexual impulses. Now, I don't believe in sin nor that sex is evil but that was my how I felt at 19. Part of the reason I married my ex was out of guilt for sleeping with him. I don't think it's healthy to cry after sex, now someone could argue we weren't ready or eduacated properly on it but anyone that comes from a devote Catholic household knows, you don't talk about sex and you only have sex to have children. Another example is a good friend of mind who was agnostic through out high school. She was bi and happy. Then she had an abortion and almost over night she changed. She started attending mass all the time and became totally emersed with the church. At first I was proud of her, but suddenly she wasn't bi anymore and it was a sin to be bi and "homosexuals would burn in hell", she had "never" had an abortion and she was totally against them, and divorce. I didn't understand, she had no opinions of her own anymore, she was a little puppet for the church. She started using words like "faggot" and "homo" and she was suddenly too good for all our old friends. See, if she had stayed herself and found faith, turned over a new leaf and bettered herself I would respect her. There are plenty of good Catholics out there I respect and admire, but now she doesn't even think, she waits for the church to think for her. I can't even talk to her because all of her opinions are the churches stance on things. She even says, "I stand by whatever the churches stance on it is." before she even knows their stance! She won't even talk to our friend who is a drag queen and when she does by accident she is totally cold. She used to call him by his drag name, now she calls him by his birth name despite his objections. I don't understand how someone can just lose themselves in it. So I understand what you are saying about how it can just totally constrict someone.