(no subject)
i'm getting to the age where i can begin to articulate some of my views on life. they're mine, and might not mean much to some, but they're what form the core of my existance. bear with me as i jot them down day by day... here is today's discussion.
organized religion: i don't believe in organized religion. i'm not an atheist or a devil-worshipper or anything like that, i just don't understand the concept. true, i wasn't raised going to church, but i wasn't raised to not believe in god either. my parents left it up to me to make my decisions about the spiritual sector of my life. i never understood my friends who went to youth group or bible study, because i didn't understand it. the whole concept was unattainable to me, especially the idea of worshipping jesus. that was a particular block for my mind. then my mom and i went to see 'the passion of the christ' at the theater because we felt that it was something we should see. i found myself crying during the middle of the movie without even noticing it. people criticized the movie a lot for being anti-semetic or too graphic.. but the graphicness is what made me understand. i finally understood why people turned to jesus, but i'm not sure that those people even understand. the pain he suffered... it's not what is taught...not fully. it's not what i ever heard, but it has to be true. jesus was nailed to the cross. well, yes, that's not a plesant thing to think about, but to see it makes it real. it makes it less mythological and more real. jesus died on the cross for our sins is a very positive way of putting a truly horrific event. whether there was a real jesus i don't know, nor will any of us, really... but that's where my problem in the faith lies. i didn't understand the power of the story of jesus until i saw a grusomely honest movie that many christians looked down upon. it's just the whole issue that no one can be honest. those who are in charge of things make the big decision, and this is especially true in organized religion. they decide what their followers believe, what is okay, what isn't. the elca makes statements that american lutheran churches follow. the holy see makes decisions that catholic churches must obey. or rather, are supposed to obey. there are gay catholic priests, when homosexuality is supposedly forbidden because of their physical relationship and the fact that no child can ever be created from their sexual relations. there are loopholes and skeletons in the closet and scandals enough to make you sick to your stomach. they make statements and decision that go against the grain of today's society. people say that they believe in the religion, not in what the higher-ups do that goes against that religion. they say it has no basis on their faith in whatever religion it is they choose to belong to. i say that's fine. i say believe in what you want to believe. but if you don't believe in the teachings and practices of the catholic church, how can you call yourself a catholic? catholocism doesn't lie within the pages of the bible by itself, nor does it lie in the vatican by itself, nor does it lie within you by itself. catholocism is catholocism because of all these factors. they all join to make the religion. you can't be a catholic if you don't believe in the views of the pope, or the vatican, or the teachings in the bible. or at least that's my opinion. you might say that i'm completely off base because i don't go to church, but i feel that this allows me to have a pretty open mind about the issue at large. i have faith. i have very strong faith. i believe in a higher power because i believe that this world is too fantastic and amazing to be purely scientific, though science holds magic of its own (but that is not for today's ramble). i believe that my life has a purpose, no matter how small a purpose it may be. i feel that there is something else out there... some kind of energy. i don't know if it's the christian god, or if it's zeus, or ra, or buddha, or mother earth, or apollo, or anything else. i don't know what it is, but i think it's there. believing just that gives me comfort. no i don't attend a regular church service, but i don't need to to feel what i feel. maybe we'd have a lot less problem in this world if we stopped fighting over who's god is right and just believe in something. we're all trying to achieve the same thing with our beliefs. even atheists believe there is no god for a reason. it gives them a place. it lets them know how their own world works. each of us lives in our own place, in our own time, with our own beliefs. i ask you to believe what you want to believe. have faith in what you want to have faith in. if parts of your faith go against everything you believe in, maybe it's time to rethink things. because after all, life is far too short to be unhappy. it's the nature of the beast to question our surroundings. that's what my own little unstructured beliefs have let me do. i think that maybe we should all do the same.
organized religion: i don't believe in organized religion. i'm not an atheist or a devil-worshipper or anything like that, i just don't understand the concept. true, i wasn't raised going to church, but i wasn't raised to not believe in god either. my parents left it up to me to make my decisions about the spiritual sector of my life. i never understood my friends who went to youth group or bible study, because i didn't understand it. the whole concept was unattainable to me, especially the idea of worshipping jesus. that was a particular block for my mind. then my mom and i went to see 'the passion of the christ' at the theater because we felt that it was something we should see. i found myself crying during the middle of the movie without even noticing it. people criticized the movie a lot for being anti-semetic or too graphic.. but the graphicness is what made me understand. i finally understood why people turned to jesus, but i'm not sure that those people even understand. the pain he suffered... it's not what is taught...not fully. it's not what i ever heard, but it has to be true. jesus was nailed to the cross. well, yes, that's not a plesant thing to think about, but to see it makes it real. it makes it less mythological and more real. jesus died on the cross for our sins is a very positive way of putting a truly horrific event. whether there was a real jesus i don't know, nor will any of us, really... but that's where my problem in the faith lies. i didn't understand the power of the story of jesus until i saw a grusomely honest movie that many christians looked down upon. it's just the whole issue that no one can be honest. those who are in charge of things make the big decision, and this is especially true in organized religion. they decide what their followers believe, what is okay, what isn't. the elca makes statements that american lutheran churches follow. the holy see makes decisions that catholic churches must obey. or rather, are supposed to obey. there are gay catholic priests, when homosexuality is supposedly forbidden because of their physical relationship and the fact that no child can ever be created from their sexual relations. there are loopholes and skeletons in the closet and scandals enough to make you sick to your stomach. they make statements and decision that go against the grain of today's society. people say that they believe in the religion, not in what the higher-ups do that goes against that religion. they say it has no basis on their faith in whatever religion it is they choose to belong to. i say that's fine. i say believe in what you want to believe. but if you don't believe in the teachings and practices of the catholic church, how can you call yourself a catholic? catholocism doesn't lie within the pages of the bible by itself, nor does it lie in the vatican by itself, nor does it lie within you by itself. catholocism is catholocism because of all these factors. they all join to make the religion. you can't be a catholic if you don't believe in the views of the pope, or the vatican, or the teachings in the bible. or at least that's my opinion. you might say that i'm completely off base because i don't go to church, but i feel that this allows me to have a pretty open mind about the issue at large. i have faith. i have very strong faith. i believe in a higher power because i believe that this world is too fantastic and amazing to be purely scientific, though science holds magic of its own (but that is not for today's ramble). i believe that my life has a purpose, no matter how small a purpose it may be. i feel that there is something else out there... some kind of energy. i don't know if it's the christian god, or if it's zeus, or ra, or buddha, or mother earth, or apollo, or anything else. i don't know what it is, but i think it's there. believing just that gives me comfort. no i don't attend a regular church service, but i don't need to to feel what i feel. maybe we'd have a lot less problem in this world if we stopped fighting over who's god is right and just believe in something. we're all trying to achieve the same thing with our beliefs. even atheists believe there is no god for a reason. it gives them a place. it lets them know how their own world works. each of us lives in our own place, in our own time, with our own beliefs. i ask you to believe what you want to believe. have faith in what you want to have faith in. if parts of your faith go against everything you believe in, maybe it's time to rethink things. because after all, life is far too short to be unhappy. it's the nature of the beast to question our surroundings. that's what my own little unstructured beliefs have let me do. i think that maybe we should all do the same.