I may have time later to continue in this general thought process, but for now...
I seem to be receiving many emails about how if I don't believe in God I need to leave the United States.
Now one of the main goals of the people who came from Europe was to escape religious prosecution, right?
In the process to escape this prosecution, spent years slaughtering anyone who didn't share similar religious ideals, years slaughtering those that did, and just years generally starving to death.
I understand this is a broad generalization.
However, I feel as if this is a response to the broad generalization that anyone who doesn't support having "in god we trust" printed on every single piece of paper or having prayer in schools is un-American and needs to leave the country.
I realize I haven't exactly made my point. But I have to get back to work. And I am curious what you think?
*Edit After Comments*
First having been raised Catholic and spending much time studying religion. Christianity is not an ugly religion...just like Judaism and Islam and Hindu and Buddhism are not ugly religions.
Most religions are largely misunderstood by mass generalization and stereotyping.
Christians, however, can be extremely ugly! Just like many "believers" in other religions. The fact that bureaucratic nonsense is so ingrained in religion and its practice is nauseating. Because I believe in Faith. I personally am not going to condemn you for using a different title. For that matter I'm not going to condemn you for Not having Faith.
But I'm guessing I define Faith differently than the wackos sending me these emails. Please also note, most of the wackos sending me these emails are blood relatives.
And really when your family are the crazy stalkers, the JW's are just funny. And in the end, most of those people truly have the best of intentions...they want you to believe in their God and by doing so they believe everyday life for you will be better, and bonus you'll go to heaven. This in and of itself is not a bad concept. Its the cartoons, thick comic books, about people going to suffer in hell because they are not strict JW's. Its the picketing of military funerals those Kentucky Christians think is so necessary, because it's important we realize god is punishing us for being too supportive of "Gay."
I intentionally capitalize and quote "Gay" because honestly those wackos think everything is "Gay!" I intentionally do not capitalize their god, because no one who believes in an higher power believes in kicking people when they're down.
It's mass hysteria brought on by fear. Its the washing over of history so it looks pretty. It is not only a dangerous brain washing of society...it is the complete loss of the concept "Think for yourself."
Allow me to visit an additional tangent of mine - creationism (or whatever they're calling it these days). I don't really care if they add creationism as a theory next to evolution in schools. Truly they are both Scientific theories, with validated evidence to support both. Neither has solid and complete irrefutable evidence. Because people collect and evaluate evidence, and no one is completely perfect. So flaws are good to find in theories. When we find these flaws in evidence or logic, we are looking harder, we are learning, we are thinking for ourselves.
The argument that creationism/evolution should or should not be taught based on religious beliefs is the problem. It's the idea that in United States we are so stupid...we can't be taught 2 conflicting theories (being taught as theories not as facts) and still be able to evaluate and weight the information being provided.
I don't have to leave my country because I don't agree with what is being called "Christian values." I was born here too damn it. If you're all so in love with the common and often flawed or ignorant views you share and hold on to so dearly...you leave.
I like living in a country where I can shout from my roof top that " fill in the blank ."
But than again, if you can't deal with their being valid opposing view points, be sure to replace those people with those, who don't speak a lot of English and are just happy not to be shot by the local drug lord. But always be sure to speak down to those replacement people and constantly complain about those people taking over. But they do great lawn work, don't they?
Now one of the main goals of the people who came from Europe was to escape religious prosecution, right?
In the process to escape this prosecution, spent years slaughtering anyone who didn't share similar religious ideals, years slaughtering those that did, and just years generally starving to death.
I understand this is a broad generalization.
However, I feel as if this is a response to the broad generalization that anyone who doesn't support having "in god we trust" printed on every single piece of paper or having prayer in schools is un-American and needs to leave the country.
I realize I haven't exactly made my point. But I have to get back to work. And I am curious what you think?
*Edit After Comments*
First having been raised Catholic and spending much time studying religion. Christianity is not an ugly religion...just like Judaism and Islam and Hindu and Buddhism are not ugly religions.
Most religions are largely misunderstood by mass generalization and stereotyping.
Christians, however, can be extremely ugly! Just like many "believers" in other religions. The fact that bureaucratic nonsense is so ingrained in religion and its practice is nauseating. Because I believe in Faith. I personally am not going to condemn you for using a different title. For that matter I'm not going to condemn you for Not having Faith.
But I'm guessing I define Faith differently than the wackos sending me these emails. Please also note, most of the wackos sending me these emails are blood relatives.
And really when your family are the crazy stalkers, the JW's are just funny. And in the end, most of those people truly have the best of intentions...they want you to believe in their God and by doing so they believe everyday life for you will be better, and bonus you'll go to heaven. This in and of itself is not a bad concept. Its the cartoons, thick comic books, about people going to suffer in hell because they are not strict JW's. Its the picketing of military funerals those Kentucky Christians think is so necessary, because it's important we realize god is punishing us for being too supportive of "Gay."
I intentionally capitalize and quote "Gay" because honestly those wackos think everything is "Gay!" I intentionally do not capitalize their god, because no one who believes in an higher power believes in kicking people when they're down.
It's mass hysteria brought on by fear. Its the washing over of history so it looks pretty. It is not only a dangerous brain washing of society...it is the complete loss of the concept "Think for yourself."
Allow me to visit an additional tangent of mine - creationism (or whatever they're calling it these days). I don't really care if they add creationism as a theory next to evolution in schools. Truly they are both Scientific theories, with validated evidence to support both. Neither has solid and complete irrefutable evidence. Because people collect and evaluate evidence, and no one is completely perfect. So flaws are good to find in theories. When we find these flaws in evidence or logic, we are looking harder, we are learning, we are thinking for ourselves.
The argument that creationism/evolution should or should not be taught based on religious beliefs is the problem. It's the idea that in United States we are so stupid...we can't be taught 2 conflicting theories (being taught as theories not as facts) and still be able to evaluate and weight the information being provided.
I don't have to leave my country because I don't agree with what is being called "Christian values." I was born here too damn it. If you're all so in love with the common and often flawed or ignorant views you share and hold on to so dearly...you leave.
I like living in a country where I can shout from my roof top that " fill in the blank ."
But than again, if you can't deal with their being valid opposing view points, be sure to replace those people with those, who don't speak a lot of English and are just happy not to be shot by the local drug lord. But always be sure to speak down to those replacement people and constantly complain about those people taking over. But they do great lawn work, don't they?