America claims to be a Christian country, but she isn't. She's an ancient Hebrew country, one who supports "eye for an eye" and the killing of "pagans" and "idol worshippers" for no other reason than "God said so." A justice system that teaches you to take pleasure at the suffering of the one who caused you pain. Not even modern Jews believe in that anymore.
Christ said "turn the other cheek." Christ allowed himself to receive capital punishment for a crime he didn't commit. When the rulers came to stone a woman caught in adultery in accordance to their law, Christ stopped them and said "let he who is without sin cast the first stone." He was the only sinless man there that day; and he said "neither do I condemn you--go, and sin no more." He taught us that the only way to heal, the only way to peace, is to forgive.
Now if America wants to be an ancient Jewish nation, that's perfectly okay with me. People have the freedom to be whatever they want to be. Just stop tarnishing the name of Jesus by claiming to be a Christian nation.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Love, actually
When do you decide that your heart has had enough? When do you stop trying?
Is their something about letting your heart get broken by yet another woman that makes you stronger? Wiser? A better person?
Or is the act of being willing itself salvation? Is giving up the death blow?
I suppose it's a metaphor for life itself. Life absolutely sucks. Every day you go to work, come home exhausted, and fill your leisure hours with something designed to take your mind off of life because it sucks so much. You spend life escaping from life. But the moment you give up on all of that, you die. This sucky life is all we have, so we persevere.
So it is with love. Falling in love sucks. It sucks because it's always unrequited. (If not immediately, then eventually.) You close your eyes and dream, escape from reality, and there fall in love with the girl of your dreams, because in real life she doesn't love you back. But the moment you give up on love, your heart dies, and you become a cold, miserable creature. This sucky love is all we have, so we persevere, and try to fall in love again.
It's pointless in the sense that we never achieve our goal; but it's the most important part of life in the sense that it is what keeps us alive.
Is their something about letting your heart get broken by yet another woman that makes you stronger? Wiser? A better person?
Or is the act of being willing itself salvation? Is giving up the death blow?
I suppose it's a metaphor for life itself. Life absolutely sucks. Every day you go to work, come home exhausted, and fill your leisure hours with something designed to take your mind off of life because it sucks so much. You spend life escaping from life. But the moment you give up on all of that, you die. This sucky life is all we have, so we persevere.
So it is with love. Falling in love sucks. It sucks because it's always unrequited. (If not immediately, then eventually.) You close your eyes and dream, escape from reality, and there fall in love with the girl of your dreams, because in real life she doesn't love you back. But the moment you give up on love, your heart dies, and you become a cold, miserable creature. This sucky love is all we have, so we persevere, and try to fall in love again.
It's pointless in the sense that we never achieve our goal; but it's the most important part of life in the sense that it is what keeps us alive.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
If there were no God...
If there were no God...
If there were no heaven... no hell below us... and no religion too...
Would you act any differently?
Would you be a different person?
For me, I think that would be a yes. What would be different about me?
Well, since I'd have no reason to save myself for marriage I'd probably have slept with someone by now. (On the other hand, since I'm a skinny nerd, and since I've never had a girlfriend, perhaps not.)
I'd probably go into crime. I mean, given that everyone has insurance these days I can just waltz into any store, take what I want, and leave; and the poor store owner won't be any less wealthy because of it. The insurance people, maybe, but does anyone here actually think insurance people aren't criminal with the rates they charge? Someone I know was once charged $6,000 a year in car insurance for a car that was worth $4,000. I have no pity for insurance brokers.
I suppose there'd be the risk of getting caught and spending some time in prison, and the rest of your life with a criminal record. Was reading the story of some poor bloke who was charged with possession of marijuana 35 years ago, received a pardon 25 years ago, and now is flagged whenever he tries to enter the US, arrested, and swiftly deported.
But police don't have the resources to protect everything. A cautious criminal should be able to get away with a lot. I'd probably need martial arts training and a steady supply of rubber gloves, but it's doable. Isn't stealing things so much more profitable than earning them yourself?
Maybe if someone made me angry I could go kill them. There'd be the threat of turning them into a martyr, which would be very bad. But if you pick your spots and are careful you probably won't get caught.
See, without a God, there's no reason to be moral. You have to be moral to the people more powerful than you, yes, or else you risk getting taken out yourself. But to people weaker than you? People who have no ability to exact revenge? Absolutely no reason, if you're quiet about it and it doesn't affect your reputation. Am I wrong here?
So if the only reason I am moral is because there's a God, and there's a heaven awaiting those who make good decisions in life, doesn't that make me selfish? Aren't I just doing good just to get into heaven?
And if you're a good person out of selfishness, are you really a good person? If you're doing good just for a reward, are you really a good person?
But no, I say, I'm not doing good just to get into heaven. I'm doing good because we're in a war, and I'm just backing the winning side. Isn't that just a desire to be right? That same way people don't back down from arguments because they want to be right? Is that really any better?
It's easy to love people close to you. It isn't that hard to love people you know. But a complete stranger? An empty organizational entity? It's easy to cheat something when it doesn't affect you.
Can anyone, truly, love? Can anyone be good for good reasons? Would a world without religion truly be at peace?
If there were no heaven... no hell below us... and no religion too...
Would you act any differently?
Would you be a different person?
For me, I think that would be a yes. What would be different about me?
Well, since I'd have no reason to save myself for marriage I'd probably have slept with someone by now. (On the other hand, since I'm a skinny nerd, and since I've never had a girlfriend, perhaps not.)
I'd probably go into crime. I mean, given that everyone has insurance these days I can just waltz into any store, take what I want, and leave; and the poor store owner won't be any less wealthy because of it. The insurance people, maybe, but does anyone here actually think insurance people aren't criminal with the rates they charge? Someone I know was once charged $6,000 a year in car insurance for a car that was worth $4,000. I have no pity for insurance brokers.
I suppose there'd be the risk of getting caught and spending some time in prison, and the rest of your life with a criminal record. Was reading the story of some poor bloke who was charged with possession of marijuana 35 years ago, received a pardon 25 years ago, and now is flagged whenever he tries to enter the US, arrested, and swiftly deported.
But police don't have the resources to protect everything. A cautious criminal should be able to get away with a lot. I'd probably need martial arts training and a steady supply of rubber gloves, but it's doable. Isn't stealing things so much more profitable than earning them yourself?
Maybe if someone made me angry I could go kill them. There'd be the threat of turning them into a martyr, which would be very bad. But if you pick your spots and are careful you probably won't get caught.
See, without a God, there's no reason to be moral. You have to be moral to the people more powerful than you, yes, or else you risk getting taken out yourself. But to people weaker than you? People who have no ability to exact revenge? Absolutely no reason, if you're quiet about it and it doesn't affect your reputation. Am I wrong here?
So if the only reason I am moral is because there's a God, and there's a heaven awaiting those who make good decisions in life, doesn't that make me selfish? Aren't I just doing good just to get into heaven?
And if you're a good person out of selfishness, are you really a good person? If you're doing good just for a reward, are you really a good person?
But no, I say, I'm not doing good just to get into heaven. I'm doing good because we're in a war, and I'm just backing the winning side. Isn't that just a desire to be right? That same way people don't back down from arguments because they want to be right? Is that really any better?
It's easy to love people close to you. It isn't that hard to love people you know. But a complete stranger? An empty organizational entity? It's easy to cheat something when it doesn't affect you.
Can anyone, truly, love? Can anyone be good for good reasons? Would a world without religion truly be at peace?
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