Gummy Worms and Hedgehogs with Laser Pointers

Alright, now I will say this before I start writing this blog: I apologize to anyone I offend by writing this, however everything I say is of my own personal belief and I mean not to inforce my opinions and thoughts upon you. I've addressed many things in this blog but I have yet to talk about anything truly pressing, such as politics or religion. I try not to do this, because I do not want anyone to think that I am disregarding their views or I am pushing anyone to think the way I think. However, my philosophy class has truly opened me up to think critically about many different things, and I have had many different thoughts about religion for quite some time now, particularly Christianity.

I am a confirmed Catholic, however the more and more I see the way this world is going, I'm realizing that I question many of the things that the Catholic church does. First and foremost, I am a theist, however I do believe that many of the different aspects of different religions have valid points and thoughts. In other words, I am accepting of other people's beliefs. One thing, however that I am not okay with, is the thought that people accept anything that they hear without thinking twice about it. I apologize, but I believe that the general message of the Bible is good, but I do not necessarily think that everything written down has validity. Yes, treat others the way you would like to be treated. Yes, "Thou shall not kill" is a valid rule to go by, however I do not necessarily think that everything in the Bible is correct.

The fact of the matter is, the Bible was written by a group of men. Man is prone to sin. Man is still tempted. Man can still fall to temptation. Therefore, if the premisis are true, who is to say that these men did not fall to temptation? Who is to say that one or two of these men did not like homosexuality and then wrote it down that God frowns upon it. Even moreso, who is to say that the word has not been altered? First of all, many of the stories in the Bible were written down long after Jesus had died. Those of you who have ever played "telephone", will understand where I am coming from with this. Sometimes the message gets twisted or misinterpreted in even the most common of daily situations. Who is to say that something like this is impossible of happening?

Please do not think me as without morals. I do believe in God, and even if I believed that there was no God, I do not think that I am necessarily a bad person. I try to live my life in a way that allows others to remain happy and feel valuable. I believe that every single person on this planet is loved by someone, and therefore loved by God. I disagree, however with such statements as "homosexuality is a sin". It is not our purpose to judge others, and eventually those who ARE doing wrong, such as.. ooooh I don't know, persecuting others, will eventually get what is coming to them, I am not saying that it will be a negative consequence, I am merely saying that there will be a consequence. (If I was saying that they will be receiving a negative consequence, I would be persecuting the persecutors, which clearly defeats my purpose) I do believe that we are all equal and we sould all treat eachother in such a manner that is respectful.

Now, yes people aggrivate me. I do get irritated by ignorance, and I will let those who are ignorant know that they are acting in such a way that I would much so like to punch them, however that is merely a feeling and not necessarily an action. Perhaps if people became more educated on such subjects as stem-cell research, literature, or even just another person's rights, our world would be a better place.

The pope tells us to "give" all that we possibly can to help aid others, however.. in the Vatican Archives lay millions of dollars worth of artwork and other materials that do not even make it onto display. Why not sell some of the things that they have just wasting space, and use that money to feed the poor, save the lives of some dying children, or how about help members of their own religion? Why the world is full of hypocrites is beyond me, however I will say that if I were a religious figure in the world, things would not be going the way they are. As humans, many of us have a tendency to fall to corruption. I am not necessarily saying that everyone is corrupt, I am merely saying, do not count anyone beyond corruption or temptation. God is pure, we are only in his image.

I am aware that this is a risky post to make, however.. know that my views on religion do not necessarily change the way I think or write. My basic view is that one should simply not deny anyone else their dignity, and I believe that regardless of who we are, we are all equal. If there is anything that you could possibly get out of reading this blog, it would be that. Farewell.

All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom. --Albert Einstein