I'll probably go to Hell now...
The last days have been weird. In spite of myself, I found myself caught in the Terri Schiavo's debate. I mean, not literally. But it's hard not to read a blog or a newspaper article in which the author doesn't put his or her two cents.
But I don't remember being scared like that in a long time. It is obviously not this poor woman who scares me but the way religious fanatics used her unfortunate situation to use their influence in spheres where it has nothing to do in the first place. I will not even mention politicians here. Their hypocrisy and greedy opportunism is a given and there is no need to give more proofs to that.
No, what really put me in a near paranoia state are all those people whose fanatism is just as dangerous as any Muslim fanatic that blows himself up somewhere in the world in order to become a martyr, have all his sins forgiven and then go to heaven and fuck dozens of virgins.
At school, our history textbooks taught us that France is the Church's little sister. I was told about Jesus Christ. Not at school. Not at Church school. I just picked up the information somehow. Just by living in a catholic country. Even now, I don't talk loud in a church or any place of cult - out of respect for the people there praying, but also out of respect for the dead (i.e. the poor workers who died to build this church or this temple); it is true though that I also keep my mouth shut in public libraries. I do not steal. And basically, I pretty much keep close to the Table of Laws when they make sense. I don't think it's a Commandment, but I pretty much Mind My Own Business. But NOT because I'm AFRAID of going to hell. Not because I'm AFRAID to piss off a wrathful fatherlike God. I follow those laws when they are common sense.
Now, we have these people who compare Pro-Choice supporters to Nazis (kinda funny because Vatican supported the National Socialist party back in WWII); we have these people who show so much hate for people who do not share their "holy" views. Where is their Christian kindness? How come I clearly read racist and xenophobic messages in those blogs written by supposedly candidate to Heaven?
So, a woman cannot die with dignity? When you read those Christian blogs, you can find medical vocabulary, medical facts etc. But if mankind had followed their cult to the letter, we would still think that the earth is flat, when anybody living in the countryside or close to the ocean can see by him/herself that it is more likely to be a sphere. We would still die from the most trifle diseases. We would know nothing about our bodies. We would still believe in Aristotelian erroneous principles. We would still think that the earth is the center of the universe.
These people want to save one life that is already gone and this they say, according to the principle of their Good Book. But what were the apostles who wrote this Good Book doing while Christ was crucified? What did they do or try to do to save Him? Why did the Pope supported the Nazis? How can you reconcile the good Christian feelings with the absolute horrors of the Inquisition? How can someone be a man of God and rape little kids? What about the Crusades? What about a Church that opposes the use of condoms, pretending to take the side of life?! What life?! Life that sings stale holy songs?! Life in which you can have sex once a year, and then just to perpetuate the species? A life of submission? What about the lives of Giordano Bruno? What about the lives of all the early scientists who had to chose between denying the validity of their own works or be killed by the Church.
I suppose that religion might have been a good step for mankind at some point of its evolution (yeah, talking about evolution, I should have mentioned Creationism in the previous paragraph.) But really, it turned sour. Now religions (just as our current economic systems are nothing more but parasites we should eliminate ASAP.) Why should Bush hurry back to the White House to sign a law when he never bothered to shorten his weekends before to save the life of an inmate about to be killed under weak evidences?
If God exists. And if He is pissed that I doubted Him. If He is pissed that I proved my love to the woman I loved with the very same attributes He gave me. If God failed to recognize that (at least so far), even though I refused to sing the awful, debilitating songs written by his subjects; and that even though I was either too tired or too busy making a living to attend masses directed by pedophiles (ok, I know, not all priest are pedophiles, of course, but still, even though I'm not a Freudian, there's no way a life of abstinence is not fucking your brains up, especially when you have to read all the dirty stories in the Bible for a leaving.) I, in some way, did my best to live my life as best as I could according to common sense principles that happen to be vaguely similar to what He put in His commandments; if God fails to recognize that then, I'm sorry, but He is just an asshole and I don't want to be his pet.
I am not a Satanist or something. I find Sade disgusting, sophistic and boring. But at least, I managed to finish Sade's book (I only read one). Whereas the Bible... I don't know... I just have the feeling that the other apostles are way worst than Judas... Hence, I cannot trust their words. I can believe that there really was a guy named Jesus 2,000 years ago and that he was a cool, down to earth guy that somehow manage to be in "harmony" with the world or something (how I hate this New Age crap language... but English is NOT my first language and I'm trying to do my best) but I cannot believe what is reported in the Bible. Not (only) because of the events describe themselves, but because there's something wrong with this book. I can't put my finger on it. But really, I wouldn't consider the Bible a healthy reading. And I haven't even read the Old Testament... that would really scare the shit out of me.
Look here guys, I'm not saying the Torah or the Koran are better. I'm not immoral. I hold the doors to ladies (and pretty much any biped for that matter, without distinction of race or religion or sex) -- and paradoxically, I've seen my load of wannabe preachers since I'm in NYC and I've always been dumbfounded to watch them being so busy preaching that they would forget all rules of good manners and thus making a poor advertising of their Church. But, since I'm from a Latin country with a Christian tradition, I feel comfortable criticizing what I think I know. I have no doubt that there's nothing in what I have said here that have changed your opinion on anything if you are a die hard Christian who think that God created the earth in 6 days and took a nap on the 7th. I am not a Science fanatic, although I will say that so far, science (for all the shitty disastrous things it brought us) has brought more to Knowledge than Religion ever will.
When I feel like it, I believe in God. If He created the world, then He should be happy that there is not a day I don't admire His creation (for all it might be worth to him.) When I think I have to talk to him, I do it wherever I am. I think that, if he created us, he was smart enough not to create us in His image. We more likely created Him in our image. Forget about Pascal's safe bet. This is the bet that all this creepy fanatics are making. The bet of cowards. The bet of God fearing ass kissers. Where is their "true love" when they are just afraid of hell?
I believe God (if He exists) prefers those who have the balls not to choose the easy way of blind, fearful servitude. I think that He appreciates it when, watching a sunset over a cornfield or a city, you think He did a great job. I also think He just as well appreciates it when, witnessing the injustice and sadness and absurdity of our lives and the world around us, you can't help telling him loud and clear that He fucked up.
Any other God is not worth worshipping. But if you happen to think otherwise then I don't mind. As long as you respect other people's choices all the same.
There are so many Religions anyway. How can you be so sure yours is the right one. The one that will insure you a place in Heaven with all the other goodygoodies? Because you have this feeling in you that says so? This Faith? Then what about he faith of all this other people who worship other Gods? or the same God but in a different way? How can you be sure that the translation of the Holy Book you are reading is faithful to the original text? How can you be sure that this text has not been manipulated by the people at the head of your Church at some point in the past centuries, and this in order to maintain or reinforce the submission of the believers? Maybe it was even done with the best intentions in the world. But still. What if the text has been modified once and there was never an opportunity to nullify this slight alteration. What if it was OK to drink alcohol, or work on Sabbath, or not to believe what John said?
Well, anyway, was really John, Matthew etc called John, Matthew etc. back in the days or are those just westernized names? And if so, then what about the authenticity of the rest of the text?
But I don't remember being scared like that in a long time. It is obviously not this poor woman who scares me but the way religious fanatics used her unfortunate situation to use their influence in spheres where it has nothing to do in the first place. I will not even mention politicians here. Their hypocrisy and greedy opportunism is a given and there is no need to give more proofs to that.
No, what really put me in a near paranoia state are all those people whose fanatism is just as dangerous as any Muslim fanatic that blows himself up somewhere in the world in order to become a martyr, have all his sins forgiven and then go to heaven and fuck dozens of virgins.
At school, our history textbooks taught us that France is the Church's little sister. I was told about Jesus Christ. Not at school. Not at Church school. I just picked up the information somehow. Just by living in a catholic country. Even now, I don't talk loud in a church or any place of cult - out of respect for the people there praying, but also out of respect for the dead (i.e. the poor workers who died to build this church or this temple); it is true though that I also keep my mouth shut in public libraries. I do not steal. And basically, I pretty much keep close to the Table of Laws when they make sense. I don't think it's a Commandment, but I pretty much Mind My Own Business. But NOT because I'm AFRAID of going to hell. Not because I'm AFRAID to piss off a wrathful fatherlike God. I follow those laws when they are common sense.
Now, we have these people who compare Pro-Choice supporters to Nazis (kinda funny because Vatican supported the National Socialist party back in WWII); we have these people who show so much hate for people who do not share their "holy" views. Where is their Christian kindness? How come I clearly read racist and xenophobic messages in those blogs written by supposedly candidate to Heaven?
So, a woman cannot die with dignity? When you read those Christian blogs, you can find medical vocabulary, medical facts etc. But if mankind had followed their cult to the letter, we would still think that the earth is flat, when anybody living in the countryside or close to the ocean can see by him/herself that it is more likely to be a sphere. We would still die from the most trifle diseases. We would know nothing about our bodies. We would still believe in Aristotelian erroneous principles. We would still think that the earth is the center of the universe.
These people want to save one life that is already gone and this they say, according to the principle of their Good Book. But what were the apostles who wrote this Good Book doing while Christ was crucified? What did they do or try to do to save Him? Why did the Pope supported the Nazis? How can you reconcile the good Christian feelings with the absolute horrors of the Inquisition? How can someone be a man of God and rape little kids? What about the Crusades? What about a Church that opposes the use of condoms, pretending to take the side of life?! What life?! Life that sings stale holy songs?! Life in which you can have sex once a year, and then just to perpetuate the species? A life of submission? What about the lives of Giordano Bruno? What about the lives of all the early scientists who had to chose between denying the validity of their own works or be killed by the Church.
I suppose that religion might have been a good step for mankind at some point of its evolution (yeah, talking about evolution, I should have mentioned Creationism in the previous paragraph.) But really, it turned sour. Now religions (just as our current economic systems are nothing more but parasites we should eliminate ASAP.) Why should Bush hurry back to the White House to sign a law when he never bothered to shorten his weekends before to save the life of an inmate about to be killed under weak evidences?
If God exists. And if He is pissed that I doubted Him. If He is pissed that I proved my love to the woman I loved with the very same attributes He gave me. If God failed to recognize that (at least so far), even though I refused to sing the awful, debilitating songs written by his subjects; and that even though I was either too tired or too busy making a living to attend masses directed by pedophiles (ok, I know, not all priest are pedophiles, of course, but still, even though I'm not a Freudian, there's no way a life of abstinence is not fucking your brains up, especially when you have to read all the dirty stories in the Bible for a leaving.) I, in some way, did my best to live my life as best as I could according to common sense principles that happen to be vaguely similar to what He put in His commandments; if God fails to recognize that then, I'm sorry, but He is just an asshole and I don't want to be his pet.
I am not a Satanist or something. I find Sade disgusting, sophistic and boring. But at least, I managed to finish Sade's book (I only read one). Whereas the Bible... I don't know... I just have the feeling that the other apostles are way worst than Judas... Hence, I cannot trust their words. I can believe that there really was a guy named Jesus 2,000 years ago and that he was a cool, down to earth guy that somehow manage to be in "harmony" with the world or something (how I hate this New Age crap language... but English is NOT my first language and I'm trying to do my best) but I cannot believe what is reported in the Bible. Not (only) because of the events describe themselves, but because there's something wrong with this book. I can't put my finger on it. But really, I wouldn't consider the Bible a healthy reading. And I haven't even read the Old Testament... that would really scare the shit out of me.
Look here guys, I'm not saying the Torah or the Koran are better. I'm not immoral. I hold the doors to ladies (and pretty much any biped for that matter, without distinction of race or religion or sex) -- and paradoxically, I've seen my load of wannabe preachers since I'm in NYC and I've always been dumbfounded to watch them being so busy preaching that they would forget all rules of good manners and thus making a poor advertising of their Church. But, since I'm from a Latin country with a Christian tradition, I feel comfortable criticizing what I think I know. I have no doubt that there's nothing in what I have said here that have changed your opinion on anything if you are a die hard Christian who think that God created the earth in 6 days and took a nap on the 7th. I am not a Science fanatic, although I will say that so far, science (for all the shitty disastrous things it brought us) has brought more to Knowledge than Religion ever will.
When I feel like it, I believe in God. If He created the world, then He should be happy that there is not a day I don't admire His creation (for all it might be worth to him.) When I think I have to talk to him, I do it wherever I am. I think that, if he created us, he was smart enough not to create us in His image. We more likely created Him in our image. Forget about Pascal's safe bet. This is the bet that all this creepy fanatics are making. The bet of cowards. The bet of God fearing ass kissers. Where is their "true love" when they are just afraid of hell?
I believe God (if He exists) prefers those who have the balls not to choose the easy way of blind, fearful servitude. I think that He appreciates it when, watching a sunset over a cornfield or a city, you think He did a great job. I also think He just as well appreciates it when, witnessing the injustice and sadness and absurdity of our lives and the world around us, you can't help telling him loud and clear that He fucked up.
Any other God is not worth worshipping. But if you happen to think otherwise then I don't mind. As long as you respect other people's choices all the same.
There are so many Religions anyway. How can you be so sure yours is the right one. The one that will insure you a place in Heaven with all the other goodygoodies? Because you have this feeling in you that says so? This Faith? Then what about he faith of all this other people who worship other Gods? or the same God but in a different way? How can you be sure that the translation of the Holy Book you are reading is faithful to the original text? How can you be sure that this text has not been manipulated by the people at the head of your Church at some point in the past centuries, and this in order to maintain or reinforce the submission of the believers? Maybe it was even done with the best intentions in the world. But still. What if the text has been modified once and there was never an opportunity to nullify this slight alteration. What if it was OK to drink alcohol, or work on Sabbath, or not to believe what John said?
Well, anyway, was really John, Matthew etc called John, Matthew etc. back in the days or are those just westernized names? And if so, then what about the authenticity of the rest of the text?
posted by Cecyl at 4:11 AM
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