Wednesday, November 3, 2010

You know what sucks?

The first thing that sucks is that, most likely, very few people will ever stumble upon this blog.  However, those that do will be in for quite a treat.


I'm starting this blog just because I'm sort of a "deep thinker", and I want to get some of my ideas out on paper. Also, I like to be funny, so I just might crack a few one-liners, to keep you on your toes.


Let's just cut straight to the chase. My "deep thinking" has been overwhelmingly dominated by one thing for the past couple years. You were going to say my ex-girlfriend? Well, admittedly, that might occupy too much of my spare thoughts, but no, not that. It's Christianity. More specifically, me falling away from it.  Of course, many have fallen away, and recorded their thoughts on this. But I'd like to "throw my hat into the ring". Hopefully, I've got some original material to contribute. And if not, perhaps at least you might find yourself identifying with me, and through that we will be engaging in some sort of online therapy... or something. Now, on to the action.

***Why I am (mostly) not a Christian*** Part 1

Note: these posts on this topic are in no special order.  Just whatever strikes my fancy at the time.

When I tell my friends or mentors that I have recently decided that I can't believe in Christianity, naturally they ask me why. Usually, the answer focuses on incidences in the Bible wherein God or his followers do something a little "harsh" for my tastes.  For instance, some guy was gathering some sticks on the Sabbath and gets stoned for it (he was probably just chilly, gathering some firewood).  Or God/Moses tells the Israelites to wipe out a nation--men, women, and children--and makes sure to emphasize to the warriors "resist the temptation to feel pity".

They often respond, "without a God, how can there be any basis for morals?"  If the world is just matter in motion, then why does it matter if some matter takes some other matter and splatter splatters it all over the wall (translation: one human shoots another one) ?

One friend, taking this approach, said that "if we are all just animals, why aren't we taking to court grizzly bears and chimpanzees? They murder and rape all the time. In fact, the other day I saw a dog raping another dog, and it was just kind of funny. But between people, these things are a grave matter, and it's because people are made in the image of God... so to take a life is to spit on the image of God."

So then, he was defining sin as spitting on the image of God, and I suppose that's why we can kill and eat cows but not other humans (note: I am not an animal-rights advocate; I'm just setting up my argument. I'm also not a cannibal-rights advocate, in case there was any misunderstanding). But here's a response to his approach. If you knew someone, and every day when he came home from work, he kicked his dog in the head, with a steal-toed boot. If the reason that killing a human is wrong is because we are made in the image of God, then being brutally mean to a dog shouldn't be wrong.  Most people would say that this dog-beater is doing wrong.  Why?  Because it's cruel.  We know what pain feels like, and we can imagine what others feel when they are hurt, by us, by others, or by nature.

This argument isn't well-rounded, but I got interrupted. There's more I want to say, but it's time for bed.

So goodnight,