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feeling: the inside of my lip hurts T_T
listening to: Ah! My Goddess - Denwa Shite Iwachan
Small correction on my last blog: I am using my Haneyuki account for RO, not my Symone one. However, the character I currently play IS named Symone. So if you're an RO person, look 'er up ^^ Also, an addition to the whole broken air conditioning deal in that lecture yesterday... today my lab teacher reported that the temperature in that hall while we were in there for about 80 minutes was somewhere around 100 degrees. Yes. If they don't have that fixed by tomorrow's lecture (during which time we have a quiz too *sigh*), someone will be hearing from me. No, seriously. That's the funny part... our lecturer (whose white shirt was soaked to yellowness with sweat yesterday, poor guy) said he was going to call someone about that, and if they didn't fix it by the next time we were in there, which is tomorrow, he'd give ALL of us that person's contact information. ALL meaning approximately 700 students and TAs. And he wasn't kidding - he's done it before. >D
Okay, I am now going to post a rather long selection from someone's post about human cloning from a message forum I used to frequent. This lengthy selection will be followed by a bit of preaching from me, which will probably be even longer. So if you don't want to hear it, or if you're just going to read it and follow up by flaming me for speaking my opinion, then just go somewhere else right now. Kay, here goes... oh, and my "sermon" will mainly respond to the second paragraph, but I'm going to include the two around it just to make it clear where this person stands. You can skip the first and third ones if you prefer.
And as for God's job, well what is that exactly? How do we know his or her or their job isn't to have us advance in knowledge and science? Every religion purports to have the exclusive knowledge or what god wants but do they really know? Well no, they just think they do and want to make others believe the do. Until any of us become a god ourselves and gain all the knowledge of life and the universe none of us will truly know what, if anything, god's plan is. So to say it's this that or the other thing is, imo, pure speculation at best, though others of course will feverently argue otherwise and that's fine.
Everyone ultimately has to answer to his or her own self and what they feel is right, but also we need to examine why we feel that way and if it really makes sense or is just something were taught to believe. Religions tell us a lot of things, some tell us to kill others (ahem, the middle east), some tell us people who love each other and are commited to each other are wrong, evil and sinful, some tell us that women or certain castes of people are unclean. It doesn't make these things right. Because my god/book/pastor/priest/rabbi/sheik/whatever says so is not good enough. We need to evaluate things on our own, both the positives any the negatives.
Do I think cloning is something that is always good and should always be supported? No. But neither do I think it's totally wrong or evil and should always be condemned. Like anything else, it is really neither. It is how the we as humans use these things that make them one or the other.
Let me first say that people like this were what made me decide to leave this forum a couple months ago. Now, don't get me wrong - they're (for the most part) great people, I respect and admire them, they're fun, they're cool, I like them. They have their opinions, they differ from mine, I have no problem with that whatsoever. The problem was that I was essentially the only person at the forum who believed something different than everyone else seemed to. I'm a Christian, right? And I'm a Christian who really, really believes in the Christian doctrines and who has total faith in it. Others there claimed to be Christians, but they would then turn around and say they didn't even believe in the Christian God. Most were aetheists, Wiccans, polytheists, something of the sort. And believe me, I have listened to their descriptions of their beliefs, even really studied some of them, and they really do sound interesting and beautiful to me - they're just not FOR me. I'm a Christian, always was, always will be. So the problem was that many people there were constantly discussing their stances on major issues, encouraging everyone who had an opinion to share it as well. So a few times, I did.
Big mistake.
Every single time I voiced my opinion, it was shot down. The most common things I heard included that I was close-minded, judgmental, and a bigot, just because I gave my reasons for believing what I believe as opposed to what they believe. I was in no way judgmental; I never once said that any of them were wrong. I even included little disclaimers at the end of my opinion posts re-stating that I am in no way trying to judge, and that I fully respect whatever opinions other people had. But that wasn't enough. I was still a close-minded, judgmental bigot. And here's the fun part. No matter how many times they told me I should have an open mind (which as I said, I DO, and they were told this many times), and said that THEIR minds were totally open, and thus I should be more like them, I still had those same people telling me that everything I've ever believed in throughout my life is nothing but a bunch of old stories made up by old people and not really useful in real life, and that what they believe must be true because they said so, and I'm wrong and close-minded and a bigot because I don't agree with them. Now, wait. I thought these people were open minded?? The world is a hypocrite.
But, I've been through that before. Now to my sermon.
The person quoted above (remember, I'm focusing on the bold paragraph) first says that "Everyone ultimately has to answer to his or her own self and what they feel is right, but also we need to examine why we feel that way and if it really makes sense or is just something were taught to believe." That's well and good. I can understand that people do need to have their own opinions and not just live the way someone else tells them to without really knowing what that other person is talking about. However, he forgets that sometimes those other people DO know what they're talking about, in accordance with their own beliefs. I won't base my beliefs on something some random old guy on the street says, but I will put my faith in what my pastor or my dad says, because I know their sources and am very familiar with them.
Now, he goes on to say: "Religions tell us a lot of things, some tell us to kill others (ahem, the middle east), some tell us people who love each other and are commited to each other are wrong, evil and sinful, some tell us that women or certain castes of people are unclean. It doesn't make these things right." First of all, I still don't believe that the "middle east" religion (Islam) actually told Bin Laden to kill people. I think he's just a mentally unsound old jerk who keeps hearing voices. I have taken part in Islam-centered activities, get-togethers, and concerts before, and I learned there that Islam is a beautiful religion, all about being strong enough to follow the way of love. I can not bring myself to believe that the God of a religion so dedicated to love could tell someone to kill thousands of innocent people. Second... I'm not sure which religions say that committing to others is wrong. Buddhism comes to mind - it dictates that in order to attain true happiness, one must abandon all ties to the physical world - including attachments to other people. Again, I think Buddhism raises some great points and sounds like a great thing, but like Islam, Wiccan, aetheism, and polytheism, it's just not for me. I accept their faiths; why can't they accept mine? And thirdly, the part that says women and certain people are unclean. Again, I'm not sure about the origin of that one. Seems to me like he's referring to middle eastern areas (we've all heard about the Afghan women), which are mostly Islam... but is that "unclean" stuff really something from an Islam doctrine? I don't recall it ever saying any gender or caste was unclean - remember, it's all about the way of love. I thought it was something decided by the governments of those areas. But I dunno. Anyway, finally, he says religion doesn't make these aforementioned things right. That I agree with. There are dozens of religions in this worls; not ALL of them can be 100% correct. But it's not about what religion is right for ALL of us. It's about what religion is right for EACH of us. He said that too, I believe, but this "(religion) doesn't make those things right" seems to kind of challenge it, because it is an attack, whether he meant it to be or not. Because I feel attacked when someone says that just because I believe something doesn't make it true. They're right. It doesn't have to be true for everyone. But it's true FOR ME. That's all I was ever trying to say. Why can no one understand this?
And finally... he says "Because my god/book/pastor/priest/rabbi/sheik/whatever says so is not good enough. We need to evaluate things on our own, both the positives any the negatives." This is a lot like the stuff he already said, but I see differences worth arguing. First of all, he restates that one should not believe something just because they heard it from some random source that could be unreliable. But what he's implying is that nobody should believe anything without asking THEMSELVES if it can really be true. What's wrong with this? Well... pretty much every religion says one thing or another that, face it, is REALLY far out. My own religion is loaded with them, I admit it. I can see why people find it hard to believe that this ordinary man, born in some cave to very poor, humble human parents who weren't even married yet, could be the Lord of all creation, or the Son thereof. And that's one of the LESS far-out parts of Christianity, probably. I understand what he's saying. But what he's forgetting is that little thing called faith. I believe my religion is true for my purposes even though I didn't actually physically see any of that Bible stuff happen. It's called faith. Faith isn't THAT hard of a concept; everyone has some of it. I mean, look at that chair you're sitting in right now. What reason do you have to believe that chair has no chance of just falling to pieces in the next 10 seconds? Now you're going to say, oh, this chair has held up for years now and never broken, why would it break now? Now restate that sentence with the word religion in place of chair: This religion has held up for years now and never broken, why would it break (or be less worthwhile) now? Christianity was good enough for my dad, my mom, their parents, and probably their grandparents; it was good enough for those slaves before the Civil War who had next to nothing except their faith in God... the list goes one. It was good enough for them, why shouldn't it be good enough for me? Because some random guy from this forum says otherwise? Doesn't that contradict the whole point of that paragraph in bold up there?
Anyway, he's basically saying that no one should blindly follow some religion just because someone told them to, and that everyone should do some serious soul-searching before they dive into a religion. That I perfectly agree with. But it goes further than that. He's implying that NO religion is as good as one's own mind and self-reliance. That's where I have to hold up one of those stop signs you see old guys waving at crosswalks near elementary schools at 3 p.m. See, personally, I can't fathom why someone would want to rely fully and completely on his or her own self. That's a LOT of responsibility, if you think about it. Oh, also, I get tired of seeing people favoring their beliefs over mine just because theirs are easier to follow. Where's the reward in following something that doesn't take any effort? What roadblocks are there to overcome, what tests are there to strengthen us, and who is there to help us through those trials, if all we believe in is ourselves? Well, there are a lot of roadblocks in everyday life, but I'm talking about the ones relating to religion. One obvious roadblock in Christianity is just believing it, in and of itself. Trust me, it takes time to reach a point where you can say you truly believe in this faith. Anyway. I would much rather believe that there's some supreme, divine, omnipotent, benevolent force behind everything that goes on in this world, than to think that there's no real point to life other than to better ourselves on an individual basis. Some find it easier to believe only in themselves; this I'll never understand. I find it easier to believe that someone out there truly, truly cares for me, who will continue to love me no matter what mistakes I make, and who has already taken upon His shoulders full responsibility for man's sinful nature, and given His believers a reason to shoot for that final Heaven. I'd rather believe that even though worldly life sucks and people are jerks, there's one being who can give me strength when I need it, who can pick me up when I fall, who can assure me that I'm forgiven and still loved when I do something really, really stupid... isn't that much easier to digest than total self-reliance? I can NEVER picture myself not believing all of those things, or just following my own way. In all honestly, I think I'd have taken my own life a few years ago if not for those very beliefs. That and I really do believe that the one person who has never judged me, and who I fully trust, really came into my life (well, we've known each other since she was a baby, but we really became close much later) when I first started having those thoughts. Coincidence? Nah, I like to think God sent me an angel. ^^
See what I'm saying? Some would rather think they're in charge of themselves, exclusively. THAT is what doesn't cut it for me. I'd rather have a bigger shoulder to lean on. I'd rather believe someone's already taken responsibility for people like Hitler and Hussein and Bin Laden, and has given them (or will give them) what's coming to them when the time is right. If people like that were really only living for themselves, they'd already ve in their own guaranteed heaven. Do we really want that for those kinds of people?
Anywaaaay... I'm not trying to say that this person quoted above believes all religion is wrong, and that everyone should just live for themselves. Because, to be honest, I don't know what he really believes. I just know what he's (well, not so much him as others on that forum I've been in "debates" with) saying about MY faith, and that's what I don't take well to. I let you live you way; why can't you let me live my way? All I'm doing is explaining why I believe what I believe, and why I don't believe what I don't believe. I never said any of it was flat-out wrong or lacking. Which some of YOU have plainly said to ME, and don't deny it. So don't call me close-minded. Again. And by the way, I am not trying to tell anyone what to believe, nor that anyone is wrong if they believe something different from what I believe. Whatever y'all believe is cool with me, and I guarantee I will NEVER judge you for it. It's not my place to judge. You believe whatever works for you; my opinion of you won't change because of it. If I know you, that is. :P
I have one more point to preach about, and this doesn't relate to the quoted passage up there. It's about suicide. I know WAY too many people who have considered or even tried killing themselves, for the stupidest reasons. I've heard them all: The guy I like doesn't like me back. I weigh too much. (you DO NOT weigh too much, by the way! >_<) People in this world whom I have nothing todo with are jerks. Someone doesn't like me and they won't tell me why. I just got dumped. I'm ugly. (once again, NO YOU ARE NOT... grr). And of course, My life is meaningless. Now, here's my take. Since my own little "salvation", if you will, a few years ago, I have come to believe that NO ONE's life is meaningless. If you had no reason to be here, then why would you be here? If man had no reason to be put on this earth, why was he put on this earth? You DO have a reason to be here, even if you don't know what it is yet. And believe me, for lots of people it takes decades, sometimes even a lifetime, to find that reason. Be patient. And don't even think about killing yourself for one of those other reasons I mentioned up there. Those are just plain dumb. Try to pass any of them off to me as a valid excuse to want to die, and you'll get a good 10-point drop in my esteem. My conclusion: Suicide is stupid. Suicide is not an answer. It will not solve anything, it will not make anything better. It will make things worse. Because believe it or not, there is AT LEAST someone, probably tons of people, whose life you will absolutely crush if you took your life. You want to do that to people who love you? That's yet another 20+ point drop in my esteem.
Notice I didn't try to use Christianity or any other religion in my argument that suicide is stupid. Tell me I'm trying to drive my religion down your throat. Go on.
There. I preached. That's been waiting to come out for months now... :P
comment! (0)
dragged from Becky's stream of consciousness at 4/17/2002 09:58:00 PM
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