Since I'm sure no one reads me anyway it doesn't really matter how long between posts I go does it? Well maybe it does at least for my own sanity I can get all the crap floating around in my head out of my system and floating around out there to evaporate into the wild blue yonder. So here goes.
"Warning" Religion is mentioned and talked about in this post do not read further if you might be offended or if you are a devout Bible Believer.
Recently a few friends of mine got into a bit of a discussion about this video. They were offended, they were against Oprah they "hated her". They were offended because it went against what they believed.
I don't get why they were so set in their minds that anyone that might question ummm "Christian Beliefs" would be wrong, would be evil, would be "gasp" sinning. See I think that what you believe is entirely up to you, and if you want to post it on Facebook, or on your blog or on Youtube then you should have that right. It's a little something called the Freedom of Speech thing I believe. Just because you post it doesn't mean other people have to listen, look or even like what you have to say it also doesn't give them the right to slam, bash or horsewhip you verbally because they do not agree. These people who do this are "scared" aren't they? Why are they scared? What makes them fear something that is different from what they believe?
Well I don't know about you but frankly we can go all over history to find fanatics who persecute others because of their beliefs errr Jews were persecuted, ummm Protestants were persecuted, white, black, native, oriental, women, children, people with handicaps just to name a few have all been persecuted. This discussion that my friends had was beginning to sound fanatical it worried me. I'm writing about it here.
See I don't care what religion you believe in whether you believe in God or not,or if like me, you think the Bible is not based in fact but rather is a collection of stories to guide you in how you live your life. To be honest I have read the Bible as much as I can (almost all of it) and understood as much as I could. I used to torment our minister because I thought he could tell me what the mark was that Cain received after he slew Abel. Or hey, here's one if incest is a sin then when Adam and Eve had children and they were the only people on the planet that would make all their children siblings thus in order to continue to procreate they had to commit an act of incest are you following me here. It's just not happening it just doesn't make sense. My minister told me that I had to have faith that I had to believe. Since these are only two of the many examples in the Bible. It was hard for me to just have faith and believe it still is.
What happens when you believe in a higher power but not in the word MAN has written as the law/decrees/lessons from that higher power. See I think it does not matter if you believe in the Bible or not. I think it matters in who you are and whether or not you are a decent person more than whether you believe in the Bible or not.
So live and let live I say believe in the Bible if you want but don't slam me for thinking it was not okay for God (as the Bible claims) to wipe out the whole human race and save one crazy man and his family because they built a huge ship to sail away on the flood waters. Or for that matter eventually as per Revelations to plan on sending hordes of locusts, plagues and other highly unpleasant events to hound us in our last days. See the higher power I believe in just wouldn't do things like this not to my way of thinking. That's why I think man (because let's face it man is all about lessons and judgement and rules isn't he)is the culprit who wrote that book as a guideline here's your rule book follow it or else a plague of locusts is going to come and consume all your crops and make you starve (well that could happen and it has but I don't think God had anything to do with it). Or better yet if you don't want to go to purgatory or Hell when you die you need to follow this here book verbatim ... HAH.
See I know where I'm going when I die, first I'm going to be cremated (yup its the cheapest seat in the house) and then my ashes are going to be spread in all their glory at sunset over some beautiful vista somewhere in Scotland (haha in my dreams) and then that will be it. If there is something more after that well it's all just a bonus at that point isn't it. I haven't committed any serious sins, I believe in a higher power, I like people, I haven't tried to kill anyone or steal from anyone or do anything really bad (well unless you count sarcasm and lost library books). I think I'll be okay and if there really is a Heaven and I get to go I might not be the most shining Angel there since I haven't thumped my Bible enough or even 'gasp' believed with true and shining faith that there is a Heaven and my soul is bound there in the everafter but that's okay with me. I'm just an average every day Mom in the here and now so why would I want to be more than that if I went to Heaven.
Okay so I'm off my high horse and if you have read this far and are not horrifically offended or think I'm nuts more power to you. I just felt this huge sense of "Wheeeee,that's off my chest" when I finished this. To my friends who are discussing the video above zealously well, you can go on fighting I'm done now.
Peace Out
B
