The Future Is That Mountain: not all christians are alike -
…Actually, all christians are alike in that they all believe the same silly made-up storys, and on principle believe things(creation, virgin births, talking bushes, etc) that can clearly be dis-proven by science, and verifiable history. So I mean there’s that similarity, no…
First off, I am an Atheist. However, I am mostly in agreement with inthefade. I never really understood why Atheists feel that it is so important to “point out the obvious” to the religious. I mean, it’s great that we are so enlightened. But what I have come to understand is that my Atheism is just another belief. I don’t REALLY know. I believe myself to be reasonable and rest my hat in things that make sense. However, so do those that have faith in a religion. In fact, I have run across quite a few people that I respect and admire, that believe in some form of religion and I certainly wouldn’t call them ignorant of science in any sense. I can debate with them all day on this point and it will go absolutely no where. At the end of the day, it all comes down to faith in what I believe and what they believe in what is currently unknowable. Perhaps someday these answers to the unknowable questions will have an answer. For now, we all just shrug and look at each other and blink.
Science has answered a lot of questions that religion filled the void for in the past. And as time progresses, I believe that the way religion currently is will eventually pass away. I mean Christians, specifically, are mostly picking and choosing from the bible what they want anyway. The whole “God = love” and ignoring the wrath thing from his younger years bullshit. I see religion as a sort of evolutionary step in our forming of a society. But I don’t think it was exactly necessary, I think it helped us adapt and deal with the fear of the unknown. But as we uncover these unknowns, these fears are alleviated, we can move on and realize that “god” was us all along.
That is my two cents.
“Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.” — The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch (via fuckyeahliteraryquotes) (via fictionz)
I met Adrianna a little over twenty years ago. I was going to college with her husband, Scott. Scott and I became friends and as a result Adrianna and I became friends as well. During that time, I was at a really low point in my life and I believe that Adrianna picked up on this. I remember spending hours talking into the early morning hours about life, my problems, music and well… just about everything. At first it was a little forced, but Adrianna had a way of not taking ‘no’ for an answer. She would sit me down, sensing I was troubled and force me to talk in the most subtle of ways; it was almost as though I would want to tell her anything that was weighing heavily on me. Adrianna knew me more intimately than any person has ever known me. I shared with her things, in those impromptu talk sessions, that I have never said to another soul. I don’t know why. Perhaps it was the alcohol or the lack of sleep or being caught up in the moment of the early morning hours. Either way, our paths crossed at that moment in our lives and we shared that connection.
Years had passed, my life’s path took a turn and we fell out of touch for about 10 years. I had heard from Scott and Adrianna off and on. We would plan to meet, but it would always fall through. Last August, Scott sent me a message telling me that Adrianna had gotten cancer. By December, Adrianna had died. I didn’t let on to those currently in my life as to how devastated I was over it. I can’t exactly describe my rationale as to why I chose to keep it a secret from those closest to me now. Honestly, writing this paragraph just makes me feeling like weeping, but I can’t. Maybe later. I miss her too much and the guilt of walking out of their lives all those years ago is rotting me from the inside faced with the fact that I will never see her again.
Anyway, this coming weekend, Scott has asked me to attend Adrianna’s life celebration party. She would have loved the idea of a party rather than a wake and a funeral. I like the idea too and I think, for myself, I need to go to a specific place that is connected to her to say goodbye. Maybe then I will be able to let go and grieve. But for now, I will just write about it and that will have to be enough.
It is days like these that I wished that I believed in an afterlife. Those words sound hypocritical to me. They are, perhaps, remnants from a faith that died many years back. But I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t mention that I didn’t miss the belief. Strangely, I don’t miss the belief for myself. In all honesty, I am perfectly content to just fall asleep and relegate myself to the big black for all of eternity. Maybe I feel this way because I don’t love this life all that much and this is why I couldn’t imagine spending an eternity feeling this way. Not that my life is all that bad, but it isn’t all that great either. And an eternity of this? No thank you! I’ll take the big sleep option for myself. But when I hear others talking about their ideas of their eternities, it sounds wonderful and I truly want that for them. But wanting that for them and believing it are two separate sides of the coin. I see a value in faith, especially after having loosing my own.
I don’t understand it when people say “Bless you” after someone sneezes. No one is possessed and there are no demons flying out of anyone’s nose. How archaic is someone’s thinking that anyone still says this?
Because I have these thoughts, I stopped saying anything long ago. So after someone sneezes, I refuse to say anything. This draws ire after a sneeze - “What the fuck, asshole? You don’t say ‘Bless you’ after I sneeze?” It’s not exactly their response, but people seriously start looking at you with this intent when you completely ignore their sneezes. I mean, it’s just a sneeze! Why should I feel compelled to say anything just because YOU sneezed? It’s just crazy to me that this became a social pressure. I’ll have none of it thank you! Go blow your nose, BTW! It’s making me sick!