tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70380800258512061692024-02-18T21:09:17.429-06:00Don't be afraid of the snark...A less obvious social media outlet to speak my mind about issues and for those that read them to speak back.Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038080025851206169.post-66839229281687231072019-07-22T01:00:00.002-05:002019-07-22T01:00:23.932-05:00"Standards"<div style="text-align: justify;">
We've all heard a variation of the saying, "I have standards."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's applied to all sorts of situations, from choices pertaining to food, clothing, cars, and even people, with endless variations in between.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But what does it mean?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Basically, it's a statement saying there's a line that you won't cross, for whatever reason, and the item or person in question doesn't measure up to that arbitrary line. You do it, I do it, everyone does it. When applied to merchandise, it can indicate discernment or an eye for quality (a Toyota will run forever if you take care of it), or snobbery (I only bathe in Evian spring water).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But what about people?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Same as above, either an eye for quality or snobbery, basically, but consider a moment the judgement there. You're saying, "They're not <i>'good enough'</i>". Sometimes, that's ok. Often, it's not.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Let's use me as an example. When it comes to someone I find attractive, I have roughly seven (7) responses: </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ol>
<li>"Oh HELL yeah."</li>
<li>"SO would."</li>
<li>"Would."</li>
<li>"Maybe."</li>
<li>"Wouldn't."</li>
<li>"Would NOT."</li>
<li>"Oh HELL no."</li>
</ol>
Now, I don't consider myself "picky", nor do I have a "type". I have preferences, sure; if intelligence is a "type" and the ability to engage in discourse on a variety of topics, with a deep breadth of knowledge is a "type", then it's paramount, but purely physical parameters? No, none. I have no preference for blonde, brunette, ginger, white, black, brown, red, yellow, thick, thin, curvy, slender...hell, gender is up for debate, though my pansexuality is an entirely different subject outside of the scope of this post.<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So where are my standards? I've been accused of having low standards because I said "Would" about someone others at the table all said "No" about. I asked why, and I was told several responses but the predominant one was that she was "too chubby" or "fat". Sure, she had the beginnings of a belly, she wasn't athletically slim, but so what? The irony here is that with but one exception, ALL of the folks commenting were in approximately the same physical condition she was, yet SHE wasn't "good enough".</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The arrogance of judging someone as inferior because of a shallow line in the sand, their "standards", that even THEY DIDN'T LIVE UP TO, is shameful.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I can hear you now, though..."Wait a second, you do the same thing, judging their intelligence!"</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yep. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mea%20culpa">Mea Culpa</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
However, that's a very different thing. My criteria is based on what's there for allowing the building of a relationship, either life-long friend or more; higher intelligence doesn't necessarily mean you can't communicate (the 30 point gap/2 points of divergence thing isn't hard science...just look at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Simonton">Simonton</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leta_Stetter_Hollingworth">Hollingworth</a>), but higher intelligence DOES typically entail faster absorption and learning, with greater capacity, and usually a wider range of topics. As a result, I want to DISCUSS those topics, get into discussions and explore nuances, and do so with a firm, and broad command of vocabulary. Knowing more words, and their meanings and versatility, means you can say more, but with less. If a relationship is built solely on the foundation of big tits and a flat belly, where is it going to go when the tits sag and the belly grows? MY standards are focused on longevity. Long-term relationship building. Similar goals and beliefs regarding life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. MUTUAL interaction, and respect. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
See the difference? That last word there...."RESPECT". It's ok to have preferences. It's fine to simply be attracted to someone. It is patently NOT fine to say, "You're not good enough because I only like people with big tits and flat bellies." It is fine to not be attracted to someone, but it is NOT fine to look at them as "less" because of some arbitrary datum that you yourself don't measure up to.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Which brings me back to "<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/respect">Respect</a>". Put your hormones on the back burner and get to know someone. Show them that you're interested in ALL of them, not just the visible data points, or are at least curious to find out if you want to know more about them. Treat people as PEOPLE, not things. Even in the example above where I said "Would" and others didn't, it was more of a "they're not unhygienic, they're not a druggie with a criminal record as long as my driveway, and/or they don't look dangerous" comment than strictly a physical assessment. That was me saying, "I would be interested in getting to know more about them and see where it goes."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the interest of full disclosure, there are times when I look at someone and my initial response is "Oh HELL yeah", but at my age, I've learned that sometimes the prettiest packages are the most inimical...poison tree frogs, anyone? Very pretty....bad idea to touch one. KNOWLEDGE, getting to know the other person, THAT is what matters.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As someone that has been married three decades, let me tell you...waistlines change (all parties), youthful energy wanes, and responsibilities interfere...but being able to sit and exchange parts of yourself via communicating doesn't really go away if you chose for that to start with.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So having "standards" isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the root of them matters. As a result, when I hear someone say, "I wouldn't, because I have standards", I'm reminded I do too...and you just failed to measure up to them.</div>
Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038080025851206169.post-6519051878847857292016-05-31T11:13:00.000-05:002016-05-31T11:13:02.536-05:00Patriot's Act<div style="text-align: justify;">
In a recent <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/29/politics/libertarian-party-nominee-vote/index.html" target="_blank">Libertarian party convention</a> in Orlando, Florida, former New Mexico governor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Johnson" target="_blank">Gary Johnson</a> received the nod from his party, the <a href="http://www.lp.org/" target="_blank">Libertarian Party</a>, to be the acknowledged Libertarian candidate for President.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
To most Americans, this would not only be of no interest whatsoever, it would also serve to render them incensed: How dare this upstart split the vote between their beloved and antiquated two-party system of government!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I believe at this point you may begin to sense there's a motive behind this.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/facebook/000/006/026/futuramafry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/facebook/000/006/026/futuramafry.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Don't look at me like that; you should know better by now.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At any rate, in my opinion (FWIW), America NEEDS a third-party. In fact, even more than that, America needs a complete overhaul to this electoral college system we have going on. It's antiquated. It's outdated. It allows those in power and also powerful interest groups to control and direct the outcome of elections; if you doubt this, look at the elections in the past 35-40 years...there's been more than one instance of a candidate winning the popular vote (the votes of citizens like me and you) but LOSING because the electoral college number didn't go their way. Oh, sure, let's allow a small group to be in control of electing candidates...it can't be easier to control that than a few hundred million people...!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Oh, wait.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Anyway, if you paid attention in Civics/Social Studies in school, then you may remember that <a href="http://uselectionatlas.org/INFORMATION/INFORMATION/electcollege_history.php" target="_blank">when the existing electoral system was set up</a>, the United States was shaped very differently, and the population was much smaller as well...on the order of 37 fewer states, and roughly 326,000,000 fewer people. Yeah, that's right...it's been around since virtually the beginning. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ok, I get it...as an idea, it's not a BAD one. In fact, the idea has merit. However, the situation now isn't the same as it was then; with the advent of the Internet, Facebook, and YouTube, it is actually now possible for a marginal candidate from the middle of nowhere to gain national attention and visibility...if you doubt me, <a href="http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Vermin+Supreme" target="_blank">look up Vermin Supreme</a>. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The college was set up for a small nation, of very few people, with limited communication abilities, and a NO PARTY system. Go ahead...read the article at the link I shared up above. In fact, <a href="http://uselectionatlas.org/INFORMATION/INFORMATION/electcollege_history.php" target="_blank">here, I'll share it again to make it easier for you</a>. I'll wait.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImTCbKyf6OPMLNVTtBTLtbJrYp8goG4ISOKDEt3EOGWAFKIMfJHxzhGqWcVtnCbqUZqwoCx8aG1K_mjIAG4EmcTeQUpxrTcCcOEh70VP32mSlmPtN3Fu4FWn1LT_AYcpjrv7IqB5Pz3s/s1600/Jeopardy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImTCbKyf6OPMLNVTtBTLtbJrYp8goG4ISOKDEt3EOGWAFKIMfJHxzhGqWcVtnCbqUZqwoCx8aG1K_mjIAG4EmcTeQUpxrTcCcOEh70VP32mSlmPtN3Fu4FWn1LT_AYcpjrv7IqB5Pz3s/s320/Jeopardy.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Read it? Ok, good; we're on the same page then.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now, the idea remains good, granted...but can you see that working AS INTENDED in today's political environment?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The applecart needs to be upset. Government has grown at a cancerous rate, and the comparison to cancer is apt in more ways than one. Government "by the people, for the people" has morphed via mission creep to "of the people"...period. The "War on Drugs" beget the "War on Terror", and the "War on <BLANK>" mentality beget:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red;">The DEA</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.acting-man.com/blog/media/2015/06/drug-war-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.acting-man.com/blog/media/2015/06/drug-war-cartoon.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red;">The NDAA</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pandaunite.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/NDAA-Billion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://pandaunite.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/NDAA-Billion.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><b>Civil Asset Forfeiture</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/93/09/a2/9309a25401b334b9e2a1c32b56b5fb4e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/93/09/a2/9309a25401b334b9e2a1c32b56b5fb4e.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><b>Police Militarization</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thesleuthjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/police-state2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.thesleuthjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/police-state2.jpg" height="236" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The government is, again in my opinion, out of control. It's too big. It's too entrenched; look at this: </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/QTNEcOo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/QTNEcOo.jpg" height="266" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Can you believe that shit? <a href="http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Thomas.Jefferson.Quote.EFEC" target="_blank">Jefferson said</a>: </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><b>"God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><b>The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><b>wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><b>they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions,</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><b>it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. ...</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><b>And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><b>warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><b>resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><b>to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><b>in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><b>time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><b>It is its natural manure."</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;">Some of those Congressional members have been in office nearly TWICE as long as Jefferson's "twenty years"; royalty hold power that long...elected officials should NOT. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;">We need changes. Big ones. The incumbents need to go. The election process needs revamping. The two party system needs to be shaken up by either killing off one or both, or adding in a third. We need new blood. We need less control over civilian life and more focus on infrastructure. Instead of perpetuating a cycle of tax and seize to pay for "Wars", STOP WAGING THEM! <a href="http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/02/america-war-93-time-222-239-years-since-1776.html" target="_blank">America Has Been At War 93% of the Time – 222 Out of 239 Years – Since 1776</a>! The government is talking about <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30393308" target="_blank">housing, educating, and feeding refugees</a> and <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=cost+of+illegal+immigrants+to+taxpayers&PC=U316&FORM=CHROMN" target="_blank">illegal immigrants</a>, while thousands of United States veterans OF THOSE WARS are <a href="http://www.veteransinc.org/about-us/statistics/" target="_blank">homeless</a>, given <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/08/26/va-watchdog-confirms-patients-died-after-receiving-poor-care/" target="_blank">substandard care by the VA</a>, and <a href="http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-veteran-suicide-20150115-story.html" target="_blank">commit suicide up to TWENTY-TWO A DAY according to a VA analysis from 21 states</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;">We don't need more laws; laws only serve to make people criminals in order to fund the controlling authorities or the private corporations running the prisons.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;">Now, I've given several starting links and reasons for my distaste of the current governmental system and the incumbents. I've linked my choice for the coming election, <a href="http://2016.candidate-comparison.org/?compare=Johnson" target="_blank">Mr. Gary Johnson</a>. Is he perfect? Hardly. He's human...and a politician. That being said, he's not the lesser of a field of evils; look at his track record in New Mexico as governor. He did GOOD. America, we NEED to change things. Remember, the "Chief Executive" started out as JUST THAT...an "Executive" over the "Executive" branch; the top admin charged with running the government to keep the metaphorical trains on time and things running...NOT the "Leader" of the people, or the boss of them. He's the boss of the GOVERNMENTAL BUREAUCRACY, and ANSWERABLE to the people, not the other way around.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;">Let's elect an executive that will remember that for a change.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;">Start by voting. Get involved in local politics if you can or are able. Make your voice heard. If you look at voting statistics, it's not majority rule...it's rule by the majority that got off their ass and voted and spoke out...and they're a MINORITY of the country as a whole. CHANGE THAT. SPEAK UP. Stand up for your rights...KNOW your rights! Educate yourself. Educate your children.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;">Abandon the tired Democratic and Republican rhetoric. It's time the American public got off their apathetic and lazy asses and reminded those in Washington who is supposed to REALLY be in charge.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2y4OeWz20ZtASLB4yMm4EcREGNYej-pH4hditKzEWfK_8PVhDgy8ISrCSoiIxJXisHF1FeYSy1bHWJg_oLr3OUJ2SDiwTAehn3zu1egORxFK3CV5HvxCxdzi7jv0eke9RHesTLFPbgg/s1600/Had+just+about+enough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2y4OeWz20ZtASLB4yMm4EcREGNYej-pH4hditKzEWfK_8PVhDgy8ISrCSoiIxJXisHF1FeYSy1bHWJg_oLr3OUJ2SDiwTAehn3zu1egORxFK3CV5HvxCxdzi7jv0eke9RHesTLFPbgg/s1600/Had+just+about+enough.jpg" height="320" width="219" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038080025851206169.post-10385713195127390862015-07-10T10:46:00.000-05:002015-07-10T10:46:10.812-05:00Politics, Freedom, and YouRecently, a young woman named <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3149706/Family-Californian-woman-shot-dead-random-illegal-Mexican-immigrant-deported-FIVE-TIMES-condemn-officials-let-stay.html" target="_blank">Kathryn Steinle was killed by an illegal immigrant, who also happens to be a convicted felon, with an illegally obtained handgun in one of the so called "sanctuary cities" (San Francisco), in a state with gun laws so draconian it's on par with Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York.</a><br />
<br />
Also recently, <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3152462/Suspect-Charleston-church-shooting-indicted-9-murder-counts.html" target="_blank">nine people were shot to death in Charleston, SC by someone who claimed they wanted to start a "race war".</a><br />
<br />
Two days ago, Nancy Pelosi, the Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives and past Speaker of the House <a href="http://www.democraticleader.gov/newsroom/pelosi-remarks-at-press-event-urging-congress-to-pass-background-checks-legislation/" target="_blank">made a statement to the press</a> regarding the need for more stringent gun control, especially background checks.<br />
<br />
More and more, day after day, we see more insanity come from our elected officials, more attempts at control. Let's look at some of the pieces here, shall we...?<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Kathryn Steinle's killer is a convicted felon...not someone that is apparently fond of following laws to start with.</li>
<li>The weapon used to kill her was obtained illegally, meaning gun laws FAILED to keep the murderer from getting it.</li>
<li>Steinle's murder happened in San Francisco, California, a "Sanctuary City" in the only state I know of that is on par for draconian gun laws with New York state...and a city designated to make the illegal immigrant murderer safe from Federal laws that would allow deportation...speaking of which...</li>
<li>The murderer is an ILLEGAL immigrant...I dunno, perhaps keeping him from being here might've worked too, y'think? He was deported five times. Yeah, you read that right...FIVE TIMES.</li>
<li>Pelosi doesn't focus on perpetrators. She focuses on the GUN. To quote from her press release on July 8 (linked above): <i>"Last month, as we know, we witnessed an act of brazen racial terrorism in Charleston – nine lives taken by a gun."</i> "Taken by a gun"....not by a demented race-hater using a gun, taken by a gun. She pushes for background check legislation...does anyone not actually use their goddamned brain? The murderer in Charleston LEGALLY owned that weapon...a background check failed in the face of willful, murderous intent. Kathryn Steinle's murderer ILLEGALLY owned his weapon...no background check done due to full bypass of the system.</li>
</ol>
<br />
So, what's the play? The Narrative would have you believe our elected officials are working on our behalf; if so, they're failing miserably. This kind of thinking exhibited by Pelosi indicates either gross nonfeasance, gross stupidity, or malignant malfeasance...it's certainly not effective, nor has it been helpful.<br />
<br />
More laws...laws laws laws laws laws. Why would elected officials push for MORE laws when they:<br />
A. Don't enforce the ones we already have.<br />
B. Can't agree at state and federal levels on how to interpret the existing laws.<br />
C. Can't agree on what should and shouldn't be illegal, either.<br />
<br />
It's enough to make some people untrusting. It's enough to make some people just want to get away from it, go off the grid, get away from the insanity of political correctness, social justice judgement, and oppressive society...and if they do, the government calls them "domestic terrorists".<br />
<br />
You're damned if you do and damned if you don't.<br />
<br />
The two biggest failures for our nation were started by The War on Drugs and The War on Terrorism. Each is a noble idea, certainly...but the overreach and abuse of the system that resulted from them is staggering. From spying on citizens, militarizing local police forces, "no knock" raids for drugs or serving warrants to appear in court, to life sentences for simple possession, impugnment of the exercise of civil rights both negative and positive, and civil forfeiture, the loss of quality of life due to governmental interference is growing more staggering every day. People today are not aware of how intrusive our government has wormed into our daily lives; they live from blurb to soundbite, headline to Facebook status update, and hardly ever fact check, research, or educate themselves. Americans are seen world-round as fat, dumb, and happy, and lately, "happy" has fallen off the apple cart.<br />
<br />
Everyone is perpetually offended and eternally incensed. I could easily imagine the other peoples of the world sitting back with popcorn, fascinated and entertained by the sheer inanity of our nation's antics, but no...no, instead they're waiting for us to fall apart or tear each other down from the inside, and will probably swoop in to pick up whatever pieces remain. The world does not like us. <a href="http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/02/america-war-93-time-222-239-years-since-1776.html" target="_blank">America has NOT been at war for roughly 20 years of our total existence as a nation.</a>..222 years out of 239. It's bad enough we're the bully on the block for much of the world, but it only takes a few minutes of casual research to see that the government is just as much a bully to US as well.<br />
<br />
Ok, sure, a lot of good gets done by Americans, too. Some of the biggest relief and aid organizations started here. That's failing due to narcissism and a culture obsessed with celebrities and selfies. Medicine and healthcare were at one time hallmarks of American society...no more. <a href="http://www.who.int/whr/2000/media_centre/press_release/en/" target="_blank">According to a 2000 poll by the World Health Organization, America lags behind 36 other countries.</a> <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/danmunro/2014/06/16/u-s-healthcare-ranked-dead-last-compared-to-10-other-countries/" target="_blank">A recent Forbes article has us dead last out of the top countries in the world.</a><br />
<br />
A common rallying cry is, "But we've got freedom! Americans are free!"<br />
<br />
Hm.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Economic freedom? <a href="http://www.heritage.org/index/ranking" target="_blank">12th place</a></li>
<li>Political freedom and civil liberties? Oooh...not so good. <a href="http://ecoggins.hubpages.com/hub/Freedom-House-Ranking-Freedom-in-the-World" target="_blank">47th place.</a></li>
<li>Freedom of speech? Ok, better....<a href="http://www.whichcountry.co/most-freedom-of-speech/" target="_blank">Fourth Place!</a></li>
<li>Religious freedom...ok, I can't find a scale, because the government doesn't really get into this--NOR SHOULD IT--but most religious persecution comes from citizens claiming the freedom of others to worship or believe as they wish somehow, SOMEHOW, affects them. No, really. Yeah, I don't get that either.</li>
</ul>
<br />
An article from 2012 summarizes much of this very well, and gives <a href="http://jonathanturley.org/2012/01/15/10-reasons-the-u-s-is-no-longer-the-land-of-the-free/" target="_blank">10 reasons we're not as free as we used to be.</a><br />
<br />
So, what to do. <br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Educate yourself. God only knows the schools are agenda mills these days, what with Common Core, liberal professors, and Social Justice reform. You're going to have to do it yourself.</li>
<li>Once you're educated, VOTE. Get those teat-sucking pork-barrel sycophants out of office.</li>
<li>KNOW. YOUR. RIGHTS. See "Educate yourself" up above.</li>
<li>Spread the knowledge; Darwinism is fine in principle, but when it comes to our survival as a nation, I'm unwilling to trust all to natural selection. Homo Sapiens have brains and opposable thumbs--a truly staggering advantage over the rest of the world's species--but sadly only use a fraction of it, and that most often narcissistically.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Lastly, have some faith. No, not religion....FAITH. Most of humanity is like that saying regarding arguing with stupid people: Don't. They'll wear you down to their level and then beat you with experience. Sure, some will take this to extremes (see above about stupid), but really, it can all be summed up with two phrases: Love God with all you have. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. <br />
<br />
That's it. I challenge you to present a natural or legal right of the individual that isn't covered by that.<br />
<br />
Why is treating others decently so damned hard, people?<br />
<br />
I know, I know...wake up, right?<br />
<br />
Yeah. WAKE UP, people!<br />
<br />Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038080025851206169.post-12576284489246334682015-06-21T01:31:00.000-05:002015-06-21T01:31:08.901-05:00Tattoos, Punctuation, and YouI'm considering getting a new tattoo. <br />
<br />
I'm not the type to get ink just because I want ink, though. I generally want it to have some meaning. The dragon on my right foot had more meaning 24 years ago when I got it, and not so much today. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://sithspit.com/images/RFootTat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://sithspit.com/images/RFootTat.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
The entwined bass clef and treble clef on my left shoulder still has meaning, because music is still very much a part of my life.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://sithspit.com/images/JamesTAT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://sithspit.com/images/JamesTAT.JPG" height="320" width="314" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
The right shoulder is more a bit of a personalized statement and a subtle affiliation marker.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://sithspit.com/images/RShoulder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://sithspit.com/images/RShoulder.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
But, it's time to get a new one.<br />
<br />
A very close family member has dealt with depression for most of their life. As part of my family, that's taken a toll on not just them, but on me and the rest of the family as well, but we've endured. Sometimes, we just took a step back, took a deep breath, and pressed on.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, someone posted a link on Facebook that nicely summarized this idea that has kept us all going in a very unique way, or at least I believe it so.<br />
<br />
It's called the <a href="http://www.thesemicolonproject.com/" target="_blank">Semicolon Project</a>, and I heard about it from the blog of a young woman at <a href="https://hpwritesblogs.wordpress.com/2015/06/18/www-thesemicolonproject-com/" target="_blank">hpwritesblogs</a>.<br />
<br />
It tells the story of depression and how it has affected her life, and how she has learned to cope, deal, and live with it, because it doesn't just "go away"; rather, it's a relentless engine that never quits...but it can be paused. It's become, for her, her normal way of living.<br />
<br />
Now, "normal" is a societal construct that is, ultimately, meaningless. "Normal" is the roughly 90% of humanity between the (again, roughly) 5% endcaps of aberrancy that prevent someone from safely functioning in society...and by that I mean the clinically insane, violent psychotics, serial-killing sociopaths, etc., the ones you can't cure but only lock up for their and everyone else's safety.<br />
<br />
Depression isn't as "abnormal" as society likes to stigmatize it; MANY struggle with it to a greater or lesser degree. I don't mean a passing "blue mood", but a real invisible illness that can utterly control and destroy your life. Doubtful? Most people wouldn't know what a CPU is or have even seen one...but many know there's one in their computer. It's the "brain" of the computer. If it has a problem, NOTHING works right, even the physical parts.<br />
<br />
That's depression, folks.<br />
<br />
Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it can't break someone down and destroy them, and even those around them when they fall apart.<br />
<br />
But it's treatable. Don't dismiss odd signs, or cries for help. "Oh, he seemed so happy!" But after, there's always signs that people ignored, dismissed, or simply didn't recognize for what they were.<br />
<br />
Support. Avoid platitudes like, "Oh, it'll be fine", "Just get over it", "it'll pass", or any other such. They. Don't. Help. In fact, don't you think they've TRIED to just get past it?<br />
<br />
LISTEN. Absorb what they're saying; you may not be able or trained to fix anything, but you can be there for them to lean on, be a shoulder, be a FRIEND. Don't judge or condemn; if ever "walking a mile in someone's shoes" applied, this is certainly it. If they don't have the strength, lend them yours. It's hard enough living in today's world without adding in something like depression; don't make it harder on someone with it.<br />
<br />
Help them take that little "pause", and BE that little "pause" if need be. <br />
<br />
I'm going to look into getting one, to remind me to take the pauses I need to continue being supportive for those that need support, and to remind me that sometimes others need that pause too. If someone is suffering from depression and never speaks to me, if they know of this project and see it it might just be the pause to let them know they're not alone, to take a deep breath, to take a step back, and when ready to press on with the rest of their life.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://sithspit.com/images/semicolon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://sithspit.com/images/semicolon.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038080025851206169.post-79028025481504131192013-10-30T23:20:00.000-05:002014-05-23T00:11:19.057-05:00BEAUTIFUL<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sorry it's been a while. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1.cpcache.com/product_zoom/251990928/life_is_exhausting_oval_decal.jpg?color=White&height=250&width=250&padToSquare=true" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1.cpcache.com/product_zoom/251990928/life_is_exhausting_oval_decal.jpg?color=White&height=250&width=250&padToSquare=true" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Anyway, in a departure from my usual fare, which often veers off into bitching and moaning about how far afield I am from modern Christianity and my woes, trials, and tribulations...in short, the incipient lack of a spine I had eight months ago...I'm going to touch on a subject that's come up a few times in the last week.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm sure you've all heard the phrase, "The beauty of a pun is in the oy of the beholder."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
No, wait, not that one. That's Spider Robinson's quote. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1606845/facepalm-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1606845/facepalm-1.jpg" height="148" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
No, this phrase:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We all find different things beautiful for different reasons and in different ways, basically. This isn't just a static condition, either; it changes over time and life experience. For the longest time, my brother was holding out hope of finding a 4'10" Japanese gymnast with red hair and D-cups; now, years later, he has moved on to "not bony or gelatinous, and not crazy."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The media and Hollywood give us images of tall, rail-thin, boyish-framed females as an "ideal"; history of the last 50 years shows that Twiggy is alive and well in today's models, even if they have to kill themselves to do it, in some cases resorting to drugs, starvation, and brutal exercise to maintain the "ideal" body weight and shape. And if the model can't fit that, or just doesn't, they'll resort to lighting, camera angles, or just plain Photoshop the fuck out of the pictures. Check this out:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/olPPOsV2wHQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Why bother with makeup, hairdressing, plastic surgery, and blemishes when you can just take a model CLOSE to what you want and completely redo her in Photoshop?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Anyway, this video also illustrates how the "ideal" is put out there: If you're not skinny with unnaturally flawless features, disproportionate measurements achievable only by surgery, and the right skin tone du jour, you're not "beautiful". Teens and adults diet and drug themselves to death, assuming they can't also afford to nip/tuck themselves into caricatures of a human right along with it. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've done my best to instill in my kids that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about their looks or their bodies; they'll never be happy if THEY are not happy with how they are, and fuck the world to tell 'em different.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000026522241-5ycxo6-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000026522241-5ycxo6-crop.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/fuck-the-world-and-stay-true-to-yourself.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/fuck-the-world-and-stay-true-to-yourself.png" height="186" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The most important aspect of the "Eye of the beholder" quote is that we're our harshest critics when we look in the mirrors or at ourselves in any other way..."Beholder" encompasses us as well.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The fashion and beauty industries worship symmetry. What this is teaching our children is that superficial and fake is king; it's teaching them that if they're not perfect they're without value or beauty and are unlovable. It's teaching them that the opinions of others regarding themselves matter, even to their own detriment. I'm not saying that we should discard the opinions of others out of hand; there are some people that occasionally have good ideas.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Occasionally.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sorry, my inner <a href="http://www.sharecentric.com/blog/2012/11/26/how-to-deal-with-me-or-any-intj/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">INTJ</a> got loose there for a second.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Anyway, the point is to test the opinion with critical thinking: Is this position of theirs regarding my body and appearance healthy? Is it even FEASIBLE? Is it what I want? Do they have my best interests at heart?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
That last one is a BIG one, and the crux of the "beauty" industry; they want to sell you stuff, and they'll misrepresent, mislead, and misdirect you every chance they can if it means a buck.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now, the flip side to how we see ourselves is how we see others, going back to the "eye of the beholder" thing.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hey. I'm a guy. I check out women. I think they're beautiful, and I like looking at them.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://misswingman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/guyoglingwoman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://misswingman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/guyoglingwoman.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Personally, I take each woman as an individual; one woman might have appealing legs, or mesmerizing eyes, or a sharp wit, or aesthetically shaped breasts or bum, or completely average looks with a quick wit, humor, and mind. Every woman is different and more than the sum of her parts. You'll also note I didn't put boundaries or define my criteria: I said "appealing", "mesmerizing", and "aesthetically shaped". These are things that matter to me, subjectively, and can vary and change between each person; one woman's green eyes might look much better in her face than green eyes in another person. A woman might appeal to me in every way physically, and as soon as she opens her mouth and speaks I lose interest; a woman might be plain and unremarkable, but possess an utterly captivating mind capable of engaging me in conversations for hours and hours. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There's no one thing, there's no specific group of things...rather, it's an aggregation of several things, a totality, and it varies person to person. Also, none of this predicates a judgment of something being <i>wrong</i> with them...just not a preference or appealing in this subjective instance to me. We have to try and see past the facades we construct for ourselves.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Be comfortable in your own skin. Love people for things that matter, not just some arbitrary criteria like weight, hair color, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BMI</a>...</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And that includes yourself.</div>
Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.com3Robert, LA, USA30.505483898927281 -90.34057617187530.39601939892728 -90.501937671875 30.614948398927282 -90.179214671875tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038080025851206169.post-20857486064879100222013-02-13T21:32:00.003-06:002023-04-29T16:12:25.560-05:00<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Walking Dead</span></div>
<br />Author's Note: I wrote this a LONG time ago. I've edited it to reflect my current beliefs.<div><br /></div><div>A zombie is a creature that is neither alive nor fully dead, capable of locomotion but devoid of any feeling, emotion, care, or reason, existing with only one primal desire: Hunger.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfK8jQ_rgRFPG4KhJN0oHHOG2Upw76AdDzBGt_pZsa3wJ5cf4E_RlzTkxwY2vauA4L7MosHaJ2WyttqAIFqAufA9mZDn4wc4ulJujlA6v8ryc_BBRDEcB2TJ3Wnno11RBmrk3qOF8yr6hvXu1be9WWFxzmcHN6kQeFl1ODF_AI0jOppYzo4EP2JWFA/s1920/zombie-man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfK8jQ_rgRFPG4KhJN0oHHOG2Upw76AdDzBGt_pZsa3wJ5cf4E_RlzTkxwY2vauA4L7MosHaJ2WyttqAIFqAufA9mZDn4wc4ulJujlA6v8ryc_BBRDEcB2TJ3Wnno11RBmrk3qOF8yr6hvXu1be9WWFxzmcHN6kQeFl1ODF_AI0jOppYzo4EP2JWFA/s320/zombie-man.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></div>
Yeah, I know, they're not real. They're a pop culture myth with roots going back centuries, and very popular these days, but still...not real. But go along with this as a concept anyway, hm?<br />
<br />
People often call them evil; they are certainly not part of any natural order, but evil? Perhaps, perhaps not. Evil is many things, the easiest and most cowardly philosophically defined as that which is not "good". But without the ability to reason and to choose any other nature, can they be called evil? If you call them "evil", then sharks are evil; they are devoid of feeling, emotion, care, or reason, and exist solely as a predator, driven by nothing else than a desire to survive and feed...hunger, if you will. <br />
<br />
I give this description because I'm going to make a comparison here that's going to be, depending on your belief or faith, or lack thereof, either entertaining or offensive.<br />
<br />
I didn't intend for this blog to turn into one that focused solely on religion and the Christian faith, but with life events that have occurred over the last seven years, it HAS kind of turned out that way. The incidents, and ideas, have weighed heavily on my mind and heart/soul. It's been a test of faith for me, unlike any that have happened before, even when I struggled with the very idea that Jesus was the Son of God. <br />
<br />
This isn't going to focus on that, though I am willing to discuss it with anyone that wishes. I no longer call myself a Christian. <br />
<br />
Now, I find myself questioning more than I ever did when I was a Christian; <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/philippians/2-12.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"work out your own salvation with fear and trembling"</a>, indeed.<br />
<br />
Because of this journey, which hasn't been easy AT ALL, I find myself disillusioned by the Christian church as a whole. "The Church" as an entity is made up of fallible and flawed people, of which I am one. I make no claims to perfection. I make no claim to being "good" or especially "Christ-like" in much I say or do.<br />
<br />
What I DO say and do is the best I can do. I do my best. I try. I at one time, long ago, accepted Jesus as Savior, and even Lord, though lately it's been more akin to a feudal relationship than the Biblical example of a marriage relationship. He may be Lord, yes, but I cannot relate to Him. I believe that ascribing human traits to Him, even though He lived among us, is not only futile but foolish; if I hold to a belief that He is God, then how can my limited understanding comprehend Him as God? Much of what we know of Him and believe is through the Bible; the church today is built around precepts He taught and said, based on historical record, and by the teachings and letters of those followers that lead the new Christian faith after His ascension.<br />
<br />
This is where things start unraveling for me.<br />
<br />
First, Christians believe the Bible is the Divinely inspired Word of God. I used to believe this as well, but over time and living, prayer and living, living and living, I've run into some snags. Which version is the Divine inspired Word? They can't all be; there are contradictions! Concepts are redefined as newer translations come out, clarifying points and spots; in many ways, this has made some things more clear, but there are still some that are not quite there. What about those?<br />
<br />
The overall compilation (yes, compilation) is a collection of stories, histories, and ideas that have been around for thousands of years. It is ethnocentric, focused on us Jews as the Chosen People of God, then broadening in the B'rit Hadashah, the New Testament, to include all peoples that believe and accept Jesus, as Paul taught. The ethnocentrism subtly shifted to the Chosen People now being anyone that accepts Him through belief. But all of the original authors that are included with VERY few exception were Jews, raised in a patriarchal culture that subjugated women, kept slaves, WERE slaves, and oppressed at every turn. No one ever questions the unavoidable bias this MUST include.<br />
<br />
Why not? <br />
<br />
Christians typically view the Bible as LAW, Rule #1 if you will, even when told that it should not be a hard and unyielding law. They live with the zealot's belief that no other possible avenue could be true; if in doubt, see Rule #1. "God (the Bible) said it, I believe it, and that settles it!" is a comment I've heard so many times in life. At one point even I believed that, though I amended it further to be, "If God said it, that settles it." My belief didn't enter into the equation; after all, if He said it and it was fact, my belief was secondary.<br />
<br />
The issue with such unwavering conviction is that if you accept the Bible as Divinely inspired Word, then it must ALL be accepted, not just certain parts. Christians today use the famed <a href="http://www.gaychurch.org/gay_and_christian_yes/calling_the_rainbow_nation_home/7_gac_the_clobber_passages.htm" target="_blank">"clobber scriptures"</a> to call down proverbial fire on homosexuals, all the while ignoring the parts that are inconvenient, writing them off as not relevant because the laws have changed: Slaves, anyone? Kill all the unbelievers, man, woman, child, and burn their places to the ground? "Oh, that's Old Testament!" Ok, let's look at the New then.<br />
<br />
The New Testament addresses treatment of slaves, though modern translations have softened that to "servants". The New Testament says that unless you're a born Jew, and thus a goyim (Gentile) you are only bound<a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/acts/15-20.html" target="_blank"> to not eat food offered to idols, eating blood, eating something strangled, and sexual immorality.</a><br />
<br />
How very odd! <br />
<br />
Ok, the first three are really easy...much of that was culturally based anyhow; food isn't really offered to idols anymore, I'm not fond of eating blood anyway, and what meat is strangled when killed today? That leaves sexual immorality...some define this as fornication, most leave it as the all inclusive original. <br />
<br />
But what IS sexual immorality? Topless beaches are normal in France. Here, you'd be arrested and called a sinner for it. Baptists say dancing leads to sexual immorality, as does alcohol. Pentecostals believe it's immoral to cut your hair, wear slacks, and wear makeup if you're female. Even more telling, if you go by what the Bible says is immoral, you'd end up with a society nearly like radical Islam at the worst extreme, but repressive at best. It's illegal to have more than one wife in most places, and illegal and/or immoral to have sexual relations outside of that single bond...yet most Christians gloss over the multiple wives and concubines many Jewish men had.<br />
<br />
Ok, true, but then doesn't that mean the Bible might be wrong? "Oh, that was then! That's not acceptable today." So, some things acceptable then aren't today, and some that weren't, are? Who decides, if the Bible is the infallible Word of God?<br />
<br />
Where am I going with all of this? And didn't this start with zombies?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.personal.psu.edu/afr3/blogs/siowfa12/pondering-man.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/afr3/blogs/siowfa12/pondering-man.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Well, yeah. Ok, here goes...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Most Christians follow the Bible without question; it's the Word of God. They take any message pumped out from a pulpit, accept it, and never question, trusting the Holy Spirit to ensure the message they receive is from God. After all, even if it SOUNDS flawed like some Biblical contradictions, the Spirit will make sure it turns out ok. (Actually, I do (did?) believe that to a point...I just don't accept that an all knowing, all seeing God would allow His Divine Word to be so haphazard...since I believe in the infallibility of God, then the haphazard Bible isn't His Divine Word. His Spirit can still use it...God uses cracked pots! But calling something perfect and divine when it's not denigrates the very all powerful God you claim to worship, as He would not, indeed COULD NOT allow shoddy work to reflect Him. As the old saying goes, you can't get pure water from polluted sources. To which the religious zealot then claims the miraculous, and you're just wasting time at that point...you can't convince a <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fanatic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">fanatic</a>.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Since they do not question, they follow it to the letter. Gays are going to hell, masturbation is a sin, drinking is a sin, etc....no compromise. Very little, if any, reason or logic. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In short, Christians, <i>AS MOST TODAY LIVE</i>, are little more than Walking Dead...zombies.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There's no thought, or at least very little independent thought. If you aren't like them, they shun you, ignoring you. Their only focus is their walk with God, much like a zombie ignores other zombies in their pursuit of flesh. Their hunger for a deeper walk with Jesus often blinds them to the poor, hurting, hungry, scarred, injured, etc at their feet, stepping on them, unseeing. The typical Church person means well, they really do...but the religion, the rules, the law has leeched all life from their actions (not all...some, like the church I left, actually do a good job for the right reasons). Even the good they do many times is tarnished because they do it for the wrong reasons; most Christians do good works for reward in Heaven, not for salvation. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Poor, blind Pharisees.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's not the work that garners reward. It's the giving heart, the love, the LIFE from faith and trust in Jesus that allows the same good works to be done, but for the right reasons. The precious few do works because it's the Life in them that leads them to do good, and the reward they may get in the afterlife is because of the condition of their heart, not the works done for misguided selfishness.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Bible, THEIR OWN BIBLE, calls those "Dead Works", and spells out the issues with doing works for all the wrong reasons, or having an impetus from the wrong source.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Dead works from dead hearts and dead minds; it's not for no reason I say the Christian Majority might as well be zombies...they're Walking Dead.</div>
</div>Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038080025851206169.post-73182776554194930282012-11-03T21:54:00.002-05:002014-05-22T23:48:36.872-05:00The Cult of Personality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/7xxgRUyzgs0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
One of the things that I try to pride myself on, in the sense of dedication to pursuit as opposed to hubris, is critical thinking.<br />
<br />
To many people, critical thinking is a mindset by which you are always critical of things and others to the point of being harsh, or always finding fault; this is akin to shooting someone with a gun and then blaming the weapon for the death...which, ironically, happens all too much.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenYlj_oOH0wDUy_d74vDJC3sSOEsMPdJ4IZ2TuVaKPkeU7E0E6Fejk2Q-UdLq_rYCJq_xU1Is8YJ4lCeJ8BOBzX1QHmhEl7Yy9Brdz_5beOpakNUy32eYnel4HbfbLgKkl0-3HX_oqqQ/s1600/129134482022519165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenYlj_oOH0wDUy_d74vDJC3sSOEsMPdJ4IZ2TuVaKPkeU7E0E6Fejk2Q-UdLq_rYCJq_xU1Is8YJ4lCeJ8BOBzX1QHmhEl7Yy9Brdz_5beOpakNUy32eYnel4HbfbLgKkl0-3HX_oqqQ/s1600/129134482022519165.jpg" height="292" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<br />
But I digress...<br />
<br />
And a caveat: I am a Christian and I believe in Jesus as Savior. I still also believe what I'm about to say, too. <br />
<br />
To quote the rather extensive article on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Critical Thinking" at Wikipedia</a>:<br />
"Critical thinking is a type of reasonable, reflective thinking that is aimed at deciding what to believe or what to do. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is always true, sometimes true, partly true, or false."<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
In other words, when you apply critical thinking to <blank>, you're evaluating <blank> to ascertain at the most fundamental level whether or not said <blank> is "True/False, Right/Wrong, Just/Unjust". Additionally, whether or not those things apply to YOU and your acceptance (or lack thereof) of the same.<br />
<br />
More so, it also infers being able to apply logic, reason, and sense, removing emotionalism from the decision-making process as it applies as an external or internal influence, distilling the process to its most basic foundation.<br />
<br />
Bear with me; I'm going somewhere with this.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs/03/e0/funny,koala,skeptic-03e0a60c2dde06ce51ef1088097cf30f_h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs/03/e0/funny,koala,skeptic-03e0a60c2dde06ce51ef1088097cf30f_h.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
No, really.<br />
<br />
You see, I've been struggling with some uncomfortable ideas and their effect on us as a society, not the least of which is civil rights for gay couples, love/sex/relationships and how they affect me and those around me, etc. It's led me to go back to my Strong's Concordance, various translations of Scripture, and then to look at society around me; from there, I've begun to have a rather sneaking suspicion that much of what is taught today as scriptural canon often isn't...or is, depending which version of the Bible you use, or which religion you are, or which teacher you have, or...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDygY1XkMAMfJRUdHSMGhx0qy47ycFRBfhMhTFBuQlmfjygdjw6c0v5NpMGlq-63bmB4_MPkS8USCxquinlC5T8ZfZMNgMvLqcenZav7tGO6wSzKmpjsEU-cW6z3Gm1ZA-awZ1UOdJF0/s1600/25566060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDygY1XkMAMfJRUdHSMGhx0qy47ycFRBfhMhTFBuQlmfjygdjw6c0v5NpMGlq-63bmB4_MPkS8USCxquinlC5T8ZfZMNgMvLqcenZav7tGO6wSzKmpjsEU-cW6z3Gm1ZA-awZ1UOdJF0/s1600/25566060.jpg" height="208" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
You get the picture.<br />
<br />
In all of this introspection and ancillary critical thinking, a rather disturbing notion arose...consider the two definitions below:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA597hNf2SWQ3Sz9Y6qZYWsZ7nSS8CZj6Zt6laXX8SLiXMsI5GRHAs5LMrpi-J4cpIJUPsho41E26_XXdJrvLrVBzNteDDFWOD8aZ0qWVOg1bHTAeBvq949d4Dw1NStRYJ7YaWM1igvJ0/s1600/Religion.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/religion?s=t">http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/religion?s=t</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKynJ3rg2s-VPs4MEaKJWtLpU96nlxw5TigaZp2jBCxLxuoSljnyNe_Bo78FtzvHgtVOBd5qF3pfY5U9CjoMmVNJxWZ6mjiDovzr9gcXG83Yv4Don8DGiJmeBY8nZmBQ508uFaedZVJQ/s1600/Cult.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKynJ3rg2s-VPs4MEaKJWtLpU96nlxw5TigaZp2jBCxLxuoSljnyNe_Bo78FtzvHgtVOBd5qF3pfY5U9CjoMmVNJxWZ6mjiDovzr9gcXG83Yv4Don8DGiJmeBY8nZmBQ508uFaedZVJQ/s1600/Cult.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cult?s=t">http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cult?s=t</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I find it disturbing that the definition of a cult, an organization or group that is often derided and scoffed at is at face value very, VERY similar to that of religion, which is often venerated and revered. Most Christians don't like to be reminded that the Christian faith/religion was considered a cult by their Roman overlords of the past.<br />
<br />
So how does this apply today? Much good has been done in the name of Jesus the Messiah, Yeshua HaMashiach...and much evil has been done in the name of Christendom as well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.calwatchdog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Monty-Python-Spanish-Inquisition2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.calwatchdog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Monty-Python-Spanish-Inquisition2.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When does a cult become an accepted religion? Or worse, when does an accepted religion devolve into a cult?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"Why...what are your thoughts on this?"</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I'm so glad you asked.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Short answer: I don't know. While comfortably well above the average in intellect and education, I'm not so arrogant or foolish to believe I have all of the answers, but I have some beginning thoughts I'll share. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A cult, in my thinking, is in line with the definition, but is set apart from a religion in that it's not a framework for defining the cause, nature, or purpose of the universe or sentients. That seems to be a key difference, at least philosophically. But from a practical perspective, the devolution of a religion to a cult seems to be at the point where the established teachings diverge from those of the founder/foundation, regardless of the scope or grandiosity of the vision.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
And if that doesn't cause you to go, "Whoa, wait, hold on a second!" then you're not paying close enough attention to teachings from and about the Bible.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"If it ain't in red, it ain't what He said!"</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"I only follow the New Testament; after all, Jesus put an end to the Old Testament law."</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"You have to follow ALL of the Scriptures!"</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"Only the King James Bible is the True Word of God."</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Etc, ad nauseum...</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Today much of what's taught boils down to a cult of personality, where the charisma of the teacher lends importance and gravitas to the teaching more than the substance or impact of the inherent TRUTH behind it...if any. How, exactly, did "Love your neighbor as yourself" get turned into "Love your neighbor as yourself unless they're gay/black/white/Muslim/etc"? Oh, sure, they still preach the "Love your neighbor as yourself" from the pulpit...so why do so many Christians end up applying filters and conditions? </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I've been told by people in churches that I was wrong for not wearing better clothes to church; some have even gone as far as to tell me I was in sin! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
CLASSIC lack of critical thinking there. Bear with me...I know many of you, especially the atheists will cry "Foul" because you're going to say I should first apply critical thinking to the fact I believe in God and Jesus as Savior; I know, it even appears hypocritical. Here's what I have to say about that...</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bigmouthbarry.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/kid-giving-the-finger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bigmouthbarry.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/kid-giving-the-finger.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Thbbft!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
First, "God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in Him should not perish, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE". Second, Jesus died for ALL sins, for EVERY person, for ALL time. He sacrificed Himself for me when I was the most repugnant to Him from a sin perspective...so do you REALLY think He cares what I wear to church?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"Oh, but you should wear better clothes out of respect for what He did!"</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Oh, right, because outward appearance is such a great measure of the contents of a person's soul and heart...or didn't you read the Scriptures where Jesus condemned those who focus on outward appearances and have souls and hearts rotten as a corpse? Wouldn't it be a GREATER show of respect to have a clear conscience and heart, to love others in spite of their flaws and faults, just like He did for us? To not judge someone because of how they're dressed, or how they smell, or...going out on a limb here...who they love?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Yet, people do these things All. Damn. Day. Long. They have entire campaigns built around them. They found churches based on differences in Scripture, then foist these beliefs on others as (pun intended) the Gospel Truth...and it's really just their personal belief.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Like Brother Dave Gardner once said in one of his classic rambles, when a character was asked if everyone should do something, and he answered an emphatic "YES!", paraphrased, "That's the root of fanaticism."</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This sounds a lot like many religions and denominational offshoots, including the myriad versions of Christianity today.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Or a cult.</div>
Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038080025851206169.post-51527968557022105682012-10-06T11:23:00.002-05:002014-05-22T23:42:40.774-05:00Wait...what?I'm going to start calling people who don't act Christ-like "vampires".<br />
<br />
Yes, yes, I know..."glass house/stones", "splinter your eye/lightpole in mine", etc.<br />
<br />
It's called a "joke". Sarcasm...look it up.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I'm not really sure where some of the vampire myth specifics started, and frankly I'm kinda sick this morning and...ok, I'm too lazy to look it up.<br />
<br />
Happy? Moving on.<br />
<br />
So, I was taking a shower last night and as I was washing myself I had one of those "PING" thoughts; you know, thinking "A" pings to "B" which pings to "C" then pings to "D" and before you know it you're nowhere near where you started, and you're somewhere brought to you by the letters "W", "T", and "F".<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://campdonuts.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/katy-perry-snl-elmo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://campdonuts.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/katy-perry-snl-elmo.jpg" height="272" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WTF?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Kinda like that picture. Not where I started, but where I ended up...and hey, Katy Perry cleavage. "C" is good enough for me.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I digress...where was I...Oh! Right.<br />
<br />
So, I was showering and I thought about "wood". Hush. Just...hush. So, wood jumped to "stake"...again with the hushing! Stake jumped to vampire, and then vampire jumped to the myth where vampires rise after being dead three days and...and they....wait a second.<br />
<br />
That's interesting. Vampires rise as vampires after dying and being dead three days; Jesus died and rose again on the third day.<br />
<br />
Myself: <i>I wonder...are there any other parallels or reversals between the two...?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Apparently, there are if you look. No, it's not a complete match, but enough to make you wonder if maybe Bram Stoker just said, "Ok, let's take Jesus and reverse everything about him and we'll tie that to the vampire blood-drinking myth, cuz hey...it's always about the blood, right?"<br />
<br />
Which brings us to the blood. Lots of vampiric power comes from blood. It's what keeps them alive. Ironically, for Christians, the blood of Christ is what they derive forgiveness from...and since the "wages of sin are death", they also derive life from His blood.<br />
<br />
There's power in the blood, indeed.<br />
<br />
Vampires <i>take</i> their blood by violent attack and seduction; the whole "volunteering" blood is a recent pop-culture construct, one popularized by television shows such as Buffy the Vampire SLayer.<br />
<br />
Yes, the "L" is capitalized...after fucking two vampires, "Vampire Layer" is also accurate.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi57F3bZplc2ANO6PY9kCGrsmgDIO_f-rGHS4wF0S3mA7I79xN-eSTH_I4VrxXXwBpL8R92FAWOd2xi8Gsiu5l5LT3ouK-u4gTxxiiCifbOWd76e4jxer-oHi5Xre9Yi75cAhd4h_4I_Bg/s1600/spikebuffy_moonlightlove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi57F3bZplc2ANO6PY9kCGrsmgDIO_f-rGHS4wF0S3mA7I79xN-eSTH_I4VrxXXwBpL8R92FAWOd2xi8Gsiu5l5LT3ouK-u4gTxxiiCifbOWd76e4jxer-oHi5Xre9Yi75cAhd4h_4I_Bg/s1600/spikebuffy_moonlightlove.jpg" height="240" title="Buffy and Spike" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buffy and Spike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUju6f5VT87YXJASoccnOpOlBh8zmLWjUWEwvq8ubaC5LFA7rPakZowZ3SaURrfSM-qAn8lnXBNqds9zjlqb1RN4DDxRllFjfbGohgTAkQKyxKqQEnoRjFTKAoyoh8a-Q6QTmg8oivuIA/s1600/amends9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUju6f5VT87YXJASoccnOpOlBh8zmLWjUWEwvq8ubaC5LFA7rPakZowZ3SaURrfSM-qAn8lnXBNqds9zjlqb1RN4DDxRllFjfbGohgTAkQKyxKqQEnoRjFTKAoyoh8a-Q6QTmg8oivuIA/s1600/amends9.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buffy and Angel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvZlBrF6GdT76cUdWmm6RrS5xR432DHOGxz0sY_wN3npMsGNpNfDXPqWbm1mLqlnVwW18QE_MUNh0WisUmuo4QIUFduHE6OEd8NGQ1NoFNKnNyIHfV0xArRkBD58WFFoIgjTMmnoZdk0/s1600/lesbianbuffy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvZlBrF6GdT76cUdWmm6RrS5xR432DHOGxz0sY_wN3npMsGNpNfDXPqWbm1mLqlnVwW18QE_MUNh0WisUmuo4QIUFduHE6OEd8NGQ1NoFNKnNyIHfV0xArRkBD58WFFoIgjTMmnoZdk0/s1600/lesbianbuffy1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buffy and Satsu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Wait, what? Buffy slept with a Slayer too?? Yeah, in the Official Season Eight comic, Joss had her being all open-minded and experimental. Get over it. Like I said...SLayer.<br />
<br />
Moving on...<br />
So vampires take blood...but the blood for the forgiveness of Christians had to be freely given by Jesus; He went to the cross willingly, and according to Him, only He could do so. (<a href="http://bible.cc/john/10-18.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John 10:18</a>) So there's a parallel and a reversal with the blood.<br />
<br />
Oh, hey, the cross! As we all know, the cross as a holy symbol is anathema to vampires. Recently, again via pop culture, it's been expanded to any holy symbol or religious symbol you hold sacred (Cross for Christians, Star of David for Jews, Lightsaber for Jedi, Colander for Pastafarians, Bathrobe and Beer for Dudists) Some might argue that the Cross is the most effective holy symbol, but it's probably solely because of the prevalence of Christianity and because Stoker wrote it that way. <br />
<br />
Vampires are automatically damned. Do not pass "GO", do not collect 200 blood bags, no reprieve. I've always had an issue with that one...damnation ultimately relates to a choice on the part of a person, and some people were "turned" (made into vampires) against their will or without a choice. I think he missed the mark on that one, probably due to lack of theological knowledge if I had to guess, but that's just a guess. He might've been a Doctor of Theology and just decided to show how horrible vampires were by making them automagically damned. *shrugs* It might more tie in with the black/white view that Jesus/God/Heaven are symbolic of all that's "Good", and Lucifer/Hell/Demons being all that's "Bad". Since vampires are the "Devil's Children", ergo "bad"; and if the Devil can't be saved, then they can't either. Again, the antithesis of Christ and Christians.<br />
<br />
After a short human life, vampires die and are reborn to live forever as minions to their master. Christians live a short human life, then die to live forever with Christ as God's children, the Bride of Christ. Christians are transformed, and the Bible promises new, powerful bodies in Heaven. Vampires are transformed after death (during?) and receive new, powerful bodies on Earth.<br />
<br />
Christians are saved from the Grave (death) while vampires are cursed to it, and must rise every night from their grave, and return to it before sunrise, forever UNdead, a mockery of Christian eternal life.<br />
<br />
Vampires and garlic, and transforming into bats, wolves, and mist...Stoker was on some really good shit. Had to be. Just sayin'.<br />
<br />
So, that's all I have. Sorry it's been so long, and sorry to return with so lame, but I hope you were at least amused and entertained. Hell, for all I know you all already knew this and are thinking, "Uh...where have you been? That's been pointed out since 'Dracula' was published." <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/zANvYB93u2g?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Well, EXCUUUUUUSE ME!</span></div>
<br />Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038080025851206169.post-15864409561622865032012-08-25T02:00:00.000-05:002012-08-25T02:11:03.853-05:00Personal Rant...Feel Free to SkipFinal Notice: This is a bit more of a personal rant than an attempt at philosophical discussion. You've been warned.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/christian" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Christian</a>.<br />
<br />
Chris·tian [kris-chuhn]<br />
adjective<br />
1. of, pertaining to, or derived from Jesus Christ or His teachings: "a Christian faith."<br />
4. exhibiting a spirit proper to a follower of Jesus Christ; Christlike: "She displayed true Christian charity."<br />
<br />
I claim to be a Christian.<br />
<br />
I believe Jesus was who He said He was, that He was neither liar nor lunatic, but Lord.<br />
<br />
That being said, I'm honest enough to admit I fall short of that ideal virtually daily, sometimes spectacularly...but I try.<br />
<br />
What it means to be one has been a topic of debate for centuries, ranging from cool and civil up to hot, violent, and murderously bloody.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bhtgRy7Rxkg/TYi3w6gNbYI/AAAAAAAADAE/pWQ0gr16-N8/ill-see-your-jihad-and-raise-you-a-crusade-political-poster-1299683772.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bhtgRy7Rxkg/TYi3w6gNbYI/AAAAAAAADAE/pWQ0gr16-N8/ill-see-your-jihad-and-raise-you-a-crusade-political-poster-1299683772.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Those of us that are on the inside of the Christian paradigm with other believers are often the most vociferous about what it means to be a Christian; sadly, and I'm guilty of this in the past myself, we often will "confront our misguided brethren" in a "spirit of love" to "guide them" into more correct and Biblical thinking and living.<br />
<br />
In short, we tell them how much they're wrong and how much our view is right, often with Scripture to prove it...which, ironically, they also have and use. Even shorter, we beat them over the head with a Bible.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDqnVIVnhNgrcQe00gFT2aMDllqbi_brdcBgxZHP9AkVDQF6ZOGNctE31iiVNZbOtGgaJXP49PA0xoeUVjtXudpJqBfvBIbtjIH1KWIQ8bubgHk035crJUR2OhS_D5S8JsH58GmJ2gtX1/s1600/bible_fight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDqnVIVnhNgrcQe00gFT2aMDllqbi_brdcBgxZHP9AkVDQF6ZOGNctE31iiVNZbOtGgaJXP49PA0xoeUVjtXudpJqBfvBIbtjIH1KWIQ8bubgHk035crJUR2OhS_D5S8JsH58GmJ2gtX1/s320/bible_fight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
I try not to get into that activity...any more; it's non-productive, almost everyone has different views on what many key Scriptures mean, and living a fully Christ-like life is virtually impossible, except for some folks like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Graham" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Billy Graham</a>, and even he has his share of controversy and unpopular views dating back to the Nixon administration, and I'm sure even he would admit to struggling with living a Christ-like life. <br />
<br />
But people persist. Entire forests have been cut down to produce the paper needed for the various arguments, discussions, debates, reports, research, narratives, opinions, and doctrinal theses, all written to prove a point about some aspect of Scripture and living a Christian life.<br />
<br />
My point?<br />
<br />
We have differences, even between Christians. I already pointed out in a <a href="http://snark-zone.blogspot.com/2012/08/one-of-things-i-want-to-do-with-this.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">previous blog post</a> that even the earliest Church fathers realized this and addressed that <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/cjb/romans/14.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">what's acceptable for one or some would be a hindrance to others in some cases</a>.<br />
<br />
I acknowledge the verses that admonish us to live moral, upright lives free of lust, immorality, and impurity; they're right, good, and goals to aspire to.<br />
<br />
But....<br />
<br />
WE. ALL. FALL. SHORT.<br />
<br />
All of us. Every person. Even the most upright and moral persons. Some pastors take extremes to even avoid the APPEARANCE of being improper. There's a rumor, which I can't find substantiation of, that the Rev. Billy Graham has an aide go through his rooms while travelling in order to prove that there is no one in his rooms, to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, and avoid someone being able to make him look bad publicly. As extreme as that sounds, the Bible does advise ministers to avoid even the appearance of impropriety wherever possible so as to be <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/cjb/1-timothy/3-2.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"above reproach"</a>. I'm sure someone would LOVE to break a story about Billy Graham being caught with someone in his rooms, true or not...bad news sells better than good news.<br />
<br />
Anyway, back to the point(s). <br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Fact 1: Nobody's perfect.</li>
<li>Fact 2: See Fact 1.</li>
</ol>
Now, that being said, I'm fairly live and let live. It would be hypocrisy for me to comment on someone else's failings when I'm not perfect either, just as it would be hypocrisy for someone else to deem me unfit to be in ministry with them because my "beliefs are too different" when theirs are equally imperfect, ESPECIALLY when it's pointed out by them that what I do in public isn't privately acceptable or Christ-like, but they do things that aren't publicly acceptable or Christ-like in private...things such as making and liking racially-barbed jokes, like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSTdQReCsBE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this one</a>. Is it funny? Yeah, to a degree. Is it socially acceptable? Only in certain specific circumstances. Is it acceptable to a Christian?<br />
<br />
Ohhhh, hey, good question...probably so in the South, especially in private...but what if the general public found out that a ministry group, a bunch of Christians, were laughing at and making racially inspired jokes?<br />
<br />
They'd be crucified....so they keep it just between people they trust to "relax" around and "be themselves".<br />
<br />
And yet these are the same folks that cut me off for posting a link to a video for the <a href="http://youtu.be/V1ubBR4jJw0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vegan Black Metal Chef</a> for my friends that are not only vegan, but listen to black metal. Or posting something "about a demon"...yeah, that's as specific as they got, so it was either <a href="http://cthulhu2012.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cthulhu/Dagon 2012</a>, <a href="http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp08162012.shtml" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Something Positive</a>, <a href="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/296974_510096729016509_1522442560_n.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cthulhu at Sea</a>, or the <a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/536764_458031107563131_113079984_n.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Weeping Angel from Dr. Who</a>. <br />
<br />
And, of course, the fact I believe that gay marriage is a civil rights issue and we have no business legislating it. The Bible indicates "don't do it" to Christians; it doesn't say "control how others live their lives" or "Jesus voted anti-gay" or "Republicans will go to Hell if they don't vote against gay marriage". <span style="font-size: x-small;">*SIDE NOTE: Some may find it interesting reading to see what some parties get from Scripture regarding </span><a href="http://christiangays.com/articles/anita4.shtml" rel="nofollow" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">gays and the Bible</a><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span><br />
<br />
Anyway, the point is, someone (me) has been cut off from a ministry position (my former band) because of unpopular or even non-Christian public views...by people who harbor equally unpopular and non-Christian views in private.<br />
<br />
Then they say, "We can still be friends and hang out."<br />
<br />
Ok, you've just exhibited world-class hypocrisy and changed my life, and you still want to "hang out"?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0ByvtB0M_WMxzwyFqk3RF48IbC5rB1AMe5kK5a76fJ5f2rcL9eA29aXoD6YEn_bo0oAYb-NUNAWFe7clc1PBjvxAJ9FHVGVOcv3pPxQbi5cbNwZZKUV-9QBfmTswdhCW-ocZ8ZkbdbGN/s1600/say-what-pl-ffffff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0ByvtB0M_WMxzwyFqk3RF48IbC5rB1AMe5kK5a76fJ5f2rcL9eA29aXoD6YEn_bo0oAYb-NUNAWFe7clc1PBjvxAJ9FHVGVOcv3pPxQbi5cbNwZZKUV-9QBfmTswdhCW-ocZ8ZkbdbGN/s320/say-what-pl-ffffff.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Um...no.
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I don't think so. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Right now, I'm thinking and trying to spend some time praying about what my church future holds. I spent a long time, nearly 10 years, out of church because of some less than ethical dealings from other "Christians". I love the church I'm in, and the people are (mostly) genuine.<br />
<br />
Hell, even the two that just burned me are sincere and genuine and mean well! I know they did, and they sincerely have mine (and their's and God's) best interests in mind...I get that, and I even agree with their reasoning from a Biblical standpoint.<br />
<br />
But based on their own criteria of "above reproach" and Biblical morality and ethics, they're equally wrong...they're just hiding it in private, whereas I take the "here I am, I have nothing to hide" approach.<br />
<br />
This is the fourth time I've been hurt specifically by what amounts to hypocrisy from morally upright and well-meaning "followers of Jesus Christ". My problem isn't with Jesus. Far from it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/1331794448991_6411049.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://static.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/1331794448991_6411049.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
My problem is with those calling themselves His servants.<br />
<br />
I don't know if I'll stay in church. If I do, I couldn't pick a better one than my current church. The pastor is the most sincere, good, down-to-earth type person. When he does chide or discipline, it's always and only from what the Bible says, not his opinion of what's "appropriate". I just don't know if that's enough, though. I'm tired of being burned. I'm tired of being "corrected" by people who are JUST. AS. FLAWED. as me....and I'm not sure I want to be part of a congregation where I now have deep, serious, and personal issues with members of the body. <br />
<br />
Oh, I'm going to work on it, get it resolved, and make sure that I remain as much in the right as possible regarding my own feelings and thinking and actions. Forgive...sure; it's what Jesus wants us to do. But it's going to be a cold day in hell before I TRUST them again.<br />
<br />
So, who IS Christ-like? Who IS a Christian? Well, Jesus was; from my position, including myself, no one else is even close...so watch out for the glass walls when you start throwing stones.<br />
<br />Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038080025851206169.post-89892975415244747212012-08-14T19:34:00.000-05:002012-08-14T19:48:38.586-05:00Change Is A Universal Constant<br />
When are we "ready"? What ultimately defines us? Even if we align ourselves with a <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/paradigm?s=t" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">paradigm</a>, many of us don't ultimately follow every tenet of it; most of us customize, taking what works for us and discarding what does not. Even if we go with the analogy that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001264/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sarah Michelle Gellar</a>'s character used in "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118276/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Buffy: The Vampire Slayer</a>", it falls flat from the whole...<br />
<br />
To whit, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0533407/quotes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Buffy said</a>, "I'm cookie dough. I'm not done baking. I'm not finished becoming who ever the hell it is I'm gonna turn out to be. I make it through this, and the next thing, and the next thing, and maybe one day, I turn around and realize I'm ready. I'm cookies. And then, you know, if I want someone to eat m- or enjoy warm, delicious, cookie me, then that's fine. That'll be then. When I'm done."<br />
<br />
It's a fine sentiment that puts forward the realization that she's a work in progress, but are we ever REALLY done? I have to wonder at any one person that stands up proudly and utters the affirmation that they know who they are and that they have "arrived".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfF_kV3aMEEh7IRBsVJ0NxMAvyBcdAGXpQwlFyNyhhu-bShb5loojGOSvOWKisgiApG725uYXaMlUZri0bbphNxceFv7IsW18N4BruQxB6V5dOm07FuZb4nKzBuqtauinllKcLxus4-Vw/s1600/skeptical-cat.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfF_kV3aMEEh7IRBsVJ0NxMAvyBcdAGXpQwlFyNyhhu-bShb5loojGOSvOWKisgiApG725uYXaMlUZri0bbphNxceFv7IsW18N4BruQxB6V5dOm07FuZb4nKzBuqtauinllKcLxus4-Vw/s320/skeptical-cat.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Really? So, you're now going to lie down and die? Nothing is going to happen to change your world view, your opinions..."you"?<br />
<br />
I struggled with the concept of who I was for many, many years...decades even. As an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Aspy </a>and a natural mimic, I questioned what and who I was up until about three years ago...it didn't help that I had friends (and some former friends) that viewed me across a spectrum that included enough personalities, beliefs, and styles that each group never questioned my participation in their little group, regardless of how different it was from another group I'd just been hanging with. To quote <a href="https://twitter.com/Sithspit_Rogue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">my Twitter profile</a>: "To make one Sithspit: Combine hard, soft, nice, nasty, quiet, loud, rum, milk, Jesus, Nietzsche, tender, cruel, love, hate, sweet, and sour. Blend and serve."<br />
<br />
I never socialized well as a child; grade school was a special brand of Hell, and children can be far more cruel than people give them credit for. I never really fit in with anyone, oddly enough, especially considering my later years, but we're getting to that. When you combine an inability to adapt socially via typical, intuitive human means with a higher than average IQ...there will be problems. I saw nothing wrong with reading a novelization for "Bring a Book Friday" in school...but when that book is the Star Wars novelization in SECOND GRADE, the other kids tend to look at you like you're a freak. <br />
<br />
Which they did. <br />
<br />
But over time, since I was on the outside looking in anyway, I had occasion to watch and learn some basic skills by watching how the popular kids acted; my natural talent at being a mimic paid off handsomely in that regard. When I changed schools my senior year, I applied all I had learned by watching others to my interactions with the new people who didn't already know me, and, with a few minor hiccups, I was suddenly...well, not POPULAR, but ACCEPTED. Now, some of you especially bright folks are already seeing the pitfall coming, but I'll mention it anyway.<br />
<br />
What happens when you build a life out of what you've seen others doing, copying and imitating...?<br />
<br />
You end up like I did a few years ago, looking at your life and wondering which parts were you and which parts were just "add-ons", essentially items like clothes to be mixed, matched, and discarded, but not really YOU.<br />
<br />
Most men in their late 30's or so have mid-life crises where they try to recapture their lost youth...I spent mine wondering where the facade ended and I began.<br />
<br />
So who am I? What have I become, and what should I have been? Am I EVER going to be finished and be what I'm supposed to be as an adult? A father? A husband?<br />
<br />
A human?<br />
<br />
Only two people I can think of literally have given me pause in my confusion; when asked what I was, they both just basically said..."You."<br />
<br />
It took me a long, long time to accept that; I can be anything to anyone, and have, but the one thing I've learned from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JRTB.TG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jen.l.lemaire" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jen</a> is this: Accept myself for who I am, because in the end, I am all and none of those things from my past and present...I'm a blend of them all. This makes me as unique as anyone, i.e., not at all (what is "unique" when you are ALL different?)...but what it DOES make me is just...me.<br />
<br />
Oh, and some of you may have noticed that in the last few years I've become more outspoken about some things, and less concerned with what others think; this is called "I'm content with who and what I am...get used to it, or go away."<br />
<br />
I will always be a work in progress; only dead things don't ever really change or grow--you have to be alive for that. So if I'm living, change is inevitable. I may never be complete; but I will always be just me.
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
And I'm ok with that.</div>
Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038080025851206169.post-88781373286747569342012-08-07T13:06:00.001-05:002012-08-17T09:57:50.702-05:00Good Questions!Yol asked in <a href="http://snark-zone.blogspot.com/2012/08/parallel-spirituality.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">my last post</a>: "James, first of all let me tell you that I do enjoy your blog very much. It feels sincere, open, and full of doubts (which I do value.) I am always full of questions myself. Also, as a disclaimer, I am not christian. Please keep in mind that I mean no offense to you or your belief system. I respect you. So, question #1: Would you give me your thoughts on why is the christian god needed? Why the rules and regulations? Question #2: regarding the polyamory situation, why do we assume that there is The One and then the others? What if it is a flat hierarchy where all the parts are like you said in your previous blog, sharing equally in all matters (emotionally, physically, financially)? Lastly, I think that if the christian god were to be real she would would be very intrigued/amused/dismissive of the "fine print" (and it feels like it is full of fine print) placed in the contract (between her and the humans) by the lawyers involved in the transaction... Peace!"<br />
<div class="comment-content">
<br /></div>
Hm. Ok, I guess we'll just take them line by line, si?<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">#1</span> I can only answer your question from the two perspectives I have had in my life: My original pre-Christian mindset, and my current Christian one. From the original perspective, He's not needed at all. He's demanding, confusing, harsh, uncompromising, restrictive, and a real buzz-kill. His people spout hate and are intolerant. He appears no different than any other petty, demanding god with a nasty narcissistic streak. Need? Who would WANT that?<br />
Now, I say all this so you can appreciate that this was my perspective of God BEFORE I became a Christian, to see where I was and how much my view changed. My view and belief has always been logical in basis, which seems ironic to the point of contradiction in a spiritual arena, but it's true: I read a book called "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis; yes, the Narnia one. He set out to prove that Christians were wrong, and in the process ended up convincing himself the opposite; Christ was either liar, lunatic, or Lord. Discounting the first two, that only left one option; I recommend the book heartily. It's not preachy. <br />
Once I made it through the logical assertion, it made it possible to accept certain other things on faith. Thus began a life-long search for understanding in Scripture; you see, the Christian view is not that we have rules to live by and regulations...the view is instead that because of our human nature, we're predisposed to a sinful condition that is a binding, pleasurable silken cord that is killing our spirits, and the teachings you consider restrictive keep us free and safe from morally and spiritually destructive elements of life, severing that cord. Christians don't view this life or our existing bodies as the "end all"; we take the long view. From the Christian perspective, we do things displeasing to our Creator; that's not His fault...He created us with free will so we could choose to follow Him, and gave us the tools to do it. The rewards are eternal; so are the penalties. <br />
So, the path in a nutshell was this: Belief that Jesus was Lord and not a liar or lunatic, accepting His teachings as result, accepting knowledge of my sinful nature as a human, accepting His sacrifice as necessary ( a WHOOOLE other story...), and then accepting that the only safe path through a life full of temptations to do things against my new paradigm was following God. Seeing my previous life as sinful and restrictive, and embracing His paradigm as freeing from that, was liberating, not confining. Oh, don't get me wrong, there's been questioning all along in my life; I don't simply accept man's opinion of Scripture as fact; I don't blindly accept the Bible as fact, as I pointed out in my second post. There are some things that would be stumbling blocks, and thus wrong, for a baby Christian that are not wrong for me...it's a process. He's a forgiving God; but we have to own up and accept the consequences for what we do when we're told, time and time and time again, that what we're doing is wrong. And if we do it ANYWAY, well...it's not His fault. He DID warn us.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">#2</span> This one is still difficult for me. I've been in a 3-way relationship; more than once, actually. It worked between us until someone just grew in a different direction; so, we parted, amicably. That's not to say it ALWAYS works; actually it works pretty rarely. Like Nurodancer said in another comment, and like I agreed, there are certain circumstances it seems to work best in.<br />
But that's a lifestyle outside of the chosen paradigm of Christianity that I've put my self into; even though I've proven it can work with the right mix, people, and maturity, it's outside the Christian model of one man, one woman. And before you even ask, I support gay marriage. I don't see it as a morality issue that I have any business trying to control; it's a civil rights issue. The morality is between them and their God, not them and me and the court system. So yes, I support the right of two gay people to marry if they choose; I, however, choose the Christian paradigm, and as such must follow the tenets of the faith.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">#3</span> Yolanda, I could not agree more! I'm positive God hates it.<br />
Religion is rules lawyering; it's either following the rules until all life and fun is sucked from it, or it's used as a weapon to beat people over the head to make them "be like me"...neither represents any definition of the word "Freedom" as I understand it. Neither one is based in life or love, two things Jesus stood for: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and the second is like the first, love your neighbor as yourself." *crickets chirp* <br />
<br />
Kinda sums it up, huh.Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038080025851206169.post-77448216385415158462012-08-06T22:45:00.002-05:002012-08-07T10:09:22.858-05:00Parallel SpiritualityMany people may remember when I first became a Christian...<br />
<br />
I've since apologized for my behavior to them all.<br />
<br />
No, I don't regret becoming a Christian, far from it...but I handled it all very immaturely, and I hurt a lot of dear people who deserved better.<br />
<br />
On the plus side to this debacle, I learned that there are instances in Scripture that echo each other spiritually vs physically; they parallel each other, where one situation here on our earthly plane will mirror one spiritually, and vice versa.<br />
<br />
The link between my earlier immaturity and this example is this: It's not a coincidence that new Christians are referred to as "born again", or "born anew"...and in fact are often called "baby Christians".<br />
<br />
Consider this:<br />
<br />
Babies are born helpless; they need to be fed, protected, and nurtured. They're often loud. They make stinky messes. They spit up on people. They can't walk on their own, nor can they even stand alone. They can't handle real adult food; in fact, not only can't they chew it, they can't break down the stuff for the nutrients with their immature organs...in short, it would kill them to try to handle adult food, among other things.<br />
<br />
Now, let's look at a new Christian, generally speaking:<br />
<br />
Spiritually, they're helpless...they don't know much about right and wrong from their new world-view; they need more knowledgeable people to nurture them and help them walk through their early days. They're telling EVERYONE about their new life, whether they want to hear it or not. They try to "help" people, and often muck things up in their inexperience. They "spit up" on people, metaphorically speaking. They need support in their Christian walk, so they don't walk alone. <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/cjb/hebrews/passage.aspx?q=hebrews+5:11-14" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paul said</a> that new Christians need "milk", easy teachings to make a foundation, but once they mature need to put that aside and move on to more solid spiritual food, and <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/cjb/1-corinthians/passage.aspx?q=1-corinthians+3:1-2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">again he says</a> something like it in an earlier book.<br />
<br />
So you can see how one is an example of the other...and it's a fine way to drive home the point that we always have much more to learn!<br />
<br />
This being said, here's a point I'd like to bring up as a counter-point to <a href="http://snark-zone.blogspot.com/2012/08/dogma-sucks.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">my very first blog post</a>; I realized something tonight that in all my life I never considered...and it also means that I have to admit when I'm wrong.<br />
<br />
And that sucks.<br />
<br />
Sadly, I'm wrong a lot. <span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><i>*sighs*</i></span><br />
<br />
For most of my life I could see no issue with polyamory or polyfidelity; from the perspective I had, it was based in love, and what's wrong with love, right? I looked at it from a perspective that was distinctly colored and biased from my past experiences in high school and college.<br />
<br />
Tonight though I was discussing this topic with a close friend, one of the guitar players in our band, and he made a comment that tripped a memory in my head, and I remembered how Jesus often compares the Christian church (as a body/single entity) to a bride and Himself as a groom, with the goal of illustrating to the Jewish people He was teaching in a way they could identify with. See, in Jewish culture back then, the groom would go to build a house for his bride, and his bride would wait for him. The groom's father would be the one to determine when it was good enough, often prompting him to going above and beyond. As a result, only the father knew when the groom would return, and the bride would have to be ready, because it was ALSO tradition for the groom to come and "steal her away" at some odd hour. This is exactly how Jesus described His predicted return, so His fellow Jews listening to Him would get the concept.<br />
<br />
Now, expanding on that marriage concept, all throughout the Bible, Old and New Testaments included, God has said that He wants no gods other than Him...really, it's the First Commandment, and it's also the first of the summations that Jesus delivered to the people: "Love God with all your heart, mind and spirit". To have another god before Him is idolatry, a big no-no for Christians and Jews. He wants us separate, clean, and faithful, ready for His return, just like the bride in the example above.<br />
<br />
And that's why I "get it" now, that polyamory and polyfidelity are just not right for Christians. Being an Aspy, just being told something is wrong never works; I have to know why, because every situation is different, and a hard/fast rule doesn't always work. Knowing WHY helps me to adapt to new situations; it gives me a litmus to apply.<br />
<br />
Those relationships are the marital equivalent of spiritual idolatry, in essence. You're being unfaithful to the ONE you chose to be your mate, in place of all the others you COULD have been with...and that's just not the model.<br />
<br />
So kids...choose wisely. Pick the right one. It's disrespectful to your mate on many levels; even if it "works" outside of a Christian belief system, once you CHOOSE to be in that system, you're willingly forsaking other gods for the One you chose...and that's how you should choose and treat your spouse, too.Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038080025851206169.post-24044568188379006052012-08-04T01:00:00.000-05:002012-08-06T22:26:16.896-05:00Question EverythingOne of the things I want to do with this blog is to question everything.<br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Everything</span></i></b>.<br />
<br />
I've been told by many people, pastors and laymen alike, that we're to accept God's word, to accept without question, because the Bible is His infallible Word.<br />
<br />
I did, for a while. Unfortunately, I fell into a snare that I would not have believed possible by doing so: I elevated a Book into the Godhead along with Jesus.<br />
<br />
It's the Holy Trinity, not the Holy Quadrangle, right? Besides...after finding out that some of the 10 Commandments aren't translated right in the first place from the KJV (3rd and 6th), and still not right in later versions (3rd), you tend to question the rest. Just like I covered in the first post, masturbation isn't a Biblical sin; it's not even considered "wrong" in scripture, in spite of many pastors pounding it from the pulpit (so to speak...)<br />
<br />
So, I question. A lot. One of the aspects of the Christian faith mentioned by a very intelligent and educated man recently (Hi George!) is to accept some things on faith, to accede to the MYSTERY of certain aspects of the Christian structure, as simple faith is integral as a foundation. Ok, no problem. But I'm still questioning a good chunk.<br />
<br />
Well, a lot.<br />
<br />
Ok, this is going to hack off some people and likely get me called a heretic...but I don't believe the Bible is the ineffable or inerrant Word of God.<br />
<br />
I just can't. You can't expect me to believe the book that is expected to form the structure, the frame to our lives, the spiritual meat (and milk, for some) we need to live on spiritually, the RULES for successful Christian living, the book that is compiled from oral tradition going back to the BEGINNING OF TIME, ancient scrolls and histories written by hundreds of authors spanning millennia, encompassing even personal letters, the book that has taken more forms in Catholic and Protestant bodies, the book that was translated by the orders of King James while he was burning Jews at the stake for being heretics, thereby losing all possible chance for accurate cultural bias or even basic accuracy...you expect me to implicitly and blindly trust that?<br />
<br />
Um...no.<br />
<br />
Granted, many incorrect spots have been fixed. Awesome.<br />
<br />
So now the original is mostly correct. Even more awesome. <br />
<br />
But it's still not enough. Cultural and societal bias is almost completely absent, except from some versions like David Stern's Complete Jewish Bible that meticulously includes the relevant cultural bias, as much as it can.<br />
<br />
Scriptures that we now understand accurately relate to situations that are no longer relevant in today's world...the books of <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/ephesians/6-9.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ephesians</a>, <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/colossians/3-22.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Colossians</a>, <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/colossians/4-1.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Colossians again</a>, <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/1-timothy/5-1.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Timothy</a>, <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/titus/2-9.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Titus</a>, and <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/1-peter/2-18.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1 Peter</a> all give advice the church fathers felt extremely important...about the care and treatment of SLAVES. Nor does it ever say that slavery is wrong, or that slaves shouldn't be had. Some translate this to "servants"...but no, even the "servants" then were usually slaves: Debtors, indentured, or outright just BOUGHT. Not always...but typically.<br />
<br />
So, what ELSE applies to then and not now? Murder? No, that's always been wrong, and still is, although killing in God's name is still in vogue in some countries. Stealing? No, always has been wrong, still is...what could...ah.<br />
<br />
Wives and concubines.<br />
<br />
Men had wives and concubines. Abraham did. Isaac did. Jacob did. David did. Solomon did. *FILL IN THE BLANK* did. Very common practice; legal, acceptable, normal.<br />
<br />
Not today. Today, having more than one wife or a wife and a girlfriend can get you arrested and accused of all kinds of sinful charges if your church gets wind of it. All those guys were the Old Testament equivalent of swingers! Today? Not so much.<br />
<br />
So riddle me this: What then is sin? Whose word do you take? Man? God? The Bible?<br />
<br />
Sin hurts. Sin is something that is a fundamental break in the order of the natural order. Murder; it ends a life prematurely. The Jews believe that when you murder, you kill not only that person's life, but the lives of all that person's future family...in essence, a murder kills not a person, but a <b><i>WORLD</i></b>. So, yeah...unnatural. Wrong. Sin.<br />
<br />
Now, don't be quick to jump on the "No Execution" bandwagon; even God allowed for executing criminals, so just don't go there. Moving on.<br />
<br />
<br />
Some things are just obvious, like murder. Some, like love and sex, aren't so much. In <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/acts/passage.aspx?q=acts+15:15-25" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Acts</a>, James said, <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">19 </span>"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">20 </span>Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood."<br />
<br />
What is "Sexual Immorality"? Who defines it? Topless and nude beaches are the norm in some sections of Europe and South America...try that in Louisiana or Mississippi and see what happens to you. <br />
<br />
You can go round and round. For every hard and fast rule in scripture there are just as many questions and questionable passages.<br />
<br />
So what do I do? <br />
<br />
I walk out my salvation<a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/philippians/passage.aspx?q=philippians+2:7-17" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> in fear and trembling</a>, understanding that I have to walk according to my conscience and the Spirit's leading and peace. I understand that my choices could lead to lack of reward at best, punishment at worst, that I might be "<a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/1-corinthians/passage.aspx?q=1-corinthians+3:10-15" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">saved as though through fire</a>", saved, but with no reward. I study for myself;<a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/cjb/hebrews/passage.aspx?q=hebrews+5:11-14" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> I don't accept to be spoon or bottle fed milk</a>. I chew into the tougher, harder, meatier things, looking for the deeper truths....for TRUTH.<br />
<br />
And also importantly, <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/cjb/romans/14.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ROMANS 14</a>! I will believe or accept some things that a new Christian absolutely can't. And shouldn't!! You don't give a baby a steak; they can't chew it or digest it...it would kill them! The same here...some things, while perhaps not entirely beneficial, aren't necessarily wrong, either...and what's ok for me, might not be ok for you.<br />
<br />
That's ok. <br />
<br />
I've gone fairly far afield I think from where I started, but that's all right. I'm just questioning. Some of my answers won't work for you. Just remember Romans 14; it's between me and God...<br />
<br />
Not me and you.<br />
<br />Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038080025851206169.post-40148642711171095272012-08-01T21:17:00.001-05:002012-08-01T21:17:31.606-05:00Dogma Sucks<br />
I have a dogmatic question I don’t understand. Let’s say you have two people involved in some kind of church ministry; both are actively participating in things the Church at large considers sinful. One person is remorseful and tries without success to change their behavior and is allowed to still take part; the other sees nothing wrong with what they’re doing, and is asked to step down until they see the error of their ways.<br />
<br />
The way I’m seeing this, both people are engaged in wrong behavior without stopping…the only difference is in their thought processes, or as the Church calls it, their heart: So if I’m understanding this right, it’s not sinning that gets you in trouble, it’s the way you think about it?<br />
<br />
Please understand...this isn't a facetious question.<br />
<br />
There are some things that I STILL don't "get" after being married for 20 years, and my poor wife just shakes her head and tells me, "It's an Aspy (Asperger's) thing; don't worry about, let it go..."<br />
<br />
This might could be one of those things.<br />
<br />
For example, this one is perfect. Since I've been a teenager, I've had no moral issues with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyamory" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">polyamory</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyfidelity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">polyfidelity</a>. While not socially acceptable almost anywhere, there are subgroups in this country and others that not only practice it, but it works for. <br />
<br />
However, from a Christian perspective, this encompasses fornication and adultery AT LEAST. From this Christian perspective, I can understand from reading that it is considered sin. Jesus corrected the Samaritan woman at the well about her marital screw-ups (gently, of course), and there is the famous story in <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/nas/john/passage.aspx?q=john+8:3-11" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John 8:3-11</a> with the woman caught in the act.<br />
<br />
Now, toss in my Aspy brain...in every instance where Jesus deals with adultery, it's the WOMAN that is at fault. It's not until Paul that the issue is brought up in <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/msg/1-corinthians/passage.aspx?q=1-corinthians+5:1-6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1 Corinthians</a> and a male is actually specified as the offender. In every other case, it's generic with no mention of who is at fault, or it's the woman.<br />
<br />
So to my Aspy mind, the definition of adultery hinged upon some definition that only affected women, not men. Plus, it's never said WHY it's wrong...it just is. Well, why is it wrong? If a man lives with two women, and they're all in harmony, taking equal burdens emotionally and physically and even financially in the relationship, what's the big deal? Or a woman with two men? Or (scandalous thinking approaching!) two bisexual women and a man? Or two bisexual men with a woman? <br />
<br />
Aspy's don't do well with "do it because", because when something happens that doesn't fit the precise circumstance, BOOM, confusion and disarray, questions and chaos. We need to know why, so we can learn to do things when the norm doesn't fit.<br />
<br />
I have to say...Christianity SUCKS for Aspy's. Everyone is always saying, "The Bible says this, that, and the other thing"...ok, fine, that's great until a little digging shows that it either A: Doesn't say that, B: Is taken out of context so it APPEARS to say that, C: Actually means something else because of translation errors, or D: remembered incorrectly so as to say something else. <br />
<br />
So then what? You dig for the truth, and WHOA, it actually means something else! Great example: Onanism. What's that, you ask? Spanking the monkey, jerking off, choking the chicken...masturbation. The prohibition comes from <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/nkjv/genesis/passage.aspx?q=genesis+38:8-10" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Genesis</a>, but the early translations were off, and the church leaders, largely uneducated in many cases in those early years of using that newfangled King James Bible, took the passage (heh) to refer to masturbation, focusing on that "spilling his seed" bit.<br />
<br />
Let's see it in a more modern translation: <a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/cjb/genesis/passage.aspx?q=genesis+38:8-10" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Genesis 38:8-10</a> "8 Y'hudah said to Onan, "Go and sleep with your brother's wife - perform the duty of a husband's brother to her, and preserve your brother's line of descent." 9 However, Onan knew that the child would not count as his; so whenever he had intercourse with his brother's wife, he spilled the semen on the ground, so as not to give his brother offspring. 10 What he did was evil from ADONAI's perspective, so he killed him too." <br />
<br />
It wasn't the "seed spillin'" that he was struck down for...rather, it was the disobedience of not doing his directed duty that he was killed for. At that time, if a man's brother died childless, it was his brother's duty to impregnate that man's wife so as to carry on the family.<br />
<br />
Do you have ANY IDEA how much less stressful my childhood and early life would've been if I'd known THAT? That learning the WHY of it, and not the "Don't do it, and just accept it" aspect?<br />
<br />
So, yeah...dogma sucks.Sithspithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01387522726920233280noreply@blogger.com4