Hmmm...how should i start this off? Well..first off, let me start bysayin this...its hard for me to keep my mouth shut when i see things that are totally ridiculous. SO...religion is a very touchy subject as many may know, BUT im all about controversy so im here to give my honest and whole-hearted opinion on things. TOO many people try to impose their religious beliefs on others who dont necessarily live by the same morals and principles as them. Those "religious" people even look down on the "non-believers". But why?
Back during the time of elections, there was a discussion in the barbershop on Proposition 8. The people in the shop call themselves religious so they were all for Prop 8, which prohibits same sex marriage in California. So i asked them the question "what makes you vote yes on 8?". They replied it was because the BIBLE said that a man is to be with a woman, which is all fine and dandy, thats the way it's supposed to be for the purposes of pro-creation. HOWEVER, i would never try to take away the right to marriage of another, even if i dont 100% agree with their way of living. So then i said "Well doesn't the bible also say Thou Shall Not Judge?" The debate had officially begun. It was me and my brother, against about 7 or 8 other people. Based on the numbers, needless to say, the odds were against us. After i made the 'Thall Shou Not Judge' comment, everybody had the look on their faces like "yea..but..". But nothin. And shortly afterwards, my brother brought up the fact that not too long ago, WE (African Americans) weren't even allowed to marry someone of caucasian descent. Once again came the "yea..but..."
The point im tryna make is that people want to pick and choose parts of the bible that they wanna live by, and only when it's convenient for THEM. The bible also says you're not supposed to have sex until marriage. How many of us have broken that "rule". There are also parts of the bible that mention slavery, however, that goes unnoticed. I always hear people say things like "If you don't accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior, then you'll burn in hell." But according to statistics, there are only about 2.1 billion christians in the world, what about the other 3.9 billion people across the globe? Are they all gonna burn as well? Islam also says that if you dont conform, then you'll go to hell. And many other religions as well.
To be very very honest, i believe that the church SYSTEM was created for control purposes initially. Not to mention its big business. All the money that the church receives is untaxed dollars. Pastors and preachers drive around in Benzes and BMWs, paid for by their followers, some who are barely able to keep their bills payed on time, but they tithe only because they believe that by doing so, they'll receive a special blessing from God. That makes no sense to me. NOBODY should be making a living off of preaching the word of God, am i right or am i wrong?
Another question i asked that day in the barbershop was "Why are you even a Christian?" The reply was, "because that's how i was raised.." So you SO STRONGLY believe in a system, simply because thats how you were raised? That sounds kinda sheepish to me. What happened to believing in things because thats what YOU TRULY BELIEVE IN? Alotta Christians LOVE to say "The bible says this, or the bible says that", but let's really break it down. At the end of the day, the bible is only a book, a story. One that has been written and rewritten many many MANY times, and under the control of power-hungry kings and other hierarchy of that time. How can i solely live my life according to a book that im not sure of its origin?
Even as a kid, i was always the kid that asked the question "why?" I believe it's helped shape the person i am today. I can't believe in something based on the fact that its what im SUPPOSED to believe, or because it was how i was RAISED. Im an individual, and the beliefs that i live by are my own. Im not knockin any religion, but i AM knockin people who impose their beliefs on others and treat people who have different beliefs like less-thans. I believe in one God, be it man woman or simply energy. I believe in the basic principles of being a good person, such as helping those in need, treating people with respect, loving one another, etc. So if you think the way i live is wrong, fine. Call me a sinner, atheist, stupid, ignorant or whatever. But i will NEVER let anybody take away my birth right of free will and i will ALWAYS live my life doing the right thing. Besides, i think there is a good lesson in ALL religion, and something can be learned from every single one. One God, one peace, one love...
i really enjoyed reading this post and can relate. when raised in the church, you start to realize (as you grow up) that things aren't always what it seems, hell, that goes with everything. i wish more people would challenge themselves to think outside of the box a bit more.
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