Why Christians Will Start World War Three

…or the alternate title, why pigs DO fly.

Perhaps you think the title of this post is for shock value. Maybe it’s because I want some attention. Perhaps it’s for fun, to see the reactions it nets me. Maybe I really believe this, and want to persuade you to join me in my opinion of modern-day Christianity.

Yes.

I honestly believe that a Judeo-Christian mindset will cause a philosophical world war, because of three very peculiar and very human beliefs that are segregationist in nature. These beliefs are common among fundamentalist churches. I am not including any church not in the Judeo-Christian and fundamentalist history. They do not have these issues. There are three doctrines common to fundamentalism that cause my belief. Let me list them:

1.) Religious dualism

This is the belief in the devil, and the militaristic view of life. The Bible says that there is a devil and demons that work to destroy our lives and drag us down. Let’s assume that this is literally factual. Though the Bible says the opposite, most Christians will tell you that Satan has power to defeat us; that a war rages outside, and anyone outside is their enemy. Now, anyone who has studied the Bible knows that the devil, Satan, is defeated–Calvary did that. But, if that’s so, doesn’t that defeat the dualism argument? There is no more evil power; it was stripped. Why do we still act, if not explicitly state, that there are people “doing the work of the devil” in the world? They deny them access, deny them voice, and even deny them a chance at their definition of life. Minority sexual orientations are the recent target of this one, though not the only one. There is nothing inherently evil about them, not a thing, yet Christians fear their philosophy. They don’t see them as someone who could be for them, but rather as an enemy. This is the first reason why Christians will start world war three. Eventually, we will find an enemy both large enough and cumbersome enough to start a real war with. Instead of loving others, as Christ commanded, they fight.

2.) Denominationalism

Or, “I’m right, you’re wrong, believe my way or go to hell” theology. First off, if anyone tells me they’re not denominationalist, please tell me two things. Where do you attend worship? What reason do you give for going there? No matter the reason, you attend for some denominational issue. Baptism in the spirit, acceptance (or intolerance) of homosexuality, literal interpretation of the Bible over a figurative one, etc. Everyone is denominationalist because we all have a denomination. Even the “non-denominationals” that act and worship like a Church of God or an Assembly of God. Even agnostics and atheists have denominations; they took on monikers, did they not?

There is common hatred between denominations. Baptists call Pentecostal/Charismatics “demon worshippers” and the Pentecostals in turn call the other “stiff-necked” and “old-fashioned.” Methodists and Presbyterians are at odds between Calvinism and Arminianism, and that causes strife. They will never unify, and only those who never think about the consequences of this will ever accept denominationalism, even the ones who say they don’t hate other denominations.

The consequences outside of the church are simple. They apply the same hatred for not-christians as they do for not-orthodox-christians. The world will see that, and hate them for it. The Catholic church stirred bad blood between itself and the Protestants. With denominationalism, the need to be right will outweigh Christ’s command to love your neighbor as yourself.

3.) The need to be right

This spins off of the previous two. The only reason why denominationalism is a problem is because there is this vindictive idea that someone has to be right and someone has to be wrong. There is only one absolute, which is God. Every monotheist theology centers around this. So why do they insist on proving how “right” they are? It’s because they have a desire to be like God, which will never happen.

Human desire to emulate divinity stems at human nature. For instance, the religious soul is one who believes in something perfect, moreso than itself. The spirit of religion is the spirit of perfectionism. We all, regardless of religion, tend to side towards self-improvement. Some are anti-social; they steal their way in. Some work their asses off to attain improvement. They both show the same element of humanity, the basest of human desires: perfection. Some become disheartened and claim a God to lean upon, for Him to be perfect for them. Some, like me, disavow God as a crutch and see humans as perfectly imperfect. This base need of perfection is paramount. Take this away and all that is left is a mass of human spirit, huddled and poor.

Maybe you’re asking, “why is this considered a doctrine?” You would not be wrong in asking so. However, think about it for just a moment. If it were not central to the belief of fundamentalist teaching, then why is the inerrancy of the Bible such an issue? Why such a heated reaction if that belief is questioned? Elementary, my friends. If they didn’t need to be right about their beliefs, then they wouldn’t care if someone asked a question.

World War III is coming.

Now, there is nothing left to do. Christians will eventually piss off the wrong person, and they will be punished for their arrogance. There may be a remnant left over who are humble emulations of deity, but there will still be a mass whose spirit, their essence, will be crushed by this war of words and philosophies. This is the real tragedy.

Remember, Christians who read this and take offense: Jesus said that only a few will find eternal life. Pat Robertson’s followers are not true Christians; Joel Osteen’s crowd are not true Christians either. Christ must come first, not the church.

weight loss, pt 2

Here I am again, back on this topic, months after I began this journey. Well, last time I listed an update, I told a little of my story about my weight loss. How I had started at 240 lbs and an almost-42 inch waist. How I was depressed and had no self-confidence. How I ate like a pig, and justified it. How I nearly choked to death on a triple-fried pork rind dipped in blended sausage and cheese…oh, wait, I never told that story. Good thing, because it’s not true.

I do seem to remember bringing out a seldom-used four letter word that rhymes with “tuck” in describing my reaction to who I became. I also seem to remember getting a comment or two, for which this author is incredibly grateful. I think I told you all that I had stalled out at 220 lbs, or somewhere similar, back when I wrote the post; that I was in 38’s. I was quite proud. Well, a new milestone is upon me. Anyone ready to hear it?

No? Too bad.

I am now a pleasant 185 and holding at the moment, stalled out again after another pleasant two months of dieting and exercising. I am wearing a loose pair of 34’s. I fully expect to be in 32’s by years end, if not by Mid-January. I can run, swim, bike, and lift more now than ever before. My body is gaining definition. My heart has exceeded the size of Texas; mi corazon is the size of Alaska. I’m tempted to throw in an exponent to that, like Alaska squared, but I hate mathematics.

Soon enough, I’m going to have some pictures taken, and I’ll have them up. Otherwise, to all of my faithful readers (all two of you), thank you for sharing in my journey. Pleasant days to you.

Pt. 2: The Edit

In reading my archived post, I find that there is an inconsistency. I was at 205, not 220. I did, however, mention my pant size, heart the size of Texas, and that infamous pork rind. Just kidding on the last one. Enjoy!

Bad Religion?

alright, i know the title is just loaded with controversy. sue me. beat me over the head with the coffee table bible i just know you all happen to have lying around. if you don’t, then beat me over the head with war and peace, or some other confounded, complicated mess of a meganovel. whatever you do, though, entertain a thought with me today. what if the religion we subscribe to is bad for us, even if the claims it makes are true?

it’s a hard thought for any but the agnostic or the atheist mind, who has already disavowed any religion. to think that any thing that may be taught to us might possibly be bad for us, though, is not a stretch of the imagination for anyone. surely, christians are arguing that evolution is bad for us, taught or not. muslims would say that teaching anything against allah is bad teaching. is it really all that much of a stretch to assume that our preachers have it just as wrong?

assuming that this is so, what problems does this create? please remember that you are merely entertaining a thought, not marrying it. it creates one of two problems. either our teachers and holy men are decieved, or are lying to us. in the former case, they are men proven unfollowable. in the latter, it is the same. hence, it is a hinge on which religion sits upon: the infallibility of the word. without something being absolutely true, such as a holy book, religion would collapse. but this is thinking only of the teachers.
let us factor the teachers out of the equation for a second though. as a good existentialist, i assume that men are totally, radically free, and that there are few true victims. so, blaming the teachers is a poor excuse for our own behavior. if it is a deception, why do we believe it unquestioningly? again, this is assuming there is a deception. perhaps it is comforting. knowing that i have a heavenly father who can totally beat up my enemies and keep me in check if i become a total ass makes my life somehow easier to swallow. that way, i can take the credit for being holy when things go right, and blame the devil or even God himself when things go wrong. that, assuredly, is a most comforting thought. however, if my assumption holds true, then everything, everything we’ve been taught about God is a lie, including the bible. the bible is, at it’s root, a book of man’s writings about God. we’re assuming they’re all true and valid. maybe they’re not.

assume nothing. no God, no bible, no Christ, no nothing. zip, nada. assuming nothing, a case for a God can be easily made. (challenge me if you like.) some things in our natural world are unexplainable and appear to be in our world for a reason. chaos does not operate under reason. therefore, a God is possible and plausible. probable, well, that’s another story. but the case for the bible sits as a seperate case. it has become a god far larger than God himself. and somehow, i think that God would be a mite offended if a book took his place.

alright, thought over, entertaining over. kick the thought out if you like. i just wanted to introduce the thought that we might be getting fed rotten food; that God might be bigger than the bible, or our religions. my personal thoughts on the matter are that religion provides a fantastic moral base for children, ones that if followed like laws will provide for a decent education and a decent life. but permanence of religion is something that is undesirable. there is a stage in development that requires a move past concrete thought into abstract thought; religion hinders that development. i believe religion is inherently flawed in that way. however, you may disagree; that would make for some good conversation.

simply.

how does one come to give up Christianity as an official religion?

simply, and with little fanfare. anyone deciding to do it hyper-publicly to recieve a reward? faking it. it’s a simple process. one reads the bible, and finds a simple contradiction, like an all-powerful God stopped up by a dumpy fallen angel. it’s an impressive myth that has been constructed. i wonder if it will ever be discussed like the greek religion was? mythology is outdated religion. and, as Christ and God are, so Zeus and Hercules was. someday, my friends, our religion will be outmoded.

how does one come to give up Christianity?

simply.

new blog

i just wanted to send a quick shout to my new blog in the blogosphere, one devoted solely to my fiction writing and cataloging my home-crafted storysparks. it’s at http://storyspark.wordpress.com, should you want to read any of my writings. i’ll post a fair warning, some of the stories will contain a fair amount of very adult material. while in no way pornographic, some of the language and subject matter is very mature in nature. i promise you, i will not make all of my stories this way, but some are deserving of that warning more than others. two of the current ones are this way, one is not. either way, i hope you enjoy your trip into my fiction should you choose to! i will still post personal updates and thoughts here, but my fiction will be over there.

peace!

i’m a total sucker…

…for a good writer.

maybe it’s just me, but nothing irritates me more than a poorly written book. but, when i read anything that’s halfway written well, and interesting to boot, well, i take notice. and good thing, too! because there are some real gems out there. regardless of whether or not they’re mass-market paperbacks or indie books in indie bookstores, there are some great books out there. scifi novels like Frank Herbert’s Dune, or Tolkien’s world-famous Lord of the Rings, come to mind. but there are also new books coming out, as well, books that aren’t mainstream or common. A Shadow in Summer, by Daniel Abraham, is one of those. books that are new, original, and have an air of greatness about them that they achieve by taking their work seriously, and editing ruthlessly.

scratch the title. i’m a total sucker for a good editor. everyone writes poorly; good authors edit ruthlessly. that is how the game works. they take little mistakes and change them. if they see an infodump, they edit it. they are my heroes, for not caring about their precious stories too much and taking the time and the sacrifice to destroy what they’ve written, to make it better.

they go from “it was a dark and stormy night. Raven, a seventeen year old seductress of young men, stood tall underneath the bleachers, wondering where Dirk got to. She had black hair and fair skin, and liked to have fun. She could be temperamental at times, but is easily shaken up and frightened.” to:

“Raven stood underneath the bleachers, shivering at the biting cold of the rain. She looked around, but didn’t see much in what little twilight there was. A thunderclap sounded out somewhere behind her, making her yelp. “I’m gonna kill him,” she muttered, though no one was there to hear her. “I’m going to rip out his spleen if he doesn’t get here soon,” she mumbled. “Why the hell did I let him talk me into this? We could have met at a restaurant, a bathroom, but no, the school. He is so getting dumped tomorrow,” she continued, looking up to the sky through the seats.

Turning to leave, Raven pulled her black hair into a ponytail. She walked elegantly, or as elegantly as one can walk after being stood up in the rain, anyway. She walked to the parking lot calmly when she saw Dirk’s car sitting in the rain. “You sleazy bastard,” she exclaimed at the car, “leaving me in the rain!” She walked faster, though still with an eloquence, and rapped on the window. “You sonofabitch, you stood me…” she said, cutting herself off. She realized that the window was covered in blood, with Dirk slumped over the wheel. She screamed until her voice gave way.”

i love a good book! you should too!