I Don't Believe in Organized Religion

“I Don’t Believe In Organized Religion”

I hear that line a lot. I can understand the sentiment. The scandals with the priests, all those people who have been burned by someone who didn’t agree with something they did or said or looked or smelled…. Somehow just didn’t fit a cookie cutter in another person’s mind (a cookie cutter that no one is meant to fit.)

I get that.  I get as enraged at people who don’t let others come “as they are” as some people get at my other blogs. (Intentionally neglecting to link to that one)

Let us see what the good book says about lone wolves. In the beginning it was just man and God after all….. ok after reading from start up to the line I have in mind it has very little recorded vocal interaction between God and man, just that they took a walk together sometimes.  But there is a verse that said “It’s not good for man to be alone.” So he made the woman and they put their two half brains together and ate something, blah blah, and here we are

Maybe adam smelled and God didn’t want to be left alone with him so He made up a chick to try and fix him…?...anyway..

Well, perhaps I should look to the other side of it. We’ve seen that big organizations only bring bad things, like “The network” and “Low everyday prices” and “A Place for Friends”  and “The hogie fest at the wawa” …wait scratch the last one….. well the commercials are evil but… yeah anyway.

We in America seem to like bigger as better. We talk nicely about small business but we all shop and use big business (otherwise big biz wouldn’t be big, and small biz wouldn’t be small me thinks ;)   )

We don’t want to be a cog in a church wheel though….

In America we have many who want to be members of the First Cingulitarian Church of ME (population 1) (…. yes I made that word up……...and yes it does have roll over minutes….)

Is it that we don’t want anyone to tell us when we are wrong?

Seems to me that we can’t ALL be doing 100% right by the higher powers opinion as many of us do opposite things from one another.

I mean… I’ve been taught that it is important to be surrounded by people who care enough to tell you when you are wrong. “Hey you’ve got a tear down the back of your pants”

Furthermore, I find it curious that we trust something so important as our souls to nothing more than our own opinions which are usually under-educated. (I mean that in reflection of the question: Could you ever be over-educated with regard to your eternity?)

Why did I need to wait 4 semesters for my community college to offer a comparative religion class?

(the answer which is meant to be rhetorical is: demand is that low that it took 4 semesters before they could fill the class ergo: lack of interest of the general student body)

On a side note the class was full of those who are already quite devoted to a faith and only a couple free thinkers….exactly who we need in a class like that (cough, cough, cough…oh wait)

People seem to fail in noticing the good from the organization. (good cell phone signal and lower prices, High quality TV, High Quality Education) For one it causes people to need to work harder to get along with one another, efforts which promote emotional maturity.  (like getting along with aforementioned cookie cutter insistent people or those who don’t always appreciate my humor.)

It is my understanding that anyone who wants to find a church where they fit perfectly is looking for a cult or a church which is empty…. Humans have problems and the institutions they build likewise have problems.

Yet we shun “organized religion” while involving ourselves in everything else “organized”. (Big business and following laws and stuff….stuff…)

At the very least I am surprised so few don’t take time to goto a secular college to educate themselves about any given belief they may be investigating (or detest.)

Replies/Comment slamming only Verizon or Walmart or big biz will be deleted as off topic. I know Walmart et al, has quite a few flaws, none of which or that fact of which is not the point of the post, it’s only for illustration.

she just doesn't get it

She just doesn't get it

driving in the rain and the window fogs up and the defroster thing doesn't do the job all that well but its passable.... sortof....

and she insists on wiping the glass with a spare shirt I have in my car

and I say no no don't don't do it, there will be streaks that will annoy me for weeks!!

`oh that's what windex is for! And would you really want to risk an accident for a clean windshield??'

When's the last time you have seen me touch a cleaning product other than for my person!?!

'oh stop being silly' (wipes glass)

sigh....

she just doesn't get it.

The answer to her above question is yes for the following reasons:

1 we would managed to avoid an accident and the glass would be clean next day ooorrrrr

2 I would crash and die and again …. not have a dirty windshield the next day.... so see??

she just doesnt understand I tell you!

Her way is the only way I end up having to deal with annoying windshield streaks!!!

Sheesh!

she really needs to get her priorities straight!

If you are offended by this blog, go get drunk and then come back and reread. Yes she thinks its funny.

climate change is so 2005

We need to change!

We need to be more GREEN!!!

We need to make BIG changes to save the earth!!!

Alright.

I believe you.

However I continue to look for the "BIG" change I can make to make the big difference, and the fact that all I ever here

Is "WE NEED TO MAKE BIG CHANGES" usually accompanied by some stupid little tip like don't run the water while you brush your teeth... well maybe reaching over and turning off a faucet during teeth brushing is a big change for some but uh..

I’d wager not for most...

Let us examine the many suggestions in search of the "BIG" change.

Use paperless billing etc.

Check

Recycle stuff

Check

Drive an efficient car

Check, the most efficient I can afford and without a battery which generates huge amounts of pollutants during

Construction.

Again, Check

Change your light bulbs

Check

Car pool

Hmm yeah that’s one I should do more maybe, no check

In winter, save bath water until the heat from it is gone

Check, and its icky!

Lower the thermostat in winter and raise it in summer

Hell, I turned mine off entirely! Check

Buy local (less fuel was used to transport)

Uh... try to, but isn't that a mixed bag? What if farmer jim uses a tractor from 1953 that puts out more c02 per acre than

the guy in china does farming it and flying/trucking it here?

Check and not check...moving on.

Use less hair spray (CO2 emissions)

Check, I use none

Buy Electricity from company which uses a renewable source

Hmm, I should get on that.. No check (it costs 2-10times as much and me being bankrupt isn't good for the environment)

Speaking of no check, use online bill pay from the bank (slightly different from paperless)

Check

Roll/slide down windows before using AC.

Check, much to fiancée’s chagrin

Take shorter Showers and don’t run water while you brush teeth

Uh... yeah... check

Use reusable containers rather than disposable ones (this includes bags at the shopping center)

cheeeckkk...(or recycle plastic bags like I do)

Buy windows which are more efficient

Mucho dinero for minimal payback ($800 a window for an estimated 10 dollar a month reduction in heating bills…. I heat the house 3-4 months a year so 40 a year… oh ok in 20 years it will pay for itself… and they will all still be in pristine shape until long after that right? Yeah.ok.)  No check

and then.....?

ummk... aside from the car... I don't really see any BIG change.

And if you search for a carbon footprint calculator, I'm below the average American (like 50% below) but still like more than twice over what the new international goal is...

Soooo there must be a list of things I can do achieve the goal they set right?

The BIG change everyone talks about it on it...

.....Right....?

(cough)

c'mon.... there's a list right???

Ok

In case I'm being unclear, I'll spell out my point.

Environmentalists need to shut up-

Please--shut up with the "Make a change" bit

and somehow perceive: WE, THE MASSES, WANT TO CHANGE, BUT YOU AREN'T GIVING US ANY "BIG" SUGGESTIONS

OR DIRECTIONS     

ON HOW (TO CHANGE.)

HHHHOOOOOOOOWWWWW Can we change to save the polar bear ??

And start .... I dunno... doin something, figuring out some sort of plan, that the rest of us out here, who are ready and

Willing to make (more) changes may follow

Give us something to do to further this goal of "Big" Changes.

(Usually the reply I envision at this point is more hand waving, so I’ll illustrate below)

"CLIIIIMMMAAAATTTTEEE CHHHHHAAAAAANNNGGGGGEEEE"

(and my reply)

yeah yeah yeah yeah... we get it... we got it... we want to fix it....

Stop preaching the problem,

She's dead Jim, the horse is dead, and you're still beating it... and have been... for quite some time now

...stop...

And start devoting your energies to the more productive use of time that is:

   Tossing out innovative ideas and solutions and technology which we can start adopting.

Symbolic gestures that really do little or nothing to change the problem are nice but we need more than that! Much more!

Sidenote: Commercials which say “we don’t need to make big changes, just do this:…..” are put up by even bigger morons than the BIG CHANGE groups. At least the BIG groups have the terminology right… they just wrongly assume that not using plastic bags at the grocery store will save the planet.

BIG changes are what need to be made, even the most careful American (which is me of course) probably makes more c02 than the majority of the rest of the world. And there is no further BIG change he is aware of that he can make to fix it.

Still deluded by the “Use New lightbulbs” or “lower the thermostat!” Ads?

Austrailia made it illegal to have non-florescent lighting. Everyone must be switched over by 2010. That BIG CHANGE is estimated to have lowered world c02 emissions by 800,000 metric tons, or .003%. But it IS possible that by 2015 that BIG change will net a .011% drop in world c02 emissions (around 4 million tons removed). Meanwhile China’s auto industry produces new compact cars that put out more emissions than a ford expedition (the really BIG Suv which cut you off last night) But who-hawing at china is off topic..

Disclaimer:

Comments pointing out the minority who doesn't believe its happening and citing them as a need for continued idiotic commercials inflicted on the majority...will be sacked and deleted.

Comments requesting I provide direction will be made fun of as I am not the one with a million+ dollar budget putting on commercials to beat a dead horse and provide inane suggestions which make a difference but not a big enough one (and certainly not a BIG one) to push us back from the cliff we are approaching as a planet.

Comments containing good (even if small) suggestions *might* be added to the list if I get the notion to sign into myspace within the next month and/or if I bother to check the comments.

hey look, that new DTV changeover is finally here (again) try not to screw it up this time Barack.

Hmm... anyone noticed all I ever seem to blog about in comedy are stupid TV commercials?

Next Week, aamaco's check engine service !!

combo blog for 2009!!

ok... see I respect that some people have some emotion invested in certain topics but sometimes the things they say are just plain stupid..... "The 3 day is speaking out against breast cancer in the biggest and boldest possible way!" Yes. Because speaking out, not in a small way, but a big way, not in a timid way, but a BOLD way.... will solve it. Yep. Good thing its not speaking out in a small and timid way, cause if it was it would net about the same results as..... speaking out in .....any ...possible.... (cough)....way....... WAIT!!! UNLESS!!-- the "speaking out" is actually just talk which is between two researchers in which case it might net some result other than my simple annoyance. ... Unless... the talk is big and bold...cause that would likely lead one researcher to become annoyed with the other... which would be bad .... But anyway, just to be safe Lets try this out: I want to speak out in a big and bold way, neigh, IN THE BIGGEST AND BOLDEST POSSIBLE WAY!! YES!!! AGAINST RAIN!!! I HATE THE RAIN!!!!! JOIN ME IN SPEAKING OUT IN THE BIGGEST AND BOLDEST POSSIBLE WAY --- AGAINST RAINY DAYS!!! Bumper stickers are fun.... I saw one the other day: Autism Awareness. umm-k I am(and the majority of the rest of the population is) aware of autism.... what now...?? You have achieved the objective of awareness!!!! Congrats and good job!! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!! So now how about you upgrade to a "SOLVE Autism" sticker? Or better yet, actually give REGULARLY to funds which research in autism rather than just buying a sticker once or twice! ya know i saw this video on youtube that was a joke about a subscription service, every week they send you a new sticker, a yellow ribbon, a puzzel piece, one that says "support farting" (and believe me I DO!). it was pretty funny. Life continues to grind on... After pursuing my 2 years associates degree for the last 4 years (and I'm still only 3/4 done!!) it feels like it will never end. oh wait.. and then I get to go do 4 more years... I can't wait... But, despite that, things are looking up. I've made some life changes, I've made some choices which involved putting God back in the center and I've noticed right off the bat, I'm a happier person, my job this week has been markedly better... its really kinda scary... I mean I also know it sounds corny.. "I put God first and now I'm HAPPPYYYY!!!" ... sounds like someone I would quote and ridicule...but... its just... how it it is.... ummhh its scary, like i said, we've all seen how one bad choice makes such a negative impact... but few have seen or think about the times when a good choice also makes a huge impact.... perhaps our generation will change this. After all, we've been made aware of autism and have once monthly contraception, we're ready to take on the world!    Edit  Remove

February 24, 2009 - Tuesday   Title:   nuvaring, i need a car, update, and why I hate obama       Nuvaring the happy little commericals. until you can see how tedious it is having to take a pill every day, and then eventually just how put off the lady is at having to take a pill every day. monday ok, tuesday...ok wednessday hey wait .... and by sunday its just outright intolerable. Well. I can relate, I too have to take a pill every day to preserve the quality of my life. And yes, taking my vitemin pill every day does indeed annoy me just as much as those poor ladies on tv.   Taking a pill every day.... IT'S INTOLERABLE I TELL YOU!!! One-A-day???  You aweful aweful company!!! your product is terrible for making me take the inane (Yes that is a word) amount of time to insure my health and standard of living isn't interrupted!! NOT. WORTH. IT!.   Now! if only someone would make viteminRing which could be inserted into the Other end of my digestive tract every month OH HOW MUCH BETTER THAT WOULD BE!!!       (if you took that post seriously, go into the bathroom and use the hair dryer to thaw out your humor...appreciation.....thing....)   also on the list of things i;d call 'GENIUS' is this line from another drug commercial   "I knew arthritus hurt but I had now idea it was attacking my joints!" ok einstein... pain is usually an indication of damage... level of pain, level of damage.... its not hard. lets try a logical statement, if the pain seems to slowly increase what can be said of the joints where are experiencing it? A trout live in trees B that d*mn cat is about to eat my biscut again C I should have bought a mazda D perhaps my joints are deteriorating leading to increasing pain.   Naturally the answer is E, all of the above. well right now that I've got that junk out of the way I'll get back to the normal general update fashion. I continue to maintain my position at UPS, our building finished 5th for the year in the country. we are consistently carrying our district. (other sorts have low numbers but ours so high it carries them) I continue to try and improve my managment skills a little each day. at school science is a strong suit of mine, i scored a 98 on the first test. We did cask of amontillado in eng 102.  I brought up 45% of the irony in the class (that is for every example someone else raised I raised a different one too almost.) I even got one the teacher didn't notice but agreed was there. so why can't i think of what to write a short story essay on!?!? dang it! I do with the science teachers would network with the lab teacher though. I really would love to know if the comglomerate rock made of various sized sea creature shells glued together is pronounced co-keen-uh or co-queen-uh (spelled cocina) went to monster jam, it was pretty neat.... one of the guys who directed everything i swear was at least metrosexual Probably going to mort the house and put the money to bills and a newer car. after this one has.....i keep saying 250 but the title said 240 when i got it while odometer said 188... its now at 206 so...closer to  260K, i think I've earned a new one. anyone got a civic dx 5sp newer than 97 and under 100k miles for sale????   you guys should make a countdown till Al puts out his CD's you can set it at like 5 years and it might be about right. had a bunch of other crap to say but can't remember it.... oh well   oh yeah, Obama is now on my S list.   know why?   cause he moved the DTV transition back another 4 months so for (ANOTHER) four months we get to hear "goto dtv2009.gov to find out if you are ready for the digital switch!!" or fox, or any other stinking station which won't just let the idiots who haven't figured it out for themselves by now just turn on the tube in june and come out of the martian cave they must be living in to not know that at such and such a date, you need to have a new little box to make the tv work, or get verizon or comcast or satellite..... and learn the hard way (which at this point is probably they only way they ever will) I mean for the love of God, my late 80's grandparents even know they are ok because they got dish network. (and saying they aren't tech savvy is insulting to those who just aren't tech savvy, they don't do technology. PERIOD)Why these commercials are being broadcast in the DTV and comcast Tv streams is beyond me (yes, I've had a DTV box since october and they;ve been talking more about the switch to digital TV, ON THE DIGITAL SIGNAL!!, than on the analog stations which will no longer operate.) its worse than an ad for a movie or political canidate which/who they just promote and promote and promote to the point that even if you were interested in seeing it/voting for them you don't because you want to punish the company/person for annoying you with the same bleeping commercial so many bleeping times~!  And again, why are the commercials about the digital switch being transmitted over the digital signal?! its a waste of ad space which could be better filled by more entertaining commercials like hulu.com Seriously, "there won't be money for the 40 dollar coupons!" Really Barack? REALLY?? if you have someone out there (other than those on fixed incomes who like my grandparents have probably already figured it out) who actually NEEDS the 40 dollar coupon to purchase a 50 dollar device to keep the TV working.... uhm.. if you can't afford a 50 dollar box to keep the tv working me thinks you have slightly bigger issues that should be prioritized over watching TV! like going out and getting a job!! making 7.25 and hour taking home 6 an hour you will be able to purchase the mystic box with just over a days work in wages.  (if you go out and find isolated cases where my argument fails you have too much free time and also obviously don't need the coupon to purchase a dtv box either.... because if you read my blog .... clearly you've found something more wasteful of time than a TV every could be!) Did i mention I hate the dtv switch commercials?? So yeah, its not the pork, or the other things written in the "stimulus" package dubbed the Congressional Reform Action Project by Mike huckabee (or C.R.A.P. for short) no it;s Not how Obama campaigned for a bill which btw was written in a back room at night after hours and voted for the next day   Its, not that the solution to the housing problem-- legislation focused on stabalizing home values (and inherently the banking system too) getting voted down by the idiots in office along with the obamanite. nope. I don't like him cause he made me watch another 4 months of "Are you ready for the switch!?!" commercials.   that jerk!             If you don't find any of this even the least bit funny, obviously you aren't a simpsons or family guy fan either. click this if you didn't find this posting funny at all

p.s. is emily the only one who reads this xanga anymore?

Is it a Christian’s job to convert others to Christianity?

Someone asked me that question recently and as usual, I didn’t really have a well thought out reply, it isn’t something I’ve sat and studied and worked out in my own mind exactly what my position is. Maybe that’s a good thing in some cases, though its mostly due to my own laziness.

The answer I gave was that “My job is to give the best possible presentation. Because its possible all religions are false but impossible that they are all true.”

On the drive home I felt the need to reflect more deeply. Perhaps write a paragraph or two and give it back to the gentleman. So, here is that effort of reflecting more deeply and seeing where it leaves me:

A popular song from the austrailian “worship band” hillsong has the lyrics “All my life is meant for just one thing, and that’s to know you, Jesus, and to make you known.

While that is just a song I think there is a great deal of truth a biblical study behind it.

Is it my job…..

No. I believe that God gave free will to all. To convert a math problem to an answer requires work on my part I need to force something to happen. Thinking logically, God gave free choice because if we had no choice but to do right or choose Him where would the glory be? Why would God give someone free choice for me to take that away from someone (or them) and force something upon them (which usually makes anyone more apprehensive and resistant)

My job IS to live out my life serving God to the best of my ability which I fail at daily.

And present an image of someone trying to be Christ like to others and let them make that choice of their own volition. Perhaps the Holy Spirit will help the gears turn in their mind one way or another to facilitate understanding without forcing a choice but that is up to God, not me.

In closing, I am persuaded that active persuading is not my job, trying to convince people of some idea or ideology usually sours their opinion of it. I still haven’t met a child who went to catholic school that came out a more devoted catholic. I have however met many children forced to goto catholic school who now hate the whole idea of Christian beliefs more than most people.

Some other thoughts:

We will hit what we aim at. This gentleman aims to not be a bad person and has clearly spent much time evaluating the best way to achieve that. Most Americans aim to do good 60% of the time and only when it’s convenient. I aim to follow the teachings of Christ more than most but not nearly as much as I should… and I have hit my target bulls eye for some time now.

Anyways, I’d like some input. I intend to write something like a one page reply to give to this young man at my next class this Thursday.