Some things to think about
So, some things to remember: nothing in life is set in stone.
If you do believe in God, a god, or whatever - you have to remember that you have free will and you can do whatever you want. The Bible isn’t a history book, you can’t prove or disprove anything in it. A critical thinker would not take it literally but instead a book that conveys ‘good messages’ and morals. Just remember that God didn’t actually write it himself and that the stories within it likely changed as they were passed down generations. It could very well be like the telephone game. Don’t take offense, it could very well be all true for I know but nobody can prove it. It’s more a matter of faith, but with faith comes blind faith.
Everything the bible or the church says doesn’t have to be right. Remember, a person said that the church was infalliable - but who’s to say that they really are? One of the popes probably said that as well. The church also recently admitted that Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute but an infalliable pope said that she was. Take note that the Bible also never said that she was a prostitute either, there was a passage in another story about a prostitute and the next story spoke of Mary Magdalene - that was the sole reason that she was imbued with the title. The church also ostracized Galileo and Coppernicus for their beliefs… which were also later proved to be right as well. If you think about that, this means that the church and the bible aren’t always right - they’re just trying their best to maintain a message. That message is, I think, to love one another and to forgive. Now look at the things the church condemns: abortion, same sex marriage, women priests. These were decreed by popes, not by God.
You can’t really tell if a God told us to do anything, free will right? Exactly. Just remember that nothing is set in stone and that if you believe in God, he gave you free will because he wanted you to use it. Don’t be a blind follower, think about things once and awhile eh? As for politics, just because you support a political party doesn’t mean everything they do is right nor does it mean that you have to back everything they do or decide. Think for yourself and think about who will be affected. All organized religion and politics has really brought us is death and hate. Sure there’s some good from both of them but they shouldn’t be tied together. Just because you believe in one thing based on your religious beliefs doesn’t mean that the rest of the people have to abide by the same belief. But that goes both ways, the thing you have to think about is that you don’t have to believe in it or do it. Abortion for example is frowned upon by some religious groups. Women also don’t have rights in some middle eastern countries. It may seem right to you but isn’t necessarily for everyone else. Lowering the flag to half-mast for fallen soldiers may seem like a good idea but others may not believe in it. With religion and politics also comes the creation of the idea of war. Do animals have wars? It doesn’t seem like they do.
Being a Catholic myself, I know that in the past the popes have declared war on others for not believing in what they believe, Holy Crusades. Jihads are just like this, people kill blindly for what they are told to believe and they do so because that is what they believe to be right. Is it right though? Why can’t women be priests in the Catholic faith? Why shouldn’t gays be allowed to marry outside of the church, what right does the church have to keep them from marrying in City Hall? Why can’t a woman choose to have an abortion when God gave her free will? There’s a lot of things to think about right there. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have faith or that you should, I’m not saying that you’re wrong or right either.
I’m just saying that people should think about things for themselves as well. Don’t just blindly follow what others have told you, make your own opinions. There’s nothing to stop you from asking questions. I’m also not saying that the Bible is a work of fiction, I’m betting a lot of it was based on fact or I could be wrong and it could be completely true. I don’t care whether or not it’s true, you believe what you want to believe. It’s about the message. Politics is pointless, not everyone is going to believe what you believe. Just try to remember that politics exists in order to benefit everyone not just a specific group of people. People have to compromise no matter what their beliefs are to hopefully benefit everyone. It’s not a matter of who’s right or wrong, it’s a matter of opinion.
I’ve forgotten what I was going to say. Heh.
