Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode
lyrics here
Groups like these make me question the “love and acceptance” that claims to be within religion.
I think it’s absolutely wonderful that people have found something in which to believe, and that it is something that can bring souls together. And while I do not yet know what my exact denomination is, I know the importance of accepting other people’s differences and respecting their religious beliefs. This world, after all, was made to inspire variety. My biggest qualm with religion, however, is the way it has been used to abuse others. A particularly strong example is “God Hates Fags” (http://www.godhatesfags.com), an anti-homosexual website of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. These are the same people who decided to picket Heath Ledger and Bernie Mac’s funerals, because of the former’s role in Brokeback Mountain and the latter being African-American. Other obvious examples are the September 11th attacks, which were, once again, based on a twisted belief in a certain religion.
While I know that the majority of religious affiliations do not carry their beliefs to these extremes, such examples as the aforementioned seem contradictory to me in religion. I always thought of “God as a loving being” (Darwin 654), and seeing people use their religion as an excuse to hurt others is enough to make me shun faith entirely.
Not exactly the way in which I would have said it, but you get the point.
At this point, I don’t know if I believe in a god. The creative, spiritual side of me wants to believe in something bigger, for how could I not, when I see all of the beauty in the world? But then the rational, scientific part of me kicks in, reminding myself of the “attributes of woe” (Tennyson CXVIII) and “evil dreams” (Tennyson LV) that exist in the world, and especially all of the phenomenon that have already been explained by science. The thing is, I don’t quite like having my fate in the hands of someone else. I don’t like the idea of my future being decided by whether or not I make Someone pleased with my actions on Earth.
Forget Harvey Dent—I believe in Jenny Zhang.
To this day, I have come to only one solid belief that has not wavered, and that is a belief in myself, in people. I believe that all I have accomplished in my life is because of my actions and the actions of others, not because of some higher power. I see religion as a way for people to find hope and strength in what is, ultimately, their own selves. They are simply using religion, a “trust [in] the larger hope” (Tennyson LV) as a means to get to that point. For if you think about it, isn’t everyone’s definition of god different? I feel that many people mould the idea of what their god is like to satisfy their lifestyle and to best apply it to a situation. Stevenson states that, “if no god existed, nature was but a vast machine indifferent to the sufferings of living beings” (Darwin 654), but I disagree: the nonexistence of a god does not mean that compassion and love do not exist, just as the existence of a god does not mean that evil and hate do not exist.
At the same time, I believe that man has used God and the omnipotent as a way to blame and explain away the ills of the world. “He has invented supernatural forces, finding it easier to suffer when he can rail at God and Fate for his ills.” (Darwin 654). Again, in times like these, it seems to me that people are just shirking their responsibilities and using God as a scapegoat.
Not only does Zen Buddhism agree the most with what I believe, but it makes me feel closer to my relatives, despite the huge gap that exists between us.
I suppose my beliefs are most in line with Zen Buddhism, and that is what I have identified with most to this day. It is not so much of a religion as a philosophy, for its followers do not worship a god. Religion or no religion, what I believe is most important is acceptance and understanding of those who have different beliefs. This is why I recently picked up a copy of the Bible: I want to understand, and I do not wish to choose one specific thing without knowing what else is out there. Everyone wants to believe in something, be it a god, no god, or several gods.
lyrics here
Groups like these make me question the “love and acceptance” that claims to be within religion.I think it’s absolutely wonderful that people have found something in which to believe, and that it is something that can bring souls together. And while I do not yet know what my exact denomination is, I know the importance of accepting other people’s differences and respecting their religious beliefs. This world, after all, was made to inspire variety. My biggest qualm with religion, however, is the way it has been used to abuse others. A particularly strong example is “God Hates Fags” (http://www.godhatesfags.com), an anti-homosexual website of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. These are the same people who decided to picket Heath Ledger and Bernie Mac’s funerals, because of the former’s role in Brokeback Mountain and the latter being African-American. Other obvious examples are the September 11th attacks, which were, once again, based on a twisted belief in a certain religion.
While I know that the majority of religious affiliations do not carry their beliefs to these extremes, such examples as the aforementioned seem contradictory to me in religion. I always thought of “God as a loving being” (Darwin 654), and seeing people use their religion as an excuse to hurt others is enough to make me shun faith entirely.
Not exactly the way in which I would have said it, but you get the point.At this point, I don’t know if I believe in a god. The creative, spiritual side of me wants to believe in something bigger, for how could I not, when I see all of the beauty in the world? But then the rational, scientific part of me kicks in, reminding myself of the “attributes of woe” (Tennyson CXVIII) and “evil dreams” (Tennyson LV) that exist in the world, and especially all of the phenomenon that have already been explained by science. The thing is, I don’t quite like having my fate in the hands of someone else. I don’t like the idea of my future being decided by whether or not I make Someone pleased with my actions on Earth.
Forget Harvey Dent—I believe in Jenny Zhang.To this day, I have come to only one solid belief that has not wavered, and that is a belief in myself, in people. I believe that all I have accomplished in my life is because of my actions and the actions of others, not because of some higher power. I see religion as a way for people to find hope and strength in what is, ultimately, their own selves. They are simply using religion, a “trust [in] the larger hope” (Tennyson LV) as a means to get to that point. For if you think about it, isn’t everyone’s definition of god different? I feel that many people mould the idea of what their god is like to satisfy their lifestyle and to best apply it to a situation. Stevenson states that, “if no god existed, nature was but a vast machine indifferent to the sufferings of living beings” (Darwin 654), but I disagree: the nonexistence of a god does not mean that compassion and love do not exist, just as the existence of a god does not mean that evil and hate do not exist.
At the same time, I believe that man has used God and the omnipotent as a way to blame and explain away the ills of the world. “He has invented supernatural forces, finding it easier to suffer when he can rail at God and Fate for his ills.” (Darwin 654). Again, in times like these, it seems to me that people are just shirking their responsibilities and using God as a scapegoat.
Not only does Zen Buddhism agree the most with what I believe, but it makes me feel closer to my relatives, despite the huge gap that exists between us.I suppose my beliefs are most in line with Zen Buddhism, and that is what I have identified with most to this day. It is not so much of a religion as a philosophy, for its followers do not worship a god. Religion or no religion, what I believe is most important is acceptance and understanding of those who have different beliefs. This is why I recently picked up a copy of the Bible: I want to understand, and I do not wish to choose one specific thing without knowing what else is out there. Everyone wants to believe in something, be it a god, no god, or several gods.
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