| christianity and why i'm not a part |
[Feb. 7th, 2005|08:34 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | firesign theatre | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | the lonesome american choo-choo don' wan' stop here any mo' | ] |
recently one of my very good friends has gotten into christianity. rather than argue with that person i will just post my beliefs on the subject here.
the problems with christian beliefs starts at its core, the bible. this document has a lot of problems, ranging from small inconsistencies to direct contradictions. there are lists of them on the internet. some of its content could be easily classified as mythology and fantasy. it is not a correct book - just a fun book to read.
some of the biggest problems of the bible come with what's in it - such as the idea that it (itself) is absolutely, perfectly correct. thus the bible can be used to "prove" just about anything - as long as it says so in the bible. you can "prove" that gays should be killed, and that blacks should be slaves, and that women aren't as good as men. the bible contains some serious moral contradictions - a moderately sensible person can see these things are unacceptable. consider this argument:
gays should be killed.
why?
because it says so in the bible.
but how do you know the bible's right?
because in the bible, it says that it is right.
well i question the voracity of the bible.
it says not to do that in the bible. it says if you do that, you will go to hell.
i don't want to go to hell!
well then you must believe what it says in the bible.
why?
because it says so in the bible.
...
some might say, the bible is not to be taken completely seriously. one should pick the good parts out, and believe those. that jesus guy, he said a lot of good things. well, the bible defines a christian as a person who believes all of what it says. so, if you only believe some of what it says, you're no longer a true christian are you? you merely have similar beliefs to a christian.
still others say, well i believe everything in the bible, but i have my own interpretation of it. well, everyone has their own interpretation of it, and everyone's interpretation is different. did the original authors of the bible (presumably god) intend to leave it open for anyone's interpretation? if so, and the bible says that it is a perfectly true document, but anyone can interpret it to mean whatever they want, then the bible can be used to prove anything, including those things that aren't in the bible!
thus the bible can not be trusted to prove anything true. sure, it may be a good read (if that is your opinion), and there may be some good things in it. however, if you believe that you are a christian, then you believe that everything in the bible is true. if you also believe that "all people are equal", then you do not truly believe everything in the bible, and thus you are not a christian either.
unfortunately, the bible tells christians that non-christians are in grave danger and need to be saved. christians thus are constantly trying to convince their non-christian relatives or friends that they need to be saved and should believe the things in the bible. this is a big problem for non-christians because they have such strong moral convictions, including things like "all people are equal".
for this reason, non-christians don't often feel the need to convince their christian friends that they are wrong, as christians do. they do not wish to try to convert others to their ways, they simply wish to be allowed to have their own beliefs. they don't wish to drive away their family and friends who believe differently from them. they don't wish to try to take on the rest of humanity and tell them all what to believe.
i don't consider myself a christian. this doesn't mean i don't have morals. i simply don't have a religion. there is an interesting movement on the internet someone introduced me to called the brights, whose purpose is to serve as an umbrella for people who hold a naturalistic (non-supernatural) worldview. this is not however, my religion, i only agree with the things they say.
that's what i believe, take it or leave it. i respect everyone else's right to believe what they want. all i expect in return is for everyone to respect my right to do the same. can't we all just get along, regardless of what we believe? |
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| clemson linux installfest |
[Aug. 21st, 2004|12:30 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | technological | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | silence | ] |
All are invited to this fall's first Installfest. The Clemson Linux User Group (CLUG) and Clemson Linux Initiative (CLI) are co-sponsoring this event to promote the use of Free software at Clemson.
The event will start at noon and last five hours on Saturday, August 28, 2004. We will be in the first floor of the M wing of Martin hall, above the computer lab. There will be a short presentation on installing Linux and using your computer with Linux.
Not only will we be installing Linux, we will also help you set up any special hardware your computer has, such as wireless cards, printers, cameras, etc., to work in your computer. There are also certain software titles you can get for Linux through Clemson licensing.
Apple users that attend can get help setting up wireless, and installing Clemson-licensed software on their Mac OS X computers. We can set your computer up to run Linux or to dual-boot Linux and another operating system.
Check out the Installfest page on the CLUG web site for more information.
The details, again:
Clemson Linux Installfest
Date: Saturday Aug 28, 2004
Location: Martin Hall M101-M105, 12:00 pm
Price: Free
CLUG Web site: http://clug.parl.clemson.edu/
CLI Web site: http://www.ces.clemson.edu/linux/
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| what are grunties? |
[Jul. 19th, 2004|12:59 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | grunty | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | eric the half-bee | ] |
i have wondered what grunties are since i heard the monty python sketch are you embarrassed easily? from monty python's previous record (1972). i have finally found that grunties are a british euphemism for testicles. isn't that lovely? now i will try to use it in a few sentences.
he had trouble hurdling over the electric fence because one of his grunties was caught on the barbed wire.
today i took my dog to the vet, so they could remove his grunties.
i once met a man who was a hermaphrodite. he had a cooter under his grunties! |
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| eureka! |
[Jul. 18th, 2004|11:52 pm] |
finally, i have proved it. using two ridiculous american myths, i have proved that God is a fag! yes, that's right. since rainbows are for homosexuals and God lives in the sky, God therefore must be a homosexual. this photograph i took provides irrefutable proof.
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| lovely aromas |
[Jul. 15th, 2004|11:41 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | disgusted | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | primus - my name is mud | ] |
i woke up early this morning (early as in 9:15). i took a shower and started doing some chores around the house. noticing that several of the trash cans were full, i gathered up the bags and took them outside. i opened the trash bin and was greeted with the usual trash bin kind of smells. blech. i deposited my bags of refuse in the bin and then started to wheel it to the dumpster. i was arrested not two steps away by the acrid stench of death. i looked down to my feet and there were lots of flies...but i couldn't make out what they were on. then i remembered the sound of the lawn mower from earlier this morning, and the dead bird that hit the neighbor's window about a week ago...and i guessed that the smell i had just encounteed was that of a week old dead bird, puréed by the minimum wage mower man on his industrial strength ride-on lawnmower. that guy makes some sort of mess for me to clean up in the yard every week, i swear.
the bird, last week, directly after death
so i scooped up the remains of the bird with a shovel. the dismembered chunks of meat had attracted a lot of flies - the nasty looking kind with the shiny purple backs that only seem attracted to the really stinky shit - they must have accumulated as the rotting flesh baked in the hot morning sun. after gathering most of the bird's remains along with some dirt and grass for good measure, and dumping it into my trash bin, i proceeded to the dumpster.
when i got to the dumpster i encountered yet another noxious fume. this time, however, it was one i immediately recognized - poo. not your average-grade standard poo, no, this was something stronger, like...dog poo or horse poo. i stopped dead in my tracks, eyeing the scene carefully, not wanting to plant my foot into some canine's well-marked territory. not seeing anything in the grass, i proceeded to the dumpster door but was met by an unnavigable mess of flies. they must have smelled it too, big horse flies buzzing like hell. i went around to the other side of the dumpster and, holding my nose, opened it and my trash bin. i quickly deposited the contents of my bin into the dumpster, shut the door, picked up my lid and left without looking back. the flies could keep the smell, whatever it was.
so that's what i get for getting up early and taking a shower. from now on i'm going back to waking up at 11:15. |
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| new livejournal |
[Jul. 9th, 2004|11:34 am] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | silence. | ] |
i swore i wouldn't get a livejournal but now they're free, so whatever. i don't really want to get involved in any of the bullshit drama that goes on here. if i insult you, just grin and bear it, because i won't be responding to your replies. |
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