Bird droppings

Ouch. That subject is going to earn me some negative attention.

And for that, I'm sorry.

Wow, let me do my best to do damage control on that before I even launch into my essay.

I respect everyone's choices to believe what they want to believe. And I also will not get on anyone's case about what they believe. I also acknowledge that I don't know everything, and there are things I might not know or understand. I also think there's a lot of value in many religious activities, behaviors, social steps, and I don't oppose all aspects of religion.

*breathes* Okay. Let's try to dig into this.

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Most people divide religious beliefs into two discrete categories: One set of religions is GOOD and TRUE, and the other set is BAD and FALSE. Whatever gods, ritual, or what-have-you that the GOOD religions have are the REAL gods, rituals, or what-have-you, and whatever is in the BAD religions is false. There are actually many ways that people execute this division.

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Happy Solstice everyone!

It's the darkest night of the year for those of us in the northern hemisphere. For many people, this is a time to reflect on the darkness in your life. In this time, we focus on the coming light, celebrating the return of the sun tomorrow morning. Within our lives, we think about the future and the hope of things to come.

I think this is an awesome thing to think about in this time. There's all this crap and shit in our lives, and we sometimes lose sight of the fact that these things are only temporary. If you think about it, whenever you're depressed or upset, you feel as though you've always been like that. By thinking about the message of Yule, we might remember that we're just in a dark place for now, but in time, the wheel of fate will turn and we will once again reside in the light. In this time we shout against the darkness and defy it, saying boldly that we shall not be consumed by this long night, and in the morning, we shall be reborn in light.

There is something that's been going through my mind a lot lately, though. The focus of Yuletide is very much on the coming light. It's on the bright, shiny, and happy things that are coming. It's focused on our shout against darkness. But I have a great deal of respect for the darkness. On some level, I don't want to forget to honor that darkness for itself.

I have lived most of my life within darkness. I've been sick and detached from my own heart, and struggling to find my life amidst shadows of dreams of what I want to be. But throughout that entire time, I've always focused on the coming light. I've always dreamt of the bright futures that I was sure were just around the corner.

It made me ill. Something was wrong about it. Because... I only ever really began to overcome my darkness and depression when I accepted the darkness for what it was. When I embraced it and let it be, instead of trying to focus on changing it into light. I became a fan of the darkness and celebrated it, and in so doing, I overcame it.

Huh... I wonder if this is something akin to what Lao Tzu describes as "wu wei," "doing without doing." Only by embracing the true darkness of what I am can I move closer to the light?

Note, this entry was originally published on my old blog back in 2004. I have ported it here for completion.

And didn't Jesus kick some major ass for this?

Note, this entry was originally published on my old blog back in 2004. I have ported it here for completion.

As usual, I am stunned and amazed by some people ignorance. If we ever let the boundary between church and state fall, allowing christianity to be be the religion of the land, we really would be a christian version of Iran. Check out this site for some specific examples of the murder, rape, genocide, etc. that the fundamentalist Christians would make biblically enforced law should they get absolute power over our government. If you want more help imagining what it might be like, read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

I am all for most mainstream Christian ideals being used as a guide for governmental action. I'm talking about ideas espoused by Jesus as found in the beatitudes, or in his myriad parables. Ideas such as forgiveness, turning the other cheek, loving your enemy, loving your neighbor, etc. These are good values that most of the great religions have held throughout history. Although Christianity seems unique in its emphasis on humility. What I have a problem with is the form of christianity being put forth by the so-called "Christian Right," or the "Fundamentalist Christians." This article should give you a good idea of what I'm talking about with regards to this. Unfortunately, this sect of christianity seems more interested in judging their neighbors than loving them. I am completely and utterly convinced that Jesus would have been very upset that his name was being used to stop things like same-sex marriage. He probably would have done another smack-down session on those people trying to merge church and state ("Give unto Ceaser what is Ceaser's.") And I have absolutely no doubt that he would have been very disappointed about the wars carried out in his name, such as the Crusades and the war in Iraq.

And to all those that read this, keep my father in law in your thoughts/prayers/meditations today. He's in for surgery. :(

Despite all of this, I'm very happy! Only 1 month till we move into our new house!!!! Yay!