I hate poverty. I was impoverished as a child. It sucked. It sucks for those in it now.

Problem: Housing market goes up (making rents unaffordable)

Solution: More affordable housing

Solutioner: Shouldn’t religion step in and help to fill voids like this as non-profit org’s? Would be nice.

Think about it. Churches get money to keep their churches a running – via tithes and offerings – basically money that is not essentially ear-marked for anything. Wouldn’t a good ministry opportunity be meeting affordable housing for those that do not have it.

Or are we gonna take these scrips literally as well:

Mark 14:7a “For you always have the poor with you…” (I have heard this interpreted as a prophecy – disgusting)

Matt 8:20 “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head“

Jesus had no ‘home’ per se and the poor have always existed…but let’s do something as people of faith to kill poverty!!!

I think as adults we could use a refresher in ‘how to treat others in a responsible way’.

Divorce – and all that comes along with that. Was an amicable decision.

New relationship, quite consuming.

Band and now another class for school.

I know I know, ‘God hates divorce’…hey, so do I but them’s the breaks.

I have been learning a bit these days about the idea of ‘belief’. I always seem to come back to the metaphor about ‘moving the mountain’. Which to me is the idea about believing in your abilities to do something, and I mean really believing in your abilities to accomplish something.

Not sure why the idea of belief is something I am wrapping my head around all the time, maybe because many people cannot believe in their abilties to do that which they set their mind towards. Everything always starts with an ‘idea’ when you boil it all down…just a simple thought in your head (usually with no real substance attached to it). Yet your ability to think something is exactly the key to making it possible.

Just reminding myself why I use a term like ‘belief’ or ‘faith’.

This theme appears a lot in modern music, Morrison from the Doors probably captured it most famously with ‘no one gets out of here alive‘. The idea is about being born into this world, into ‘life’ – and the daily living of it.

It always intrigues me – the idea ‘there is no way out of here‘. It’s almost like a challenge spurring the listener (or reader) to use what they have while they have it. You really only get one kick at the can and to waste it by not doing what you love to do and want to become seems…like life is partially wasted/unused.

I been feeling this way lately. What will the evaluation of one’s life produce when it is all said and done? Did you really get to enjoy the life you were given? If not, what stopped you? You know, the deep philosophical questions that spur us onto greatness.

Now I am guilty of ‘assuming’ as well, but I full well realize someone that says they are ‘atheist’ or ‘construction worker’ is not going to mean they all have the same traits, beliefs, or even ideas. However, this does happen a lot when I meet some new atheist who has thoughts about what I am and what I should believe based on their own ‘notions’ of what a Christian is.

For example, I don’t think the bible teaches against the rights of gay people. I just cannot find where that idea over-rides the idea to ‘treat others how you want to be treated‘…sorry – in the level of importance – that idea does not even really weigh in on the way I treat the people around me. Thus, when I say the bible contains some of that teaching against homosexuality – it seems to do that – however it does not mean I adhere to that. Call it picking and choosing, whatever, last time I checked the bible pretty much starts with Adam having that right (ie: choice/decision).

‘Oh my gawd, he’s so unbiblical’, they bemoan concerning my literalism of the texts. I say ‘so what’? I wasn’t even born a literalist concerning life and interpreting it so why start doing that with scripture exactly? I don’t know what people think, but I can guess by the look on their face and the mood they portray…but that ain’t literalism either – that’s assumptive in nature. Unless they actually ‘tell me’ the way they feel then I am kind of stuck. I see the texts that way as well. They aren’t just literal, they aren’t telling you something directly…some of it is parable, some of it colored in narrative, and some of it meant to be interpreted and re-interpreted.

The audacity of someone to think I need to believe this or that to be considered a Christian…the joke is on you really…I assumed you knew me.

I appreciate the info Ahmed, I like the term being explained by an adherent to Islam as opposed to some other faith – where they might get the terminilogy all wrong.

Bigger question, why is the Islamic stance on violence allowed? Why isn’t the standard ‘non-violence’?

Reason I ask is because having a stance that allows ‘some’ violence will actually open the door to much ‘more’ violence. Its the old adage if you leave the door open a crack, it’s still considered ‘open’ – whether open a crack or all the way. Misinterpretation of the standard of violence is common when a faith allows a ‘crack’ of it.

(Comment taken from my post on ‘suicide attacks on Islam finally blasted’)

Thoughts?

• I have failed in many ways concerning my life
• I don’t like myself & the way I act
• I have been lying to myself for many years
• I hid my emotions away so as to not to be that ‘open’ to the world

In essence, I realized a lot of things about me I didn’t think we’re ‘really me’. I got good at hiding.

About 4 days back I reached a breaking point, I broke down…mentally, physically, and emotionally. I could not continue to live the way I was – I was becoming unhappy and miserable. I wasn’t being realistic or honest anymore.

Then I realized it has to do with a few simple things:

• My fears drove me – my desires did not
• You can’t love someone unless you can love yourself
• I was not allowing myself the right to the happiest parts of my life (ie: I was undeserving of things)
• I doubted my own abilities to the point of self-destruction
• I was emotionally shut-down; built walls to stop people from entering

At a recent seminar someone laid out something so simple it made sense for ‘change’…I will share the basics.

The brain is 70% of the time negative. This means that whatever you think about, including your own image, will be something filled with doubts (ie: self esteem issues). However, you have  sub-conscious that does not think about negative or positive – it is not swayed by those things. In order to change, your thoughts have to permeate your sub-conscious in a very concrete and envisioned way (ie: has to be something you can see or imagine).

Change starts because you feed your sub-conscious concrete ideas that can be envisioned – and that part of the brain does not doubt the possibility. So if you set a goal for something you want, make that goal something you can actually envision doing or something that is numeric. Your brain will still doubt your abilities, however your subconscious will remind you it is possible and not let you off the hook.

Once the goal is set, then you need to tackle your fears and take them on. What is stopping you from reaching your goal? Do your fears outweigh your desire? You need to allow yourself to be who you are, the right to be those things you wish and dream about.

Soon, all of you is in sync and moving towards your goal. I would simply say ‘can you think like a child?’

Church is static, unmoving, and they act like this is doing you a favor. It’s not. Leadership is also not very accountable, it calling all the shots and leaves many within the congregation powerless; they are servants to it. The teachings can only go so far, eventually the church starts into ‘repetition’ thus disengaging growth.

For me, most of that is a waste of time – as an adult. I guess if the church were community minded and really adding a lot to the society around it I might re-consider, however, even then I don’t want to be under the leadership of whichever group of people trying to determine my best interests. I have found that doesn’t work very well when others try to determine your life decisions for you.It has a cultish feel at times as well – everyone seems like ‘yes’ men to me.

Church isn’t really there to challenge you (after a while I mean). At some point it will be outgrown because the church does not change, but you do.

Just finished reading some Arnold Eisen wrote about Heschel, a hero of his no doubt. it got me thinking as well, thinking about becoming an adult, becoming responsible, becoming a ‘grown up’.

Truth is, if you ever want to get the best out of yourself then even the thing you love must also be challenged. You cannot be happy with song you just wrote, the story you just made, or your latest poem. Those were good, but if you think it’s the best you can do then your in the wrong field of art.

Mentors are made to be outgrown. The same can be said of parents. Those things you will always love and cherish are the same things at some point you need to challenge to become like them or better.

So when you see the Buddha, don’t kill him, just know that his aim was like yours.