Blurred Lines

Where am I right now? Today is one of those days that I just don’t feel 100%… I must say that I haven’t all weekend. The this that has been on my mind the most is that sometimes I often sabatoge myself when out. Many friends think I am all girly all the time but I am not. Iin every day life I just try and not stand out too much (the lemon yellow shoes are besides the point).

I think that the reason that I don’t act feminie all the time is that I am affraid that in an attempt to portray myself in a feminine way I will come off as a gay male. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it is not what I am going for here. It is kinda a catch 22 if you ask me because I don’t want to out myself either but i do just that.

Time to suck it up and try a bit harder. That is my motto: When life throws you lemons, smack the f*** out of it.

Hot Stuff

Yesterday was kinda fun. We went to the home and garden show and saw a bunch of neat stuff… And some gorgous landscaping ideas that made me dream of having my own place in the woods someday. Then I can back to reality and remembered that in spite of my current location, I like civilization. Not ready to give that up yet.

It was also another day of firsts… I tried habernro spiced dip! Anyone who knows me knows this is a pretty big deal. It was hot and brought tears to my eyes but I did it! I am so proud of myself!

I also ordered something at a restaurant that I never had before. I’ve been making apoint of doing this lately and have to say I have yet to be disappointed.

On another note…

Go Saints!

First Time in a While

I got a hair cut today for the first time in I don’t know how long. It is short, a pixie cut, but hey it is a step in the right direction. Also I have been going out as of late without my wig. I have a really cute hat… Actually it is my wife’s but who keeps track of those details right.

Other then this I have had a pretty decent stretch of days. Not to much to complain about, not to much going on really.

More soon, til then Take care.

Religion: The Good, The Bad, and The Dangerous

Religion is one of those topics you aren’t supposed to talk about. They say that you never really know who you’ll offend. Well, here it goes, I am going to write a post outlining my views on religion. One thing I will not do is attack, defend, or single out one group of people, not religious groups, atheists, or otherwise, I just want to explain my view.

First, I think it is important to understand what religion is. If you look at all the major theologies, the one thing that is basically universal is the belief that there are certain moral values, rules, and consequences that are not open for debate among man. How these are laid out and what they are are unimportant. Like I said, if you look without prejudice,  this rule applies to all.

The Good

It would be impossible to explain religion without talking about the parts that make it good. I believe all of the major religions have goodness in them. Most believers are decent people with no outward hostility towards others. With this comes a defined moral code that the followers believe is right. This all serves to give people, and more importantly life, meaning. It also offers some hope for the future and a sense of community. These things are definitely positive, I don’t think too many people could argue otherwise; however, dig a little deeper and things begin to unravel a bit.

The Bad

As I said, on the surface religion can be benign. I believe in the real world however, this is not always the case. In the easiest example, with the slightest motivation, ask yourself how quickly this lack of outward hostility can evaporate.

I believe that despite all the good, the belief in a religion gives people a reason to hate, persecute, and marginalize. It is easy to justify these feelings because the guilt can be deflected from oneself and attribute it towards ones religious beliefs. More dangerous is the justification of violence, but that is to be discussed later.

Even if the believer rejects all of this logic, it can still be very difficult, if not impossible, for the believer to rectify these feelings with their desire to stay accepted within their religious community. They can easily rationalize that things are not for man to judge. Even if things seem wrong, hurtful, or judgmental, the rationalization that things are simply the way they are meant to be is fairly simple.

Furthermore, strict religious beliefs and teachings can hinder advances in science, medicine, and cultural experiences. This has been the case throughout history and continues today in a number of areas.

The Dangerous

All of this can become very dangerous when the belief in ones religion turns the faithful towards intolerance. Yes, there is a big difference between disapproval and intolerance. Intolerance can be the justification for war, violence, and worse. History is full of examples of this fact. This intolerance of other beliefs is the root cause of some of the worst atrocities in mankind’s history and I fear it may be the cause of more to come.

On the surface, most religions teach the values of love, kindness, and forgiveness; however, dig deeper and you will without a doubt find the seeds of intolerance. The simple fact that this love, kindness, and forgiveness is often times reserved for only others of the same faith shows inherit bias.  Often religious doctrine even lays out bias or even punishments for non-believers. These are not merely warped interpretation as some people would have others believe. All religions involve some form of discrimination, hostility, or at the very least judgmental beliefs in their teachings. The idea of religion requires it. You either believe x,y, and z or you don’t… What happens if you don’t. Worse yet, if you do believe and your neighbor does not… You get the picture.

Conclusion

Religion worries me. It doesn’t matter what I do or do not believe, I hope after reading this you see that. While I think it can be good and for some, a necessity for living a meaningful life; It is my opinion that if there is one thing that can destroy everything and all of us, it is religion.