Call me uncouth, but…

June 5th, 2008 · No Comments · spirit

I have opinions.

Do humans carry souls?
You can’t ‘carry’ a soul, but yes, I know humans do.

What about animals?
I wouldn’t be one to speak on that matter, but I believe every being on this earth is connected–we’re all made from the same stuff. That same matter, that cosmic stardust.

Was September 11th a government conspiracy?
Duh. That’s so four years ago.

Do you believe a plane actually hit the pentagon?
Um, if you’re stupid enough to believe that airplane wings can disintegrate and vaporize and that a hole shaped like a missile is from an airplane.

Really, our government is so patronizing in regard to the people’s common sense. Too bad most of the country is retarded!

Are the methods the U. S. is using to handle illegal immigration satisfactory?
I pretty much don’t agree with any methods the U.S. uses to handle anything. Besides, if you’re not Native American, you’re an immigrant anyway. I call it selective amnesia. Crazy Euro settlers.

Do you believe in ghosts?
I believe in spirits..
and aliens.
And Doppelgangers.

Can subjection to violence in media lead to violence in the real world?
Of course it can, but it shouldn’t be solely to blame. Be a responsible parent, damn it.

Do you believe going to war in Iraq was the right thing to do?
Anyone who truly believes so at this point is so sadly ignorant and probably lives in the Midwest or Texas. Go Amrrca!

Can we as people ever co-exist with eachother peacefully?
As a whole, no, because it’s not in human nature. Individuals can try to, but as a collective planet, hell no. People love power and money too much.

Do you believe the course of our lives are pre-determined by unseen/unknown forces?
Fate, destiny and pre-determination are tricky issues. I don’t believe people are predestined to be fucked or saved, but I believe that people make choices and have free will.

Has democracy made the world a better place?
I’m not even going to dignify that question with an answer. Other than this sentence. And that one and this one.

Was the governments reaction to Hurricane Katrina acceptable?
Of course not! The whites were looking for food; the blacks were looting. “Go shoot the niggers in the streets, boys. It’s cool, you got our go-ahead.” Seriously?!?

“George Bush doesn’t care about black people!” -Kanye West

Are celebrities punished justly for crimes they commit?
Obviously not. Fuck celebrities. Even though I am one.

Can we ever win the war on terror?
You can’t win a war on anything. People should focus on peace and positive things, not fighting and negative shit. What you resist, persists. Besides, this “war on terror” is just a bigoted, prejudiced catalyst for exploiting others and fucking people over.

Are professional athletes over-compensated for their abilities?
Well, I believe Ben Gordon definitely was. Slow-ass.

Did the fabled people of Atlantis ever exist?
Yes. And Oceana. And Narnia.

Are there other intelligent beings in the universe?
It would be incredibly foolish and selfish to SRSLY think that we humans on this tiny planet earth are the only ones. Get over yourself, goodbye!

Should the 1st Amendment protect all forms of expression, including those that may be offensive or harmful to others?
Well, yes, but there are stipulations for everything. I took all those damn media law and ethics classes in journalism school.

In the case of homosexuality, do you believe it’s sin?
No.
Fuck it. Leave people alone!
I think the entire concept of sin is fucked up. I don’t believe that swearing or sex before marriage or smoking weed = sin. I think sin is going against your own being; not following your purpose and calling nor being in tune with life.

And the Bible doesn’t speak directly about homosexuality; the true meanings of the texts we use today have been lost in translation. More on that later.

Can the human race ever help the planet Earth to recover from the ecological damage it has suffered?
Recover? Of course not. We’re too selfish as a whole…but individuals can do their part and at least make a difference, which is how anything in life should be approached. Compartmentalization.

Will race/ethnicity always be an issue amongst differing peoples?
Absolutely. Not among all people, but again, there are those bad apples. People’s divisiveness and holier-than-thou attitudes are astounding.

Are you for or against abortion?
I am pro choice.

Are you for or against capital punishment (i.e. the death penalty)?
I am against it. Maybe because I haven’t had anyone close to me killed, but nah. Karma’s a bitch, and people don’t need to take revenge into their own hands.

FINAL QUESTION (3 part question)

part 1- Do you practice any form of religion? Why?

Weell. I call myself a Christian, but because I believe in the teachings of CHRIST and not because I go to a building once a week and take at face value the wagging tongue of some old priest who touches boys. I do attend church sometimes, and I LOVE it, but that act in itself does not “make me” anything or “save me” from “eternal damnation.” I prefer to read and incorporate what Christ taught about life and love and your spirit, without all the frivilous doctrine and bullshit distorting the message.

Besides, Father Michael Pfleger is A BAD ASS. And YES, he said the word damn at the pulpit and it was hilarious. Yes, Hillary Clinton sucks and he said it. And if you would go to St. Sabina on any given Sunday, you would understand the context. That man is wild and I respect him so much. He gets me fired up. Plus, he worked with Dr. Martin Luther King and is friends with Cornell West and Barack Obama. Holla!

part 2- Do you believe that the writings in the Bible can still apply to today’s world?

They can still apply, but should be taken in context, in my humble opinion. Jesus used parables and stories and analogies and metaphors. I personally don’t believe the world was created in literally seven 24-hour days. I don’t believe snakes can talk nor that a woman was responsible for the downfall of the entire planet because she ate a piece of fruit and convinced her dumb husband to do the same (who later blamed it on her–pussy!).

Science has dated the earth and universe back millions and billions of years, and we know that serpents aren’t literally conniving, and that women are blameless and shouldn’t be submissive to men. The Bible doesn’t need to be taken literally. Spirituality and science don’t have to be opposite ends of the spectrum. Creation and evolution don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

You have to think about several things: 1, the context in which the books of the Bible was written, and 2, who was writing said books, and 3, who DECIDED which books would make the canonical 66-book Bible we use as standard today.

There are hundreds of ancient texts that were written in the same time period as the books of the Bible. What about the Gospel of Mary? The Gospel of Thomas? Who is to say that such texts weren’t good enough for the Bible?

I’m guessing that the voice of God didn’t literally boom down and tell the founders of the church which books to use. I’m pretty sure that the men of the conservative Jewish culture wrote the texts and letters that would later become to Bible to fit into their worldview. That worldview being that women were inferior and that the Christian God is the right and only way to salvation.

So of course the standard Christian image of God is visualized as an all-powerful, white man…because that’s what Americans see as being the ultimate symbol of power and status. No way could *gasp* a WOMAN’S voice reflect the will of God! No way can something that teaches gnosticism and talks about spirituality and God being a part of yourself be the Absolute Truth!

So, who sat down in a giant library 2000 years ago, sorting through scrolls and parchment, and decided that Genesis through Revelation were IT? People did. If God had this ultimate text that the entire world was to follow, I believe She or He would have manifested it Herself or Himself. And this isn’t to say that the Bible is bad, because I read it and apply it, but I wouldn’t go so far as to take it literally. Otherwise, all you chicks on your periods and you dudes who have wet dreams would all be unclean and unsuitable to be looked upon. In the context of that day, the book of laws probably applied well, but things are different now, I think.

[And, by the way, I don't like referring to God as He. Why not She? Obviously God, or the Universe, or Light, or Life, or Sophia, whatever the fuck you want to call it, is not a person. Any word we use to refer to the Divine is just that--a symbol. A word. Even the word "God" is not the "correct" or most suitable term to use, because it insinuates something--and that something is different for different people. God is not an old white man with a long white beard and a penis. Not a person. Maybe a Force? The Beginning? The Source? No single word you use can encapsulate the concept of God because said concept transcends our limited language. You can basically use any word to describe God, however you want to approach it.]

part 3- Has religion made the world a better or worse place?

Nothing is in and of itself good or bad, but the interpretation and the way it’s used is what makes or breaks something. I clearly can’t give a definitive answer, but we all know that 11 a.m. on Sunday is the most segregated hour in America. Religions have become divisive rather than inclusive, and Christians believe they’re right, Jews believe they’re right, Muslims believe they’re right, everyone believes THEY have the Answer. Why can’t we all have the Answer? You can’t expect a person in a third-world country to necessarily identify with a old, white, bearded God, just as many Americans can’t handle imagining the Supreme Being with six arms. Different ethnicities visualize God differently. It’s all about paradigms. We all have our own languages, cultures, experiences and beliefs. Anybody’s approach to the Truth or spirituality can be the “right” one, as long as it resonates with them and gets them to where they need to be.

Besides, Jesus was BLACK.
POWA TO DA PEEPAS!