The Religion Debate Continues
I posted a copy of my blog entry entitled “Religion Seeks To Kill Spirituality” on a popular gay African American discussion forum that I’m a member of. It had the same effect that the original had when I first posted it on this blog… it BLEW UP and stirred controversy which led to an interesting debate among those who read it. I was really impressed by everyone’s ideas and how perspicacious and well articulated their arguments were. Sometimes in those type of forums, people can get very disrespectful and overly argumentative when others disagree with their point of view, but for some reason this discussion didn’t head that way at all. I was so pleased with our discussion, so I decided to post the “back & forth” repartee here on my “Blue Options” blog.
CLICK TO READ THE REST OF THIS BLOG ENTRY WITH A LIST OF ALL COMMENTS
THIS WAS THE ORIGINAL BLOG POST THAT STARTED IT ALL:
I believe there’s something very dark in the human spirit that religion seems to prey upon. Like when slavery was legal in this country. These slave owners considered themselves Christians. They had no problem committing some of the worst most heinous atrocities on a fellow human being on a daily basis, and they saw nothing wrong with this. Those slave owners weren’t some dumb illiterate back-woods hicks that didn’t know any better. They were educated highly respected pillars of their community, and still they saw nothing wrong with what they were doing. We were all born with an inherent sense of right and wrong. I know murder is wrong, with or without a law that tells me so. When we start looking in a book to gage our moral compass, or letting a book written by man tell us how we should live our lives, we lose one of the greatest gifts God has given us, which is FREEWILL and the ability to think for ourselves. Once we give that up, our minds become easily manipulated. This is so dangerous because the people that we look to for guidance may have deceitful motives or devious intentions, but because you gave up your critical thinking abilities, you can’t see the evil in this person and in their actions, so you follow him blindly.
I don’t want anyone to think I’m bashing Christians, because I’m not at all. I was raised in a very religious Christian home, so I have a great respect for the message it teaches. I’m addressing religion as a whole here, and the beliefs of religious extremist. I do believe in God, and I consider myself a spiritual person, but If you want to give me a label, all I can say is I do not identify myself as “a Christian”, and that’s because I do not allow other people to define my relationship with God because that’s between me and him. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me and my way of thinking because I hope after reading this, you’ll start to use your gift of “freewill” and “critical thinking” to find your own path and discover what you truly believe.
1ST COMMENT:
40 or 50 years ago the church folks would have taken you to the altar and tried to pray a demon out of you for this post (I’ve seen it done, especially in the COGIC). But now in 2010 when Black folks are being educated like never before and are using their brain to THINK instead of following like little lost sheep to the slaughter…………….it can be truly appreciated by so many more.
My compliments to you for this post.
(Yup, fixin’ to click on that link and read more. LOL)
2ND COMMENT:
I LOVE THE WAY YOU WORDED THIS AND EXPLAINED IT! ITS SO TRUE. A LOT OF PEOPLE IGNORE THE WHOLE “SPIRITUAL” ASSETTS OF THE HUMAN BEING. WE OURSELVES ARE A SPIRIT. WE FUNCTION IN SPIRIT. EVERY CHOICE WE MAKE, IS MADE IN OUR SPIRIT WHETHER IT BE RIGHT OR WRONG. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN BEING A CHRISTIAN WITH MORALS, AND BEING A INDIVIDUAL SPIRIT WITH MORALS BECAUSE WHEN YOU LIVE IN YOUR SPIRIT YOU ARE SELF-AWARE AND CONSCIOUS OF THE THINGS THAT WILL HARM, NEGLECT, DESTRUCT, AND OR RUIN THE SPIRIT. COMMON SENSE HAS ALOT TO DO WITH IT! IF A PERSON RUNS AROUND DOING BAD THINGS AND DECEITFUL THINGS THEY DISAPPOINT THE SPIRIT WITHIN BUT THEY DONT NOTICE IT USUALLY UNTIL THEY SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES! BUT ABOVE THAT THEY DISSAPPOINT GOD WHICH IS THEN CAUSING THEM TO ASK FOR FORGIVENESS WHICH WOULD START WITH ONE’S SELF. YOU HAVE TO FORGIVE YOURSELF IN ORDER FOR GOD TO FORGIVE YOU! THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO SAY BUT I’M JUST GONNA END WITH THIS: THERE IS A HIGHER POWER. THERE IS A SUPERNATURAL POWER. THERE IS A INNER POWER AND THERE IS A EXISTING POWER(WHICH WOULD BE THE POWER TO EXIST WITHOUT THOUGHT) SO THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO LIFE THAN WHHAT IS TOLD, SAD THING IS THAT PPL DNT WANNA TAKE THE TIME TO FIND A MEANING FOR THEMSELVES!
3RD COMMENT:
“WE FUNCTION IN SPIRIT. EVERY CHOICE WE MAKE, IS MADE IN OUR SPIRIT WHETHER IT BE RIGHT OR WRONG”
spirit/soul …… ughhh girl….
Soul is a type of music, but some people believe it to be some kind of spiritual thingie that every human is supposed to have, and which is supposed to survive when his physical body dies. But since this thing is non-physical, it again cannot interact with the physical world without violating basic science. So we have the same situation as with “god”: a “soul” could hypothetically exists, but it can have no connection with the physical world.
I think the word you’re using(spirit) is wrong what you need to be using is the word conscious . try it , plug inn the word “conscious ” where you have “spirt” and that then be correct .
4TH COMMENT:
Religion is not the culprit people are for perverting good teachings.
5TH COMMENT:
This is coming from the guy who just made up his own doctrines in a previous post- take responsibility for your actions don’t blame some words on a page which have a choice to adhere to or not
6TH COMMENT:
made up ????????
“take responsibility for your actions don’t blame some words on a page which have a choice to adhere to or not”
WTF Are you talking about yet once again …. and who are you talking about … hunny hush please ..
7TH COMMENT: I wrote this one in response to comment #1
You’re right. I’ve seen it done before too. Thanks for checking out my blog and leaving a comment. It’s good to know that there are other “level headed” intelligent thinkers here besides me (lol).
8TH COMMENT:
stop making excuses. this is all u need to know- God is real, He requires His ppl to b a certain way. going to church is good for the soul for many reasons im too lazy to explain, praying is good, being spiritually encouraged is good. Living an active homosexual lifestyle is a sin and u all know it, but are just too weak to admit it.
9TH COMMENT: I wrote this comment in response to comment #8
You’re entitled to your opinion, and I respect your beliefs… but I really feel sorry for you. I know how much self-hatred it takes for you to actually believe all of that. I hope and pray that you’ll find the strength and courage to live your life in a way that brings happiness to you and your soul. Life is such a precious thing, and our time here on earth is way too short to not live it to the fullest.
10TH COMMENT:
ok u dont have to pray fpor me man..i dont hate myself- i love myself 100% im just stating what is true and what God-the creator of the universe wants–u r totally blind. yes its good to live life to the fullest, but lliving in sin is not living at all—-gay life is sin—if it was ok, it would be accepted from the beginning of time. i understand gay feelings that we cant control exist, but actually acting on those feelings is the sin and evil im talking about. u need to reflect on things more, dont make me sound like i’m the one confused. i’m not—u r.
11TH COMMENT: this comment was written by someone who addressed comment #10
I think what is throwing people off are the mixed messages you are sending. On the one hand you say you believe that sexual gay expression is wrong and against God. On the other, your two profile pictures are extremely homoerotic and sexually provocative (bare chest, tight underwear showcasing your erect penis). Even your profile name, “hung112”, is highly suggestive. These indicate blatant intellectual inconsistency and maybe moral even hypocrisy. Few people will take you seriously if you profess one thing but yet (apparently) do quite another.
12TH COMMENT: this is #10 responding to #11
yes i know this. its the reason i didnt even want to comment. it is very hyporytical of me. but i do stand by what i say; i need to do this, or do my spiritual thing–i cant do both. so i agree with you
13TH COMMENT: this is #11 responding to #12
I appreciate that you were truthful and transparent regarding your struggle. A less honest, less secure person (many of whom are on BGC) would have snapped defensive or even hostile when confronted like this. If you know the Lord and believe the Word, I hope that you would yield yourself to him fully and turn away from all the things that displease him.
I know it’s not popular, but the truth is that those who claim to follow Christ should live righteously as he commanded:
“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
Ephesians 4:22-24
14TH COMMENT: I wrote this comment in response to comment #10 and I think it’s a very fitting end to our discussion:
I understand what you’re saying, but the one thing that I take issue with in your response, was the part where you say you’re “just stating the truth“. I have strong beliefs and I never shy away from discussing my beliefs with other people that are willing to engage and debate those beliefs and ideas. But as strong as my beliefs are, I would NEVER EVER be arrogant enough to believe that I alone possess the only truth there is.
You also said that I made you sound like you’re confused. If I did imply that in my previous response, I’m sorry because that was not my intention. I do believe you’re misguided, but not confused.
D5 Creation