I live in the microcosm of America, figuratively and literally. In 2003, I moved from a state of cultural diversity in New York to a state of cultural identity in North Carolina. Within the last eight years, a cultural change happened throughout the country; a Black President, gay marriage laws being passed in some states, debate over woman's health based on cultural choice, and thus the culture wars began and now is in full blow! Where do we go from here?
Me, I would like to go somewhere and stick my fingers in my head and go "la la la la la la la" everytime I hear about all this "cultural" stuff. I would like to drink, party, and get laid (and I am STILL single, ladies!), but I would like to do more. I want to be in a place where I can see a world without the obligations that are tied to "culture" and the mores of a culturally obligated moral society...CHURCH! For those veterans who read my posts on Facebook and read my blogs on Blogger and Myspace, you know all too well I am a creature of irony. I bathe in irony like it is a luxurious bubble bath, splash it on like it is a 50 dollar cologne, and wear it like a well worn leather jacket like an educated, poetic Fonz! For added irony, I try to find my personal space in Catholicism since I live in the middle of Republican/Southern Baptist hell. I consider myself "punk rock" when it comes to religious and moral values. I actually see Jesus as an original Punk Rocker; but instead of a purple mohawk and a safetypin sticking out His earlobe, He still looks pretty radical with the Crown Of Thorns and he rocks the Stigmatas on His Hands like it was an Anarchy sign on each Palm!
I even hang with LGBT's and non-Christians (mainly Pagans) and some Thumpers have a problem with that. Now I'm sorry I use the term "Thumper" and I lost a couple of good friends on FB because of it. Yet, I'm sure the Thumpers call me a "dirty hippie", a "radical", or even a "Commie" but not upfront! However, I don't even know that I'm cool enough to deserve those monikers-- if anything, it would be AWESOME to be called a "hippie", or a "radical"! Therefore, I don't know why some of these Born Agains don't like being called "Born Agains", "Thumpers", or "Jesus Freaks"-- shouldn't having faith in Christ be a compliment as much as calling me a "hippie" would be a compliment to me? And back fo the flak with me hanging out with Gay people and Pagans; didn't Jesus hang out with Canaanites, who were also Pagans? Also, Jesus hung out with Lepers who were about as much as outcasts as the LGBT community of today; with the exception that Leprosy was not considered a disease in biblical days, but homosexuality at one point in history WAS! And there was the concept of "Pro-Choice" back in the Biblical days; I am sure that the Lepers "chose" not to wear red and green because it would clash with the blood and rotting flesh. The point is that I'm not trying to mock the Bible, I am just trying to get along... especially with the Thumpers (even though we tend to agree to disagree).
I am not trying to be Jesus nor I am trying to be the Patron Saint of Irony, I am only following Him because the Bible suggests it. And notice that I said the Bible "suggests" and not "the Bible TOLD me"? Even if I did the "books on tape" thing and I listened to the Bible per verbatim, the Bible DID NOT "tell" me! Back in college, I took as a "Bible As Literature" course-- I took it not only as a prerequisite class for graduation, but I was looking at the Bible to fit in my religious and spiritual searchings. I was in my early 20's and I was looking for "something" but mainly knowledge in the long run-- mainly as a 20 something trying to see what would happen some 20 years later as he would write something on the computer about religion. But from what my professor, my Atheist professor, was saying is that the Bible is a book of moral suggestions like The Odyssey and The Epic Of Gilgamesh (and later in my life A Course In Miracles). And that what it is and should be at least that's how I see it. And come to think of it, isn't morality a suggestion anyway? And that's the problem with Christianity; Jesus turned water into wine-- and the Thumpers turn Jesus into Pepsi-Cola!
I go to church to open my relationship with God; mainly because if the Thumpers are right and the world is going to end, I might as well go out in a blaze of glory! And I like the traditions of a Catholic Mass even though it might be trivial to some. I like the whole "Aerobics" aspect of the Catholic Mass; "sit, stand, kneel/sit,stand,kneel/sit,stand,kneel..." I guess a good day of atonement and prayer not only brings me closer to God but my pants fit much better! Between the "exercise" during mass and the caedence of prayers during Mass, I always feel like the Catholics are like the Marines of Christianity! I like church because it's my time away from the news and the political crap on TV. But as I am approching the time for Collection and Communion, there is a time for the "Lord, hear our prayer" portion of the Mass. This is which anyone of the congregation makes a specific request to pray for and it could be ANYTHING! And that's when the politics come in and my American dream of separation between Church and State. Now, sometimes it could be little stuff like praying for the needy and homeless, and at one time I remember when someone summoned for us to pray for the legalization of marijuana (then again, I was one of the few who actually said "Lord, hear our prayer"). But there's this one guy who always summons the prayer "...for the ban of ABORTION and other forms of child abuse". Sometimes, I mouth the words "Lord, hear our prayer" even though I truly believe it's against my principle-- not that I think that it's a woman's right to choose what she does to her body but for the fact all this is being mentioned in Church! And YES I believe that marijuana should be legalized (And LORD HEAR MY SIN!) but even the legalization of pot, for and against, should not be mentioned in church! It's not my duty as a Christian but as an American citizen-- besides isn't that the point why this country got started in the first place? I am tempted to come out and pray for the separation of Church and State if this joker asks us to pray for the ban of abortion. But then again, I'll just shut up and do my thing. Looks like Thumpers come in all religions, but I might as well live with it! Besides, this is the Church of St. Peter NOT MEL GIBSON!
"It's Complicated" is a gross understatement of my life in the past few years. So in the end, who am I? Am I really an "open" Christian, a "Christo-Pagan", an "Esoteric Christian", or a Liberal Catholic? All I can say is that I AM HERE! What God says, God says. I also am going to a weekly "Course In Miracles" workshop at a local libarary. In this workshop I am trying to coexist myself as a Liberal and a Christian as well as coexisting myself with coexistence between people like me, the Thumpers, and the simple quest for survival. As I said before, I hang out with Pagans (nothing against us Christians and other religions, but the Pagans know how to throw a party!). I spoke to my Pagan friend (Wiccan to be more concise) about my "Course Of Miracles" workshop. She asked me "what it's like". I pretty much said it is like a 12-step program but I don't know what these people in the library are recovering from. My friend said that the people in my workshop "...are all recovering from religion!" I guess this is why everybody ends "The Course In Miracles" workshop with the "Serenity Prayer"! In retrospect, I am trying to do the right thing and have my relationship with God. A relationship with God is like a relationship with a woman; if you call her "the next day" it's like going to church on a Sunday morning (then again, doesn't "the next day" ALWAYS fall on a Sunday morning anyways?). However, if you DON'T call that girl the next day, you'll end up blaming her first be later you end up blaming yourself for blowing the whole thing in the first place. If you don't go to church on a Sunday morning, you can't blame her or anyone else--NOT EVEN GOD, so you end up BLAMING YOURSELF anyway! And I am STILL SINGLE, ladies!
To conclude this blog, I added a song that coincides with what I wrote. The following is one of my favorite songs. The song goes into religion and the consequential circumstances that sometimes follows blind faith. The video itself pretty much sums everything up..enjoy! http://youtu.be/AzNzCiZwk28
Me, I would like to go somewhere and stick my fingers in my head and go "la la la la la la la" everytime I hear about all this "cultural" stuff. I would like to drink, party, and get laid (and I am STILL single, ladies!), but I would like to do more. I want to be in a place where I can see a world without the obligations that are tied to "culture" and the mores of a culturally obligated moral society...CHURCH! For those veterans who read my posts on Facebook and read my blogs on Blogger and Myspace, you know all too well I am a creature of irony. I bathe in irony like it is a luxurious bubble bath, splash it on like it is a 50 dollar cologne, and wear it like a well worn leather jacket like an educated, poetic Fonz! For added irony, I try to find my personal space in Catholicism since I live in the middle of Republican/Southern Baptist hell. I consider myself "punk rock" when it comes to religious and moral values. I actually see Jesus as an original Punk Rocker; but instead of a purple mohawk and a safetypin sticking out His earlobe, He still looks pretty radical with the Crown Of Thorns and he rocks the Stigmatas on His Hands like it was an Anarchy sign on each Palm!
I even hang with LGBT's and non-Christians (mainly Pagans) and some Thumpers have a problem with that. Now I'm sorry I use the term "Thumper" and I lost a couple of good friends on FB because of it. Yet, I'm sure the Thumpers call me a "dirty hippie", a "radical", or even a "Commie" but not upfront! However, I don't even know that I'm cool enough to deserve those monikers-- if anything, it would be AWESOME to be called a "hippie", or a "radical"! Therefore, I don't know why some of these Born Agains don't like being called "Born Agains", "Thumpers", or "Jesus Freaks"-- shouldn't having faith in Christ be a compliment as much as calling me a "hippie" would be a compliment to me? And back fo the flak with me hanging out with Gay people and Pagans; didn't Jesus hang out with Canaanites, who were also Pagans? Also, Jesus hung out with Lepers who were about as much as outcasts as the LGBT community of today; with the exception that Leprosy was not considered a disease in biblical days, but homosexuality at one point in history WAS! And there was the concept of "Pro-Choice" back in the Biblical days; I am sure that the Lepers "chose" not to wear red and green because it would clash with the blood and rotting flesh. The point is that I'm not trying to mock the Bible, I am just trying to get along... especially with the Thumpers (even though we tend to agree to disagree).
I am not trying to be Jesus nor I am trying to be the Patron Saint of Irony, I am only following Him because the Bible suggests it. And notice that I said the Bible "suggests" and not "the Bible TOLD me"? Even if I did the "books on tape" thing and I listened to the Bible per verbatim, the Bible DID NOT "tell" me! Back in college, I took as a "Bible As Literature" course-- I took it not only as a prerequisite class for graduation, but I was looking at the Bible to fit in my religious and spiritual searchings. I was in my early 20's and I was looking for "something" but mainly knowledge in the long run-- mainly as a 20 something trying to see what would happen some 20 years later as he would write something on the computer about religion. But from what my professor, my Atheist professor, was saying is that the Bible is a book of moral suggestions like The Odyssey and The Epic Of Gilgamesh (and later in my life A Course In Miracles). And that what it is and should be at least that's how I see it. And come to think of it, isn't morality a suggestion anyway? And that's the problem with Christianity; Jesus turned water into wine-- and the Thumpers turn Jesus into Pepsi-Cola!
I go to church to open my relationship with God; mainly because if the Thumpers are right and the world is going to end, I might as well go out in a blaze of glory! And I like the traditions of a Catholic Mass even though it might be trivial to some. I like the whole "Aerobics" aspect of the Catholic Mass; "sit, stand, kneel/sit,stand,kneel/sit,stand,kneel..." I guess a good day of atonement and prayer not only brings me closer to God but my pants fit much better! Between the "exercise" during mass and the caedence of prayers during Mass, I always feel like the Catholics are like the Marines of Christianity! I like church because it's my time away from the news and the political crap on TV. But as I am approching the time for Collection and Communion, there is a time for the "Lord, hear our prayer" portion of the Mass. This is which anyone of the congregation makes a specific request to pray for and it could be ANYTHING! And that's when the politics come in and my American dream of separation between Church and State. Now, sometimes it could be little stuff like praying for the needy and homeless, and at one time I remember when someone summoned for us to pray for the legalization of marijuana (then again, I was one of the few who actually said "Lord, hear our prayer"). But there's this one guy who always summons the prayer "...for the ban of ABORTION and other forms of child abuse". Sometimes, I mouth the words "Lord, hear our prayer" even though I truly believe it's against my principle-- not that I think that it's a woman's right to choose what she does to her body but for the fact all this is being mentioned in Church! And YES I believe that marijuana should be legalized (And LORD HEAR MY SIN!) but even the legalization of pot, for and against, should not be mentioned in church! It's not my duty as a Christian but as an American citizen-- besides isn't that the point why this country got started in the first place? I am tempted to come out and pray for the separation of Church and State if this joker asks us to pray for the ban of abortion. But then again, I'll just shut up and do my thing. Looks like Thumpers come in all religions, but I might as well live with it! Besides, this is the Church of St. Peter NOT MEL GIBSON!
"It's Complicated" is a gross understatement of my life in the past few years. So in the end, who am I? Am I really an "open" Christian, a "Christo-Pagan", an "Esoteric Christian", or a Liberal Catholic? All I can say is that I AM HERE! What God says, God says. I also am going to a weekly "Course In Miracles" workshop at a local libarary. In this workshop I am trying to coexist myself as a Liberal and a Christian as well as coexisting myself with coexistence between people like me, the Thumpers, and the simple quest for survival. As I said before, I hang out with Pagans (nothing against us Christians and other religions, but the Pagans know how to throw a party!). I spoke to my Pagan friend (Wiccan to be more concise) about my "Course Of Miracles" workshop. She asked me "what it's like". I pretty much said it is like a 12-step program but I don't know what these people in the library are recovering from. My friend said that the people in my workshop "...are all recovering from religion!" I guess this is why everybody ends "The Course In Miracles" workshop with the "Serenity Prayer"! In retrospect, I am trying to do the right thing and have my relationship with God. A relationship with God is like a relationship with a woman; if you call her "the next day" it's like going to church on a Sunday morning (then again, doesn't "the next day" ALWAYS fall on a Sunday morning anyways?). However, if you DON'T call that girl the next day, you'll end up blaming her first be later you end up blaming yourself for blowing the whole thing in the first place. If you don't go to church on a Sunday morning, you can't blame her or anyone else--NOT EVEN GOD, so you end up BLAMING YOURSELF anyway! And I am STILL SINGLE, ladies!
To conclude this blog, I added a song that coincides with what I wrote. The following is one of my favorite songs. The song goes into religion and the consequential circumstances that sometimes follows blind faith. The video itself pretty much sums everything up..enjoy! http://youtu.be/AzNzCiZwk28
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