All About God.

These heightened feelings on religion have been simmering in my soul since Easter and now I think it's finally time for me to share my thoughts. Usually, I am accepting and sympathetic to organized religion, particularly Christianity. This will not be my usual blog about me finding beauty in faith or positively experiencing it. In my quest for spirituality, I am open to experiencing different faiths. I have shared that I am appreciative of most religions because they teach basic love for fellow humanity-that sentiment still holds true. However, this is a critical look at religion.

A dear friend who has helped me become more interested in my spirituality invited me to join her at a church she regularly attends for Good Friday. I have not attended a Good Friday service since a was a young girl (like 7 years old) with my grandma at a Catholic mass. So, I thought it would be a good experience, especially since she told me it was an alternative sort of church. To her credit, the people were just as nice and welcoming as I hoped they would be. They let me share in their service like I'd been attending for years. That being said, I worry some of their niceness was a result of me "finding salvation.'

I really enjoyed the pastor's discussion. Not because I agreed with him, but he challenged his congregation to think critically of scripture. What the words actually mean, what it means for Christians, and talked about The Passion like the people in it were just like you and me. He stayed true to their mission--Raw Christianity. It wasn't fluffed up, it was real, and their faith was real.

The issue with challenging his congregation is that I did not find the same conclusion he did...instead I was left with all kinds of questions. He addressed the story of the Cross.

God told Jesus to do this. To sacrifice himself for all of humanity, for humanity's grand sin-to be human for biting an apple. He asked us "What kind of God would do this?" What kind of God would abandon his son, when he was crying out to him, "Why have you forsaken me?"

Yeah, what kind of God would do this? The pastor said well, God was full of so much love for us that he sacrificed his son for us. That it was between God and his son. This love, Jesus loved God so much that he was willing to die for us because that's what God said was our only route to salvation.

Okay. Stop. Why?

Why is this our only route to salvation? If God is all encompassing, why does it have to be this way? Why does it even matter about some apple? I mean, didn't he know that by leaving a tree in the middle of a garden and telling them not to eat it, is sorta like asking for trouble? Why was it even all that sinful? Just because God said not to?

It seems that eating it made us more human. It's like God's little experiment went wrong, he wanted us to stay in this little garden and he could control us. But then we evolved and ate an apple, and now God is pissed. And so God had to make up this grand scheme to keep us under his finger--you need to like me--I don't care what you do, as long as you like me. And I'm going to make you feel guilty forever for being curious (even though I gave you the power to be curious). And remember you were made in the image of me...ha.

God is jealous, and God is kind of a control freak. That whole "praise God" is some sort of power trip He's on. It was God's choice to create us, no one asked Him to do it. Oh, it was such a grand gesture to create us and then make us follow all these rules and then to put this never ending guilt because you put an apple tree in a garden that you didn't even want us to eat--then why put it there?

That being said, I think Christianity's mainstream notion of God is man made. One needs to explain life. If you notice God has a lot of human characteristics. Oh, but wait, humans were made in the image of God. Nice save.

The rules inflicted on us is awfully in line with laws of the time. Women were under men--what a better way to justify than to say God said so.

But not all is lost, whether or not Jesus is the son of God or inspired by God, he is amazing. He loved humanity so much he was willing die for us. He's wonderful like Gandhi. He taught love, tolerance, and peace. He was way before his time. He's like the good part of Christianity; he is what makes it beautiful.

Christian God on the other hand, I'm not so sure about. If there is a God, I don't think God is flawed. I don't think we can hypothesize what they're like. I don't God's gendered. I don't even think God cares if we like him. And if God is just like us, full of negative feelings--then there is no God.

So, here's my solution--Love each other like you love yourself. We are all interconnected as a species. All living things are connected as citizens of the Earth. The intricacy of life makes us connected. We couldn't do without each other. Furthermore, all things are really connected- we die, we become dust, and that gives life.

Things That I Love and Remind Me of Spring!

This blog is inspired by my drive to campus today. If I was good a poetry I'd so write one, but I'm not, so this is what I've done. :)

Things I Love and Remind Me of Spring:

The sweet smell of green grass
Oversized sunglasses
Wearing flowing skirts
Driving with my windows open
Dave Matthews Band
Incubus lyrics "I dig my toes into the sand..."
The sun warming my face
Wearing flip flops
Painted toenails
Running through the grass sans shoes
Swinging on swings
Laying on a blanket at South Hills Park reading a book
Lighting bugs
Grilling
Picnicing
Warm Breezes
Cherry Blossom Trees
Riding on a motorcycle
Ice Cream
Baseball

My Favorite Rap Song...Ever

Most of the time I completely skip over rap music. Often it glorifies drugs, violence, and demeaning women--not really my thing. But today on my itunes' shuffle came my favorite rap song, Changes. It is closely written like Bruce Hornsby's song The Way It Is, in fact the instrumental is exactly the same. They both deal with social injustices.
Ah, it so clever for this black rapper to use this white guy's music to say "yeah, we've all got similar problems." Oh, I love music that talks about social problems. What do these two songs have in common? Understanding the dynamics of poverty. <3

I could talk about how each lyrics\ is like a class discussion on poverty and drugs, race and prison population, etc. But instead, you should just listen, enjoy. I hope it inspires you.


www.dailymotion.com/video/xxjug_bruce-hornsbythe-way-it-is_music





Here's some stuff to think about: Tupac's Changes excerpts:

I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.
My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.
Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares? One less hungry mouth on the welfare.
First ship 'em dope & let 'em deal the brothers.
Give 'em guns, step back, and watch 'em kill each other.

I got love for my brother, but we can never go nowhere
unless we share with each other. We gotta start makin' changes.
Learn to see me as a brother 'stead of 2 distant strangers.

I see no changes. All I see is racist faces.
Misplaced hate makes disgrace for races we under.
I wonder what it takes to make this one better place...

And only time we chill is when we kill each other.

And although it seems heaven sent,
we ain't ready to see a black President, uhh.
It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact...
the penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks.

There's war on the streets & the war in the Middle East.
Instead of war on poverty,
they got a war on drugs so the police can bother me.
And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do.

Way it is

Standing in line marking time--
Waiting for the welfare dime
'Cause they can't buy a job
The man in the silk suit hurries by
As he catches the poor old ladies' eyes
Just for fun he says "Get a job"

They say hey little boy you can't go
Where the others go
'Cause you don't look like they do
Said hey old man how can you stand
To think that way
Did you really think about it
Before you made the rules
He said, Son

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
But don't you believe them

Well they passed a law in '64
To give those who ain't got a little more
But it only goes so far
Because the law won't change another's mind
When all it sees at the hiring time
Is the line on the color bar

Feminism and prospective LVC students: That Went Over like Abgail Adams Asking Her Husband to "Remember the Women."

So, today Teddi and I set up a table at LVC Live in hopes to recruit some incoming Freshmen to feminism.
*Smile*
It was more like preying on innocent young high school students with their parents in toe. The bribery began before they even walked in the Arnold Sports Center door, for they were given a little card for each table to sign off on and when it was all full they were entered into a $50 college bookstore certificate--yeah, these kids had a lot to learn...the bookstore isn't all the grand.

Well, besides Freedom Rings, I'm pretty sure the F-word was the most uncomfortable table at the event. Personally, I loved our table. It was stationed on the upper level of the gym where it found itself sharing a table with the Chem Club... maybe LVC Live planners thought we had a lot in common, certainly more than we do with Freedom rings who was on the opposite side of the gym.

Our table displayed ample about of feminist lit. ie. The Beauty Myth, The Feminist Mystique, The F-word, Bitch (just to name a few), there was a picture frame of the Monologues entitled "Vagina Cast." But my most favorite was the tee shirt play strategically on the wall with the claim "I <3 Feminist Men" (well, because really I do!). Oh, and we had a email sign up sheet and fliers, too.

Some would pass by glancing at our table then quickly return to looking down at the feet. Others would detour around us completely by swerving through the bleacher-seat obstacle course, which was a breeze compared to saying "hello" to the crazy feminists.

Oh, and then there were the people who engaged in conversation for...the fun of torturing us.
These were our favorites.

Mother to son: I bet you can meet a lot of girls there, just not ones who will do your laundry.

A father points to our tee shirt on the wall: I love feminist men. I work at F&M with the environmental program, I always wanted to print a tee shirt that says: My mother recycles. And then walked away.

A girl and her mother listening to our spiel, Girl to us: oh, you want me to sign your list.
Girl to mother: Can I sign it?
Goes signs the list and walks away.
We look and it says Jordan, no last name, no email address.
Jimmy: What does she want us to do, facebook stalk her.

A girl, father and mother visit our table. Hi, we're the feminist club on...
Obnoxious Father to Teddi: What's your name?
Teddi: Teddi.
Obnoxious Father: Like Teddi Roosevelt.
Obnoxious Father turns to Chem Club Dude: Did you know the president with the name Teddi?
Chem Club Dude: No.
Obnoxious Father to Chem Club Dude: What's his last name?
Chem Club Dude: Roosevelt.

Some time later, Obnoxious Father to Teddi: Hey, can you sign our box?
Teddi: Okay
Teddi to Mother (trying to one last time to sell the f-word just one more time): Would you like a newsletter?
Mother: Okay
Obnoxious Father to Mother: Don't take that, you can't read.

Mother to son: Oh, look you'll fit right in.

To pass the time, Teddi and I thought up some schemes to raise recruitment:

1. Signing fake names to the email list to look like people signed up already in case they were nervous about it. Teddi thought its was very psychological.
2. Putting out my own stash of peach rings on the table for the good of the club. Chem clubs cookies seemed to work well.
3. Having our newsletters already in hand to pass out on the fly.
4. If a person looks at our table for more than 10 seconds--Get Them!
5. Tell them we aren't that radical.
6. Stop saying "Vagina" when saying Vagina Monologues.
7. Since no one was visiting on the top level and all on the floor--if they won't come to us, we'll take the F-word to them.
8. If feminism isn't their thing, talk to them about: where they are from, their major, other college choices, or anything else that would make them like us. Teddi and I could so be Valley Ambassadors.
9. If all else fails, "borrow" from LVEP's growing list
10. Randomly place our newsletter on other organizations' tables.

The best part of the day was that our truest interest came from the Asian boy from NJ asking me how we felt about men and women's equality. And he'll probably end up going to E-town.