This topic of Religion is meant to help myself put my questions, thoughts, and ideas into actual writing. I write this to express my feelings, and receiving some answers or suggestions would be great. This is NOT about me choosing to leave the Church.
This is not meant to offend anyone. Thank you.
___________________________________________________________________
In my eyes, there is some use for religion if you still do not completely put all your faith into it. In some instances, it's human nature to want to believe something is true, especially if it provides an answer for a question..in this case, the question is Life and the answer is God.
Why are people so willing to blindly, completely believe the words of the Bible? Yes, many people are genuinely touched by His words and preachings, and I completely understand and respect this. But to me, is there just a deeper, human need for answers that drives people to believe in a religion? Are they just living on hope that the religion is truth?
Before I start, I want to state that there is absolutely nothing wrong with relying completely on faith and hope. It is just my opinion that sometimes, that just isn't enough for me.
Think back to a great book or movie that you read or watched, one that has many twists and turns, yet ended with a gigantic cliffhanger. Didn't that feeling of not knowing what happened, what could possibly happen, and what might not happen just completely bewilder you? Didn't it drive you slightly crazy?
That's the innate human need that I'm talking about. The need for an answer. The need to discover the unknown. That's why the biggest question in the Universe, "what is the purpose of life?," yields the biggest answer. Or should I say, "answers." The world's various religions can be seen as a way to fill that human instinctual longing for answers and conclusions. It gives people a sense of purpose and meaning.
Because what's worse than the feeling that life is purposeless?
Another cliffhanger that life provides us with is the subject of death. I won't talk about this topic too extensively..as it makes my mind wander too far to the point that I actually get scared. I digress. Religion gives us the concepts of Heaven, Nirvana (I know that you don't need to be dead to reach Nirvana, but still), and Reincarnation. All possible answers for the question of death. These alternatives are comforting to believe in.
But my main thinking of why people are obsessed with religion? The feeling of community that religion brings. People are apart of something bigger than themselves. They are surrounded by like-minded thinkers who, for the most part, are willing to act selflessly to help others. It's a great atmosphere.
It doesn't matter which religion is "right," per se, all that matters is that people are being shaped by good morals and just being good people overall.
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Props go out to friend Jaypee C., cousin Michael C., and girlfriend Gerre Mae B. for giving me great, honest opinions and comments. I've used some of their input to shape this entry.
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Some topics (but not limited to) that I hope to cover in the upcoming days (in no particular order):
1) Other Religious Alternatives
2) Guilty Conscience About Lack of Faith
3) Catholics Against Homosexuals
Showing posts with label Change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Change. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Religion: Questioning
I'm going to make this an ongoing topic that I'll keep posting about in the future. I know that I can't fit all of my thoughts in this one post, so this will be the start of my new series about Religion.
___________________________________________________________________
This topic of Religion is meant to help myself put my questions, thoughts, and ideas into actual writing. I write this to express my feelings, and receiving some answers or suggestions would be great. This is NOT about me choosing to leave the Church.
This is not meant to offend anyone.Thank you.
___________________________________________________________________
I like to think of myself as a good, practicing Catholic. I go to mass every Sunday, I pray before meals, I've attended a Catholic elementary school and even University, I keep rosaries and symbols of my faith in my car, dorm, and wallet. Yet I wouldn't call myself devout. Odd?
Definition of devout:
I do not believe I am entirely, 110% committed to the Catholic faith. This does not mean that I do not accept the religion anymore, simply that I just have so many questions about Catholicism. When I first realized this about myself, I was a bit troubled. How could I be raised in such Catholic upbringing all my life but still find myself unsure of things?
The religion, actually, all religions, relies on faith and faith entirely. I picture religion sometimes as some one being stranded on a completely unmapped island, just forcing himself to live out of pure faith that some one will save him. Yes, the movie Cast Away is a perfect example, but how many times out of 10 would that man be saved?
I loved going to Catholic school (St. John's the Evangelist, represent) and I love attending a Catholic university (La Salle University in Philadelphia). Catholicism has a great moral code that is taught to the children, something that I'm extremely grateful for since it really has shaped my own character. But since these same children are raised believing in the Holy Trinity and everything in the Bible, there isn't room to question these ideas. They are given to us as facts.
What I'm trying to say here, is that we've never had opportunities to question our own religion and explore others. Most religious families preserve their faith and raise and grow their family within that religion's boundaries and morals, which is fine by all means. There is nothing wrong with that.
But now, I am putting my questions, built up over the years, into words.
--------
Some topics (but not limited to) that I hope to cover in the upcoming days (in no particular order):
1) Catholic Flaws
2) Other Religious Alternatives
3) Guilty Conscience About Lack of Faith
___________________________________________________________________
This topic of Religion is meant to help myself put my questions, thoughts, and ideas into actual writing. I write this to express my feelings, and receiving some answers or suggestions would be great. This is NOT about me choosing to leave the Church.
This is not meant to offend anyone.Thank you.
___________________________________________________________________
I like to think of myself as a good, practicing Catholic. I go to mass every Sunday, I pray before meals, I've attended a Catholic elementary school and even University, I keep rosaries and symbols of my faith in my car, dorm, and wallet. Yet I wouldn't call myself devout. Odd?
Definition of devout:
1. Having or showing deep religious feeling or commitment.
2. Totally committed to a cause or belief.I do not believe I am entirely, 110% committed to the Catholic faith. This does not mean that I do not accept the religion anymore, simply that I just have so many questions about Catholicism. When I first realized this about myself, I was a bit troubled. How could I be raised in such Catholic upbringing all my life but still find myself unsure of things?
The religion, actually, all religions, relies on faith and faith entirely. I picture religion sometimes as some one being stranded on a completely unmapped island, just forcing himself to live out of pure faith that some one will save him. Yes, the movie Cast Away is a perfect example, but how many times out of 10 would that man be saved?
I loved going to Catholic school (St. John's the Evangelist, represent) and I love attending a Catholic university (La Salle University in Philadelphia). Catholicism has a great moral code that is taught to the children, something that I'm extremely grateful for since it really has shaped my own character. But since these same children are raised believing in the Holy Trinity and everything in the Bible, there isn't room to question these ideas. They are given to us as facts.
What I'm trying to say here, is that we've never had opportunities to question our own religion and explore others. Most religious families preserve their faith and raise and grow their family within that religion's boundaries and morals, which is fine by all means. There is nothing wrong with that.
But now, I am putting my questions, built up over the years, into words.
--------
Some topics (but not limited to) that I hope to cover in the upcoming days (in no particular order):
1) Catholic Flaws
2) Other Religious Alternatives
3) Guilty Conscience About Lack of Faith
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Turnpike-d
When you're used to being one highway away from a close friend and being able to be there for him or her at all times, moving back home two hours away (Turnpike North to be exact) is a tough adventure.
Times get hard when distance is involved. Two lives that were once practically one are temporarily divided, only connected by communication, which isn't always constant. It's initially a painful and abrupt situation that can drain anyone. Luckily, not everyone must go through this.
But if you do find yourself in this situation, you need to remember that you must loosen the rope that you two are tied by. No longer so close that the extra rope dangles by your legs, the aforementioned "rope" is now taut by distance. But you need to remember that this isn't a game of tug-o-war, you can't keep trying to reel the other in.
Instead, think of it as belaying the rope for the other as he or she mountain climbs. You two need each other. Even though, physically, you aren't close anymore. Sometimes a couple easily understands this..sometimes one can't fully grasp this novel idea. But it's apart of growing pains. Growing pains that will turn into a grown relationship.
Just remember to loosen the rope. But never let it go.
Times get hard when distance is involved. Two lives that were once practically one are temporarily divided, only connected by communication, which isn't always constant. It's initially a painful and abrupt situation that can drain anyone. Luckily, not everyone must go through this.
But if you do find yourself in this situation, you need to remember that you must loosen the rope that you two are tied by. No longer so close that the extra rope dangles by your legs, the aforementioned "rope" is now taut by distance. But you need to remember that this isn't a game of tug-o-war, you can't keep trying to reel the other in.
Instead, think of it as belaying the rope for the other as he or she mountain climbs. You two need each other. Even though, physically, you aren't close anymore. Sometimes a couple easily understands this..sometimes one can't fully grasp this novel idea. But it's apart of growing pains. Growing pains that will turn into a grown relationship.
Just remember to loosen the rope. But never let it go.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Division
Division is taking something that is whole and separating it into different pieces. Division could be very useful; pizza pies can be evenly split, workloads can be tackled by a group or team, and, through miracles, even an entire sea can be split right down the middle. Division is great under certain circumstances.
But sometimes, division is the last thing you want.
A family divided is probably the saddest and one of the most life-numbing experiences one can go through. In this world, where the ultimate meaning of life is unknown (but there are thousands of different theories..that's a topic for another day), you are blessed with a few things in life. Shelter, food, friends, and, most importantly, family. You need to keep loved ones close to you, no matter what the circumstances are.
For a quick sidenote, always, ALWAYS, respect your parents. And if you're parents aren't alive anymore, do them justice, ask yourself if your mom or dad would approve of your actions, and keep their honor.
Brothers and sisters are special: you grow up with them, go through good times of laughter, hard times of anger, yet in the end, they will still be your sibling. They entered the world through the same womb as you did. Sometimes fights can go too far, I've experienced this with my sister before. Tears may be shed, unkind, but mostly unmeant, curse words may be screamed, and in the heat of the moment, hate may take hold. But time simmers heat eventually, and that temporary hate gets over powered by the sibling bond that you share.
Or that's how it's supposed to play out at least. Other factors sometimes take hold.
Greed. Disloyalty. Jealousy.
These driving factors cause the hate to actually increase over time, blinding the siblings into forgetting where they came from. The childhood that they shared, the insane adversity (adversity at levels that I don't believe I could've been successful in) that they battled through, and the beautiful moments of family and love that thrive when there is no animosity between each other.
The siblings also forget that they are adults. That they have children to think of. In a weird plot twist, it isn't unusual that the children (aka the cousins), may act more mature than the adults. It isn't the adults' fault; hate has blinded them so strongly, and unfortunately, weakening one sense doesn't tremendously empower your other senses like in super hero movies. But this is why it is important to learn history in the classrooms, as we are taught to try to learn from past experiences and to avoid having the same disastrous results.
Which is why my sister and I have vowed to never let money, in-laws, or material things get in the way of our relationship.
And why my sister and I remain extremely close to our cousins, despite any family drama that may occur.
The lesson in all this is that you can't forget where you came from and the siblings that you grew up with, the ones who share the same DNA and blood as you. In the end, you are fighting over things that don't matter in the grand scheme of things. If you are religious, do you think there is a greater chance of you getting into Heaven if God sees that you have more money than some one else? Do you value your brothers and sisters, or can you live without talking to them for months, possibly years, at a time?
But most importantly, do you ever think of your parents? Would they approve of this? You really gotta ask yourself this and do some self-analysis.
Please just keep an open mind towards others, and learn how to forgive and move on.
Thanks.
Erick Julian
But sometimes, division is the last thing you want.
A family divided is probably the saddest and one of the most life-numbing experiences one can go through. In this world, where the ultimate meaning of life is unknown (but there are thousands of different theories..that's a topic for another day), you are blessed with a few things in life. Shelter, food, friends, and, most importantly, family. You need to keep loved ones close to you, no matter what the circumstances are.
For a quick sidenote, always, ALWAYS, respect your parents. And if you're parents aren't alive anymore, do them justice, ask yourself if your mom or dad would approve of your actions, and keep their honor.
Brothers and sisters are special: you grow up with them, go through good times of laughter, hard times of anger, yet in the end, they will still be your sibling. They entered the world through the same womb as you did. Sometimes fights can go too far, I've experienced this with my sister before. Tears may be shed, unkind, but mostly unmeant, curse words may be screamed, and in the heat of the moment, hate may take hold. But time simmers heat eventually, and that temporary hate gets over powered by the sibling bond that you share.
Or that's how it's supposed to play out at least. Other factors sometimes take hold.
Greed. Disloyalty. Jealousy.
These driving factors cause the hate to actually increase over time, blinding the siblings into forgetting where they came from. The childhood that they shared, the insane adversity (adversity at levels that I don't believe I could've been successful in) that they battled through, and the beautiful moments of family and love that thrive when there is no animosity between each other.
The siblings also forget that they are adults. That they have children to think of. In a weird plot twist, it isn't unusual that the children (aka the cousins), may act more mature than the adults. It isn't the adults' fault; hate has blinded them so strongly, and unfortunately, weakening one sense doesn't tremendously empower your other senses like in super hero movies. But this is why it is important to learn history in the classrooms, as we are taught to try to learn from past experiences and to avoid having the same disastrous results.
Which is why my sister and I have vowed to never let money, in-laws, or material things get in the way of our relationship.
And why my sister and I remain extremely close to our cousins, despite any family drama that may occur.
The lesson in all this is that you can't forget where you came from and the siblings that you grew up with, the ones who share the same DNA and blood as you. In the end, you are fighting over things that don't matter in the grand scheme of things. If you are religious, do you think there is a greater chance of you getting into Heaven if God sees that you have more money than some one else? Do you value your brothers and sisters, or can you live without talking to them for months, possibly years, at a time?
But most importantly, do you ever think of your parents? Would they approve of this? You really gotta ask yourself this and do some self-analysis.
Please just keep an open mind towards others, and learn how to forgive and move on.
Thanks.
Erick Julian
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
My Epiphany
I was sitting in the back of my 3:30 class, as I did every Tuesday. I was jotting down notes as well as I could..or as well as I thought I could. The professor was lecturing to a class of about 30 college students, all of whom seemed to understand everything she was saying. Everyone except for me that is. This class was pretty important. Maybe even..major. (See what I did there? Oh yeah, I was an accounting major less than 50 days ago.)
This was Intermediate Accounting.
This class was known for being the top of the mountain for accounting classes. Except when you reach the top, you look up and realize God built another mountain on TOP of said mountain. One of my advisors once asked me how I was doing in this class. I said I was doing "okay." And he said, "great! It's all uphill from here!"
Now maybe you understand the importance of this class. Let's go back to that 3:30 class on Tuesday:
I stopped taking my notes. I realized..what the hell am I writing these notes down for? I don't understand any of this. I sat back in my chair. Scanned the room. Looked at the people around me and searched for an answer inside my cloudy brain. I didn't know why I was there. First of all, I hate numbers. I hate math. I hate crunching numbers. I hate math. I hate doing equations and memorizing them. Also, I hate math.
Second of all, I never really put that much effort when I was deciding my major. Both my parents are accountants. Hell, even my sister is an accountant! My whole life, I was surrounded by that environment, imagine that. When it came time to choose my major, the choice seemed easy. My parentals never pressured me, but it just seemed like the path my life was destined for. Ha, looks like destiny belongs in movies and this year's NBA Finals.
Time to fast forward in the interest of time. It took about a month of thinking, questioning myself, listening to others' opinions, and, best of all, getting excited. My plan was to switch my major to English, something I LOVED studying, while pursuing a track in Pre-Law.
Let me tell you now. This is the first time, EVER, in my life that I've been excited about any sort of education. I'm motivated like never before. I say that in complete honesty.
I've given you the start and end of my epiphany and choice to change majors. The real fun is when I reminisce about some heart to hearts I've had with multiple people about this subject. Please check back again.
And thank you for reading.
Erick Julian
This was Intermediate Accounting.
This class was known for being the top of the mountain for accounting classes. Except when you reach the top, you look up and realize God built another mountain on TOP of said mountain. One of my advisors once asked me how I was doing in this class. I said I was doing "okay." And he said, "great! It's all uphill from here!"
Now maybe you understand the importance of this class. Let's go back to that 3:30 class on Tuesday:
I stopped taking my notes. I realized..what the hell am I writing these notes down for? I don't understand any of this. I sat back in my chair. Scanned the room. Looked at the people around me and searched for an answer inside my cloudy brain. I didn't know why I was there. First of all, I hate numbers. I hate math. I hate crunching numbers. I hate math. I hate doing equations and memorizing them. Also, I hate math.
Second of all, I never really put that much effort when I was deciding my major. Both my parents are accountants. Hell, even my sister is an accountant! My whole life, I was surrounded by that environment, imagine that. When it came time to choose my major, the choice seemed easy. My parentals never pressured me, but it just seemed like the path my life was destined for. Ha, looks like destiny belongs in movies and this year's NBA Finals.
Time to fast forward in the interest of time. It took about a month of thinking, questioning myself, listening to others' opinions, and, best of all, getting excited. My plan was to switch my major to English, something I LOVED studying, while pursuing a track in Pre-Law.
Let me tell you now. This is the first time, EVER, in my life that I've been excited about any sort of education. I'm motivated like never before. I say that in complete honesty.
I've given you the start and end of my epiphany and choice to change majors. The real fun is when I reminisce about some heart to hearts I've had with multiple people about this subject. Please check back again.
And thank you for reading.
Erick Julian
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