Issue 493 Are pets worth it? December 29, 2014

A pet is a commitment.  For those who know, a pet can be equivalent to raising a second child.  So here and now I will tell you why pets are the best thing to happen to a person.

The love they show:  A pet as I stated is a commitment. You raise them with love and care for they are your friends who do not judge you based on your habits, your vices, or your problems.  They support you when you are said, and they comfort you when you are sick.  Some would argue that people should not have a pet because of the pain of losing a pet in the first place.  However, that pain you feel is love.  You cherish the memories of the animal you cared for, and that cared about you in return.  How could all the memories with your pet not be worth it in the end?  Sure they can stink, eat like no tomorrow and poo sometimes on the carpet, but those are all part of the memories you remember about your pet.  For a child growing up, a pet is a great starter for them learning responsibility, all the while having a supporting friend.  So pets are worth it.

Conclusion:  I dedicate this issue to my cat Cassie.  She was with me for 16 long years, and passed away from pancreatic cancer a few weeks ago.  She was with me through my first and second girlfriend, and when I struggled with bullies at school.  Cassie simply came up to me whenever I felt sad so as to comfort me as much as she could, because she somehow saw me as family.  I miss her greatly, but I would not change anything with respect to her being in my life.  

Issue 492 Jesus Sacrifice December 26, 2014

I just felt like there was one aspect missing from our celebration of Jesus's birth.  That aspect was why he was given to us by God in the first place.  Allow me to tell you for those who do not know.

The why:  Jesus was given to us by God so that he could act as a sacrifice for mankind.  This is the whole reason why we celebrate his birth, death and resurrection.  The man known as Jesus knew that he was going to die in a very painful way, and if you read the Bible, you would know that even Jesus knew fear.  But Jesus with Gods will and support was sacrificed so that the souls of the departed can enter heaven based on how they lived their lives as individuals.  You see, past salvation was based on the collective whole, but Jesus died for the individual.  Jesus’s covenant with God allows us to be judged independent of one another.  At the same time Jesus also died so that we may achieve a kind of death and rebirth once baptized.  The baptism was and is the mark of the covenant for following generations of people so that they too may be part of this covenant with God. 

Conclusion:  These are the reasons Jesus died for us.  He was a selfless sacrifice from God and from Jesus himself for the blessing of all of mankind.  So let us never forget this sacrifice so long as we live.

Issue 491 Merry Christmas December 25, 2014

Well my readers.  Thank you for reading again this year.  Without you I probably would have ceased bothering to post.  So I mean it when I say:

 Merry Christmas and have a happy and healthy holiday.

See you all tomorrow :)

Issue 490 Santa and Christmas December 24, 2014

Ok, I may not be the first to tell you, or realize, but Christmas has been completely transformed from a religious holiday to a commercialized fiasco.  Now let us discuss.

The degradation of the day:  Well, for one, Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  Yes, I know, some of you are like he actually was not born on that day and what not, but July 4th is not the actual independence day of America either.  So suck it up.  The entire concept behind gift giving comes in part from the notion that God gave us Jesus as a gift to his children so that they each may achieve salvation.  From their the real Saint Nicholas would many, many years later give out gifts in part to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  At that point the tradition of gift giving as a selfless act became a key component of the holiday.  Essentially, Christmas became even greater as it was about selflessly showing each other love with no expectation of a return gift.   However, Santa got a makeover.  For the first time, Santa was commercialized by Thomas Nast and further by companies like Coca-Cola to sell brands and products.  As time went on, many forgot that the day was to celebrate Jesus's birth and instead we see numerous images of children being laden with huge quantities of gifts on television.  But is that the right thing to do.  A holiday of selflessness has turned into a holiday of selfishness.  As such, I am concerned about the wellbeing of both the reason for celebrating and even the original intentions of the original Santa Claus(s) (as there are many people who contributed to this legend).

Conclusion:  I hope that we can separate the commercial aspect from the true meaning of Christmas.  I for one may not go to Church often, but I believe in God and give thanks for God and Jesus on every Christmas day.  So I write this as a reminder to everyone so that they will remember the true meaning and value of Christmas.

Issue 489 The Church is stagnant December 23, 2014

Well, have you ever felt that when you are in Church that you are simply following the motions without thinking?  Have you seen the members of your church dwindle?  Well, it is because of the same reason, the Church has become stagnant and thus people do not feel the need to go anymore.  So rather than say why the Church has become stale, I would like to discuss with you how to liven it up.  So let us begin.

Ideas to improve the Church:  

1) Music:  There are different mediums to music that can enhance the church going experience, but only so many can get you to voluntarily get up on your feet and dance.  What I propose here is that we copy a little bit of the Christian music the Baptists use so as to get everyone revved up and into the happenings of the Church.  It does not even have to be all chorus either, but a variety of music.  

2) Use the actual Bible:   I have noticed that when I do go to Church that we are not reading directly from the Bible.  This to me has not really sat well with me as it felt like we were not hearing the word of God directly.  I really cannot express the feeling well enough to describe it in words, but it just felt wrong to me.  So instead, I propose using an actual Bible when doing readings from the Gospels.  In fact, let people use their own Bibles to read from so that they get that personal feeling when readings are done.  Also, let someone other than the Priest read the Bible in the same way my Church has someone who volunteers to do the reading every Sunday.  Thus it allows people to become more involved in the mass.

3) Embrace discussions:  Set aside time to actually discuss and debate the readings and the Gospel that was read at mass that day.  Basically, let the congregation debate the morals and teachings with the Priest being the moderator.  In fact, the members of the congregation can be encouraged to bring their pens/pencils with their Bibles so that they can make notations in the Bible themselves on where our rights come from or to clarify what Jesus'/God's message is.  Again this gets people more involved in their faith and helps them find the answers they are looking for from God. 

4) Sunday mass as an all-day thing:  In the past, mass on Sunday was all day affair.  So why not bring that back.  Each Sunday the Church can hold a potluck type lunch for the congregation.  So mass would begin at around 10 and stop for an intermission around 12, and then pick up again at about 130, and finish at 3pm.  Thus, this would allow members of the church a break and also have time for all these other suggestions.  This also provides time for more one on one type sessions with fellow members of the congregation to discuss the happenings in the Church as well.

Conclusion:  I believe that all these will enhance the Church going experience and allow the Church to become a place for conversations on morality, law and news.  The Church has always been meant to be a community gathering place that people can go to, to be with one another while embracing one's faith.  It has lost that ability as masses became shorter to accommodate the faster pace of life, but can become something more if allowed to freely embrace different methods of enhancing people’s desire to worship.  

Issue 488 The Pope is not divine December 22, 2014

Well, I am not done with controversial topics.  In this case I will be taking on the notion that the Pope has no divine power at all.  So let us begin.

Evidence:  For one, historically speaking there were sometimes multiple Popes.  A divine Pope would exist in isolation with no others in existence for the others can contradict what God was instructing his faithful to do.  Also, Popes from one generation would not be contradictory to one another.  For instance, issues such as gay's being accepted into heaven is a recent change.  Also, I feel that if they truly believed in God's message through Jesus, then they would be against government provided healthcare and instead provide it themselves.  I cannot say war is part of the evidence because in the bible, war was endorsed many times through God.  But I can say that the faiths are run by men.  When we die, the Church does not ascend with us.  However, some Popes and other clerics talk as if the Church is the begin all end all with respect to God, belief and dogma.  Therefore, because of these inconsistencies, I believe the Pope is not divine.  

Conclusion:  Rather than say we get divine Popes, I believe God guides us toward leaders who have a piece of guiding light for all of us to follow.  In short, God points out the right people to lead at the right time so that we are awakened from our stagnant beliefs and ill will toward our fellow man.  So I do not mind that the Pope is not divine so long as I continue to have the right to disagree with what the Pope says or does without recourse.

Issue 487 My personal beliefs: Abortion December 19, 2014

Ok, this is the second of the two in this miniseries so that you my readers can get the gist on where I come from on certain issues.  In this case I will tackle the controversial issue of abortion.  So let us begin.

What I know about abortion:  For one, the fetus inside the womb is a baby.  We all know that if nothing goes wrong, that the fertilized egg will develop into a fully formed baby.  The reason why abortion is allowed only in the first two to three months (with certain exceptions) is because according to science, the brain is not fully formed.  Thus, the developing infant is not considered sentient yet.  

Aside from the biological aspect, the majority of abortions do not occur with first time mothers, but from moms who do not want a second child.  In addition, people are much more educated on abortion than other alternatives such as adoption which has some black marks of its own due to foster care scandals which override the facts that adoption is just as viable an alternative.  I also understand that abortion clinics is a for-profit industry, and thus subject to the same corruptions as any business or corporation (hence why I believe it should only be able to be performed in a hospital via a specialist).  

As to the burdens the mother may carry.  The moms may be impoverished, or they may be a victim of rape.  But there are also circumstances like the woman's life being in danger, and family pressures.  So the woman faces a lot when making this decision.  But it is also true that if a woman was to lose the baby due to someone assaulting her in a criminal act then the criminal would be charged with murder in most States for the death of the unborn infant.  So the situation on abortion is somewhat hypocritical.

What I believe:  I personally am against abortion.  I do not like the idea of it, but at the same time I cannot stop it from happening.  It is not a woman's right to be able to have an abortion because they are taking the life of a child, but they do have the right to privacy when it comes to the procedure being done via a doctor.  Thus, this debate on abortion is kind of circular.  If it came to me (if I was a women) then I would not get an abortion.  But if I got a women pregnant and she wanted an abortion, I would be on my hands and knees begging her to have the baby and then turn custody of the baby over to me once born.  And even in that situation, I know that I could do nothing really to stop her.  I do not know what I would do in the case of a women being pregnant and her life being in danger because of it, and I pray that I never find out.  Over all, I am pro-life, but I know that the only thing I can do is express my own beliefs and hope that the country continues to move forward toward a more pro-life direction (about 57% of the country is pro-life and supposedly growing in numbers).

Conclusion:  So this is what I know and what I believe on abortion.  If you notice that whenever I mention the unborn child I make reference to the child being a baby.  This demonstrates my values and belief in the fact that life begins at conception.  I hope you enjoyed this article and my being honest with you.