Dear Friend
Tuesday, September 04, 2007You know who you are.
Look, I have nothing against you nor I have anything against Iglesia ni Cristo people. And frankly, I don't even give a damn about your religion.
You don't understand me because you are born and raised as an INC and I suspect you would even die an INC. Since you were young, you were taught tirelessly by the people around you that God is good, God is the omni-everything in this world, and that when the world comes to and end, you would have an eternal bliss. You would not feel pain nor suffering. And God himself will welcome you with arms wide open to His kingdom in heaven. But, if you aren't one from those few chosen people, you would drown in the rain of fire, when the world comes to an end. You would cry endlessly in pains of burnt. All you would hear are the screaming voices of people in agony of the same fate you are facing. The blood the comes our of your cuts would never heal. You will witness your very body slowing rotting away as the worms eat your flesh slowly. Ah... err... *ahem* I think, I went a little too far there. But you get the idea. To make it simpler, you would feel exactly how chickens feels when you try to barbecue them alive.
Anyway, back to what I was saying, since you were a child, you were taught things like that. Unlike you, I wasn't originally born a Christian. I was a Buddhist originally. In fact, according to my grandmother, she made me a godchild of her bodhisattva, Guan Yin. My grandmother is a faithful follower of her and drags me to temples every time. Every single day at 6 pm, I got up at the small temple built at the top of our house to pray to her. But then sometimes, you have to grow up and decide for yourself. You have to learn to be on your own. You have to believe in things you believe and not because you were brainwashed that way.
Did you even once had the initiative to question what is given to you? You're like a child being given a bottle of acid and drank it straight without even knowing what it was or asking if you could drink it. So I lack the faith, huh? Then I would have to correct you there. It's not that "I lack the faith", rather, "I don't have it" in the first place. Also, you don't have that right to tell me that I lack faith. Someone who just say yes and nods their heads always in agreement to what an elder or a pastor says, who has never even doubted or questioned what he believes in, who never even think or feel if they are even right or wrong has no such right to tell people who arrived at their conclusion that they are wrong.
In my opinion, there was never right or wrong. It's all about acceptance of what each of us believes in. Why does the fact of me being an atheist bothers you so much as to try to "rebuke" me in the most senseless manner? I am shutting my mouth up for that fact that I am an atheist. But, it doesn't mean that I am denying the fact that I am one nor it means that I wouldn't rebuke you. It doesn't bother me that you are an INC, a Born Again Christian, an Evangelist, a Wiccan, a Satanist or whatever. Why would it bother me anyway? Bluntly, who the hell do you think you even are so that I would need to be bothered? O_o
Just a friendly advise, friend, you keep your God to yourself and put Him out again if the topic arises or when someone asks you. For a fact, I am not even asking. I am actually not even interested. If you believe in the existence of God, then so be it. You don't have to rub it to me that your God exists. I don't believe that your God exist nor any other gods exists. I believe that God merely exists because people wanted him to, people needed him to. God is a proof of our existence. But we are not proof of His existence. And that;s my opinion, and I'm not rubbing it to you.
27 comments
To make it simpler, you would feel exactly how chickens feels when you try to barbecue them alive.
ReplyDelete:eek: What kind of heartless bastard barbecues chickens alive? :sad:
para kanino itong post? sinong INC? a significant friend of yours ba?
ReplyDeleteSorry naputol yun comment ko, I dont know if this is a perfect timing to tell my own story naman since I am a Christian. I was born Roman Catholic but just as you said, time will come you will grow up and ask questions. I chose and decided to turn leave Roman Catholic. I am now a born-again Christian and Im very happy with it.
ReplyDeleteI believe in God not only because it has been thought to me since I was a child, but because of so many miracles that happened to me and my family that no human mind can in fact explain all that happened, I believe it can only come from someone supreme. Someone beyond what humans can do. Someone who is loving and kind.
I have testified this to Shari's blog, and maybe, I can repeat this here again.
My mom was a recipient of instant healing from cancer 20 years ago. No doctors could explain what happened.
I too was a recipient of instant healing. I was a survivor of H-Fever. My mom thought she would lost me for good, but because of God's grace, I managed to live and survive.
Marami pang ibang miracles pero yan 2 pinaka mabigat na nangyari sa buhay namin.
Yun lang po... sorry if this may irritate you. You may delete or edit this if you want :)
I think this is just an issue of close-mindedness... people need to open their minds to reality, NOT EVERYONE IS LIKE YOU... and it's rather unwise for that person to instil his/her views to you or to anyone else. A fatal blow if you ask me. They just have to accept that there would be certain people who would not see things the way they do... and things that may differ doesn't necessarily mean that it is wrong. (and so we go with the, what may be right to me may or may not be right to you as well... bla bla bla)
ReplyDeleteOh and if anyone asks, I'm not an Athiest. In fact, I'm a Roman Catholic and honestly... I have the faith (obviously) but it's not as strong as it how it used to be.
I hate the kind of people that belive there is only one way and if you don't follow that way you're damned and will burn in hell. That's the sad thing about many religions. That the people following them actually believes that they and they only are right and everyone who doesn't agree are damned. I think that if there is a god, if maybe there actually is a god then he loves us all. No matter if we call ourselves atheists, buddhists or christians.
ReplyDelete@ joyfulchicken ~
ReplyDeletePoor us...
@ Ems ~
Some old friend.
*hugs*
ReplyDeleteif we will believe in every religions thinking (that you can't reach heaven lest you're in their religion) then no one could ever reach heaven.
ReplyDeleteno one could ever tell someone what he/she will choose to believe in. everyone may suggest but no one can insist. sometimes, those religious sects (line INC for example) only makes someone choose instead not to believe in God because of the way they treat "non-believers." It just sucks!
I 100% agree when the author said..
You don't understand me because you are born and raised as an INC and I suspect you would even die an INC. Since you were young, you were taught
You can't call yourself a believer when you haven't doubted but have proved in the first place. And for everyone's information, I'm a Roman Catholic. I may not believe 100% in my church's teaching but I know God exists and his mere existence is the reason for everything that's happening.
i don't have a problem with u being an aetheist even if i'm a strong believer of God. i mean, u made ur choice, i made mine - we have our own reasons. i think it comes down to a matter of respecting each other's belief. :)
ReplyDeleteHear hear!
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow atheist, I completely get where you're coming from. But possibly getting carried away with the flesh-eating worms there? XD XD
What's an INC by the way?
I have no 'faith' myself either. Not Atheist, just not choosing any sides yet. It's kind of hard when originally my people were being killed and controlled to turn to Catholicism just because Spaniards thought the Aztec gods were fake. Ok, they were, considering we didn't need human sacrifice for the sun to rise everyday, but that's just my point. No matter how smart a group of people are it doesn't mean they can and are right about everything. Growing up I was always taught to be a good Catholic follower but realizing that the basis of the religion is practically what you described - be extremely good or burn forever. I don't refuse the 'reality' of it, I just find the extremes to be like restraining a 5 year old who's been misbehaving.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to define of being 'open-minded' considering everyone has their own level of security with different issues. So when someone says that they really mean being open-minded to their own perceptions, not universally.
If I were to go with my family history I would probably be believing my creator was Quetzalcoatl not God. It's funny just thinking I could have been created from a deity found in Final Fantasy games. :grin: :lmao:
Katharine,
ReplyDeleteIt's short for Iglesia ni Cristo (Body of Christ). It's religion classified under Christianity.
Umiinit na naman si Euri :P
ReplyDeleteI wonder why some people can't comprehend the fact that people living in this world have different tastes and beliefs. I'm a Roman Catholic guy, but I'm not as dedicated as I was before. But that doesn'
ReplyDeleteI wonder why some people can't comprehend the fact that people living in this world have different tastes and beliefs. I'm a Roman Catholic guy, but I'm not as dedicated as I was before. But that doesn't mean that I can't get along or respect a person, whatever he believes and doesn't belief in.
ReplyDeleteI believe in my God, but I don't believe in religion. What has religion brought to this world that can be verified by concrete evidence? Wars and death, where is the logic in that? People should have tolerance, to be able to understand that other persons also have beliefs of their own. How would you feel if I started shooting you because you don't belong to my faith? diba Euri ;)
ReplyDeletewould you mind terribly if I used your thoughts in the text you submitted as lyrics to create a new song?
ReplyDeletebrgds
Morten @ Tainted Souls
Gah. I hate it when that happens. I am a Catholic myself, born and raised in a religious family. Suffering consequences when I don't join the family to mass every Sunday. For 16 years I lived like that. Hating the fact that I am FORCED to do such things. I mean, heck? When I go to church, I don't even pay attention to what the priest says! Going to church every Sunday does not make me a better Catholic. Grr. So now, I am starting to become an atheist... slowly. (Especially after reading all about existentialism. LOL) I still believe in the possibility that God does exist but I certainly do not believe in everything my religion teaches. I will believe what I want to believe. I admire you a lot. People who cannot respect the belief of others should burn in hell. Hehe.
ReplyDeleteMorten of Tainted Souls,
ReplyDeleteUsing my thoughts and point of view to make a song would be a great honor for me. You don't have to give me credit. After all, you just used me as an inspiration.
Philip: LOL wag kang paapekto. Kung papaano mo kami inignore for years. Ganoon na lang gawin mo sa kanila.
ReplyDeleteChette: Aiyah...-_-
The problem with overly zealous people. They forget that the world is so diverse.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't have said it better.
ReplyDeleteTips imaginary hat on one comment: So you mean to say that because you failed to explain the foundations of what has happened...you resort to making yourself believe that it was a miracle?
In the first place, that was how religions were created. Because they couldn't succeed on explaining various things. And this, I believe, is a great weakness of human beings.
I don't like people too when they rub it about their religion and God. -.-
ReplyDeleteWhat irks me more, they try to convince you of their beliefs.
Trying to rid my love for yaoi.. I mean c'mon that's too much.
Pati ba naman interests ko. XD
I dont know what Chette and Philip said..... Best Guess would be its pseudo-private msg to Euri.... But I doubt they think they and Euri are the only philipinos who visit here :P
ReplyDeletePhilip,
ReplyDeleteI don't want to ignore him. I, at least, want to let him know what I have to say. He's also not "getting into me," it's but a mere explanation of my side. Although at the same time, I also wanted to kick some sense into him and let him know that his reasoning is self-centered. If he didn't get it, it's not my problem anymore, is it? However, in your case, kicking some sense into you guys is a futile attempt. Frankly, it's a total waste of time and effort since you wont be listening anyway. Therefore, my best option is to shut my up and just leave you two alone.
PS: I am not provoking you, okay? I'm just being truthful. Besides, why the heck would I trouble myself anyway?
James,
Let me translate those to you:
Chette: Umiinit na naman si Euri :P
Euri's getting pissed. (Literally, it's Euri's getting hot.)
Philip: LOL wag kang paapekto. Kung papaano mo kami inignore for years. Ganoon na lang gawin mo sa kanila.
Don't let it get to you. Just ignore them like you ignored us for years.
"Euri's getting pissed. (Literally, it's Euri's getting hot.)"
ReplyDeleteHahahahaha!.
The world is full of people who are too narrow minded to realize that tolerance is the key to peace - not religion. Religion or rather extremism in religion is the cause of ritual sacrifices in some ancient beliefs, the christian crusades, the salem witch hunts, and most recently, the wave of extreme islam bombings. If God only really wanted to make the world a better place, he'd remove religion altogether.
^ Should NOT be "Evil Priest." Should be, "Perverted Priest"
ReplyDelete:grin: