RELIGION > IGNORANCE

Over the past few days, a video titled “Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus” has been circulating nearly every social media platform known to mankind. I saw it posted by many of my Christian friends who are in support of the video and what is being said in it. It took quite a few reposts to peak my interest, but once I watched, my jaw hit the floor.

I am 110% offended by this video. In my opinion, Jeffrey Bethke makes a mockery of the teachings of Jesus Christ, for I do not believe that you can claim to hate religion and love Jesus in the same breath without making a complete fool of yourself. Bethke had a point to get across, which I am aware of what that point was. I am here to say that he did not effectively communicate his opinion. He convoluted the English language, used a few pretty rhymes, & spewed hatred towards millions of people both past and present. Instead of taking these issues up with Christian leaders who are not effectively teaching the Christian faith, Bethke chose a path of self-righteousness that not only humiliates himself, but sends a message of ignorance and delusion.

First and foremost, let’s define religion. Religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe. Religion is the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices. Religion is commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.(Webster) Pick up a dictionary and you will discover that religion is a very large beast. Religion can have everything to do with God and nothing at all. This is not a contradictory statement. This is fact.

Religion is the basis of intellectual thought for many. It is the moment when one realizes that they are not alone in their spirituality. These individuals then institutionalize this idea and it becomes religion. Religion is an order. Religion has rules, constraints, laws, and practices. Religion is created by men who have the passion & the hunger for more answers, for a better way of life, for more community, more fellowship, more accountability. Religion encompasses billions of people, thousands of belief systems, hundreds of Gods. It defines, provides, and inspires.Can religion influence wars? Absolutely. Can religion be misconstrued into a radical form of itself and become harmful? Absolutely. I am not arguing that religion is 100% positive. Some religions are full of hate & can be harmful to its followers. However, religion is not the root of the world’s problems. Our problems stem from hatred, greed, selfishness, jealousy, miscommunication - HUMAN EMOTION.

Bethke states that Jesus came to abolish religion, which is not a factual statement. Quite the opposite, my friends. Jesus came to fulfill the Law & Prophets (Matthew 5:17), not abolish them. Christianity did not exist before Jesus. Man created Christianity, which by definition is a religion. Man created the bible, which is the basis of the Christian religion. Jesus' disciples educated and informed others on who Jesus Christ was, why he was here, & what he did for the world for the sake of breaking away from the Jewish tradition so they themselves could freely practice their religion. Jesus Christ was the foundation of this religion. Without these men institutionalizing this idea, that Jesus was the son of God, a divine man, who spoke of love & kindness, ultimately dying on the cross for our sins so we could lead better lives - if this very religion did not exist, Bethke would not know Jesus Christ.

If it weren’t for religion, Bethke would not know Jesus.

The video’s title should have been, “Why I hate the immoral and unethical decisions that some religious leaders are making but love Jesus” or “Why I hate the evolution of Christianity but love Jesus” or maybe, “Why I love my religion and hate yours”. The latter seems to be what he is trying to say.

Jesus’ entire reason for existence was to preach love. If more of us practiced what Jesus preached, we might all be in a better situation than we find ourselves in today. However, believing in Jesus, trusting in God, & studying the bible does not give you the right to judge others, especially others’ religion. Judgment harbors hatred, negativity, jealousy, & greed. Judgment is what abolishes respect for not only yourself, but your neighbor.

Maybe next time Jeffrey Bethke can make a video about how love & faith can positively affect people. Sure, it won’t be as controversial, but atleast it will be based on fact.

Furthermore, we all know that voting republican does not make you a Christian. Unfortunately, this man is unaware that believing that Jesus is the son of God, who died for your sins, but was resurrected from the dead to accept his followers into heaven does make you a Christian. Christianity is a monotheistic religion based around this entire principle. It really ends there.

Maybe someone should inform him of his religion.

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EDIT//Another great post written concerning the contradictions of Bethke's video. Please see here. It is truly a great read, and written by a Christian.

This message brought to you by an atheist (by definition) who will fight for religion & science until the end of time because yes, they both have a place in this world.

A Word On : GIRLFRIENDS

A Word On : Girlfriends (my girlfriends)

I truly believe that girlfriends are the salt of the earth. The bee's knees. The cat's pajamas.

I consider the women in my life to be my soulmates. A romantic love will never replace the love that I get from my girlfriends. A man's love will never trump the love that these ladies have for me.

& vice versa. These women are the loves of my life. & what a better thing to do than introduce a few of them to you since you'll be seeing alot of their faces this summer.

Lauren. My dear Lauren. Every August we celebrate another year of being bestfriends. We met in 5th grade when we signed up to do a 3 legged race together for Field Day. I used to write about Lauren in my diary. I wanted so badly for her to like me because I thought she was cool. & I was right. We're on year 13 of bestfriendship. I call her the original hipster. She's a minimalist. A floater. The hippie of the group. Her record collection trumps your grandpa's. She's seen more of Europe than I'll ever dream of seeing. She has the biggest heart & a fire inside of her that will never die. She'll probably live to be a 110 & I can't wait to grow old with her.

Kayla...or Kay as she is better known. Kayla is me. Me if I were trapped in the body of a Ralph Lauren wearing, Burberry obsessed, blonde bombshell. She is the smartest girl I know & somehow still manages to question everything because she has to know everything. I laugh more with her than with anyone. She is my other half, if such a thing existed. Where I fail, she succeeds. What I question, she has the answers for. She is so much alike me in mind & spirit, yet we're complete opposites on the outside. Funny how that works.

Shanda. She's my wing man. The artist of the group and jokingly, the pessimist. She's real. & loves real talk. She's not afraid to tell you what's up & bring you back to Earth. & let's be honest...my thoughts are rarely on earth. We question when we became friends exactly, but my first memory of Shanda is in 2nd grade. We attended a pool party together. She wore two swimsuits because she's a swimmer & that's what they do. (We wonder about that now...). She's got a bangin' body & an amazing eye for art. She studied print making in college. Hello, jealous much? I am.

The four of us have been bestfriends for half of our lives (if not more in the case of Shanda & I). I realize how truly blessed I am every time the four of us are together. We have been through absolutely everything together.

I have many other amazing girls in my life. I could go on forever but this post would be hours long! I imagine I'll have about 10 bridesmaids at my wedding. I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones.

Today, I'm Free. {A word on: Life}

via weheartit

It's rare when I wake up feeling completely refreshed. World War III breaks out every time that alarm clock jolts me to consciousness. "What will today bring? How will I deal? Why am I so tired? Why do I feel so defeated? I wonder if he texted me...No he didn't. How come? Why do I feel so disconnected from everyone? Why is it so quiet? Is the sun up? What on earth am I going to wear? I feel like barfing. Maybe I can call in sick? Will I get in trouble? Why do I feel so terrible? I don't feel pretty. I definitely don't look pretty. I hate my clothes. I hate my hair..." These thoughts completely consume me 24/7. TWENTY FOUR SEVEN, PEOPLE. I think the question I ask myself most is "Am I crazy?"

The answer is no. (I think I'm just slightly moody, prone to depression & maybe a little edgy, self righteous, & judgemental. No big deal.)

This morning was different though. I woke up feeling well-rested, renewed, peaceful, & ready to take on anything. The truth looked me square in the face this morning and I decided to shake it's hand and let go. Life is not about being in control of everything. It's not about making people like you, forcing friends to hang out with you, guilt-tripping others into caring about you. It's not about looking put together every day or saying all the right things to that cute stranger who struck up a conversation with you. It's not about eating perfectly-portioned meals or working out until your butt looks "just right." It isn't about having expensive hair products, expensive shoes, expensive cars, expensive whatever. My mind has been so cluttered with thoughts of how things SHOULD be that I forgot to care about how things ARE. I've become numb to what I actually have to work with, which is alot.

I have a family who supports me more than I've ever dreamed of. I have girlfriends who make me feel better about myself than I ever will. I have guy friends who tell me I look pretty more than a boyfriend ever has. I have a job I love that allows me to be creative, learn new things, & feel more empowered than I ever have. I am healthy. I am able. & I am surely willing to make something of this life that I've been given.

I woke up this morning with different thoughts than the night before. I woke up thinking this...

This is my one shot. To create a beautiful, fulfilling, exciting, adventure-filled life. I'm not going to achieve that life sitting around sulking about all the things that I wish I had. I may not have everything figured out but I have people in my life that care about me. They tell me. They show me. The rest will come. It will surely come.

In conclusion, I'm finished. Finished with the guilt. Finished with the dark thoughts, the self loathing, the grudges & the wounds. From now on it's up, up, up.

And I challenge you to challenge yourself to look at your world a little different. A little soul searching never hurt anyone.

Catch me if you can...

a word on : tattoos

(very old photo - circa 2008)

I get alot of questions about my tattoos both on the internet & in person. With Spring fast approaching, I thought it would be a perfect time to do a little tattoo post since some people aren't even aware that I have them until I start wearing sandals & short sleeved shirts. I have four tattoos located on my the tops of my feet, my right wrist, & my left arm.

I took the plunge to get my first tattoo at age 18 while in NYC visiting some friends. A small skull & crossbones on my right foot. It bears no deep meaning but is a great representation of my personal style & I absolutely adore it still. I had it done by an artist named Buddha at Red Rocket Tattoo. It was a great first experience, having a few hands to hold since my girlfriends came with me. The tattoo took about 15 minutes & Buddha was a great artist to have as my first. He warned me how addicted I would become to the process of getting inked. & boy was he right!

My second tattoo was done on my left foot. Most definitely the most painful one & the most painful experience of my life. It took about two hours & it was done by Kenny at Lone Wolf in Franklin, TN. He designed the whole thing by hand. I teared up a little when I saw his sketch. This tattoo is my most meaningful one for it is a tribute to my beautiful parents & family. The date of their wedding is written on a banner with their wedding rings resting above it. I got the tattoo on my mother's 50th birthday. My parents cried when they saw it. Success.

Tattoo #3 and #4 were done by John Kline at Lone Wolf again. He and I had a deep connection so I was glad that he could do both. #3 was my Audrey Kawasaki piece, based on one of my favorite drawings by her. #4 was the ouroboros on my right wrist which represents my spiritual beliefs. Tattoos #3 and #4 are incredibly meaningful to me. They're not really something I choose to explain or even enjoy explaining. I think spirituality is a personal journey & it is completely acceptable to not share every aspect of it. They're both very personal tattoo & they help me to refocus every time I look at them.

A side note: I've gotten all but one tattoo completely on my own. No one came with me or visited me in the process. I like to keep the process as sacred as possible & I don't have any plans on ever allowing someone to come with me. I like to get in the zone & get to know my artist or contemplate why on earth I do this to myself (kidding!) ;)

Now onto the nitty gritty: My parents have always been very weary of tattoos. My mother was definitely more open & accepting to them than my father. He took some convincing. His fears have always been that I would have trouble finding a job or that I would regret them later in life. He has most certainly come around & although he will never understand my tattoos, he accepts them. My parents both love asking people about their tattoos now when they have a waiter or bartender who has tattoos. I think it's their way of understanding more, which I am extremely appreciative of. My friends have always been supportive. Surprisingly, only one or two people have tattoos in my close group of friends. However, Nashville is crawling with tattoo-junkies, which makes it entirely more acceptable to have them. My hometown, Franklin, is still coming around. I receive the most stares & criticism while here. This town is as white-bread & stuck up as it gets. Luckily, criticism is not something I deal with alot though. I assume it will get worst as I get more...but maybe not since tattoos are becoming more prominent in almost every town.

I most definitely plan on getting more and hope to have a full half sleeve on my right arm one day. I also have a piece planned for my back (between my shoulder blades). All in time. Tattoos are both expensive & the pain is stressful, so I'm in no hurry! :)