Read + Write + Report
Home | Start a blog | About Orble | FAQ | Sites | Writers | Advertise | My Orble | Login

Is Utopia Religionless

August 25th 2008 16:09
What makes atheists hate religion and the religious? Bill Maher has even gone so far as to make an anti-religion movie entitled ‘Religulous’.

I am a former atheist. I do not state that fact with pride. The word ‘former’ is there for a reason. I proudly accepted Jesus as my savior seven years ago. My family is Christian, for the most part. I have two uncles who are Full Gospel preachers. When I walked away from the faith as a teenager, it hurt my loves ones, especially my mother. I never once berated them for their faith. I respected their beliefs.


Why do people find that difficult?

If you have faith in your beliefs, or lack of, then you won’t feel threatened by what others believe. Sure, we would love to convert everyone to our way of thinking, but in the end all we can do is tell others of our faith, why we believe as we do and let them decide for themselves.

I haven’t seen Maher’s film but from what I’ve heard it’s his effort to convince everyone that religion, all religions are bad. Roger Friedman of Fox News.com believes Maher’s message is “that the world would be a better place without any religions, that wars would be eliminated and there would be universal understanding.” Sounds Utopian and very unrealistic to me. Humans will behave humanly regardless of whether they believe God exists or not.
64
Vote
   


As someone who has lived both north and south of the Mason-Dixon line it’s easy for me to admit I’m proud of my southern heritage. You won’t find me flying the confederate flag though. Not because of shame for my ancestors’ part in the Civil War, but pride for the United States of America.

Confederate Battle Flag
Confederate Battle Flag
Regardless of where you stand on the issue of what the Confederate flag symbolizes, it isn’t a valid banner. It represents a turbulent period in American history, a symbol of the past. If the south had won the Civil War, they would be a country unto themselves separate from the United States of America. One of my nephews didn’t realize this fact until we spoke on the subject. To him it was a symbol of heritage, something separate from national pride.


The end of the Civil War marked a changed America. In the book Inventing America the authors state, “Americans emerged from the war with an altered idea of what their country and government meant.” The United States became a singular rather than plural entity. Displaying the Confederate flag hints at dissatisfaction with the war’s outcome.

I’m not telling anyone it’s wrong to display the Confederate flag but if you want the pride of the Confederacy to wave in the wind, you should look inward and discover the reasons why. Is it an expression of pride in southern heritage? Does it symbolize your dissatisfaction with the present government of the United States? Would you consent to fly Old Glory and the Southern Cross together and if so, which would fly above the other?
28
Vote
   


Opinions are Abundant

August 23rd 2008 15:41
What's going on in the world? This is where I will share my opinions on national and international events. Pull up a chair, listen then proceed to agree or disagree.
26
Vote
   


More Posts
3 Posts
3 Posts dating from August 2008
Email Subscription
Receive e-mail notifications of new posts on this blog:

Missy Frye's Blogs

I have no other blogs :(
Moderated by Missy Frye
Copyright © 2006 2007 2008 On Topic Media PTY LTD. All Rights Reserved. Design by Vimu.com.
On Topic Media ZPages: Sydney |  Melbourne |  Brisbane |  London |  Birmingham |  Leeds     [ Advertise ] [ Contact Us ] [ Privacy Policy ]