Sameh, 16, has documented the lives of a family who have been living in a tent for five years in the West Bank.
Yesterday evening I copied 2 articles off the internet regarding Israel and Palestine, I did this because I can honestly say that I really do not have any idea of the DETAILS of what is going on in the area.In the words of the great Keith Allen-THANK GOD I AM AN ATHEIST(well in my case a humanist!).
My family seems to be an equal mix of Catholic and other Christian religions, with friends who are Muslim, Wiccan(do you say Wicca or Wiccan!) and other Earth related religions so I am adequately aware of what is going on out there in certain religious communities but I wasn't really prepared for what I read about religion within the context of the Middle East.My mind is such that what is going on just does not make sense and I cannot seem to make sense of what people are doing.
When I did go to church, the actual doctrine seemed to be in my brain but at the far reaches as I didn't want to have to confront it because it didn't make sense.So what did matter for me? A supreme being that loved us and cared about us-Living a good and productive life and helping others AND REALLY that was about it.
My feelings haven't really changed since I have become a humanist. I do not believe in a supreme being which is because I cannot prove this supernatural being exists (If I could prove then I would be different)BUT I do believe in living a good and productive life and helping others.Surely living a good and productive life and helping others should be the main focus of your life whatever religion you are?And I really do not mean this in a Look at me, Look at me in a goody 2 shoes kind of way. Just in a THIS IS WHO I AM kind of way.Some of the best people I know go to church, to the synagogue or to the mosque or even strip naked and dance under the full moon(with my fat-never going to happen) but some of the best people I know also do none of the above.
I cannot believe that a supreme being would want us to hurt each other in the way that we are, it's just not right.
3 comments:
Organized religions just feed into man's latent need to be superior. They also feed into man's unfortunate penchant for xenophobia. I'm sure that any supreme being would be nonplussed that we need an organized religion at all and his/her response would be: why do you need all that divisive ceremony and ritual to talk to me when I am right here?
I'm not sure how to respond to this.
Just wanted to say I'm back from vacation.
(waving hello from Chgo)
I never was a 'good' Christian even when I went to church because my mind just couldn't sort out what was going on in the world and accept that God would make everything OK.
However, I may not be a Christian now but I am glad for those out there who have religion/spirituality in their lives and it is a positive thing.
I have a mind that cannot remember the name for example of a CAR or a bottle, or any other randomly ordinary word but after 21 years of going to church I can tell you God's thoughts on any subject. I can quote from the Bible on most things.
Don't get me wrong, if God is true I would be thrilled for all those good people who believed in him or even those good people who didn't(see C S Lewis' The Final Battle).
It isn't the good people who confuse me or scare me.
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