So I've been confused and depressed. My belief systems have been on overload and my views keep changing radically. The things in life that are most important to me now are peace and quiet. And sunlight. I decided to check my beliefs again at beliefnet.
Beliefnet has been around for me for many years. Raised a Roman Catholic, sent to Catholic school under the ironically named Sisters of Mercy, my life began in the Christian Mafia: Once you're in you can't get out. You're never an ex-Catholic. You're a Backslider or a Fallen-Away Catholic. The Catholic church holds on to your soul no matter where you go. And if you go too far you are excommunicated, that is denied the privileges of the Church. However you are still a member of the Catholic church. Just not a very good one.
Then when I was dating and going to church, my best friend was getting married. I was to be her maid of honor. I was dating her fiance's ex-brother in law (I started seeing him quite a while after his six month marriage was anulled) The father of the groom who bore weight it seemed, in the local church, told the priest in no uncertain terms that he was not to perform the sacrament if I was there. The priest, never questioning his orders, told the bride who tearfully told me I couldn't come to the wedding.
After an entire life of being a good, weekly-mass attending Catholic, I was denied the attendance of a public sacrament.
I stopped going to church.
My journey since then has taken me through other Christian organized religions: Methodist, Baptist, Episcopalian, Lutheran. I find that they all have their quirks and cliques and none of the comforatable ritualism of Catholicism.
In my studies (because I love researching new things, or more specifically oldthings) I've studied the mythologies of the Greeks and Romans. The ancient religions of the Egyptians, Norsemen, Celts, Mayans, Aztec, Inca and several North American indigenous peoples. Also the myths of Latter Day Saints, Wiccans and some Yoriba Vodun.
And when I took the Beliefnet test several years ago I came out an Orthodox Quaker. Go figure.
I've read the Bible, the Lost Books of the Bible (those thrown out by the all-knowing King James), the Apochrypha (ditto), The Gospel of Thomas and other relatively supportable ex-biblical Christian works. It's more interesting what they left out, really, then what they left in and what that says about the editors.
But the most influential thing, really, has been changing my point of view. For the past four years I've been writing fiction as a cat.
Thinking as a cat puts an entirely different spin on the world. The thinking cat sees the human as a necessary evil to its comfort. While a feral cat may live freely in the wild, hunt and kill for its survival, a domestic cat lives within a community. It gives up as little freedom as possible to be taken care of. The things people worry about: shelter, clothes, feelings, love, esteem, jobs, possessions are all things about which cats don't give a fat rat's ass. Dogs see their masters as God. Cats see their as servants.
When writing as my cat (Perry Tenitiss) I see the basic flaw in the Bible. The phrase "dominion over the earth" has to be wrong. The original translation has to say "stewardship" or "care of" or "responsibility for". God supposedly created all creatures. So why would he put such a self-centered, aggressive, wasteful, greedy, filthy species in charge of all of us? Animals take what we need. We leave the rest. Humans are destructive in their very nature. Curiosity isn't always a good thing, you know. It kills cats.
Humans aren't the smartest critters on earth, either. Whales and porpoises have much larger brains. Just because they don't build houses (don't need 'em), drive cars (again: don't need 'em) or wear protective gear to explore the vast dry areas of the earth (what the hell for?) doesn't mean they are stupid. I've seen both types of animals exhibit the most coveted of all behaviors, familial love and cooperation.
So now my thoughts have turned to the preservation of creation, all creation. "Dominion" doesn't necessarily mean "Permission to Destroy". I can't see God in this. I don't see God in religions which vilify same sex couples, Muslims, Jewish people, other Christians and "pagans" (translation: not Christian). Didn't somebody once preach peace, cooperation, thought? Oh, yeah that was Jesus? Buddha? Ghandi? Handsome Lake?
I think there are too many of us. I think we should be living in smaller groups and doing more manual labor. How can we connect with our God-given earth if we are not a part of it?
And so I took the test again today. I've changed. Now my beliefs are like those of a Liberal Quaker.
I must find some of these people and hear what they have to say.
And, of course, eat more oatmeal
Beliefnet has been around for me for many years. Raised a Roman Catholic, sent to Catholic school under the ironically named Sisters of Mercy, my life began in the Christian Mafia: Once you're in you can't get out. You're never an ex-Catholic. You're a Backslider or a Fallen-Away Catholic. The Catholic church holds on to your soul no matter where you go. And if you go too far you are excommunicated, that is denied the privileges of the Church. However you are still a member of the Catholic church. Just not a very good one.
Then when I was dating and going to church, my best friend was getting married. I was to be her maid of honor. I was dating her fiance's ex-brother in law (I started seeing him quite a while after his six month marriage was anulled) The father of the groom who bore weight it seemed, in the local church, told the priest in no uncertain terms that he was not to perform the sacrament if I was there. The priest, never questioning his orders, told the bride who tearfully told me I couldn't come to the wedding.
After an entire life of being a good, weekly-mass attending Catholic, I was denied the attendance of a public sacrament.
I stopped going to church.
My journey since then has taken me through other Christian organized religions: Methodist, Baptist, Episcopalian, Lutheran. I find that they all have their quirks and cliques and none of the comforatable ritualism of Catholicism.
In my studies (because I love researching new things, or more specifically oldthings) I've studied the mythologies of the Greeks and Romans. The ancient religions of the Egyptians, Norsemen, Celts, Mayans, Aztec, Inca and several North American indigenous peoples. Also the myths of Latter Day Saints, Wiccans and some Yoriba Vodun.
And when I took the Beliefnet test several years ago I came out an Orthodox Quaker. Go figure.
I've read the Bible, the Lost Books of the Bible (those thrown out by the all-knowing King James), the Apochrypha (ditto), The Gospel of Thomas and other relatively supportable ex-biblical Christian works. It's more interesting what they left out, really, then what they left in and what that says about the editors.
But the most influential thing, really, has been changing my point of view. For the past four years I've been writing fiction as a cat.
Thinking as a cat puts an entirely different spin on the world. The thinking cat sees the human as a necessary evil to its comfort. While a feral cat may live freely in the wild, hunt and kill for its survival, a domestic cat lives within a community. It gives up as little freedom as possible to be taken care of. The things people worry about: shelter, clothes, feelings, love, esteem, jobs, possessions are all things about which cats don't give a fat rat's ass. Dogs see their masters as God. Cats see their as servants.
When writing as my cat (Perry Tenitiss) I see the basic flaw in the Bible. The phrase "dominion over the earth" has to be wrong. The original translation has to say "stewardship" or "care of" or "responsibility for". God supposedly created all creatures. So why would he put such a self-centered, aggressive, wasteful, greedy, filthy species in charge of all of us? Animals take what we need. We leave the rest. Humans are destructive in their very nature. Curiosity isn't always a good thing, you know. It kills cats.
Humans aren't the smartest critters on earth, either. Whales and porpoises have much larger brains. Just because they don't build houses (don't need 'em), drive cars (again: don't need 'em) or wear protective gear to explore the vast dry areas of the earth (what the hell for?) doesn't mean they are stupid. I've seen both types of animals exhibit the most coveted of all behaviors, familial love and cooperation.
So now my thoughts have turned to the preservation of creation, all creation. "Dominion" doesn't necessarily mean "Permission to Destroy". I can't see God in this. I don't see God in religions which vilify same sex couples, Muslims, Jewish people, other Christians and "pagans" (translation: not Christian). Didn't somebody once preach peace, cooperation, thought? Oh, yeah that was Jesus? Buddha? Ghandi? Handsome Lake?
I think there are too many of us. I think we should be living in smaller groups and doing more manual labor. How can we connect with our God-given earth if we are not a part of it?
And so I took the test again today. I've changed. Now my beliefs are like those of a Liberal Quaker.
I must find some of these people and hear what they have to say.
And, of course, eat more oatmeal
