It's so interesting where the recommended videos can lead you on Youtube. I don't remember how I ended up finding this one, but I did. It was five questions from a Christian to atheists. I did leave a comment there, but the comment section doesn't leave you much room, so I'm bringing the questions here so I can talk even more. Because I'm good at talking a lot. I'm not going to answer the fifth question, because it's not applicable to me; I wasn't even aware of the issue the asker addressed.
1. Why is there something rather than nothing?
I don't think this question is fair. The existence of a god does not automatically answer the question of why we exist. There could just as easily be nothing rather than something regardless of whether or not you believe a god exists.
2. What evidence (if any) do you find most persuasive regarding Theism?
I believe there is a spiritual connection between all people, both human and non-human. I know that when my son comes to me to be held, and purrs when I rub his belly, or when I can understand him even though we don't speak the same language, there is a connection beyond that of what I have with most cats. To me this tells me that there must be something. Maybe it's a god, maybe it's nature, I don't know. But just because I don't believe in a deity, doesn't mean I don't believe in anything. It's just closer to pantheism than deism for me.
3. How do you reconcile your atheism with any ultimate meaning in life?
I'm not convinced that this life is it. When I look into Jaspar's eyes, I see such depth. I firmly believe that he was not always a cat, that this is only one incarnation of a very old soul. Even if I'm wrong, what gives me meaning in life is not what happens to me after I die, but what happens to those I leave behind. Did I make a difference? Will someone one day, fifty years after my death, look back and say "She helped me when I needed it"? That is the ultimate meaning. That even if I'm forgotten in a few hundred years, I make the world different just by existing.
4. Were you raised in a religious environment?
Yes.
As for the title, why I'm an atheist, the simple answer is because I was raised to believe in a sadistic god who sits in heaven just waiting for me to do something wrong so that he can punish me. The people who taught me of that god were no different; they were for the most part selfish and cruel who tried to force me into a mold that I could never fit. And I just don't want to believe in a god like that, whose followers are like that. I think I could be convinced that there is such a thing as a kind, loving god who really cares about his or her followers, but it would take a lot.
And that was just the simple answer.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Writer's Block Sucks
My mom spoils Jaspar. I always tell her not to give him treats, but she won't listen. It's gotten so bad that every time I eat, he's sitting there with the cutest expression on his face, and it's so hard to resist. Can you imagine this staring at you, following your hand from the plate to your mouth:
It's torture.
In other news, I finally got word on my financial aid for school. Yay! Now I just need to be patient. Again. I hate being patient; it's definitely not my strong point. But at least it's only another month or so. I'll be taking composition, German, and photography, and a couple other classes, too, I just can't remember what. Next semester I'm going to try to add French and Spanish, and later transfer to another college nearby that teaches Arabic and Japanese. When I was a kid, when I thought I'd have no choice but to get married, I used to dream that my future husband and I would each travel to half the countries in the world and learn the languages, then meet up again and teach each other the other half. Obviously that's not realistic, but I still want to learn as many languages as I can.
And I've been having trouble writing lately. I need more ideas.
It's torture.
In other news, I finally got word on my financial aid for school. Yay! Now I just need to be patient. Again. I hate being patient; it's definitely not my strong point. But at least it's only another month or so. I'll be taking composition, German, and photography, and a couple other classes, too, I just can't remember what. Next semester I'm going to try to add French and Spanish, and later transfer to another college nearby that teaches Arabic and Japanese. When I was a kid, when I thought I'd have no choice but to get married, I used to dream that my future husband and I would each travel to half the countries in the world and learn the languages, then meet up again and teach each other the other half. Obviously that's not realistic, but I still want to learn as many languages as I can.
And I've been having trouble writing lately. I need more ideas.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Family Vacation 2010
I hate camping. I'm just going to say that up front. We always used to camp when I was a kid, and I hated it. Bugs EVERYWHERE, hamburgers that were burned on the outside and pink on the inside, sleeping in a too-small tent. There were good parts, of course. The road trips were fun. We were always up and on the road early. To this day I love driving on the expressway early in the morning, even if I'm not going far. We always got extra snacks and pop, and we got to eat out at least once or twice. We'd drive three or five or twelve hours, and Mom and Dad would set up the tent. I couldn't swim, but I loved playing in the water when there was a beach. And the sightseeing was incredible. I like that I've stood on top of Pike's Peak, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, and at the bottom of Mammoth Cave, all before I was 15.
But all that isn't enough to make me want to spend two days in a tiny RV with my dad. I was dreading this trip for weeks. And we weren't even going anywhere cool, just some dinky little park not two hours from home. I'd been there before. What's the point of going to the same place twice? Why couldn't we go somewhere new, or at least somewhere I enjoyed the first time. But I don't make the decisions. So I packed my bag and climbed in the crowded truck for an hour and a half. Once we got there and got the RV set up, I left. I walked more in those two days than I usually do in a month. The restrooms were a five-minute walk from our site, and the beach another five minutes farther. I spent some time on the beach, but it was kind of awkward because I'm the only one in my family who likes the beach, and I can't swim. I had a camera, but I didn't feel like taking a lot of pictures with so many people around. I went back in the evening, though, and found most everyone gone, so I was able to get a few good shots of the seagulls.
When I finally fell asleep that night, I had so many weird dreams, even more so than normal. I only remember one clearly though, and even that has some missing parts. I remember that there was something bad going to happen, and there was a woman who could stop this bad something. Only to convince her to do so, we had to do something, part of which included burning a stack of pictures. Included in those pictures were the only copies I had of some old photos of pets I've lost. I cried and cried as I lit the match, but the person in charge, a minister I know, told me I had to. Then suddenly it was before I'd lit the fire, when the minister was telling me I had to, so the other woman would help, and this time I didn't do it. I had just told her I wouldn't do it when I woke up. It was very odd.
The next morning we had pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Huge advantage of an RV over a tent: You can actually cook more than hot dogs and marshmallows. It was great. After breakfast I went and got some more pictures in the woods.
Later we packed a lunch and went for a short hike over to another beach, one that appeared less crowded. We were there about half an hour when several families showed up with their young children. When we couldn't stand the noise anymore, we left. The afternoon went more quickly than had the previous one, and we went to bed early. In the morning we packed up and were pulling out by nine a.m. Sometimes I like that my dad always gets up so early. I'd been missing Jaspar, and I wasn't looking forward to facing him after two days gone. Most of the time he's mad at me for leaving, and so he gives me the cold shoulder treatment for a few days. Today when I got home, though, he was more friendly than I expected, at least at first. I haven't seen him since he said hi.
I didn't expect to enjoy this trip so much. It was actually almost fun. I'll have to go back when I have a better camera.
But all that isn't enough to make me want to spend two days in a tiny RV with my dad. I was dreading this trip for weeks. And we weren't even going anywhere cool, just some dinky little park not two hours from home. I'd been there before. What's the point of going to the same place twice? Why couldn't we go somewhere new, or at least somewhere I enjoyed the first time. But I don't make the decisions. So I packed my bag and climbed in the crowded truck for an hour and a half. Once we got there and got the RV set up, I left. I walked more in those two days than I usually do in a month. The restrooms were a five-minute walk from our site, and the beach another five minutes farther. I spent some time on the beach, but it was kind of awkward because I'm the only one in my family who likes the beach, and I can't swim. I had a camera, but I didn't feel like taking a lot of pictures with so many people around. I went back in the evening, though, and found most everyone gone, so I was able to get a few good shots of the seagulls.
When I finally fell asleep that night, I had so many weird dreams, even more so than normal. I only remember one clearly though, and even that has some missing parts. I remember that there was something bad going to happen, and there was a woman who could stop this bad something. Only to convince her to do so, we had to do something, part of which included burning a stack of pictures. Included in those pictures were the only copies I had of some old photos of pets I've lost. I cried and cried as I lit the match, but the person in charge, a minister I know, told me I had to. Then suddenly it was before I'd lit the fire, when the minister was telling me I had to, so the other woman would help, and this time I didn't do it. I had just told her I wouldn't do it when I woke up. It was very odd.
The next morning we had pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Huge advantage of an RV over a tent: You can actually cook more than hot dogs and marshmallows. It was great. After breakfast I went and got some more pictures in the woods.
Later we packed a lunch and went for a short hike over to another beach, one that appeared less crowded. We were there about half an hour when several families showed up with their young children. When we couldn't stand the noise anymore, we left. The afternoon went more quickly than had the previous one, and we went to bed early. In the morning we packed up and were pulling out by nine a.m. Sometimes I like that my dad always gets up so early. I'd been missing Jaspar, and I wasn't looking forward to facing him after two days gone. Most of the time he's mad at me for leaving, and so he gives me the cold shoulder treatment for a few days. Today when I got home, though, he was more friendly than I expected, at least at first. I haven't seen him since he said hi.
I didn't expect to enjoy this trip so much. It was actually almost fun. I'll have to go back when I have a better camera.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Vampires
Part Two of my monster series, this entry will focus on vampires. Stories of the creatures we think of as vampires originated in eastern Europe and quickly spread throughout the early Christian world. In the early days of the Christian church, people often retained superstitions from their pagan beliefs, including belief in ghosts and spirits. When someone died from unknown causes, it was often attributed to a vengeful spirit that had returned from the afterlife. The villagers would dig up the grave of the suspected ghost and burn the body. Their belief that the undead corpse rose from the grave and fed on the blood of the living was only reinforced by what they found when they examined the body. Due to the process of decay, it often appeared that the body was healthy, with elongated fingernails and a bright, healthy-looking face. Since the people in that time didn't realize that all bodies looked like that, that it was natural, they believed it was proof that the suspected vampire was, in fact, returning to drink the blood of the living. As technology and science advanced, these beliefs died out, and vampires retired to the pages of fiction.
Fictional vampiric myth is even more varied than that of werewolves. Most of what we today associate with vampires was added over the last two centuries by authors of fiction. The original vampire stories were more what we now think of as zombies.
In most stories, new vampires are born by being bitten by an existing vampire. However, in the sci-fi show Sanctuary, vampires were an ancient race that once enslaved humans. According to this story, the vampires were highly advanced and used their knowledge to benefit society. When the Church appeared, they hunted down vampires to the point of extinction. A few survivors hid in an ancient city in India, but this, too, was destroyed. The race was all but wiped out, with only a few that carried a fraction of vampiric blood in their history.
Fictional vampiric myth is even more varied than that of werewolves. Most of what we today associate with vampires was added over the last two centuries by authors of fiction. The original vampire stories were more what we now think of as zombies.
In most stories, new vampires are born by being bitten by an existing vampire. However, in the sci-fi show Sanctuary, vampires were an ancient race that once enslaved humans. According to this story, the vampires were highly advanced and used their knowledge to benefit society. When the Church appeared, they hunted down vampires to the point of extinction. A few survivors hid in an ancient city in India, but this, too, was destroyed. The race was all but wiped out, with only a few that carried a fraction of vampiric blood in their history.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Werewolves
Werewolves and vampires are my favorite mythological monsters, so I'm going to do a two-part blog about them. This one is about werewolves, hence the title "Werewolves". The name 'werewolf', (also spelled 'werwolf') is thought to be derived from the Old English word 'wer', meaning man. Another common term is 'lycanthropy', which is from the Greek word 'lykánthropos', meaning 'wolf-human'. Stories of shapeshifters occur in most parts of the world. Ancient cultures often gave their most feared predator shapeshifting abilities in their stories. In South America, it was the jaguar; in Europe, the wolf; and in Korea, it was the fox. Today, it's usually werewolves that are featured in fiction, rather than their Asian or American counterparts.
Modern werewolf mythology varies widely from one author to another. However, of the stories I've seen or read (which, to be honest, are quite few), there are some common themes. Werewolves are immensely strong; they can shift at will with practice; they are most definitely not controlled by the moon; and children cannot shift. It varies whether werewolf blood is hereditary or contagious. In the bloodline myth, werewolf children develop the ability to shapeshift as they mature; the timeline varies from during puberty to well into adulthood. In the contagion myth, those bitten don't always survive, and the odds of survival are even less for children.
Finally, I will leave you with a picture of my favorite werewolf, Henry Foss from the sci-fi show Sanctuary. Henry is played by Ryan Robbins.
Who's your favorite werewolf? Leave a comment below.
Modern werewolf mythology varies widely from one author to another. However, of the stories I've seen or read (which, to be honest, are quite few), there are some common themes. Werewolves are immensely strong; they can shift at will with practice; they are most definitely not controlled by the moon; and children cannot shift. It varies whether werewolf blood is hereditary or contagious. In the bloodline myth, werewolf children develop the ability to shapeshift as they mature; the timeline varies from during puberty to well into adulthood. In the contagion myth, those bitten don't always survive, and the odds of survival are even less for children.
Finally, I will leave you with a picture of my favorite werewolf, Henry Foss from the sci-fi show Sanctuary. Henry is played by Ryan Robbins.
Who's your favorite werewolf? Leave a comment below.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Parodies
Several hilarious parodies of Tokio Hotel songs have emerged over the last few weeks. It's amazing many talented people there are at Tokiohotelamerica.com. Here's my own contribution to the parody collection, in honor of my soulmate Jaspar:
We won’t come when you call
We won’t do your will at all
We don’t believe anything you say
We’ll run away
Whenever you try to cuddle
You’ll pet us on our terms
Or get claw marks on your arms
We’ll run away
We are cats unleashed
No, not you
We are cats unleashed
No, just us
We are cats unleashed
With mind control
Full of powers
Nobody knows
Unleashed
Clawing at your face
We will always
Do our own thing
We are cats unleashed
We are cats unleashed
We are cats unleashed
Tonight
Tonight
We’ll stalk your feet
We’ll keep you up
We turn everything into a fight
We won’t ever
Let you sleep
At night
I am
In charge
In your
House now
Cats unleashed
We are cats unleashed
Cats unleashed
If you want to read the others, just go to Tokio Hotel America and look in the Creativity section for the parody threads.
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