Wednesday's Just Alright

So today was Wednesday.

What some may call "Hump Day" has always sort of just been an irritent to me. We've completed the first three days of the week, which is good, but there are still two more, long days to go. However, tomorrow night I will be singing praise that the following day is Friday. Never mind that it will mean I am just a week away from a book test I have not read for, and a little more than a week away from the SAT's - which may or may not decide my very future. With my Upward Bound requirement to take them twice - and my plans to take the ACTs this June - I can be more chill than most. I will, of course, taken them seriously nonetheless.

So today, I discovered that my Bowdoin College water bottle - which is awesome - is a Nalgene bottle. Those are insanely popular right now, which shocks me, given their simplicity. However, I take pride in knowing I've had mine for almost a year - while many people are just NOW getting theirs. However, I cannot use it yet. Somehow, after sitting away in a cupboard for nearly a year, has several small brown spots on the inside. I researched, and before I can begin using my beloved water bottle, I must first soak it in bleach and water overnight. GROSS. Have you ever smelt bleach and water? We used it a lot in First Aid as a disinfectant, and it is DISGUSTING. What's worst is that the smell refuses to leave your hands. No doubt, I will need to soak it in soapy water overnight afterward just to eliminate the smell of the bleach. BUT, claims the Nalgene website, my bottle will then be clean. :)

Some controversy has developed with the Nalgene bottles, with groups claiming that a chemical called BPA (Bisphenol-A), which is present in the plastic, can cause organ failure or something. But given America's desire to stay trendy, I doubt this will make much of a difference. I do not plan on throwing away mine - even it is may be dangerous. Why? Because society says Nalgene bottles are cool, and I am always looking to be cool.

In all seriousness, they seem like a decent product. But if I begin to feel sick, I may stop using it. Until that day, GO Nalgene.

Well alright. Thanks for reading, and have a good week everybody.

Liberal Christendom? What's that?

So it seems that in modern society, plagued by the likes of Ann Coulter and John McCain (however Liberal we all know he really is), Christianity has gotten a bad reputation. As a Christian - recently rediscovering it after a month of time invested in the Baha'i Faith (see article below) - I am saddened by this. Conservatism has become the majority when it comes to what political fraction Christians should turn to. My opinion is that Christians, even devout ones, can turn to Liberalism and not face eternal damnation.

Take for example the Christian perspective on homosexuality. I mention this topic because it seems to be one of the most dividing of all. On one side of Christendom, you have the Evangelicals and other Conservatives who say Leviticus 18:22 ("Man shall not lie with mankind as with womankind; it is abomination") bans homosexuality. However, you have others who say that this does nothing of the sort. Instead, they claim, it simply discourages certain sexual acts. Citing the fact that the Bible also uses the word "abomination" - a very strong word indeed - to condemn the consumption of certain foods and other smaller items. Add to it the fact that homosexuality is only mentioned two or three times total in the Bible, and soon you have a strong argument against a ban on homosexuality.

Whatever end of the spectrum you choose to side with, that is not important. I was recently sitting around on a day off from school, and it suddenly hit me while deep in thought - Evangelicals are the biggest hypocrites in the world! They mention this sin of homosexuality, yet they don't realize the sin they THEMSELVES are comitting. By advocating a ban on gay marriage, they are intending to act as judges and discriminators. However, the Bible condemns such activity MANY more times than it condemns homosexuality - if in fact it does at all. So, by acting as God - the Supreme Judge - they are comitting a sin greater than sodomy. Do they not realize this? The sad thing is - they do not.

It's quite simple: discrimination and judgment is prohibited by the Bible. We've all heard in our lives "Judge not lest ye be judged." Well, that comes directly from the Bible. Yet, Evangelicals cower behind their Bibles, condemning those who disagree with them. It is ironic that they can claim to be the true followers of Christ when they are dirtying his name and changing His will. What the Evangelicals ought to do is this: shut up. Even if they are against homosexuality, it is not their right to act as God and judge and condemn. If they truly believe this is wrong, let them remain quiet and if God is truly upset by this behavior, He - and only He - will be allowed to judge. Until that time, we need some damage control for the Evangelicals - who by the way are turning out more gay Conservative politicians than any other religious sect in the world.

Aside from homosexuality, we have issues such as abortion, stem cell research, drug use, and many other sensitive topics. I hold similar beliefs for all these topics: shut up! You claim to be doing God's will, yet His will is that you do not try and do His job. He is the Supreme Judge, not you. That being said, it is easy to call your acts hypocritical, sinful, and immoral. Of course, morals have long ago fled from any Evangelical mindset - despite what they might want you to believe.

I do not condemn all Evangelicals, holding many Evangelical beliefs myself. I believe in baptism, I believe in the second coming of Christ, I believe in no sex before marriage, I believe in no drug or alcohol use, and I even believe in the Rapture. That being said, not everyone thinks like me, and I most certainly don't plan on taking on God's role any time soon.

Now I'm Back

I took a month off, mostly because I felt this blog was dead. Which it is. BUT, I've decided to blog for ME - good writing practice. So if I get readers, GREAT - if not, oh well.

I dont have much to discuss today, except to say - I am back from vacation.

Interesting Religions

Today, I bring you information about the Baha'i faith, founded by Baha'u'llah more than 130 years ago.

Core Beliefs

• The principle of the oneness of humankind is the pivot around which all the teachings of Baha'u'llah revolve.

• Baha'u'llah taught that humanity, after a long and turbulent adolescence, is at last reaching a stage of maturity in which unity in a global and just society finally can be established.

• To this end, the Baha'i Faith prescribes laws of personal morality and behavior, as well as social laws and principles, to establish the oneness of humanity.

Baha'is believe:


• The purpose of life is to know and worship God, to acquire virtues, to promote the oneness of humankind and to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization

• All humanity was created by one God and is part of one human race

• Work performed in the spirit of service is a form of worship

• The soul, created at the moment of conception, is destined by God to reach the afterlife, where it will continue to progress until it attains the presence of God


Baha'is practice:

• Daily prayer and communion with God

• High moral principles, including trustworthiness, chastity and honesty

• Independent investigation of truth

• A life dedicated to the service of humanity

• Fellowship with the followers of all religions

• Avoidance of excessive materialism, partisan politics, backbiting, alcohol, drugs and gambling


Social principles include:

• Equality of women and men

• The harmony of science and religion as two complementary systems of knowledge that must work together to advance the well being and progress of humanity

• The elimination of prejudice

• The establishment of a world commonwealth of nations

• Recognition of the common origin and fundamental unity of purpose of all religions

• Spiritual solutions to economic problems and the removal of economic barriers and restrictions

• The abolition of extremes of poverty and wealth

• The adoption of a world auxiliary language, a world script, and a uniform and universal system of currency and weights and measures

For more information, you can contact either of these sites:

www.bahai.org

www.us.bahai.org

The Stresses We Create for Ourselves

For the past few months, I've been thinking only of college-related things.

Will I get into my number one? Will my SAT/ACT scores be high enough to even impress my top college choices?

Truth be told, it's all sickening. It brings with it panick and fear, and it's not something I should be this worried about. I should definately be academically preparing myself for college, which I believe I have during my high school career. I'm not taking SATs until April or May, and ACTs are in June. So, if I'm going to worry, I should at least wait awhile.

I of course still want desperately to attend Colby College, but I've also recently expanded my list of top choices. Thanks to College Board, I've received nearly two dozen letters from colleges nationwide - all offering amazing curriculum and extracurricular opportunities. As such, three of my Top 5 colleges were only recently introduced to me. Before that, I had no idea these schools even existed. Now, they seem very appealing,

My top 5 colleges are:

1. Colby College
   Waterville, Maine
   Private, liberal arts
   
   
2. Saint Joseph's College
   Standish, Maine
   Private, liberal arts
   
   
3. Thomas College
   Waterville, Maine
   Private, independent
   
   
4. Western New England College
   Springfield, Massachusetts
   Private, independent
   
   
5. Daniel Webster College
   Nashua, New Hampshire
   Independent
   
   

With any luck, I can get into a few of these. But I've decided to sort of relax about it. After all, I've got until November before the Early Decision applications are due at Colby. As you can probably tell, I want to go to a liberal arts school or some other type of private college. I also just noticed they're all "colleges", not universities. That's coincidental.

The Greatest Story Ever Told

So there's this movie online one of my friends had me watch. Broken into 3 pieces, the movie exmaines religion, 9/11, and the IRS. Somewhere about halfway through the religion section, I abandoned my Christian faith. Is this a permanent revelation? Who knows. All I know is that something about the Christ kool aid doesn't smell right anymore. I've looked into Judaism once again, but then again, that takes a lot of time and committment. I'm not sure if I question the existence of God per se, but I definately have changed my views of the world.

I know the response to this is usually something like, "Well, you fell for what they were saying! How reliable is this source?" To respond, all I can do is ask you to committ yourself for about two hours to watch the movie - the link is at the bottom of this entry.

As far as the 9/11 part goes, I've suspected it was rigged by the government since watching "Loose Change" on youtube. This video just adds to my certainty that the towers were demolished by bombs, not planes. Thousands of lives were taken, and we'll probably never have a clear, concise answer as to why.

And with the IRS, all I can say is that Americans have been saying for a long time that it is unconstitutional. Well, it actually is. Income taxes are illegal, and the government is committing a crime every year. I strongly urge all people to stop filing their income taxes. It's illegal for them to do that, and we need to stop the oppressor before She increases his tyranny against us. By She, I of course mean "Lady Liberty".

Well alright, the video can be viewed at:

http://zeitgeistmovie.com/

Why Democrats Are Just Better

So Tuesday is SUPER TUESDAY in the U.S. If you're a Republican (aside from having no soul), you're picking between McCain, Romney, Huckabee, and Paul. Those are OKAY candidates.

But if you're a Democrat, you are LUCKY this year. With Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both averaging in the mid-40s in polls, it's hard to tell who will win. We have such awesome candidates this year, and the Democrats will take back the White House.

We sort of have no right to complain about the past 8 years. Al Gore and John Kerry... what the hell were we thinking? It's time to get a Democrat elected, and either one of these two powerhouse candidates will do it. Both would make an amazing President, but only one can get elected. I can't make up my mind (although i miss election day by 24 hours). But it'll be an awesome election either way.