Deception @ MindSay

I can't freakin' believe it's November, already.  One of the supreme injustices in life is that time seems to go by much faster, the less of it you have left.

So.

Election Day is just a couple squares away on my calendar.  I've already voted.  (Let's hear it for "permanent absentee" status.)  And here in California, we're facing the single most controversial social ballot issue ever.  Proposition 8, which would add an amendment to our state Constitution removing the right of same-sex couples to marry.

It is a very heated issue, and I'm absolutely boggled by the blatant lies being put forth by the Yes on 8 campaign.  A friend of mine, who is now 18 and will be voting in her very first election, has apparently been suckered into the lies.  She's very gay-friendly and not a Christian, but has been told that if Prop. 8 fails, churches could be shut down for not performing same-sex marriages.  This is, of course, absolutely false.

The deceptions being done by this side of the argument are many, and it does nothing but reinforce in my mind how low the religioso will go in order to assert their views on others.  Not one person has ever been able to sensibly state what they mean by "protecting marriage."  It's all a bunch of bullshit.  Religious bullshit, for that matter, and as such, has no place influencing the laws. 

It's going to be a very close one, it seems.  And frankly, it might pass.  And while that thought makes my literally sick to my stomach, I take some solace in knowing that it won't last long.  It will be repealed, eventually, and sooner rather than later.

Constitutions, folks, are meant to be about what the government can and cannot do... not what the citizens can or cannot do.  We once added an amendment to the federal Constitution to limit what citizens could do.  It was called Prohibition.  And we all know how well that worked, and that it didn't last.  That should have been a lesson (or two) to us, but we Americans are, as a whole, fucking obtuse.

But the sad thing is, so many people do. Grown adults. About 9 years ago my parents saw this infomercial with this guy selling a juicer. He was talking about the benefits of drinking pure fruit juice and how meat is bad because it is dead & whatnot. That I have no problem with. But he also said that beef specifically is the worst, and that it stays in your body for years. THAT is what you call rediculous. Food doesn't stay in your body for years, we have stomach acids that break things down. So after seeing that, they decided that our whole family wasn't going to eat beef anymore. For I while we believed it, believe that that's why we all only took a dump every 3 weeks. But that wasn't the reason. You know why that was really? Because we ate fuckin' McDonalds every other day!! And that's proven to be damaging to your health in a short amount of time. Of course if you eat out alllll the time, you are not going to be in good health, and might have stomach problems.

 

That was right before we moved into our new house. When we moved there, my mom stopped working so she started cooking more. We also didn't have money to go out to eat all the time anymore because of the mortgage. So in turn, our general health improved. I don't think it had anything to do with not eating beef.

In 4th grade a friend of mine invited me to her house, and I ate this sausage sandwich with an unknown meat in it. Later on my stomach hurt so bad I couldn't sleep. We deduced that it must have been beef. Now I'm thinking that they either didn't cook it thoroughly, or they were dirty.

 

One time in musical we hadn't eaten the whole day, and this girl brought in some beef sausages. I ate them because I was hungry, and guess what? Nothing happened! My parents have been telling us for years that if we go back to eating beef our stomachs will hurt because we're "not used to it", which makes no sense. If that were so, we wouldn't be able to eat new foods. But anyway, that was the first time. Then I was at my uncle's house and they had beef burgers on the grill. I decided to eat one, nothing happened. I told my family about that, they kept harping on it forever, and said it was nasty, when meanwhile they're eating pig, chicken, & turkey all the time. What's the difference? So then me & my grandma got some beef hotdogs. Then I saw that she had this slab of London Broil in the freezer, and it looked sooo good, so she made that about 4 days ago, and it was. And the icing on the cake, the MOUSSE on the cake, the confectioner's glaze, it makes me smile ear-to-ear as I think of it, the next day I got a Big Mac. It was one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted, maybe because I hadn't tasted it in almost 10 years.

All I know is I keep thinking about it, which only goes to show, banning something is never the best route to take, it's much better to use moderation. I plan on getting another one as soon as possible, without my parent's finding out (yeah I know I shouldn't give a fuck, but you know how that is).

I thought this could be useful for us here at Mindsay, especially during the political season. I've also included a list of interesting and informative websites for your enjoyment. For some reason, they are not showing up correctly. I'll post them in the comment section until I can figure out what is going on.

How shameful. 

But how can you fault a foolish christian for believing it.

I wish I could pretend that my life was important and special to a supreme being.

It would be nice.

It would be... magical.

But unfortunately, nothing is special.

We aren't any more special that a sponge.

Or a hydrogen atom.

Or a meteor collision with titan.

Or the crab nebulae.

Or a cubic foot of material 7,462 meters below a spot about a mile southwest of mount hood.

Everything is just baryons, and hadrons, and gluons (maybe), and the rest of that big family of very tiny bosons.

Big deal.

But if you want your life to be special, believe that there is something real that has ultimate authority and makes it special.

But that's stupid the same way that some people (still) believed that the world was flat objectively.

Stupid fuckers.

First, a few definitions:

  used as a noun:

1. reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.

2. confident expectation of something; hope.

3. the obligation or responsibility imposed on a person in whom confidence or authority is placed: a position of trust.

  used as a verb:

1. to have trust or confidence in; rely or depend on.

2. to believe.

3. to expect confidently; hope (usually fol. by a clause or infinitive as object): trusting the job would soon be finished; trusting to find oil on the land.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

For people of faith, trust is a familiar concept.  We know that we are to trust in God.  Seems simple enough, but it is my observation that God, as the object of my trust, is not satisfied that I simply understand the concept.  He actually wants me to LIVE it!  Now, to some, even that may seem relatively simple ... Hah!  NOT!

 

I'm not sure if it's just me (I doubt it.), but I have a real "thing" about being or feeling helpless.  As many of you know, I lived as a "victim" for many years in a bad marriage, and like a smoker who is finally able to stop smoking hates to be around smoke, I become rather restless and agitated when I find myself in a "helpless" situation.  Problem is, as God has graciously  brought to my attention, the opposite of trust is worry!  I have become (hopefully for only a short time) as worry wart!  When I'm out, I'm cheery and optomistic, but somehow, as soon as I come back home, the weight of the world drops onto my shoulders (actually, apparently, I take that weight back onto my shoulders) and I begin to stew, and fret, and plan, and scheme, and work (or strive) to manipulate the circumstances into something manageable.  In other words, I strive for control!  THAT is an eye opening revelation!  I sure never pictured myself as a control freak! 

 

So ... how do I get from here to where I want to be, or rather, where God wants me to be in a TRUSTing relationship with Him?  Practical application:

 

1.  I'm in a new job.

2.  My car died last night and I am unable to get to work unless or until it is fixed.

3.  I called work and said I'd be in as soon as it is fixed.

4.  I'm working - exercising what small faith I apparently have that it will be OK!

5.  In the back of my mind, I'm reviewing the thoughts that Monday we must drive to the airport!!! 

6.  I'm very uncomfortable!  I'm also hoping that this exercise, as I write it out here, will help me see more clearly.

7.  But, like the blind man ... I believe!  Please help my unbelief as there doesn't seem to be much confidence in my expectation.  Why not?

8.  Why is it easier to believe is catastrophe (and frustrrated plans) than in my loving, all-knowing Father?  Why is trust so hard?  (This doesn't have to just apply to God.  It is just as applicable to human relatinoships.)  Why is it easier to believe in betrayal or deception rather than loyalty and faithfulness?

 

So ... for now, I'm struggling to trust my loving Father knows best and has everything under control!  OY!  Thank You, Father!

 

~ B