stephanie is: 
groggy…
there’s a piece of my mind,
that tries to fathom the stars…
or to contemplate the divine –
don’t need to look very far
i have been in a sleepy fog today. eating lunch did not help. i put on my headphones and turned up echoing green really loud. they are a band who i know personally from a show danny and some friends organized. i remembered that i still need to pick up a hardcopy of the cd, and that i’ll need to go to the christian book/music store for it. i always forget they are a “christian rock” group. they don’t sing about the bible or say God every other word. you could be an athiest and relate to their lyrics. and yet when you are aware that they are religious and keep that in mind while listening, you can understand the religous undertones.
i think most religions could benefit from being a little more ambiguous and mellow like their messages. i do not belong to any religion, nor was i raised in one. but i was raised with very good morals – one of the biggest messages religion instills in people. do we really need organized religion to share these same messages with each other? i guess some people digest it better that way. everyone is different.
i like to ponder religion to myself. i don’t often write about it because i get sad when people attack each other over it. i don’t know if i think there is a God. i think maybe “God” is something that is inside of each of us. whether we chose to listen to this voice – or even personify it through the bible and sermons is a personal choice. i think everyone already possess all the good things about religion. maybe some people need a little push and a story to find it.
i have a super wonderful life filled with people who i love and who love me. i think i am where i am today because of the kindness and efforts of each of those people, and of course myself.
i think everyone is capable of finding the peace and greatness inside of themselves.
man, i need a nap! heh.
supernova – echoing green – –
ROCKS! It doesn’t even sound like a christian group! 🙂
Faith
My dad said something really cool when we went to a hockey game last week. I had asked him to prove to me that God exists. I’d said something like, “Have you ever met a person who believes in God who can back up what they say without using the bible?” He responded with “Faith is a gift. It is not an obligation. It is not about politics, which is what most organized christian religion is now. The bible is their constitution. And just like we defend ourselves using the constitution, they defend their religion with the bible.” I can see what he meant by that: we really need to think, though, why the laws exist. We defend our rights and beliefs, sometimes without understanding the ethics behind it. He’s got a big background in philosophy and went into practicing law and is now a judge, so he’s always instilled into me moral and logical ethics. I went on to study ethical philosophy, and I can truly say I understand now. I feel like the faith that has been given to me is the faith I have in myself and the faith I have to understand what is harmful and what is good. I don’t need God or a constitution or a bible to tell me what is right; it’s deep within me. It doesn’t matter what you celebrate, as long as you understand the message.
You have a good head on your shoulders 🙂
-kat
One can be a very moral and good person without being religious.
But being “religious” requires a set of beliefs in addition to one’s inner morality or outward behavior.
Sadly, many organized religions have drifted from the core beliefs and become almost social centers. More sadly, some fundamentalist groups use their religion as a club and can alienate those who may be struggling with their beliefs.
A challenging area to discuss for sure .. ;o)
I like Christian bands like that. I wish more were like them, that way people wouldn’t have some bad misconception of christian music as a whole. =)
Cute pics too! You’re pimpin’! TeeHee.