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aunt_zeldaThis summer I’ve been reading Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, which is not just a book I believe everyone should read, but BUY, and read again and again. This book will make your head hurt from all the thinking and analyzing and sheer VOLUME of stuff going on. I’m confident in saying that this book has seriously affected the way I think, if not changed my life.
Which brings me to my ‘What aunt_zelda Thinks’ of the day. See, as I was reading about Ayaan realizing she’s an Atheist, it got me to thinking about how I feel about religion. And before you crack about the ‘three things you’re not supposed to talk about’ (re: politics, sex, and religion) part of the reason I decided to post this ‘WAZT’ is because I realized that while I’ve talked about gay rights and Prop H8 here (politics), and I largely write about sex (re: ninety four fanfics), I have yet to really talk about religion.
It’s a big topic, to say the least. People spend their whole lives thinking about this, writing about it, debating about it, living it, killing for it, and getting degrees for study in it. I’m only going to talk a little bit about my own personal belief here, as going in-depth about how I was baptized, raised, humorous stories about the first Atheist I met and the first Unitarian Church I went to and the time I tried to pronounce the word ‘protestant’ and got it confuzzled with another word entirely, etc. will take too long and are for latter posts.
So … here goes … *takes a deep breath*
After investigating various religions, modes of belief, and being raised semi-Protestant, I have come to the conclusion that …
Well, this is kind of hard to explain, but I’ll do my best:
The universe is this great big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-whimey … stuff. (Still with me? Good.) But it had to get created, right? So, my thinking is that there IS some kind of gigantic cosmic BEING (or several gigantic cosmic BEINGS, doesn’t matter about the number, so long as they remain genderless and generally ambiguous) that went “*poke*” and that’s how we get the Big Bang.
Seriously. That’s the degree to which I believe this ‘god’ entity thingy was involved in making the universe. It (or they) have been watching the proceedings ever since, like some gigantic reality TV show, but less cheesy (most of the time.)
I have to believe that something happens after we die (if not, why the hell do we have independent thought at all?!) There is SOME POINT to existence, but we just can’t comprehend it yet. (That probably happens after we die. Or we become One with the Universe. I think it depends on how many times you’ve lived and died, if reincarnation is possible. Maybe the more times you go through the mill? *shrugs*) Whatever it is, we won’t know until we die, and until then we can only speculate, so fighting about it is pretty pointless if you ask me. Not much fun saying “Ha ha I was right!” when everyone who is alive and still fighting can’t hear you.
God as Christians think of Him does not exist … and yet He does. Same goes for any other religion. If there really was a One True God (or Goddess, or Pantheon) there wouldn’t be any other religion, just The Religion, because what God (or Goddess, or Pantheon) would tolerate humans dividing their loyalty without some good smiting, or at least a pack of miracles and events to PROVE Their existence? I hate being ignored, or when other people take credit for my work.
Speaking of that, I also believe that the Bible, Koran, and Torah were written by human beings. Authors, if you will. Authors writing books. From ideas they had. Imagination. Extrapolation. Explanation. Not divine inspiration. (Yeesh, what’s with the rhymes? This isn’t Dr. Seuss’s Big Book of World Religion!) I am sure that this will make a lot of people very angry with me, so someday I may have to friend-lock this entry. (So, read it and comment while you can!)
Good news is, that while people have made up religions to comfort themselves, they’ve always hit on the same sorts of things: behave good, you get rewarded; behave bad, you get punished; there are powerful beings out there who made everything; don’t marry your sister (or, rather, it’s ok to marry her if you were the first beings in the land, but not once that’s past; incidentally, it wasn’t just Adam and Eve’s kids who did this, it’s a recurring thing in a lot of Creation Stories); etc. This is because there is One True Being (or several One True Beings who are working Together) … we’re just not able to fully comprehend that sort of thing.
And really, honestly, would you have it any other way?
This is not me bashing religion or any specific religion (though I do like to bash extremists from time to time) or saying that ‘I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO IS RIGHT YOU ARE ALL LOSER.’ I just wanted to share my belief with you guys.
For those of you who suffered through this, here’s an Eddie Izzard link.
Webcomics:
(Listed in order of my bookmarks. Larger ones are the creme de la creme. Color-coded by my insanity.)
First webcomic I ever read religiously (I read everything in one weekend in January and have been checking it thrice weekly ever since.) This is what I made my first ever fanmix for. The art style is … GUH. It’s been going for years, so looking back at the first volume is kinda fun, seeing as the art for Volume 2 is OH MY GOD AMAZING. (P.S. DO NOT read spoilers unless you want to miss out on the greatest mindfuck of the 21st century.)
I Was Kidnapped By Lesbian Pirates From Outer Space
Second webcomic I ever read religiously (same author.) I quite like the recent art shift, personally. It's lots of fun and really silly and romantic and great.
Boobs Ahoy!
Probably one of my weirder 'webcomics I've read all the pages of' ... and probably the most NWS of the bunch. The art isn't quite on-par with the other comics I read (like with manga, I'm not just looking for a great story and humor and great characters, I'm also looking for great art, or at least art I can tolerate. Many a manga has been looked over because I couldn't stand the art style.) but still, it makes me laugh, and has lots of fanservicey things. (BTW, have you noticed a trend with the webcomics I follow yet?)
Hasn't updated in ages, but I keep checking in hopes of more pages. I love the story, the way we don't have all the information yet, and how I got used to the art style after a while.
I spent a couple days reading through this one, and haven't checked up on in a while. It's rather funny, and you'll be surprised how ridiculous things get after a while. Elf/Amazon FTW!
If fairytales are your thing, this webcomic is for you. Hasn't updated in a while, but the art is great and Red talks like Rorschach.
Super Stupor
Again, hasn't updated in a while (notice another trend?) but despite being crude from time to time, but Supor Stupor is great for you superhero fans.
I ... have no idea how I got into this comic. Or how I found it. I can get my lesbian fix in other places ... but it's a funny comic. Ancient
This is probably one of the weirder comics I've read. Slow and steady to update, because the art is so detailed and distinct. I like the hodgepodge idea of other worlds, and, well, lesbian elf kisses!
Strange Candy
... I am ashamed.
Station V3
I LOVE THIS COMIC. It's hard to explain, but ... it's so FUNNY. Maybe it's the structure, the simplicity, the humor that never fails, the running gags, or a combination of all of that ... but I LOVE this comic. I'm even taking it slow so I don't catch up too soon, so I can savor it! Station V3: the perfect starting point for your volley into webcomics. I cannot recommend this one enough.
... yeah, this one is is pretty weird. I haven't read much, but I really really like it. I think fans of Star Trek will find more humor in it than I did (not being a Trekkie myself, I know *shame*) but the thing that caught me wasn't the strange setting, the striking colors, or even the humor (which is very good) it was the main character, Captain Glee. She (yes, SHE) has curves. This may seem like a small thing, but for me, growing up with a mother who insisted she was fat (well, she was a tad overweight, but, as I constantly pointed out to her, not FAT, and compared to the rest of America, below average in that department to boot) this is important to me. Check it out. I'll be returning to it soon enough myself ...
I don't think I'll continue following this one, but the amazingly good art style and intriguing storyline may hook you guys. I don't think it's for me, but it's beautiful and kinda steampunkish. Plus, post-apocalyptic storyline and loads of people with purple eyes! What's not to love?
Oh god ... what can be said about Girl Genius that hasn't already been said? Probably nothing. Steampunk. 'Mad Scientists rule the world. Badly.' Hotties left, right, and center. Click the link FOR SCIENCE!
Mad About U
Yeah ... I have a Mad Scientist kink. This luverly, giggle-inducing, well drawn comic fulfils my needs. Mad About U has that retro-50s feel without being lame, and the lead looks like Doctor Horrible. Or maybe Dr. Horrible looks like the lead. You figure out that conundrum for me.
One I found this morning, because of an add at the top of another webcomic page. It was advertized as "Danger Mouse crossed with The Dresden Files." They had me at 'Dresden Files.' Warning: all characters are anthropormorphic animals. No real reason, they just look like anthropormorphic animals. That's right, someone might see you reading the comic and accuse you of being (*gasp*) a furry! Just so you know. The artist has put a helluva a lot of thought into this comic, and doesn't deserve to be tossed aside as 'just another furry comic.' Usually I don't like comics that are randomly cast by anthropormorphic animals, but this comic is so good that I stopped noticing after a while.
So ... there you guys go. I have SO MUCH STUFF to do today (and yesterday, and tomorrow, and ... all week, really) that those fics may be a bit longer in coming that I originally intended. Sorry! *flees*
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no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 07:52 pm (UTC)I see you like steampunk...welcome to the club!
no subject
Date: 2009-08-27 12:53 am (UTC)*blushes* Thanks!
I read some of the 10 Doctors, but I'm more of a New Who fan, so the jokes were going way over my head. *sighs* Someday I'll sit down and just watch Old Who straight through, for years if need be, to get 'em all into my head.
I see you like steampunk...welcome to the club!
*flourishy bow* I am honored to be accepted! *tips top hat*
no subject
Date: 2009-08-27 09:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-29 12:40 am (UTC)Well, it's not for everybody. It's definitely darker and edgier than Doctor Who, and has a lot of sexual content and some curse words. Whereas Doctor Who is accessible to all ages, Torchwood is very much for older teens and adults.
That said, it's funny, scary, sad, sexy, and chock-full of canon slash. Basically the premise is bisexual alien hunters in Cardiff. Did I mention the CANON SLASH?! (It's a big deal to us slash fangirls, a show with that much canon slash.)
Season 1 is a little more 'shock and awe' than Season 2, which is much better. If you don't like Season 1, suffer through it and then try Season 2, because it does change for the better a bit.
Are you familiar with the shows 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' and 'Angel?' Because a good way of looking at things is 'Doctor Who is to Buffy as Torchwood is to Angel.'
no subject
Date: 2009-08-31 07:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-31 08:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-24 08:46 pm (UTC)It's a funny thing about religion. I think about it a lot. I'm always analyzing what I believe, pondering what THE TRUTH is, wondering about the secrets of the universe, all that jazz. I eat that stuff with a soup spoon.
But at the end of the day, you know? It really doesn't matter. It doesn't change much about any given person's life, and I don't think any God that matters is honestly going to fuss over the details of whether you think sin looks like an apple.
The core of my faith is this: try to be a good person, not even because it's the "right" thing to do, but because we all know how it feels to hurt and most of the time, it's so unnecessary. And regardless of whether it was coded in from the get-go, sentience means that we have the power to decide whether love is a fundamental law of the universe.
I've studied a lot of religions and philosophies, and at the core of almost every one of them, this is the message I find. If that many people from that many cultures can agree on a single thing throughout the course of history, then either there really is a God out there or there's a deep-seated human drive toward self-sacrifice for the betterment of others. I know what I believe, but either way, I'll take it.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-27 12:59 am (UTC)I keep meaning to check out Dr. McNinja. And now I will. (On the pirates vs ninjas thing, I chose Vikings and Samurai every time.)
It's a funny thing about religion. I think about it a lot. I'm always analyzing what I believe, pondering what THE TRUTH is, wondering about the secrets of the universe, all that jazz. I eat that stuff with a soup spoon.
Makes my head hurt and gives me panic attacks if I think about it too much. But that's just me.
I don't think any God that matters is honestly going to fuss over the details of whether you think sin looks like an apple.
A very good point. Whoever/whatever created the universe wouldn't dally in personal day-to-day affairs I think.
The core of my faith is this: try to be a good person, not even because it's the "right" thing to do, but because we all know how it feels to hurt and most of the time, it's so unnecessary.
This is very, very true. As is most of what you usually say in your lovely, long comments. (I miss our Doctor Who debates. *sighs* I'll watch and review 'Children of the Earth' soon, I promise!)