My Views on Christianity

I should begin by making the point that I was raised, but am no longer, Catholic and Christian. I cannot abide blind faith, and I seriously doubt Jesus Christ Himself would either.

I think that like many things, the biblical stories were based on some degree of reality. I am not sure how I feel about whether or not, or how much of, the stories I believe. I do not "buy into" what has been done with them, but I see some astoundingly advanced theories presented amid things that I feel very strongly should not be there.

The story of the Garden of Eden seems to me an incredible metaphor. I had opined at first that it was referring to technology, but now think it might be more direct in terminology, and far ahead of the mental capacities and information available to the authors of the time.
Perhaps what Adam & Eve's apple represents is the Adam's apple, and verbal speech. We have, since learning how to breathe correctly, realized that people's breathing patterns are more for speech than functionality.
To me, this is the only way I can logically understand "original sin". This way, it means that we are not able to understand because we are not using our brains efficiently, rather than The Almighty deciding that we all deserve automatic eternal punishment (unless we manage to make up for it) for the offense of two people thousands of years ago. After all, we not only don't hold the children accountable for the transgressions of their parents, we are to "forgive those who trespass against us". Frankly, it always struck me as ludicrous to expect man to act more mature than God.

Rather than breathing evenly through the nose, equally inward as out, people gulp air orally as fast as they can to let it out slowly past their vocal chords a bit with each word, and cannot be getting near the gas exchange we were designed for. As it is, without speaking, we can feel the difference immensely between the average person's mouth breathing and measured, deep breaths. Just as our emotions and instinctive reactions affect our breathing (generally making it shallower and faster) so does the reverse hold true.
By taking more breaths of less air, we are running ourselves at a very high stress level, as if in a danger response, regularly. It is also possible that as a species, given the proper fuel, we would have sufficed with body/sign language and our brains could have evolved to include telepathic communication long ago.
Although linguistics may not fully support this hypothesis, that argument is quelled by the concept of time as a puddle rather than a straight line in one direction. However the messages were left for us, what if it was understood even then that we wouldn't be ready for all of those answers for quite some time?

Between the inclusions by the priests and power pawns, I do concede that there is wisdom in the Bible and the Idea of it. People really should compile our learning to make it easier for those who follow. Parables are a wonderful tool for teaching children without them having to learn "the hard way". Much of what Jesus said and espoused was very right in my estimation, and was also not carried on by the Church.

What would Jesus do? Thrash people.
His name is used to control people, to kill people, to elevate men whose tables He would overturn into positions of control over other's bodies, minds and souls. Crosses are the single most merchandised item EVER. Slightly worse than simply changing money, don't you think? And do you think that's what he would want remembered most? He preached LOVE, not FEAR.

I have a mental image: Jesus is looking down upon His own twisted creation, stamping about, pounding his fists shouting "NO! Not in my name! NEVER IN MY NAME!" The Father could wave it off and reply casually "See? I told You; and You thought the Flood was drastic."

It should also be pointed out that Jesus Christ was also NOT Christian. He was raised (as a Jew) in or amid (as far as I can tell) a Sumerian religion, and rejected the harshness and tactics of it. Then, He told people to act as He did, to treat each other as they want to be treated, or how they would treat Him ("Whatsoever you do, to the least of my brothers..."), regardless of ethnicity or religion ("The Good Samaritan" was one of His parables), and told people to spread this Idea. The Church then abandoned those tenets in favor of a rigid command structure and a militaristic, ongoing conquest for world domination.

There are catacombs hidden beneath France, relatively recently discovered, that support one sect's claim that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had children, who the Church went to war with and thought they had obliterated all traces of. There are those who would claim that this is why the Templars were eradicated by their own countrymen. It could be a fraud or hoax, and ancient pranks are not unheard of either, but the fact is, I find it easy to believe after considering the Church's history and current teachings.

Still to this day, there are established, well known Christian charities that will feed the starving only if they will convert to their particular denomination. Wasn't a big part of Jesus's teachings to lead by example, and what kind of example is that, anyways?

If anything, it seems to me that one or more of three schools of thought are closest to truth in regard to the Christian Bible: 1. God was young and impetuous (and incredibly short tempered) in the early books, 2. The God of the Old Testament is actually the Devil of the New, or, 3. There's too much lost in translation and garbage filed away in there that just doesn't belong.

People are taught not to pursue their own personal relationship with their spirituality; instead to rely on other people's learned interpretations of a poorly translated, obviously manipulated Book. Really, whose name is on the cover?

People are taught to suppress their instincts and inner sensitivities to the world, taught that magic=evil, that anything mental that isn't understood or readily usable by the Church is the work of the Devil. When you realize something is wrong within the Church, it must be the Devil whispering in your ear. Hmmm, one says "think!" the other says "shut up (unless it's praise) and kneel"... now, which one to associate with?

People are taught to fear God, not to try to be closer; and certainly not to look within their selves for that personal relationship. But of course, how do you convince someone who knows they are just as "tight with Him" as you are that God told YOU to tell them to kill someone else?

People are taught to admonish and deride themselves for the sin of two people who died thousands of years ago, not to love themselves. Really, all one needs to do is accept how beautiful and individual the flaws make us, and look for "God" within (that spark in common with the universe around you). If someone does get a glimpse, they are taught that that must be the Devil. After all, what would God want with some lowly, sinful peasant when He could talk to a Cardinal or Bishop? Humility is important, but the emotional abuse seems unfathomable, yet so very, very commonplace that Christians apparently don't even see it.

It is also important to know your limitations, and to remember that, no matter how far we come, we are all still flawed, imperfect, and fallible. This was taken to a sick extreme, and now people like me are somehow wrong, hell-bound, even, for rejecting that. "Get bent," I say in my defense. If I must be a Devil in order to be responsible for myself, and conscious of what I do, then I really have no choice. I'm sure that Jesus and all the Gods will prefer it that way.