Ladies and gentlmen, I welcome you to Insights in which I try to throw a little of my own perspective light onto topics with which people mail me. No subject is too off-the-wall or taboo; I'll stick my neck out on anything.
This topic was thrown to me by my fraternity brother Tony who is an agnostic. "There's nothing an agnostic can or can't do when he really doesn't know if he believes in something or not."-Monty Python
Like "Women", this is an extremely generalized topic. I can focus on the religions themselves which is what the topic should suggest. However, Tony could have also meant what my views on God or lack thereof are. Thirdly, he may have meant what my thoughts on religious viewpoints were. Well, I'll try to hit as many topics as possible, combining the three questions.
First of all, I'd like to honestly say I don't think religion should exist. Religions, as they stand, are focal points for beliefs. Chris Rock in "Dogma" said it well when he pointed out that faith is what people need, not beliefs. People are willing to die and kill for what they believe in. One can change their faith much easier than one is willing to change their beliefs. Personally, I think religion is just one more way of segregation. When it's to the point where two people may love each other but one won't commit because the other is of a different religion, that is absolutely no different than racism, sexism, or the hundred or -isms out there.
So with that said, let's start at the top and work our way down, shall we? The surrounding point of any religion is their deity. So, is there a god or many gods that watch over us? Well, let's narrow it down. Even with the religions that have several gods, there is always one head-honcho. So aside from whatever name they are called, we will call the main god G. I, personally, will have faith that G exists on the point that if G does exist and I don't have that faith, I'm screwed. But if G doesn't exist and I have faith, well, it doesn't matter anyway.
So, I say, "Yes, there's a G." Call G Buddha, God, Allah, or whatever you want. For now, I'll call G Mitch because I like the sound of it. So, should we go to church every Sunday for Mitch? Should we fast to attone for our sins for Mitch? How can we make ourselve appear better in Mitch's eyes? I'll tell you how. Do whatever you would naturally. Mitch is like Santa Claus. Both know when you've been sleeping, they know when you're awake, they know when you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.
Laughing? Don't. Mitch is all-knowing, correct? If you do something bad and truly feel sorry, he knows. You don't have to tell someone else. That's just to make you feel better. So do I go to church? No. Do I pray out loud? Occasionally, but I know that's just to soothe myself. When all is said and done, at the end of the trip called life, if you killed thirty people, I don't care whether or not you were sorry, I don't think Mitch wants you hanging out there. Look at the horrendous amount of deaths and pain that have been inflicted by most of the religions over the years. All in Mitch's name. Does Mitch really want that?
Can you see how giving the entity just one name nobody has used clears up some matters? Majority of the population has faith in a higher being i.e. Mitch. But it's their beliefs about Mitch that seperate them. So one group who has faith in Mitch killing another group that has faith in Mitch isn't getting anybody anywhere. Mitch isn't going to let those people hang with him, because when they find out that those they killed are there also, Mitch is going to have a mess to deal with.
That's pretty much a summation of Mitch for me. General entity that focuses more on good and bad than how much money you put into a tray every Sunday or apologize for the stupid things you've done. Sorry, but your actions are done, and they're on your permenant record. So how about "Mitch is smiling on me today" or "Mitch has it out for me"? Does Mitch intervene on our daily lives?
No. Here's how I've viewed our lives. Think of a connect-the-dots picture. Without the numbers to guide you. There's life. Mitch put out several point in our lives, but how we connect and get to each one is up to us. So yes, there's Fate, but free-will goes hand-in-hand with it. There has to be free-will, otherwise, you would know at the beginning if you were distined for Mitch or not.
Now we'll get into the afterlife. I thought I was the only one who thought this way, but then I saw "What Dreams May Come", and it fit in perfectly. You can either hang out in Mitch's wonderful world, or you can come back again. Plus side is that you get to experience life again. Minus side is that it gives you another chance to blow it and miss out on Mitch the second time. Honestly, if you're good enough to make it to Mitch, you've earned that choice.
Well, once more, I truly hope I shed some new light onto a controversial topic. My thoughts on this could very well change. Because it's faith. Keep that in mind. May Mitch bless you all.
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