Being a Christian and relying on the Christian worldview(as much as its not a lobby in any sense, but that aside for now-) while you engage in debate is disadvantagous, not because the Christian view doesn't hold firm logic, but because of the associations that are so deeply attached to religious beliefs and standpoints. They actually might not be significant at all to what the believer believes, or are misconceptions that still hoover around even after explicit clarification. If we divorce all implications from possession of to the identity of a religious believer and just observe, arguing something while being a Christian presents one of the most difficulties and has perhaps one of the largest pitfalls of ridicule when one is defeated in terms of arguementation due to a bad manner in one's using of words to colour up your logical connections so it may serve to fit the academians circles. Academicians themselves have their differences when considering the religious believer as a subject - those that exclaim 'narrow-mindedness' are now of a lesser species once apologetics has been understood roughly, we usually get those with tolerance and psychologified understanding of one's mental inclinations and f course, there are those that go against the respect to religious beliefs totally using the logical-after-we-ponder-awhile-about-it-but-then-there-are-other-sides anti-thesis arugments to the presented rationalities of the faith, strongly reinforced by emotional rethoric. But all that aside - I shall attempt to roughly identify a few random factors of a believer's stance which turns things away from his favour.

Theological Mysteries
Amongst the several certainities we have, there are things we don't know about. Well, I guess it would not be so bad in the terms of other philosophies whereby they wouldn't be expected to have all the answers, but when a Christian explains that some things are not revealed by His creator and in his plans, the ignorance can be somehow linked to be stupidity.

'Holy' Image
While outlaws and people who bend conventions are a breath of fresh air, those that abide by the laws are naturally percieved as dogmatic and rigid (and therefore stupid?) Perhaps its the fact that it gives a 'follower' feel, that really destroys the 'leadership' and 'destiny is in my control' spirit and drive.

The world's problems
Misery, pain, suffering and blatant emotion to the big issues of the world and episodes of distress is sometimes just rethoric enough to persuade a person that the believer is insensitive and irrational and good enough to twist the arguements away from logical grounds into questionable lights.

Associations to 'god'
Someone in control of space, time and all physical and metaphysical realms to this universe indicates an accountability to Him - but that's not the image one would actually think of. Instead, there are alot of negetive images and associations, one of the floating around ones which aren't exactly justified by anything. For instance, one such idea roughly held by the 'religion is a crutch' people is that God is some conception of the mind and only for the weak-willed who can't live their lives without a handle of some sort to grasp. While people might not have the belief in their belief systems, the lingering academic presence of that conception is kinda like a tapped mana card that hints strongly, thus giving bad associations to Christian arguements even before the logic is tested.

Evangelical nature of Christianity
We share because we believe that it is true, of course without intentions of imposing although some may get zealous to that extent. But this act would offend the um, (no offense, lol!) weak-minded - either 1) afraid of the beliefs, 2) affected by the sharing or 3) insulted by the sharing, which is not exactly logical justified since the same person would probaly be amused if you tried to convince him the easter bunny existed and lived in Alaska, or apathetic/intellectually sitmulated if you wanted to give your reasons for the belief of how some war in history started. And well, maybe they could whine a little about it if they don't like the fact that information which they assume they don't care about is presented to them - sometimes, people do whine when we tell them excitedly about this doctor who found the cure to a dieasese since they're not that interested in that dieasese or bothered if they have it or not.

The people associated to us
Especially when we have a image that professes a lot, it just takes a few people who claim to be of Christian beliefs to do certain actions that make everyone seem bad. It would be reinforced by the fact that christians are supposed to be part of a community.


I didn't give a counter to every point up there - not because it can't be done, but rather because I don't think I need to -_- There are the valid points of arguements agaisnt the faith which can be taken and discussed so that we, as equal humans can try to climb over the big questions that existence throws at us together with the evidence we have at hand and the logic we can generate. Mankind should be more intelligent than using the impressions to judge no matter what the subject matter is and even if we don't want to bother about the burning house because sleeping is good for health, we should still find out if fire hurts us.

Labels: Religion

I watched the Virginia Tech graduation ceremony on TV today where it was really a bitter-sweet rememberance of those that died in the shootings rather than a celebration of being free from the education system to be chained to another one. There were also the deaths of the soliders that had died in the military training overseas. It got me remembering the funeral I went through last year too, and in reaction "why die already then show so much respect. *and I guess the effect would be perfect here if I could swear*"

Its a common ponderance, this irrationality. But I think that whatever psychological/sociological justifications for the actions after a death is never emotionally justified. Its only by death that the emotions are somehow activated. Only by losing it that we somehow are awakened into a reality. Only by destruction of something that we can finally look at the past and discover a value in it.

And perhaps its with feelings like that, that mankind is moved towards a truer humanhood. Death's power breaks away all tensions and conflict in the relationships of any parties as the energies are re-focused onto this new grievance. Sudden death has the additional power of shock that disarms everyone into submission of cooperation - everything else doesn't matter for now, let's do this because its whats important.

Whats important? When are the emotions of saddness, regret and remorse ever important? They waste time, money and energy and amount to nothing at all in the humanistic sense and if we ignore the psychological necessity of crying to appease youself.

Yet, its only at this point that people finally acknowledge stupidity, reconcile, renew tight tensions and have a paradigm shift. Only at this point, do we realise inefficiencies, muster courage and resolve to help. Only at this point are things in a deeper clarity and rationality...

All things, except perhaps the things of death itself.

Labels: muse

Spiderman 3 wasn't that great. But still, it did remind me of those symbols of ultimate altruism, the ones who fight for justice without redeeming honour, the ones who put their lives at stake and not expect glory, the ones who give so much of themselves and fly away before the applause - So as the mainstreamed quote goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Just like spidey has his burden from the radioactive spider, so many other superheroes take their burdens from a gift.

Spidey's justification for the mask was that he didn't want his enemies to know who he was, lest they came to hurt his loved ones. I think the Ultimate Spiderman comics give a clearer picture of this injustice to him as he struggles with deleting the voice messages so his Aunt would not hear his teacher questioning why he had skipped school while he was trying to survive a mob at chinatown, and his loner tendencies at school even breaking up with his girlfriend, Mary Jane to protect her from his heroship, vengefully ignoring her plea that "you can't go on living life without any friends..." (Eh.. that was for that issue #80+ I think. I know I'm quite backdated considering that the series has reached about 200+ already? -_- Well, blame Singapore for a lack avenues to purchase them) Its unfair, one would feel, that spidey has to save people without anyone knowing anything about the one behind the mask. Actions would define the person, but when its demonstrated behind a mask, the actions wouldn't really matter...

Although no superhero would see things in such a psychological perspective - but perhaps, on a deeper level, superheroes wear masks because its hard to have dual relationships. Like a consellor who have to establish artificial relationships with his clients, a hero establishes a similar 'moment of empthy' with the people he saves. To be a hero and a friend, to be a disciplinarian and a buddy, a teacher and a relative.. For both to be existant at the same time is difficult.

I sigh at a scene when spidey chats with his Aunt, unable to tell her things because his unable to reveal his identity. As much as he has a close and argubly, deep relationship with her, he still is unable to express certain things because of his mask. Yet, perhaps sometimes thats the way everyone is like. We might not have a tangible mask that gives clear indicators of what we hide, but because of circumstances of a particular nature, there are things we are just incapable of telling someone, not because we don't want to, but just because we're not supposed to - we can't. We need to wear that mask.

And I guess when spidey flys around the city in the night, swinging up to perch onto a building so he may suvey the cityscape, recalling how his fighting this battle with pain and blood, perservering through the struggles while knowing that no body will ever appreciate Peter Parker but only Spider-Man, remembering that he is doing it all alone... It would be because sometimes, he needs the moonshine.

Labels: muse

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