But then, I realized what needed to be done:
I had to set-out to make these two blogs different. And I believe that is just what I have done. Kind of.
Therefore, it will be the goal of this blog to continue talking important stuff and the goal of the other to document my academic quests in the world of English. Or something like it.
Which makes sense, at least to me, and I think it will work. However, this post is going to have to be an exception. I plan on copying and pasting these here words onto the other blog as well. Yep.
Okay, let’s settle into it, and please go ahead and realize that this is a heavy post, as I have always wanted to discuss religion with you, but I was never really certain about it. Well, the time is now. Okay. Ready. Set. Go:
As a reader of the blog, you know that the blog likes to get down with some stuff that makes our brilliant little minds work. You know, the sort of stuff that we can ponder whilst sippin’ on some tazo tea. Or, you know, gin and juice. Whatever your poison, we need things to think about. Which got me to thinking about a really awesome person in the groovy world of thinkin’. That person is the inspiration for this post, and also, the original T-Pain[e].
That’s right and damn straight. We are gonna talk Thomas Paine. So put on those thinking caps and lock-n-load into some common sense, it’s about to get real up in this bitch.
Alright kids, this summer I have been taking two summer classes, appropriately enough. One of the classes is Music Appreciation. And, by the way, I thought I already appreciated music and I suppose I did, but now, I appreciate it even more. Let’s hear it for Gregorian chants and blastin’ opera. Second, the other class I have been taking is American Literature. Which has been quite delightful as well. Our fine and free country has housed some really great writers.
SIDENOTE: I feel it’s important for me to dwell on that for a little bit. My teacher of that American Lit class brought to my attention that, really, it didn’t take our country much time to start producing writers that are still considered world-class. There’s something to be said for that, Amurrica.
And, on that topic, I found myself getting really into some Thomas Paine. I am pretty sure that he was a total bad-ass. And I think that’s why I like him so much, but most importantly, I finally got a chance in my academic career to write a paper about The Age of Reason: An Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology. Ah, it felt right to italicize that. Sweet, sweet rules of punctuation.
Anyhow, I might not do it anymore. It gets exhausting after a cool minute. OKAY, finally, it’s time to really discuss it with you, my wonderful reader. I know you’re super excited. If not: ‘the hell’s wrong with you? THIS IS IMPORTANT STUFF WE’RE DOING HERE. And don’t you ever forget it.
DISCLAIMER: Okay, so, here at the blog, it is never my intention to step on your political, religious, spiritual, or none-of-the-above toes. So, keep that in my mind. It’s a blog, not a revival or a call to revolt, or anything ridiculous like that.
Alright. Now, back in the diz-ay, T-Pain[e] was doing his thing and people were loving him for it. They thought, holy smokes. What a bitchin pamphlet. And so, they read his works and they got down with his words and he was, once again, a bad-ass. But here’s the thing, I believe what qualifies him to be a true bad-ass were his musings on Christianity. Now, here’s where it got tricky for our good friend T-Pain[e].
You see, people thought he was off. And, with that publication of his Deistic work, he lost nearly all of his credibility. And he lost it because he went against some pretty crucial stuff that those good folks held near and dear. But hey! It makes sense!
So, let’s talk Deism. And let’s set-out to really establish The Age of Reason: An Investigation of [yadda yadda yadda] as something of great importance.
Wowsers. That was a fine intro. High-five, me.
Here we go, good reader:
Now, Deism, in its true definition, is “a belief in God based on reason rather than revelation and involving the view that God has set the universe in motion but does not interfere with how it runs.” Get it? Okay, if you need further explanation, our buddy T-Pain[e] most notably said of himself that “my mind is my own church.”
I believe that clarifies it. So, what he was establishing [at least to me] was this whole idea that sure, there is something bigger and better at work, here, but that doesn’t mean that we have to go to some sort of institution while dressed in our khakis and button-downs to get it. Furthermore, it’s the idea that the stuff around us [i.e. nature] is where any sort of religion needs to gather its roots, pun definitely intended.
Let me give you a for-instance: when I was a Senior in high school, way back in the day, [insert wink here] we were to do a Senior sermon at my church. And it was a pretty big deal for me, as it should have been. And so I won’t quote it in any great length, but the gist of the whole thing was something along the lines of this:
A few months before I gave the sermon, a classmate of mine died in this really random tragedy. And it was awful. And when I went to his funeral, and I saw his little sister I just couldn’t wrap my head around any of it. The whole thing was uncalled for. And all anyone could do was accept it and try to get something out of it. And then move on.
Well, I know this is getting heavy, but I have an uplifting point. The point is that when I got back in the car I was really emotional, obviously, and during the drive, something hit the windshield. Guess what it was? That’s right, it was the remains of some rude ass bird’s last meal hitting with impressive fervor. And it was funny. And right there in some big, huge, adult situation, something really silly happened: a bird shit on the car.
This is what I am talking about. Religion, spirituality, that whole song-and-dance, should rest easy in not having to be some big, opulent revelation or miracle or anything like that. It should be something that, if you’re looking for it, you’ll see it.
I didn’t expect to go into that with you, but I’m glad I did.
And I believe that’s what Thomas Paine was trying to say. He was trying to say that our religion doesn’t have to be like anyone else’s. We don’t have to go into the same building on the same day and sing the same songs and read the same passages to claim religion. We don’t have to support the same politics or the same social issues to establish ourselves as believers. And we sure as hell don’t have to falsely believe anything we don’t believe. No one wants to be a phony.
We can’t all expect to have the same relationship with the same person. In fact, that whole belief just seems silly, now doesn’t it?
And I don’t want anything to get misconstrued [although I am sure it will] What I am saying is that religion, or, in this respect, Christianity, can mean different things to different people. And rightfully so. I believe that’s the intention. I think God’s the kind of guy [or lady ???] that would laugh at the right times and get what it is I am trying to say. I don’t think that God is sitting around with a naughty and nice list. Being a Christian means, to me, having a relationship with God. And that relationship is unique.
I don’t think God minds where we are or what we’re doing. I think he’s just there for us if we need him. Kind of like the opposite of an over-bearing parent. Or like a library. Go with me on this: God is like a library because a library is there. They have books I can read. And I can read them and I can interpret them however I want to. And if they don’t have the book that I need, I can go to a different library or to the store. And the library won’t mind. If I buy a book at Books-A-Million one week, and then go to check-out another book at the library the next week, the library will still accept my card. No feelings will be hurt.
Explanation: the different books are different religions. I can pick and choose what to believe and still return to home base.
Perhaps that’s not what Deism truly is, and perhaps I don’t really care what Deism really means. I mean, we just established that we in no way have to fit a label to fit into a religion. I think that’s where it all gets confused. We try awfully hard to find something that we can jump up and say “Yes! That is what I believe!”
And I suppose it’s okay to believe all of something. In fact, I sort of envy people who do, but I can’t. I shouldn’t have to tell people what I believe to establish my credibility as a spiritual person. And if I try to explain to them what it is I do believe, I find that people act like I need to be enlightened. Guess what? I have. And they should read the blog.
I realize I’m going off on a bit of a rant, but religion is a tricky little thing. And rightfully so.
In the end, I don’t have any real authority in your life, but I do want to tell you that it is just a-okay with me if you pull from different belief systems and create your own groovy little spiritual revival. I think the people upstairs will high-five us for it. After all, we'll finally be using our common sense and we’ll finally be getting it right.
Revolution!
Yours,
katie beth
with today’s inspiration: the original T-Pain[e]
