Religion

I was going to write a post about my cruise to Mexico, or about my awesome friend Koas, but then I knew what I had to write about first.
People never cease to amaze me.
Everyday I am surrounded by so much ignorance and so much hate that I want to scream. It sometimes feels like I'm in one of those great but depressing sci-fi movies where the society is so corrupt and only a small percentage of the population actually understand how corrupted it is.
I realize that I'm exaggerating, but I'm a writer (or at least I try to be). I'm allowed to go crazy with my imagination on a daily basis.

Not everyone in our school is a Christian. In fact, a large number of the students are atheist or agnostic.
I myself don't claim any religion fully. I consider myself to be a very spiritual person, and I am very happy to live this way. My parents and brother are Christians, but we don't go to church anymore. We embrace the philosophy that going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than standing in a garage makes you a car.
I have observed throughout the years, especially in middle school, that many "Christians" judged, ridiculed, and bullied other children even though they claimed to be very close to God.

Religion is such a funny thing.
It turns people against each other, even if they are a part of the same religion. It topples governments and crushes cities. Countless people have died or murdered in the name of faith.
Religion can make people crazy. Not all people, of course, but it has the potential.

My mom and I talk about many controversial topics, and yesterday we talked about religion.
I am very lucky to have a mother and a father who have never imposed any beliefs on me.
My mom and I talked about how crazy it is to think that any single religion is totally correct. Christianity, in the scheme of things, is a fairly new religion. Who is to say that the ancient Egyptians weren't right? Or the ancient Greeks?
Because of this, I embrace the Buddhist philosophy that gods are different depending on the time period and various cultural aspects. I think that there is certain wisdom in any of the world's religions, both past and present.

What I cannot comprehend is how some people get so worked up over religious issues.
So someone believes differently than you. Guess what? They are no more right or wrong than you are. 
No one knows what is after this life. Maybe we are born again. Maybe our soul leaves our body and rests eternally in a divine realm. The point is, no one can know for sure, so it is pointless to fight over it.

The other day in class, a boy said something about being agnostic. Another boy snapped at him and said that he was disrespecting his God.
People like the second boy are why I want to live on an island. All by myself, away from the ignorance.
Just because that is your God does not mean that is my God.

What I want more than anything is an accepting society, no matter how impossible that is.

I'll close this post with a quote from one of our presidents and founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson.

Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity.
-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782

Peace, love, and scary movies,
Sara

Empathetic

We all see pain in everyday situations. Sometimes it's in the eyes of strangers, or the way our closest friend's shoulders seem to sag with an invisible weight. We feel pain ourselves most days. Not necessarily pain of the physical variety, but the type of pain that hits us closest. The pain that stabs each of our hearts.
From as far back as I can remember, other people's pain has affected me.
I guess I inherited such a strong sense of empathy from my mother, and at times it's both a blessing and a curse.
When a friend of mine told me how depressed he'd been in the seventh grade, and that he'd cut his wrists, I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. Here was someone who was right in front of me for those terrible years in middle school, and I had no idea. I had no idea that his pain pushed him to the edge. And so, I beat myself up about it for a few weeks. It seemed to me that I should have been able to see it. I should have been able to help in some way.
I guess it's a very good thing to be so touched by the pain of others. I know it means that I'm not ignorant, and that is one thing I know I'll never be. People who cannot fathom the concept that not everyone believes the same things as they do can't possibly understand what I'm talking about.
I know it isn't right to hate anyone, but when I see the way that people act towards anyone who has a different view than they do, I can't help but loathe them a little bit.
Especially the way people act towards anyone who isn't straight.
I see people everyday who are so ignorant as to believe that homosexuality is a contagious disease.
If they were referring to love being a disease that none of us can help, then they would be correct. Sadly, they aren't. They are perfectly content to live with such a pointlessly negative attitude.
My mom told me to read a note that one of her friends posted to facebook. In the post, he talked about how he grew up going to church and the way people reacted to his sexuality. I don't even think I was a fourth of the way down the page when I started crying. If I can't hate people, then I'll hate society. Obviously hate of any nature doesn't make things any better for anyone, but society is to blame for all of this. I felt so sick to my stomach after reading his note. Yes, it was extremely touching and inspiring, but it was also so heartbreaking.
No one should ever be told they are wrong for falling in love.
If I were lesbian, I know I'd have all of my friends behind me. I know that my family, for the most part, would stand by me. But so many people don't have that luxury, and they should.
Once, I was eating lunch in the cafeteria at school. A boy at the table I was sitting at said something very negative and entirely wrong about gay people. I turned to him and said, "Being gay isn't wrong." and he stopped whatever he was saying and said to me, "Being gay is wrong. They can either die or change." People like him are responsible for the high rate of teen suicide among the LGBT youth. People like him are the people that I have to try my hardest not to hate. And you know what? God bless anyone who comes out of the closet in a town with assholes like that guy in it. When he said that, I had to get up from the table and go to the bathroom. It took every ounce of self control in my being not to punch the crap out of him right then and there.
But I have hope for our generation. I sincerely do.
If I ever have children, I hope they grow up in a society much different than the one I grew up in.

I want to thank my mother for letting me make up my own mind about my personal beliefs.
Thanks mom, for not beating me over the head with the bible and for letting me have my own opinions on controversial topics. You truly are my biggest role model, and I love you more than anything.
It's been very interesting, growing up in a house with a mom who is a democrat and a dad who is a republican. But you know what? At least I know that without a doubt, I decided for myself what I believed in.
Obviously I'm a democrat, and I'll be one for my entire life. So many teens and kids that I know just blindly went with whatever their parents told them. So thanks, for making sure I had a good, albeit hard head on my shoulders.

Peace, Love, and Standing Up for What You Believe In,
Sara

I hate people

I realize that a lot of times on this blog, I've been very negative. I'm not sorry for it though. This blog is definitely not all sunshine and rainbows and glitter. It's the real stuff that seriously gets me pissed off.
Today in my history class, a guy asked my teacher, "If you had a son that was gay, what would you do with him?"
What would you do with him?
The teacher just looks at the kid and says, "What would I do with him? Well I've never been put in that situation before, but if I was I guess I wouldn't be happy about it, but I wouldn't disown him or anything."
Way to go Mr. _________ (I don't mention many names besides close friends on my blog)
Then the kid says, "Well wouldn't you try to make him be straight?"
Teacher: "Like I said, I've never been in that situation before but I'd like to think I wouldn't." or something like that, because as he was talking, a guy in the back who I'd always thought was sort of funny said, "You could always beat him until he was straight." His comment solicited several laughs and a few snickers.
Needless to say, I lost any respect I had for those individuals today.
Why are there always people like that? Why can't everyone just leave other people alone? EVERYONE is different from everyone else, so why do we pick at those differences? Is it just because they aren't us?
You've all for the most part kept up with my blog, at least I hope you have, and you know that I hate ignorance of any kind. One of my favorite comedians has a song called Rant and he basically talks about how some churches say God is all loving, but hates gay people. I'm sorry, but if that's what it means to be a Christian, you can count me out. I understand that some people say, "But it's in the Bible!" Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save it. There's a whole lot in the Bible that we don't follow anymore, but people choose to look at the Bible in ways that benefit themselves. And don't people realize that God didn't write the Bible?
For the most part, I hope I have readers that agree with what I write on here because it's really nice to know that I'm not the only one with the same views.
Why can't people be accepting? Why can't they walk a mile in others shoes? If I ever had a child that was gay, I'd probably love them even more. Think of the crap that they have to go through on a daily basis. Someone who thinks that people can choose to be gay, (which I think is total BS)  why would someone choose to be bullied to the point of killing themselves over people not agreeing with who they are?
Think about it, would you want to be called a homo or a fag for the rest of your life? I know I wouldn't. People have called me a lesbian before and it hurt my feelings a little, until I realized how strong any gay, bi, and lesbian person has to be to put up with that shit everyday.
And why does it matter? Why can't they get married to? It's not like we're going to run out of straight people. It's not like it's a contagious disease.
This is the segregation of our generation. We can either sit back and let it happen, or we can take a stand for what we believe in. Because if you ask me,

Here are some sites to support gay rights and to help end bullying.

http://www.thetrevorproject.org/ The Trevor Project, Preventing suicide among LGBTQ teens.
http://gayrights.change.org/ This is a social petition, sign it!
http://www.itgetsbetter.org/ This sites gives plenty of examples about how life really does get better for LGBTQ youth.

A few things you should know about me

Recently, I started thinking about how much people know about me. My guess is that almost no one knows a few of the things that I'm about to put in this list. I'll put a copy of this list in the about me page and add to it when I feel like it :)

Some of the basics

1.   Favorite color: It changes, right now it's green :)
2.   Favorite flavor of candy: ALWAYS blue raspberry.
3.   Favorite sport: Cross country!
4. Political views: Definitely a Democrat. And I know that a lot of you didn't know that one. Probably only Dylan and my mom. Why? Because this town is pretty much made up of Republicans and I'm not losing friends by arguing. Yet another reason I'm moving.
5. Future occupation: Psychologist specializing in children and teens.
6. Favorite hobby: Writing!
7. Favorite band EVER?: The Killers :)

Controversial views

1. Gay marriage: I'm all for it. Why does it matter? People can't help who they fall in love with. I personally think it's awful that they don't get to get married in most states. And yeah, it's in the bible. Big whoop. There's a TON of things in the bible that no one cares about, but when it comes to people being gay even the most nonreligious of people use the bible to back them up. It also says that there shouldn't be unmarried sex, but half of us wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that. I believe I've made my point.
2. Global warming: If more people did their research instead of just going by biased information, it would be pretty obvious. Climate change is real, and it doesn't take a genius to see that. In 2005 there were more hurricanes than any other year, they were also of stronger magnitude. But what does that have to do with anything? That severe weather we've been having for years now is a result of increasing climate change. But people still blow it off like all of these events are only flukes. If I had a nickel for every time I've heard,"The Earth has always done this". You're exactly right. The world has always done this. When? Usually before a major ice age, of which the Earth has had five. I also love how people are so quick to say, "but there can't be an ice age if the Earth is warming." Really? Once again, do your research. So once again, don't just spout off second hand knowledge. Get on the Internet and read the real facts. Or better yet, go talk to one of the scientists behind the research.
3. This next one shouldn't be controversial, but it is. If I was 18 would I vote for President Obama? I would. I don't really understand the whole mindset that he's some awful president. Especially a few years ago when he was being elected and everyone was making up total b.s. "He's the anti-Christ", uh huh and I'm the Easter bunny. Where did people come up with this? The people that believed it really killed me. I don't know how many stupid things I've heard about his Presidency. "He's a socialist, he's going to make us take God out of the pledge, he's going to burn bibles and flags, etc." I've heard all of those. By kids my age. Is that really what you're telling your kids?Do you really think that anyone would allow a president to do that? The answer is no. That would be the start of a war. Like I've said before, my mom is a Democrat (like myself), and my dad is a Republican. I've made up my own mind about everything. My mom was brought up in a Republican family, but always knew she was a democrat. I know for a fact that the same thing would have happened to me if both of my parents were Repubs. Don't get me wrong, a lot of my  close friends are Republicans, which is why I never talk about politics around them. All that accomplishes is making me furious. So for future reference, don't bash the president in front of me. I don't bash republicans in front of y'all because I know that not everyone believes in the same things as me. Which is great. It's a free country. My favorite thing about the USA? Freedom of speech. You don't have to agree with me, but I'm writing and saying what I want from now on. I don't care what anyone else thinks.

This is a video that President Obama made for the It Gets Better Project. An organization that I really love.



4. I don't think being gay is a choice. Why would someone choose to be gay? Why would they want to be bullied, have unequal rights, and have much of society look at them like some sort of abomination? God created every last one of us. To think that he would send gay people to hell just because of their sexuality, is ridiculous to me. If I ever had a kid that was gay, I would probably love them even more. Can you imagine how hard it must be for them? Why can't we, as humans, just accept people for everything that we are? I'm not gay, but if I was, I would hope that no one would love me less. But without a doubt, quite a few people would. We live in a world that is constantly changing. If we can't be more understanding, how can there ever be any peace?

5. Other religions: For a fifteen year old, I have some pretty deep thoughts sometimes. A few of them center around religions other than Christianity. We think that we're right, Muslims think they're right, Jews think they're right, etc. So who is? Most religions are pretty similar to each other. Most of them have a higher power that created the Earth and an afterlife. Me? I'm a Christian, but I don't think anyone is wrong just because they were brought up in another religion.

I had a friend once that said, "people have the power to choose Christianity." That's true, but consider growing up in a Muslim family for a second. For your entire life, you've grown up as a Muslim. You worship everyday and are very devoted to studying the Muslim faith. So why would you become a Christian? I could keep talking about this and just ramble away, but I'm getting to the point. I don't think any religion is really wrong. In other places in the world, people believe differently. Sure, there are extremists. But they're are also extreme Christians. Extremists get on my nerves no matter what religion they come from. My belief is; if you are a genuinely good person, then you'll make it to what ever heaven is after this life. I love God with all my heart. I just think that everyone should have the right to believe in what they want, when they want, and where they want.

6. Harry Potter: I remember when I was in elementary school and Harry Potter became popular. Some of my friends parents wouldn't let their kids read or watch the movies because of the mention of witchcraft. They thought that the books were against Christianity. Thankfully, my parents were never like this. For anything along those lines my view is: If you are a true Christian, why in the world would your beliefs be swayed because of a children's book series? If you actually read the books, you'd find out that it's not about the sort of witchcraft that you might find in the movie, The Craft. I happen to love that movie and I'm still a Christian. In the Harry Potter series, they have not only Christmas, but Easter as well. So I really don't understand that mindset.

Concluding this very lengthy blog post, I'd like to say thanks for making it to the end. None of my real friends should think I'm crazy for expressing what I believe in. Sure, I may not verbally express much of this to the majority of you, but I'm done with that. Most of my middle school life was spent figuring out exactly who I was. Now that I know, I'm done holding back and not using my voice to stand up for myself. So if I have to start off small, by using writing to convey my views, so be it. If I lose any friends over this, then they weren't genuine friends to begin with. I don't judge any of my friends for their beliefs, I accept the fact that we are all different people with different views. I love you guys!