Noah Was The Original Pokemon Master!

It really freaks me out that people actually believe the story of Noah's Ark.

Can I Be A Christian If...

Use your God-given free will and step back. Use these 40 days and determine if you need Christianity in order to be a morally right person.


Can I still be a Christian if I've had premarital sex? What if I don't plan on getting married, then it wouldn't be considered pre-marital, right?


What if I've read the Bible and believe that I can be a better person based on my own principles, rather than the guidelines it sets forth, could I still be a Christian? 


What if I like to drink red wine, as well as whiskey or beer? Maybe just for me we could let a Priest bless my glass of rye and I will truly honour it as the blood of Christ?


If I believe marriage can be between two loving people of any sex, can I still be a Christian? Could we agree that you don't have to marry them in your church, but the state could still marry them legally at city hall and then you would allow the married couple to bring their family to worship at your church?


If I'm divorced, can I still attend a Roman Catholic church? What if I promise to say the Rosary everyday? Do you think God would accept that as a substitute for leaving a broken marriage for the sake of mine and my children's well-beings?


What if I believe the Ten Commandments are old, out-of-date rules that dictate suppression of women and support of slavery, and would like to revise them myself? Does God allow revisionists into His Kingdom?


I support a woman's right to have control over her own body; this includes full control over her reproductive cycles, who she has sex with, whether or not she needs to choose abortion, can I still be a Christian?


If I support a woman's right to use Birth Control, may I still call myself a Catholic? I have a few female friends who need to use 'The Pill' to regulate an irregular menstrual cycle; they're really nice people and would definitely benefit the congregation, but are they still welcome into the Church while taking Birth Control?


What if I think that sending relief items such as food, medical supplies, hygiene supplies etc etc, are more important than bringing Bible's when a population of people are in need? When a natural disaster strikes I like to voluntarily send aid in the form of goods and money donations, rather than sit idly and pray for God's help, is this acceptable behaviour as a Christian?


Can I be a Christian if I don't ask Jesus for forgiveness, but rather I ask the people I've upset for forgiveness when I do wrong? What if I just feel that forgiveness should be given by someone who is actually capable of communicating with me?


What if I volunteer my time to support those in need, such as at local shelters or as part of a Big Brother/Big Sister organization, but I attribute my good deeds to myself, rather than God? 


Can I still be a Christian if I let myself feel good for the good deeds I choose to do, or will God be upset that I don't attribute things I've done of my own accord, as His will?


What if I don't attend church regularly because I feel that I've established as much of a relationship with my spirituality as I need, does that make God angry, or can I still be a good Christian?


What if I hold in higher esteem those who think differently than me, as opposed to those who think exactly alike me? Is it acceptable to remain open-minded at all times or does God demand that I condemn those who are not Christians?


If someone will not worship Jesus, but does remarkable deeds and has a very positive impact on those around them, do I judge them based on their failure to worship, rather than their content of character?


Could I still bring my children to church with me on Sunday if I refuse to allow them to pray at their public school? What if I'm just a firm believer that Church and State should remain separate, but not necessarily against the idea of prayer? Is this acceptable?


What if I believe that evolution is the most logical choice for an explanation of human origins, can I still call myself a Christian?


What is the most important thing that I need to know in order to call myself a Christian? Do I need to follow Jesus' word to the letter to call myself a follower of Christ? When Church leaders create modern rules that aren't in the Bible, how do I know whether I should listen to what they say, or follow what was originally written as Jesus' word?


If we could find agreeable answers to these questions I truly believe that we could positively shape the current discourse of religion's part in western society. Furthermore, if everyone took themselves a little less serious and admitted that most of the time they are good people who don't need religion to continue being good people, we would make leaps and bounds of progress in the ways of equality, compassion, understanding, and acceptance of others beliefs. This would, of course, diminish hatred and contentiousness throughout the world -- the benefits would be far-reaching and would leave the world in a much more loving state for everyone, especially those about to enter it.






Thanks for reading, feel free to browse the rest of my blog or connect with me via Twitter @Chrispypaul (or click here)

We Need To Change The Way We Talk

As a society, North American culture is facing a very grave issue in the way we talk about and address events that happen. For example, when someone says "fighting cancer" what do you think of? A noble and courageous battle being fought to the bitter end? That is the first thought that crosses my mind, but then I remember the instances where I've seen and been involved in fights -- there is nothing courageous or heroic about them. Spitting, bleeding, crying, broken bones, shattered self-esteems, those are degrading things and when people fight they are not at their best as we are led to believe, they are, in fact, at their very worst.

When you fight you get hurt, or hurt someone else and that needs to be written here because the amount of people who are disillusioned about the reality of what it means to fight is shockingly, and pathetically high. Saying that someone who is receiving treatments to rid their bodies of cancerous cells is "fighting" against the cancer is wrong, incorrect, and most importantly it is really demeaning. I've lost loved ones and role models to cancer, we all have; they didn't lose a fight, they were murdered. Killed by a vicious disease that knows no prejudice, taken from existence from a deadly formation of cells that have gone AWOL. You wouldn't demean someone's death on purpose, so stop doing it accidentally.

Another serious issue that is spoken about as if we are a bunch of fucking pussies living on rainbow clouds is when we use the term "abuse" as if it were synonymous with "rape" and "torture". When the Catholic Priests rape another child, you will not see the term "rape" used in the headlines; instead there will be a sugar-coated word -- abuse. It is not abuse. It is rape. I hate the word rape, I hate saying it, writing it, talking about it, knowing that it happens; everything about the term makes my stomach churn. And it should, because you know what else I hate talking, writing, thinking about? Children being sexually violated.

Maybe we should stop saying that "children were abused" and start admitting the stark reality of a ghastly situation: that children are being raped and tortured. Abuse just doesn't quite cover it. Rape is such a heinous act, it is a word that nobody likes to say or hear, because it's a hard, cold word that carries a heaviness with it that most people are not able to fully comprehend. The problem with not using a word because you don't like it, means that the gravity of the situation is then lost on you. Words are far too powerful a thing to not use them correctly.

Keep in mind that using false terms like "abuse" as if it were synonymous with "rape" is a form of appeasement; and appeasement is the very thing that has allowed the rape and torture of children to continue to this very day. Furthermore, let's stop encouraging people to "fight" cancer; let's start working together to cure it.