For a while, I've been listening to stories about the Bibles. The intrigue, information, and wonder draw me in each and every time.
The interesting parts - turning water into wine, the crucifixion, the dedication of followers - all sound like a story that I would want to tell my children... and have them tell their children, and so on. Besides, Santa Claus, the Loch Ness Monster, and the Easter Bunny have all survived such lineage.
One of the things I like the most about the biblical stories are the graphical representations. I know that Jesus will always almost be white (he's gotten kinda white-ish now, I've grown used to everyone in the Bible being mystically European). I know that I'm always going to see Moses as this old guy holding up a staff and parting a huge ocean-like sea. I know that Noah's arc is going to be something on a gargantuan scale with all the modern world's animals climbing peacefully on board. No wonder I like Sci-Fi.
One of the parts I look forward to are when people interpret what God means and compare it to something we see nowadays. I find myself going the other way - comparing movies to the biblical stories (like the recent Tron reload... it seemed so spiritual). And my love for biblically-themed Sci-Fi has intergrated itself into my personal movie library. Most movies that I buy copies of tend to lend themselves to the theme of (reluctant) Good Samaritan or flawed superhero.
Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to know more about God. Not the deity moreso than the belief of the deity. Why one god? Why must everyone worship him? And if so, why doesn't EVERYONE worship him?
I mean, why didn't anyone just tell one main story: "Hey, there's this guy in the sky and he wants you to follow rules, see? You just have to do what he says. No, you'll never see him unless you die. All that stuff that happened in the book doesn't happen anymore, okay? So, stop asking questions... just follow the rules." Sounds like high school.
I like Jesus. I think he's a cool guy that I really would like to meet. He and I can hang out. Now, I don't drink too much so I probably would just have a lot of water. We'd walk around, talk about theories and life. I think he would be my best friend that I could go to for just about anything.
Because of certain restrictions with another religion, I won't give my ideas about that one.
I happen to know a lot of Jewish friends. That's probably just by incident because of the place where I live. They've all reminded me of growing up in the hood. They're devoted and have their own schools. They keep their own religion by passing down even the most ancient teachings to their children. It's pretty much the same as growing up in an African-American community - just with more money. They're moms are so gosh-darn similar to my own and the ones I grew up around that I can't believe that the two communities don't even really communicate as much. I guess I just said why - money.
Multiple religions have restricted my "devotion" based on skin color (or the "mark of Cain", depending on what part of the religion you believe). So, as a default, I think I've been thrown into 10 different religions and 2 different political organizations in my 30+ years of existence on this earth. In any case, I've landed into the lower level of the privilege scale and, as a result, the bottom of the payscale.
So, politics dictate religion. Religion dictates politics. Rules are made by the few with money, power, and pull. Trying to see something from another's point of view is almost close to impossible nowadays (without the intervention of reality TV). What do I think of the Bible, politics, and all this mess?
I stopped thinking about it. I do personally support certain individuals. However, I've learned to look past the political parties, the religious icons, and the people who fuel both, to be able to make up my own mind. Something else I've learned - arguing with anyone is futile.
I stopped arguing about it. I leave people alone. I respect their religious and political beliefs and ask them more questions. I choose to walk away. I figure that way, I live and you live.
So what has me on this Bible kick? Curiosity. Wanting to know more about everyone's religious beliefs. I have to listen to a slew of different points of view. I like to listen to both the biased and the un(?)biased opinions. I take the whole perspective of everyone's perception.
I've been doing this research since I was little. I've found that both religion and money seemed to have slightly eluded me. I am now realizing how they are both so tightly related and learning now that if I want to learn more about money, I have to learn more about the Bibles.
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