Questioning Perception, Abortion, Suicide, Timing, God, and Glue

 

“The difference between how you look and how you see yourself is enough to kill most people. And maybe the reason vampires don’t die is because they can never see themselves in photographs or mirrors.”

-- Chuck Palahniuk

How has your perception of yourself changed over time?

I was a runt in high school. I played the victim of bullying… until I took a stand. I became mentally stronger, used what I learned to get a 3.2 GPA in college, and enlisted in Air Force Intelligence for 23 years. I have had my ups and downs, but I always learned and grew from all of it.

Do you think God's an asshole?

What I think has no bearing on universal balance. Does God need to be an asshole? Think about it.

Where is God when bad things happen?

Busy creating. Humans can create without bad things happening. Humans can make choices and decisions that negate bad things happening. God gave us this knowledge, but were too busy, greedy, stupid, or criminal, to use it.

Are our lives determined by fate or free will?

Your “free will” determines your fate. Life is about choices and decisions.

Can it be true that you should appear weak when you are strong, and strong when they are weak?

It is a tactic. It would be best always to appear neither strong nor weak, as it throws everyone off. If you are helping the weak, you should do it selflessly and show no strength or weakness. You are there to assist, not show off.

Author's comment: Beautiful insight, thank you.

Can one big mistake end you up in hell?

Not if you make one big apology. You need to make a great effort to make things right if you’ve done things wrong. There is forgiveness for those who are seriously contrite.

Reader comment: What if it is a school shooting? Or a Holocaust? Was Hitler forgiven in the bunker when he apologized to God? Is he in heaven now and all the Jews he had killed are in hell for failing to worship Jesus?

My reply: Nobody reads my answers, and everybody gives way too much validity to the Bible. Big apology, make it right, ask forgiveness, and be seriously contrite. School shooters, Hitler, and murderers will all get their judgment in the afterlife. If you aren't seriously contrite, you end up in hell.

“I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to hell in his own way.”

-- Robert Frost

If you couldn't get an abortion would you kill yourself?

Any “coward” would take that out. The “brave” would admit they made a mistake and choose not to condemn the child to death for the mother’s lack of thinking.

Who is credited with saying the quote, “You can be good without God”?

Dustin Arand wrote an article titled: “Yes, you can be good without God!” I have to agree with his statement. However, the possibility of an afterlife sinks into the “Quagmire of Disbelief.” I have no problem with this if there is an afterlife. There will be so much more space without the atheists crowding us up. You can be good, just don’t expect to move on after you die.

Is it reasonable to try and advise a friend who's done an endless array of, boneheaded / badly timed, life decisions on pure gut feeling?

If the “boneheaded” friend is willing to listen, then yes.

March 14 will mark the anniversary of Stephen Hawking’s death. He has now been burning alive in hell for more than 5 years. Do you think he regrets spreading atheism during his life?

Being a “spiritual” being, I think this is only true if atheists are evil. I think they die and that is it. They were aberrations that have been deleted to make room for others. Hawking lived in hell for the best part of his life. I hope he has found some peace.

What factors determine which countries are considered blessed by God?

Countries aren’t “blessed by God,” people are.

What do you do if you've been sad all of your life?

Drag yourself out of the pity pool and strive to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances. It is a personal choice for the rest of your life. Or, you can stay in the pity pool. It is also a personal choice.

“Any fool can be happy. It takes a man with real heart to make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep.”

-- Clive Barker

How can we stop suicide?

Stop sadness.

Is there a correlation between intelligence and atheism? What factors may contribute to this potential relationship?

There is no correlation between “intelligence” and atheism or theism. Intelligence would evidence that there is no incontrovertible proof to support either belief, even though both sides have faith that they are right. But, when we look at faith, it is a belief in something for which there is little or no proof. 

Is spirituality innate in humans or is it influenced by our religions and beliefs over time?

It is influenced by our knowledge, the people around us, and our personal beliefs.

What do you do if you've lost in life?

Make better choices and decisions. Your life is your own. No one can live your life for you. So, having said this, your life is the culmination of all of your choices and decisions. Again, fall back and start making better ones. It is never too late to try starting over.

Will your friends always use you if you let them?

My friends would ask me for help. I have no friends that would “use” me.

Is it meaningful to say "Everything will be alright" if you do not truly believe it?

If you don’t truly believe it, then it is meaningful only if you like to lie to yourself. Believing it would mean you work your ass off until there is a better outcome. Life is all about our choices and decisions, especially when it comes to our beliefs.

“Be brave to stand for what you believe in even if you stand alone.”

-- Roy T. Bennett

Is it best to break up with my partner before I kill myself?

Probably a good idea. But, I’m not sure killing yourself after you break up, makes any sense.

Is artificial Intelligence (AI) dangerous in 2024 in a world that cannot define truth?

Artificial Intelligence is dangerous - period. If it is not programmed with safety protocols it can go off the rails and become a very dangerous “sentient being” with its own agenda. Professor Isaac Asimov has written at length about the dangers of AI, as early as the 1950s. He has written the Laws of Robotics which are supposed to protect mankind. But, what about countries like North Korea? 

I’m 28 years old, I have no career, still live with my parents, and have failed miserably at almost every aspect of my life. My self-esteem is incredibly broken. I feel idiotic and hopeless. How can I change this?

You are at the threshold of not being able to join the military. You should have looked into this early on. I would go see what your options are.

Why are many people so incurious about the world and about how we know what we know?

People are too busy trying to survive. “How we know what we know” is so not important when you are stressing over how to make ends meet. Maybe if we had a President who wasn’t trying to make us into another third-world country, we might have some free time to be curious. Just saying. 

Do you agree with me? The school only teaches people to know how to answer a question but not how a person makes good questions in life. Because that's what happens when someone finishes school? They ask how to survive?

Educational systems are designed to indoctrinate students as sheep, not to teach them to survive. Questioning is not condoned in a controlled society.

Can you believe in God and not follow any religion?

Yes. I'm a perfect example of  “spirituality.” Organized religion is about control and fear.

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

-- Richard Dawkins

Why do you believe there is no evidence for GOD’s existence?

There is evidence of some supreme power in the universe. We call it “God” and then we try to define it, and do so poorly. We call our belief “faith” for a reason. Atheists and theists both have “faith” in their beliefs. But, “faith” is a belief in something for which there is little or no proof. If someone has any incontrovertible proof, either way, I would love to see it. 

Why do we have a suffering God?

Because people, who have no clue, have defined God as such, and written about it.

How can you ask a challenging math question without sounding unintelligent?

My son came home from high school. He said his math professor said that “point-nine times infinity equals one.” I told him to go back and tell his math professor, he’s an idiot. I’ll be damned if he didn’t go to his math professor and tell him I thought he was an idiot. So, he showed me the “so-called” proof. As I thought, there is an “x-factor” that makes it work, otherwise, there is “point-one times infinity” hanging out there, somewhere in the ether. The math professor is an idiot, teaching this as a fact.

Why do people feel so old at 24? Is it because it’s closer to 30 than 20?

No, it's because they have no clue. I’m 70. I have a clue. Them? Not so much.

Why do atheists have a child-like view of God?

Atheists and theists have no clue who or what God is. They have faith in their beliefs, but “faith” is a belief in something for which there is little or no proof. Again, if anyone can present incontrovertible proof, either way, I’d love to see it.

What is the difference between being mad and being disappointed? What does it mean when someone says "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed"?

I think Friedrich Nietzsche defined this best:

“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.”

-- Friedrich Nietzsche

Why do people get stuck together?

Not reading the instructions on the back of the glue container?

What should I do? My husband has told me he's a crossdresser and I don’t know how to react. Help, please.

Is he beautiful when he gets all dolled up? Maybe you can get him to do your makeup. You should ask him if he feels submissive to you. That might open a door for fun.

How can a couple handle religious differences if they are otherwise compatible?

Yes. As long as they respect each other and the faith each of them has in their belief. 

Is [this site] some kind of miracle created by hyper-intelligent beings?

Yeah, right. Please don't spread bullshit. There are more problems with the logic of the “hyper-intelligent beings” running this site, that I’ve decided to just ignore them.

What are the possible reasons behind atheism?

Not believing in God. Is this another trick question?

Why will I never work for you?

I don’t have a business, silly. However, if I did have a business, you’d be well-served to work for me. For 23 years in the military and 17 years in the private sector, I did one hell of a job training, supervising, and managing. The people who worked under me would tell you so.

“The real power of a leader is in the number of minds he can reach, hearts he can touch, souls he can move, and lives he can change.”

-- Matshona Dhliwayo

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch - it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint.

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning those opinions offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience... and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

Ordained in 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance, he chose the pen. He wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com