VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 13:37:36 10/04/99 Mon
Author: Rev. Moore
Subject: I need some opinions, suggestions, etc. please.

[The following is a rough draft for an self-expressive essay I'm writing for English class. Please tell me what you think, your opinion, some suggestions, etc. Thanks!]

Metamorphosis of the Mind
By William Moore


My entire life has been a metamorphosis. Over the past few years my beliefs have changed drastically. As I reflect back on the past, I think of the way I used to be and the things that changed all that. If the me of the past were to meet the me of today, "he" would try to kill me. Why? Because I am what I used to hate as I hate what I used to be. Confusing? I'll explain further...
Growing up, I was raised a Christian and taught the "values", as they are called, of that religion. I believed every word they said in church, about Jesus Christ, his love, and eternal happiness in Heaven, Satan, and the torment of everlasting Hell. I learned (or so I thought) what was good and what was bad, what was true and what was false. I was also told that Christianity was the absolute good, and those that those who did not follow that path were bad and doomed to burn in hell. I practiced all they said to believe and do, and I did not dare question what they said because I feared burning in Hell. My childhood wasn't the happiest one, and I often prayed for God to take the pain away, but no divine relief ever came. I never really gave it any thought because they said that we only live to serve god despite the condition of our life. Some of them would say “Jesus will always be with you during hard times.” Though I began to doubt this. Others would say "Remember that we are clay and we should not question how god molds our lives." At the time I didn't seem to realize that, unlike humans, clay can't feel pain, so I remained faithful. Besides, I didn't want to end up in Hell for not obeying God. In school, I learned many wondrous things about science that amazed me. The big bang theory, evolution, plate tectonics, and other scientific marvels fascinated me. But when I asked my preacher about such things, he said that they were lies and deceptions of Satan because they contradicted the "infallible" Bible. The Bible started to appear more irrational and unrealistic the more I studied it, however. But who was I to question the word of God? Yet science made so much more sense to me because it seemed like it had the most logical and understandable explanations of things. I wondered how could science possibly be false? This triggered some thoughts and I began to study and analyze the things in life more closely, but I never went against or outside the teachings of Christianity, no matter how much science made more sense... because I feared the possibility of burning in Hell for heretic thoughts. Because of this fear of Hell, I became even more devout. I developed right-wing views and held a conservative outlook on life. I began to hate everything and everyone that even remotely went against the teachings of the Bible. I became a self-righteous bigot as the hatred in my heart grew. My perception of life was very narrow and I was very close- minded. I cursed the existence of all the "heathens" that defied the righteousness of God. But for whom really did this hatred burn for, actually? Was it really for all of the "evils" of the world that I was told so much about and taught to hate? Then I remembered what really caused all of this hate... it was the fear and pain of the past. All the things I have ever experienced and learned throughout my life began to add up and come together like pieces of a puzzle. It was myself that I really hated. I hated what I had become. This "piece of clay" was molded into a mindless drone by their dogma, conformity, and ideals. I became what they wanted, that which wasn't me. With this single realization, I began to fully understand it all and finally disavowed my faith. My perception of the world, reality, and life was so much clearer now. Seeing things from the outside you begin to realize their true nature. They would no longer control me through empty and unfulfilled promises of happiness or threats of hellfire. For now on I would think for myself and use my own logic and judgement. This new freedom opened up a whole new and enlightening world for me. Never again will I look at the world through closed eyes. Through this metamorphosis I wasn't born again, I grew up.
Science and reason are now the basis of my beliefs. I believe that we are born and then we die, so in the here and now we should seek to live a fulfilling and rewarding life with happiness and prosperity as our main focus and goal. If you would have to label my beliefs, I guess you could consider me a secular humanist. If I have a religion, it is life. And if I have a god, it is I. To learn more about me and my philosophy, visit my homepage at http://wmoore.cjb.net

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

Post a message:
This forum requires an account to post.
[ Create Account ]
[ Login ]
[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.