Proverbs from the Book of Taylor

So I've been humoring a few of my friends by sending them "daily proverbs", typically whatever nonsense I can whip up in my head when i wake up. Seeing that I don't post very often, I figured I'd throw a few up.

• Judge not he who wears a fuzzy red hat, for his ears are warmer than thine.
• When they neighbor labors vigorously in cutting down a tree, wait until he puts away his axe to make fun of the grunting noises he was making.
• When you are faced with 8 inches of snow, it is not in your best interest to make snow angels while wearing only underwear.
• Hope without action is like a gun without a trigger.
• When you run from something, it becomes your life. Face it and, eventually, it will become your past.
• A man can have an opinion, or he can have a girlfriend. He can not have both; for if he does, one of them does not count.
• Anyone who lives in a house of glass should really invest in curtains.....

Hope these have humored you

Westboro Baptist Church

So again i come with a paper i wrote for composition. We were to compose an argument essay on any topic of our choosing. While talking about the paper in class, my instructor, offering an example, pointed to me and said "Say Taylor is going to talk about the Westboro church and how they are picketing funerals...". When he said that, I felt called to write about it. For those of you who do not already know, the Westboro Baptist church is the congregation that goes to the funerals of soldiers and homosexuals with signs that say ridiculous things like "God hates Fags" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers". As a Christian it is insulting that they claim my faith. The God they speak of is NOT my God. MY God is a God of love and forgiveness, NOT a God of hate and malice. Anyway, here's the paper, hope it makes you feel as empowered as it did me.

The Bible Misused

            Most religions have some group of radicals that give it a poor public image. Because of the terroristic attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on the eleventh of September, 2001, many people now view Muslims in a negative light. Americans are constantly discriminating against people who are Middle Eastern, Muslim or not, because of the outrageous acts of a hand full of radicals. In religion, as in every other aspect of life, it is not the majority that forms the stereotypes, but the loudest groups, or the radicals. These groups typically have a skewed or misconstrued knowledge of the religion and are commonly not supported by the majority of its followers. For the Christian faith, these radicals would be the members of the Westboro Baptist Church.

            The Westboro Baptist Church is incorrect in their interpretation of the bible. They are the church that pickets the funerals of homosexuals and soldiers with signs that say obscene things, such as “Thank God for Dead Soldiers” or “Fags are Worthy of Death”. They coined the Mantra “God Hates Fags”, saying that “all impenitent sodomites (under the elegant metaphor of "FAGS" as the contraction of faggots, fueling the fires of God's wrath) will inevitably go to Hell” (godhates). Most Christians completely disagree with these radicals because of their outrageous views and false perception of what is said in the bible.

            First of all they only choose to persecute those whose sins are not their own. The congregation slanders the homosexuals and soldiers whose funerals they picket. Also they openly use profanity in their blog, saying “You Catholic bastards have turned from God to serve idols and pass your children through the fires to Molech - turning them over to your raping priests.” (sparenot.com). The same bible that they use to persecute and belittle others speaks against their actions in multiple verses. In the book of Colossians, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ says, “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” (NIV Bible, Col. 3:8). In this passage he clearly says that Christians must rid themselves of slander, malice, and filthy language, all of which the Westboro congregation are openly guilty of. By speaking out so maliciously against homosexuality while completely disregarding their own sins they transgress against what Jesus himself says in the book of Matthew when he states:

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You Hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (NIV Bible, Matt. 7:3-5).

These words, spoken by Jesus, further prove that the Westboro Baptist Church has a skewed interpretation of the bible.

            Westboro argues that the bible does not contain the phrase “God loves everyone” or anything related to it anywhere. (godhates). However, they do not mention that it also never says anything about God hating homosexuals, rendering their “God Hates Fags” mantra largely incorrect by the same standards they have set for the statement that “God loves everyone”. In fact, at no point in the bible does Jesus, or any of his apostles, persecute anyone at all, including homosexuals. When they state that god does not love everyone they are obviously not thinking of such verses as: “Whoever does not love does not know god, because God is Love.” (NIV Bible, 1 John 4:8). If God IS love, how can one say that he does not love anyone? How can anyone say that God hates anyone if he IS love? The most popular passage in the bible states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,” (NIV Bible, John 3:16). This passage does not say that god loved only some people, or that god only loved Christians. It says that God loved THE WORLD, including everyone in it.

            Westboro Baptist Church pickets the funerals of fallen soldiers, holding signs that say things such as, “Thank God for Dead Soldiers”. (godhates). They believe God hates these soldiers and that they will all perish in the fires of hell. It is apparent that they never read Acts chapter ten, where God shows his love for Cornelius, who is himself a centurion in what is referred to as the Italian regiment. “He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.” (NIV Bible, Acts 10:2). This passage shows that soldiers can be Christians too. In fact many times throughout the bible, God uses soldiers to do his will and shows them his love for them. In the case of Cornelius, an angel appears to him and says, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.” (NIV Bible, Acts 10:4). Again, it is shown that Cornelius, despite being in the military, was loved and noticed by God. Stories like Cornelius’ make one wonder how Westboro can justify the picketing of soldiers’ funerals.

            Possibly one of the most sickening things that the Westboro Baptist radicals have done is to launch a hate siege against homosexuals. The phrase “God hates fags” causes many Christians to lock their jaw and clench their fists. To support this outrageous mantra they claim, “All impenitent sodomites (under the elegant metaphor of "FAGS" as the contraction of faggots, fueling the fires of God's wrath) will inevitably go to Hell” (godhates). It is absurdities like this that cause Westboro to fall under the category of “Radicals”. To finish off an earlier verse, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (NIV Bible, John 3:16). The focus here is on “whoever believes in him”. This passage does not say “whoever believes in him and commits no sins”; it does not say “whoever is heterosexual”. The verse clearly says that WHOEVER believes in God’s son, Jesus, will live forever in heaven. It is absurd to think that just because someone is homosexual that they cannot be a Christian or that they do not believe that Jesus was the son of God. Yes, homosexuality is considered a sin in the bible; but so is coveting another’s belongings, and lying, and stealing, and being unfaithful to one’s spouse. If Westboro was to try picketing the funerals of every sinner in the country they would have no chance at success, for everyone sins in their life, Christian or not. How would they react if a group of people were to start picketing them, condemning them to eternity in hell because of the hate they pour out instead of the love that they should, as is instructed in 1 John when John says, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (NIV Bible, 1 John 4:11-12). Obviously they have only chosen the verses that, taken out of context, vaguely support their efforts.

            The radicals of Westboro Baptist are under the impression that homosexuality keeps people from God’s love, like it does not apply or something. The book of Romans proves otherwise, saying “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NIV Bible, Romans 8:39). The biggest point to be made from this passage is from the phrase “nor anything else in all creation”. Westboro seems to overlook this passage completely in their bogus perception of the Bible and what it says. “Anything else in all creation” includes ANYTHING else in ALL CREATION. This includes sin of any sort; whether it is homosexuality, lying, or even murder. With repentance all sins are forgiven. The Westboro Baptist’s flawed perception of Christianity and the Bible keep them from understanding this fact.

            The Westboro Baptist Church is incorrect in their interpretation of the bible. They are hypocrites who condemn others for their sins, while ignoring their own. While using scripture to back up their statements, they completely disregard all scripture that proves them to be incorrect. Instead of pouring out love on others, they pour out hate and malice. Christians are to represent the faith well and the radicals at Westboro Baptist fail miserably at this task. As a Christian myself it fills me with outstanding frustration to see how they are ruining the image of Christianity for the world. Hopefully someday they will see that what they are doing is wrong, and that they have completely misinterpreted the bible. 

Works Cited

God Hates Fags. Westboro Baptist Church, 1955-2010. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.

Bible. NIV. Print.

Blogs.sparenot.com. Westboro Baptist Church, 14 Sep. 2010. Web. 15 Sep. 2010.

                                                                   

The Wilderness

So this is nothing profound or inspiring. It will not make you contemplate anything deep. I am not Adrew Liounis ;-). This was a paper i wrote for my English Composition class and i thought i would share it, since i have not put anything up here so far.

When asked to recall a place that is important to me, one that I have many memories in, I can think of no other place than the wilderness. In the wilderness I have spent invaluable personal time with my father, my grandfather, and my friends. The sight of trees has always inspired me; it has always made me feel a certain peacefulness and rest. I love to be in the woods; I love to see the animals; I love to hear the birds; I love the silence that is brought upon by the lack of roads, buildings, and people. I love the sound of the river or creek as it flows so swiftly and smoothly, no man-made devices blocking it from nature’s intended course. The wilderness is an almost spiritual place to me, and hence I treasure it.

            As a child, from the time I could walk confidently, my grandfather took me on hikes and walks through the woods. Living in Arkansas at the time, there were areas of wilderness all around. My grandfather had grown up in Arkansas, and so, seemed to know absolutely everything about the forest through which we would trek. I was always amazed at his knowledge of the wildlife, vegetation, and landscape. Rarely did we ever stay on the marked trail, for to my grandfather the real adventure was in the unmarked, unchartered wilderness. Such wilderness holds many memories of my grandfather and me. He used to take me with him into the middle of the woods to try out his new guns on old logs, bushes, and the occasional, unlucky squirrel. We used to fish off of old, forgotten docks and bridges, reeling in carp and sunny and just throwing them back while bragging to each other about the number of fish we had caught that day. The memories made with my grandfather in the wilderness are outstandingly numerous, and profoundly embedded in my mind.

            Never will I forget the moments spent surrounded by wilderness with my father. The time he finally took me deer hunting with him was a young man’s triumph over the ever-present restraint of age. All my life I had wanted to accompany him on his weekend hunting trips with our cousins that he took every so often. As an eleven year old boy, my wish was granted as I packed my thermals and boots, ready to embark on this adventure with my father as two men, ready to brave the wilderness together. The hours spent together in a box, ten feet in the air that weekend, were hours I would never hope to take back.

            My personal connection with the wilderness has existed as long as I can remember. In my elementary school days I would sit on the top of our plastic shed and look out into the woods behind our back yard while I wrote my extensive, full paragraph long essays on Martin Luther King Jr. or George Washington. I felt, even at that young age, that there was inspiration that the forest had to offer. I can remember following rabbit tracks through the snow through those woods with my best friend. We followed those tracks into a clearing where there split into every direction, as if the one rabbit turned into fifteen at some point. The mystery that I felt then stays with me now as I contemplate what could have caused the explosion of tracks at that one spot, way back in the snow covered wilderness.

            The wonder that the wilderness holds will never escape me. Forever I will love to be in that place, so pure and natural, untainted and unharmed by human hands. The most beautiful city skyline could not hope to contend with a leaf covered forest clearing in my mind. The most talented musician could never produce a sound as sweet as that of flowing water and wind rustled leaves. The most profound and enthusiastic speaker could not inspire me nearly as much as nature does. In the wilderness I am home; in the wilderness I am comfortable; in the wilderness I strive.