@45 trying to trick you, now you just sound fanatical. I am not here to judge you for your beliefs, you are free to believe in God, Allah, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster for all I care. I don't judge people based on their religion, but based off their actions, and yes, if their actions are bad, or show bad intent, but they do it in the name of their god, I do judge them for that, I do hold it against them for that. If you are evil, violent, whatever, I don't care if you're Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Juish, whatever.
Evil is evil, even if done in the name of a deity. Just as good is always good, even if done in no one's name but their own. I'll be straight up honest with you, I used to be that way, if I would hear a middle eastern sounding name, or hear anything about Islam, a torrent of hate and rage would grip me, I would be repulsed. I have learned better though, and I don't know why I used to be that way, because my family never were. The only theory I have is that it was a poor way of handling 9/11. When that day happened, I was in 9th grade, I sat and watched as my home land came under attack. I was numb, I didn't know why or what to do about the feelings I was having, so I turned it all inside of me, and every time I would hear a name that sounded Arabic or remotely middle eastern, it would dredge up those feelings. It took me 10 or so years to realize that was the wrong way to be, and longer still to reverse the damage, to be able to over time reduce those impulses I would get when thinking about things. It took me time to reverse programming I had laid deep inside my own mind and disassociate Islam with terrorism. Now I know that the Muslim faith is not synonymous with terrorism, even though there are twisted and evil Muslims, same can be said about other religions as well. So I've stopped throwing people into large buckets.
So now I look at people hopefully more as they are and not based on their belief. Yes, I will admit that I am not religious. I will go further to say that I think organized religion is a big problem, as I've seen it bread hate and ignorance, and extremism. These are my tenants though, not yours. I used to be worse about this as well. I used to dismiss someone if they didn't think the way I did, or believe in what I did. I used to scoff at people who believed in god, because to me, there is no god. I used to be closed-minded, but I changed. I'm still not perfect though, I still have social issues I would say. I still don't tolerate bullshit off people, I"m 32, and I feel like I've only just begun on a journey to bettering myself, socially and in other ways.
I've really tried to express myself and my emotions lately. I was never very good at that, I would turn everything inside, and never show or never let on what I was feeling. I wouldn't talk to people about things that really mattered, not even to my best friend. Now I've started to work at that, and its fucking hard I'll tell you. I've talked about things in my past, some of the most painful things in my life, and it all comes up at once when I do, it all slaps me in the face, just as hard as it ever did. I don't forget things, I really don't, I just bury them with time.
So you saying I'm trying to trick you, or implying that I'm trying to manipulate you, that's just absurd. I never will believe like you do, I never will be able to accept the precepts of a religion without question, but that doesn't mean I begrudge you the rightt.
Facts with Tom MacDonald, Adam Calhoun, and Dax
End racism
End division
Become united