Things are going great!

I'll repost this website, cause I think it really hits home. Up to date as of 2/13/07.

The Queen E!

Everyone's has heard that Queen Elizabeth II is coming to Virginia. Did you know you could be one of 108 people to see her and hear her give a speech at the VA Assembly (via jumbotron)? Well you can. The VA board of tourism has a free lottery, with a chance to be on the lawn at the capitol on the 3rd. The Queen will be here in Richmond on May 3, and will travel to Williamsburg on the 4th. Good job Richmond, and Virginia. I'm glad that we could be recognized for something we didn't do, that way there was no chance one of us couldda mucked it up, as per usual. If anyone would like to go without being in the lottery, there's gonna be a festival, as that's what we do. There's music all day, you can bring a lunch, just not a cooler, and I suppose there'll be food vendors around. It opens at 11 a.m., and there's a list of do's and don'ts, as you can imagine. Anyway, go here for more info.

Dear Believer

Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, while crying for unity and promising togetherness, ignore those, and even despise those, outside of themselves. I would say that these religions, while decrying bonds of love, have created more discord and pain than any other reason man can offer. To what end? Do you not realize that you are all standing outside the same house? Your vantage point may be different, but you’re seeing the same show. Even the apostles couldn’t quite agree on who did what or when they may have done it. Who was the first to see Jesus after he left the tomb? Mary Magdalene and Mary, his mother, as in Matthew 28, or was it Simon, as in Luke 24? Because you have all refused each other, you are all standing in darkness, you are all in the cold outside the house of god. As long as you all squabble over which truth is more correct you will be forever beyond the light of god. The truth, warmth, and light of god, is in acceptance. You are like children fighting for the same toy, not realizing until too late that you have broken it. Now no one can have it. Focus instead on your own private relationship with god, make it your own. The light of your spirit will transcend your words. If you want to be a true witness do these things:

• Take care of those less fortunate than you
• Treat all people with the same respect, regardless of race, creed, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or social class
• Focus on knowledge and understanding
• Focus less on monetary gain
• Stop arguing about religion and pointless spiritual debacles
• Focus on your own relationship with god and the sins you are committing, because hypocrites make lousy witnesses
• Build up your fellow man, not just your "fellows"
  

If you take less of your time to “witness” to others, begging them to pray to god and telling them to “turn or burn”, or saying things like “Salvation is only for those who throw themselves on the mercy of god and trust in Jesus Christ”, and instead do these things above, you will lead more people to your light than ever before. Would you rather shout about your faith and push people away, or quietly exemplify your faith and let others come to you?

And maybe none of this will mean anything to anyone, but I'm tired of being told to be a Christian, and I'm tired of being told this is a Christian nation. Because it's not, and I don't believe god exists. Pray if you'd like, that's your faith, and if your god works the way you say he does, he'll show me in his way at some point. Until then, stop harassing me.

Discordant prophesies
joining the hearts of men
clouding their minds
ostensibly unifying
historically divisive

Since its inception
there is no peace
each new god
a revolution in kind

three windows
one scene
each on the outside
looking in

is your vantage better