I just realized that I never posted my last two "Rants On Everything Pissing Me Off at the Moment" blogs on here, and only on my Facebook/MySpace. So yeah...I'm gonna go ahead and post both of those now. However, since they're already considerably long, I'm going to do it in two separate blogs as opposed to just one blog, because if I were to combine the two into one, it would be WAY too long. So yeah...I'm gonna go ahead and do it in two. So there. Part 6 can be found below, and Part 7 can be found above, both as they were originally written on my Facebook/MySpace. So yeah. Word up to ya mutha.
It's about damn time I got another one of these things out. It's been like, what, almost a year? Damn son!! Haha, yeah…good times… But anyway… So, because I've been so horribly pissed off lately, I decided I'd pull another one of these things out of my butt. Because, honestly, it needs to be done. However, like the previous blog in this series, this rant is again going to have more of a point to it instead of being just about pointless stuff that pisses me off for no reason other than the fact that it's horribly gay and stupid. I mean, all of this stuff that I'm going to be mentioning in here is horribly gay and stupid, but…well, I'm sure you get what I mean… So, this all brings me to – Rants on Everything Pissing Me Off at the Moment: Part 6.
Okay, so in all honesty, this blog is going to be very, very angry. I mean, all of my blogs are, but this one is especially angry. And it's almost-surely going to offend people, a lot of whom are my friends. But you know what? I've stood by these opinions that are going to be contained here for a long time, and I'm going to continue to stand by them no matter how many people I'm going to offend, because I know that some of this stuff needs to be said. Now. So, let's skip the whole nice, ease-your-way-into-this intro, and get right to the point, shall we?
You know what really bugs me? The fact that we're labeling things that should NOT be labeled. What sorts of things, you may ask? Well, because this is going to be long enough as it is, let's just focus on two for the time being, shall we? The "straightedge" label and the "Christian" label. People wear the aforementioned things like a label, and quite frankly, that pisses me off to no end. When did a choice, a belief – a freaking lifestyle – that is so personal become so…open, for lack of a better word?
I hate that being straightedge has suddenly (okay, maybe not suddenly…but it's become a lot more apparent with people I know recently) become a trend statement. I hate that people advertise the fact that they're Straightedge. Don't get me wrong – I've stated it before in these blogs (see: Rants On Everything Pissing Me Off at the Moment: Part 2) – I'm all for the straightedge beliefs and concepts, but that doesn't mean I support the way people are "advertising" their beliefs. It seems that a lot of people who are straightedge "flaunt it," for lack of a better expression, when in reality, it should be a private thing.
It's not like I'm saying that you can't tell people that you're not into drugs or sex or drinking or whatever, but there's no reason to be advertising it all over, either. Fact of the matter is, you make yourself seem conceited and big-headed when you do, because it seems as though the people that flaunt it all the time think that they're better than you are; it's like they go out of their way to tell you, "Guess what? I don't smoke or drink or have sex because it's wrong and you shouldn't do it, and because you do do it, that automatically makes me a step above you." I'm sure that's not everyone's reason in being so verbal about it, but guess what? You still come off that way.
Again, like I said, I'm all for the concepts of being straightedge. I'm straightedge myself. That's right – I don't drink, I've never smoked anything in my life, and honestly don't plan to, and I've never had sex and don't feel the need to until I get married. I've never even had a freaking boyfriend. So, in essence, I'm just as straightedge as the person who walks around with a straightedge shirt and x's on their hands. But the thing is, you don't see me going around boasting about the fact that I'm drug-, alcohol-, and sex-free. And I think I'm better off because of it. Because choosing to do that should be for your own personal reasons, your own personal beliefs. It's not something to be used for bragging rights. It is a personal decision that you should make, because you have moral standards set for yourself or you want to keep yourself healthy or whatever. It's not something that you do just so you can parade it around and make yourself look like a complete and total douchebag. Jebus Cripes.
Going along with this, like I mentioned, is the "Christian" label. That, quite possibly, pisses me off even more than the straightedge label. Again, since when did it become trendy to be a Christian? Not that I'm complaining about people wanting to know and have a personal relationship with Jesus – as with the straightedge thing, I'm totally for it. I'm a Christian, I love God, Jesus is my Homeboy and I have a personal and loving relationship with him, I go to church, have been on numerous church retreats and two mission trips, and all-around just love God. But again, there's a point when being "on fire for God" turns into "being a completely unbearable asshole."
Again, I'm totally down with people being Christian's and sharing Christ's love with others, but there's a point where you need to take a step back and just stop. And it seems like a lot of people don't get that. It's as if some people feel the need to be like, "Hey, look at me! I'm a Christian! I love Jesus! And guess what? Because you're not a Christian, that automatically makes me better than you!" It's the same as the people who flaunt the fact that they're straightedge; they use Christianity more as a label, as a set of bragging rights, as a way to make themselves feel like they're better than others, which is totally and completely against what being a Christian means.
Being a Christian is about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and because of that, living out in a way that God would want us to. It's about loving others not matter what they believe or how they act, and, yes, it's also about sharing God's love with others, whether it's by sharing the "Gospel Message" with them or simply doing them a favor when they need it. It is NOT about using God's name as a way to boost yourself up above others, and it is NOT about forcing your beliefs on other people. Especially the latter…I mean, people who force their beliefs on others, and who say that they're better because of what they believe, really aggravate me. You cannot force someone to be a Christian. God gave us free will; he gave us a choice. Get that? A CHOICE. And if someone chooses not to be a Christian, then that's their prerogative, and you have no right to badger them further.
The Bible also says not to, "bring your pearls before swine," which means that if someone is truly against Christianity and doesn't want any part of it, then we should not continue to share the Good News of Christ with them if it's obviously not doing any good. Obviously, there are some people who have probably been hesitant about Christianity at first, and have later become Christians, but that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about are the people that are completely committed to their own, other religion – or lack thereof – and don't want any part of Christianity, and yet some still continue to try to force their Christian beliefs on them. That is NOT cool.
I can't stand when people just stand there and flaunt their beliefs around like that, as if they have to make sure that everyone precisely knows that they are a Christian. In all honesty, you shouldn't really have to tell people that you are a Christian. Again, I'm not against it, but if you have to parade it around for someone to realize it, then you might have a problem. Being a follower of Christ is something that should be evident by the way you act and the things that you do. While people aren't always going to know specifically that you are a Christian by what you do, they should be able to tell that there is something different about you, something that is "Christ-like." That is what being a Christian is about. It is about living in a Christ-like way; it is about following and living lives that are focused on living out in a way that Christ would. That's not to say that we don't all slip up from time to time, because we do – that's human nature, something that has been stitched into us from the first sin of Adam and Eve. However, that's not to say that it makes it okay either; we are supposed to try our best to live Christ-like lives. And honestly, continually advertising your beliefs in a way that makes people single you out as a "religious hypocrite," or, more plainly, an annoying douchebag, is not something that you want to be doing.
I want to keep going…I really do…but I think that this is long enough already. Also, I have about twelve essays to write before tomorrow afternoon. So I'm going to stop. Besides, like always, I don't know if I'm making sense anymore, and I sense that I've probably already pissed off enough people. But don't worry – I'm by no means done with these rants. Eventually, I'll get another one of these up here and pick up where I left off here. But for now…I'm going to post this without reading over it again, without proof-reading, and without spell-check. Because I am lazy, and at this point, I am tired and I don't care.
And, so silly of me, really, to have left this out of the previous blog in this series: JESUS DID NOT HAVE THREE HEADS!!!!!
End of rant.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment