JJ's World Views

Tag: Catholic

  • Philosophies of a Humanist

    Philosophies of a Humanist

    As a self proclaimed Humanist  I do not believe in a God or gods.  I believe in the power of humanity in and of itself.  I have been to many churches and they all seemed strange to me, even the Catholic Church in which I was loosely raised in.  The whole sit, stand and kneel ritual was quite irritating along with the sermons and the Bible.  They all just rubbed me the wrong way.  When I got in to my twenties I read the Bible from front to back and the contradictions within it drove me nut as well as the whole lineage stuff.

    It was when I was introduced to Bruce Lee and his philosophy of martial arts  that I started developing my own system of beliefs.  I liked how he took the best parts of other martial arts and combined them together to create Jeet Kune Do.   I liked this and wondered why no one had thought of doing this with religion or faith.  So, over the years I started developing my own philosophies.  I did not just stick to the ideas of religion though I also took from themes within fiction and movies where religion lacked.  I try to live by a code that promotes peace and harmony without being hypocritical to my beliefs like many do with in religion.  Some may think it is naive but I see the world as it is and I aspire to make changes with in myself, so that I may help change the course of humanity in a positive way.

    I strive to eliminate hate from myself, for to hate I feel is to give power to that person or group over me.  This is no easy task.  I may get angry at someone but I will not hate them.  Anger will only last as long as I let it.  I do not hold grudges anymore, for this only hurts me.  It darkens my heart and breeds discontent in those around me.

    I remind myself fear can be both a good and bad thing.  Fear can keep me safe from the dangers of the world.  Remember not to let fear control me, for if I allow it to have control it can hinder my journey through this life and lead to hate.  When fear becomes too strong I must face it by putting myself in uncomfortable situations, this way I understand what I am afraid of, henceforth stifling hate.

    Be kind to those around me.  This is can also be hard to do especially if I am angry.  I am not perfect and will not claim to be.  We all make mistakes so, we must own up to them and learn.

    Love everyone no matter the race, religion, sexual orientation or any other way society deems to separate us.  I have come to the realization that I may not be able to love in a romantic sense,  because my heart is filled with love for all humankind.  I am fine with that.  In some ways it is lonely and I crave the affections of someone but this may hinder me from the mission I have taken on.  I vowed to not be with anyone until I have finished my Bachelor’s Degree that was almost 3 years ago.  I have almost allowed myself to fall back into the old routines, of mistaking sex for romantic love.  I do not wish to do this again.

    I put my heart into my goals.  This is why I think I am so good at being an Educational Assistant and why I will be a good teacher.  I put the kids I work with first, this is how I am.  I want to make sure that children no matter where they are where they are from.

    Do no harm is another principle I try to live by as well.  This means I will make sure to exhaust all methods of nonviolence.  I would rather die than to physically harm someone.

    These are some of the principles I try to live by.  But, I am not perfect and I will never claim to be.  If I do please call me out on it.

  • Document Analysis 2

    This is a comparison and contrast analysis of “The Expulsion from Spain, 1492” and “The Chinese Rites Controversy”.

    While going through the reading this week I noticed that the biggest sources of tension is the merging of religion and government.   As I was reading “The Expulsion from Spain, 1492”it seemed as though the Jewish people were highly persecuted by the Catholics of Spain, Portugal, Fez, Berber and the Genoa’s.  Spain with King Ferdinand who had first banished them from the country and taking over the land that the Jews owned.  This was the time of the Spanish Inquisition in which any person not a Christian was in great peril, due to the torture and being burnt at the stake for being a heathen.

    In Portugal they were fleeced and were allowed to stay there for a few months then forced to leave.  In Fez and Berber, they would not even let them in the cities in Northern Africa, thus many Jews died outside the wall.  The few that escape to the north were robbed and treated horribly by the Genoans, who were more like pirates than anything.  A few of the Jews of the time did find safety in the northern African country of Tlemcem only because it was a Jewish kingdom.  More of the Jews made it to Naples, Italy where the king took them in and helped the refugees out.  Even those who disliked the Jews (The Dominican Brotherhood) took pity on them there.  More of the Jews were taken to Turkey where they were received as artisans.

    In comparison to the Jews, the Christians subject of the sultan could sell their children into slavery.   This was not like the type of slavery The US had through the 19th century.  People did this because they had very little money and it was better than selling them to a lord.  These slaves were educated and armed.  All though they were taught from the Koran instead of the Bible.  Of course during this time period, the Muslims were the best educated.  These slave became some of the Sultans most trust advisors.

    The conflict between the Confusionist of China and the Catholics of the Europe was there conflicting ideologies.  This very apparent in “The Chinese Rites Controversy”.  The early Jesuits told the Emperor of china at the time that if they converted to Christianity that they would be able to practice their own rituals.   Unfortunately, Pope Clement the XI was a bit power hungry and did not want them to practice the rituals.  This lead the Emperor to ban the rhetoric of religion from the country.

    So as you can see Religion played a big rule in the politics of the period.  From the Spanish Inquisition to the Christian slaves in turkey all the way to the early 18th century where Catholic Pope tried to rule over Christian convert four thousand miles away.  We still see these sort of conflicts in today’s society as well.  Though they come in different forms and in different countries.   Will we as the human race ever let go of the negative parts of religion?  I would like to think it is possible.