Christians face up to your belief system

If you call yourself a Christian, here are some of the things you believe:

1. Reject, even hate your family. You are a follower of Christ. Jesus exemplified this. Do so likewise.
• Matthew 12 46-50
• Luke 14:26
2. If something doesn't bear fruit when you want it to, curse it and make it whither and die.
• Meaning if someone doesn't worship the proper way, or turn others to the one true way, curse them so they don't even try anymore.
• Matthew 21:19
3. The Lord God Creator of the universe sent Moses into a nearby city ordering him to kill every living being, man, woman, child, except for the young virgin women, for whom the soldiers could keep for themselves.
• Numbers 31:18
4. God regretted creating mankind and so decided to kill every living thing and start over with one family and a boat load full of animals.
• Genesis 6:7
5. God the Father has predestined everyone who will be saved before the creation of the Earth.
• Ephesians 1:5
6. You can be excused from all wrongdoing merely by deciding to believe ancient scriptures or joining a cult. Adolph Hitler could be in heaven now if only he had called upon the name of the Lord right before he died; but Mahatma Ghandi is burning in eternal fire right now.
• Romans 10:13
7. To properly remember Jesus, you must eat his flesh and drink his blood; symbolically of course.
• John 6:53-56
8. To be a true follower of Christ, you must give all your possessions to the poor.
• Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 12:33
9. You believe that any day now, the currently living believers will all disappear at the same moment, leaving the rest  of us to deal with a thousand years of rule by Satan. What rubbish!
• Matthew 24:40

I could go on and on and on. It's easy to cherry-pick Bible verses to argue any point. Christians do it continually (that's what they do in church).

For me, I want no part in any religion or supernatural belief system. I read science fiction, but I don't believe every story is physically possible. Time will tell, however.

When I die, do not place a cross over my grave. Do not supplicate the Lord God to accept my soul into His bosom. Do not say that I'm now in a better place. I'm just plain dead - I no longer exist. Period. I will only go on living in the memories of the handful of people that I interacted with on this earth. My music, art, photography, written words, the things I said and did - they may survive for awhile. But few people will ever enjoy them as much as I did while creating them.

Live your life NOW! Love your family and friends now while they are near to you. They won't always be and neither will you be around to do anything about it. 

"Do the things you want to if you can. Don't wait for circumstances to be just right. You'll find they never are." ~Rudyard Kipling

Faith

God, grant me wisdom.

Okay, thanks.
----

Faith is legalized insanity. How do you know when God answers prayers? It reminds me of gambling; the idea that you can be a winner even when the odds are stacked against you. Unrestrained gambling can ruin lives and is considered a disorder that requires counseling.
I just couldn't pretend anymore. I cannot play the game that seemed so perfect when I was young. Everything was all laid out. There was no mystery to the world because every question could find an answer in Christ. I now know that is false. So many have died or have killed for the wrong reason.
I don't believe any of it. I reject the Holy Spirit! There. Now I am damned according to the scriptures. So be it. When my life is over, it will be over. There will not be an afterlife. The word 'afterlife' is an oxymoron. My life will be judged by the people living now. How did I treat them? What works or accomplishments have I left behind for the next generation? Whose lives had I touched and made just a little bit better because I was there?
I believe in the existence of people. The few whose paths mine have crossed will be the only ones concerned with my coming or going. I hope I have not caused too much pain. I hope it can be said that the world in some small way is a better place for having me travel the few hundred places in the brief eighty year blink of these times.

Hire a Musician

Many of our beloved musicians can't find a job after returning from the road or retiring from the bar scene. Is this how we treat our artist citizens? The path to reintegration into society after a tour or a long stint in a sleazy bar is a difficult one.
After years of dedication to their craft, musicians and road crews gain useful skills that businesses need - stomp box repair, microphone testing, barmaid selection; just to name a few.
Many of our homecoming artists have served their time playing music not of their choosing. Some of them carry memories of traumatic experiences: smelly motel rooms, lousy food, poor acoustics, drunk people, lack of privacy, unsightly laundry services, bad attitudes - the list goes on and on.
These men and women aren't asking for a parade or a pitiful hand-out (a substantial hand-out might do). They just want the recognition of a job well done; the applause and the groupies aren't enough. So, if you see a musician walking the street because the mid-west tour made barely enough money to pay for itself, please give him a job. You'll be glad you did. There's nothing like having someone that can do a spot-on Mick Jagger imitation on your crew; or who can tune your guitar in under a minute. They might also know the best places for happy hour or an extended lunch.