THE HOLY WAR

Religion; it defines our faith, our purpose, our journey through life. What does it mean to have a religion, to be a religious person? You follow the teachings of God, and you do what you believe He needs you to do, what He has willed. Throughout history, men, righteous men have justified their actions by referring to them as the “will of God”. They have waged wars, crusaded against heretics, and cleansed what has been soiled, all in the name of God. Is that what God tells us to do? To clean our land of “evil” by bloodshed and eradication? I watched Kingdom of Heaven today, and it has really struck a chord. Our religion may give us the basic foundation of humanity through our actions and inactions, but it is also your conscious that defines you as a great person. Religion is not about speaking Him name in vain and talk about Him in a mechanical way, but about what is in your heart and your head and who you decide to become each day of your life. Just a thought….


Now we hope that none of you will be slain, but we wish you to know that the Kingdom of Heaven will be given as a reward to those who shall be killed in this war.

- Pope Leo IV

The eternal mystery of life and death

If there is one mystery that even the most studied philosophers cannot solve, then death is it. We know it, we fear it and one day, all of us must face it, but until that day arrives, denial is a good place to be as any. As a christian, we are taught that there is life after death. He who is almighty will prepare space in heaven for you and your loved ones, and when that day arrives you will meet again and love each other equal like brothers and sisters. There will be no war, no pain, no suffering. Instead there'll be love, just love and nothing else. So when you lose a loved one, do not cry, because you will see them again. And know that to follow God you must sacrifice all things and put Him first and if losing someone is what must happen to you, then you must face it. Sure I love God, and I believe in His love and His plans for me, but at the risk of sounding un-christian, I must admit, every time I hear this being preached, I scoff. Words don't mean shit when you lose a mother, a father, a child, a brother, sister, husband or lover. Being preached to will not lessen the pain, nor the anger or the silent screams you feel inside coz ultimately even though you can talk about death all you want, the balances, the inevitable, the happy after-life in a matter of fact way, none of us know what really happens after we die. Will our parents still love us in an all-sacrificing way once we are in heaven? because after-all we are all supposed to love each other in the same way once we enter the golden gates. Will you still feel the kind of passion you once felt for your partner when you rejoin them after death, I mean we ARE supposed to love like brothers and sisters. And most pressingly do you ever want to be loved by them the same way they love everyone else or do you want more? We don't know... and that's way when I see my mother sleeping at night, I thank Him that he has not taken her away from me, leaving me with the unknown, the questions, the anxiety and left me with the present, the good, and the kind of love that places me above all else.