Christianity's a religion - get over it

Years ago I snickered when a proselytizing lady on BART stated, "I'm not religious.  I just love Jesus."

Yeah.  And I'm not a comic book fan.  I just love stories about Spider-Man told using sequential art.

Right now, there's a video making the rounds on Facebook entitled "Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus".  I'll post it down on the bottom of this page if you want to see it.  Basically, the guy is saying the same thing, and I'm saying that it's a load of malarkey.  I'll take it a piece at a time.  (Luckily I found a transcript of it here, so I don't have to watch it again.)

What if I told you Jesus came to abolish religion 

I'd say that's ridiculous.  Certainly he had problems with the religious establishment, but anybody who starts rituals based in his name, and claims to be the Son of God, is not somebody who's doing away with religion. Reforming religion?  Sure.  Abolishing it?  Well, if so he did a crap job, and the apostle Paul REALLY screwed it up.

What if I told you voting republican really wasn't his mission
What if I told you republican doesn't automatically mean Christian

Fair enough.

And just because you call some people blind
Doesn't automatically give you vision

Irony senses...tingling...

I mean if religion is so great, why has it started so many wars
Why does it build huge churches, but fails to feed the poor Tells single moms God doesn't love them if they've ever had a divorce But in the old testament God actually calls religious people whores Religion might preach grace, but another thing they practice Tend to ridicule God's people, they did it to John The Baptist They can't fix their problems, and so they just mask it Not realizing religions like spraying [perfume](undefined) on a casket See the problem with religion, is it never gets to the core It's just behavior modification, like a long list of chores Like lets dress up the outside make look nice and neat But it's funny that's what they use to do to mummies While the corpse rots underneath 

I like the cut of your jib, kid.

Now I ain't judgin I'm just saying quit putting on a fake look, Cause there's a problem If people only know you're a Christian by your Facebook I mean in every other aspect of life, you know that logic's unworthy It's like saying you play for the Lakers just because you bought a jersey 

Wait, that's not right?  (Okay, I'm still on board with him here - just being snarky.)

You see this was me too, but no one seemed to be on to me
Acting like a church kid, while addicted to pornography
See on Sunday I'd go to church, but Saturday getting faded
Acting if I was simply created just to have sex and get wasted
See I spent my whole life building this facade of neatness
But now that I know Jesus, I boast in my weakness
Because if grace is [water](undefined), then the church should be an ocean
It's not a museum for good people, it's a hospital for the broken
Which means I don't have to hide my failure, I don't have to hide my sin
Because it doesn't depend on me it depends on him
See because when I was God's enemy and certainly not a fan
He looked down and said I want, that, man
Which is why Jesus hated religion, and for it he called them fools
Don't you see so much better than just following some rules 

Okay, so he apparently liked looking at naked women (I assume - he's not specific) and getting drunk.  He liked them both to the point of it being a problem, and I'm guessing that his faith in Jesus made it better for him.  Whatever, it's not my thing, but I can't fault him there.

Now let me clarify, I love the church, I love the bible, and yes I believe in sin

Okay, now this is where it gets silly.  His whole thesis is that he doesn't like religion.  Well, sport, I hate to break it to you, but those are all RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS.  I can maybe see people of faith who don't join a church because they don't like religion in the sense of an organized faith group.  However, if you're going to church, you have joined a religion.  The Bible is a religious book.  It's not reliable history, and it's not reliable science, despite what some crackpots might tell you.  And sin is a religious idea.  It's an offense to a higher power, and you need to be on board with the teachings of this particular RELIGION before you can believe in it.

But if Jesus came to your church would they actually let him in See remember he was called a glutton, and a drunkard by religious men But the son of God never supports self righteousness not now, not then 

Good point.

Now [back](undefined) to the point, one thing is vital to mention How Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrums See one's the [work](undefined) of God, but one's a man made invention 

Oh yeah?  Prove it.  They're both man-made from where I'm standing.

See one is the cure, but the other's the infection See because religion says do, Jesus says done Religion says slave, Jesus says son Religion puts you in bondage, while Jesus sets you [free]Religion makes you blind, but Jesus makes you see 

I'm getting a vision of the future.  I'm seeing T-shirts and bumper stickers.  Seriously, what does any of that mean?  Okay, he's being poetic, but it's all a bunch of meaningless rhetoric - especially considering that belief in Jesus is A RELIGIOUS BELIEF.

And that's why religion and Jesus are two different clans
Religion is man searching for God, Christianity is God searching for man 

Somebody needs to spend some time reading about Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, etc.

Which is why salvation is freely mine, and forgiveness is my own Not based on my merits but Jesus's obedience alone Because he took the crown of thorns, and the blood dripped down his face 

And now I'm completely lost because supposedly Jesus is God and he's being obedient to himself.

He took what we all deserved, I guess that's why you call it grace 

Two things:

1.  While I'm one of the most highly self-critical people you'll ever meet, I refuse to accept this notion that I "deserve" the punishment that he took.  Are there some who might have?  Perhaps.  But I haven't.  And I'll be damned if somebody tells me that my toddler son deserves it.  What a horrible thought - one that only religion could possibly drum into your head and make you believe it's a good thing.

2.  Who decided that's what we deserved?  He did.  Basically, he created this crappy situation and we're supposed to thank him for it.  Fantastic.  Lucky for me this never happened, but like the late Christopher Hitchens, I'm an anti-theist.  I think it would be HORRIBLE if this were true.

And while being murdered he yelled "Father forgive them they know not what they do."

He also asked why his father had foresaken him.  Who the hell is he talking to?  Again, only religion can convince a person that somebody can be his own father and that three is one and one is three.

Because when he was dangling on that cross, he was thinking of you 

Glad he gave me some say in all this.

And he absorbed all of your sin, and buried it in the tomb 

He absorbed all of my offenses against him.  Well, whew, I guess that's that.  What about the sin of not believing in him?  I'm good on that score too, right?  Wait, you mean there's one sin he DIDN'T die for then?

Which is why I'm kneeling at the cross, saying come on there's room 

When you TRULY learn to reject religion, you'll stop kneeling.

So for religion, no I hate it, in fact I literally resent it Because when Jesus said it is finished, I believe he meant it

And once you've eaten your cake, you no longer have it.

And another rebuttal:

Comics Roundup for 1/4/12

Uncanny X-Men #4 - Man, I really wanted to dislike this, as I'm looking to drop some titles.  However, it turned out to be a real page-turner.  I'm not familiar with the villain Phalanx, but that didn't stop me from being able to follow the story just fine.  The new artist, Brandon Peterson, did a good job as well.

The Flash #4 - While the story isn't bad, the primary appeal to this comic is the art.  Francis Manapul makes each issue stand out with creative layouts and dynamic storytelling.  I'm not sure that the story would be enough of a draw to keep me reading if there was a lesser artist on board, but I'm still going to stick around.

Action Comics #5 - This issue takes a pretty sharp turn as we also get a new artist with Andy Kubert.  With this installment, we flashback to the new, revised origin of the character, and we get that mixed up with some Grant Morrison nuttiness dealing with time travel and various supervillains.  I'm curious to see where it's all going to go from here, as I'm not entirely sure just what happened - but that's often the case with Grant Morrison's writing (although I'm able to figure it out later).

Fatale #1 - This is the new series from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips - the team behind Criminal and Incognito.  This was certainly an odd first installment, and I had to flip through it again once I was done in order to get it straight in my head who was who and what they were all doing.  Still, this creative team has given me some of my favorite comics over the past few years, so I'll at least get the next issue.

Detective Comics #4 - Meh.  It's not bad, but considering how many great Bat-books that are out there right now, it looks like this is the one I'm going to drop.

The Avengers - Annual #1 - While this was a better read than its lead-in, New Avengers #1, it all felt like it was not much more than a set-up for a bigger story to come.  Hopefully that will be a bit more compelling.  Maybe it's the final phase of Brian Bendis's Avengers work, as I hear he plans on leaving the titles.

Comics Roundup for 12/28/11

Tons of stuff this week - let's keep it brief, shall we?

Star Wars:  Crimson Empire III #3 (of 6) - Another solid installment of this series, with Kir Kanos as probably one of the most interesting characters from the expanded universe.

Superman #4 - I really wanted to like this series.  I don't though.  I found myself completely losing interest about halfway through.  While I appreciate that George Perez is trying to pack as much story into each page as possible, it doesn't help when the story just isn't that interesting.  Dan Slott has been doing a much better job of this over in The Amazing Spider-Man.  Anyway, I'm done with this series.

Uncanny X-Men #3 - I've stated before that I remember Mr. Sinister from the Chris Claremont/Marc Silvestri days, so he seems a bit different here.  I never realized that he could be such a fun villain though.  Anyway, good stuff - I didn't even plan on picking this series up when it started, but I'll probably get the next issue.

Kick Ass 2 #6 - I always say that I always say the same thing about Mark Millar's writing, and I'm going to say it again - every issue moves the story forward and leaves me wanting more.  That's what comics are all about.

Captain America #5 & #6 - Since Steve McNiven can't keep his deadlines, we wind up with two issues in the same week.  Also, we wind up with some fill-in art on issue #5, and it's pretty crap-tastic.  Anyway, nice to see Alan Davis stepping in for issue #6.  Hopefully that will get this series back on track.

Aquaman #4 - Another good issue, but I hope that this isn't the end of this story's antagonists, and I hope that they'll tie into the big Atlantis story that's hinted at on the last page of this issue.  Are we going to have an Aquaman-centric crossover in the DC Universe?  That just might be the thing to give him the respect he deserves.

Captain America & Bucky #625 - I really liked this issue, but I'm confused as to why the original Human Torch was alive in the "now" time period.  Did I miss something?  Oh, and I like Francesco Francavilla just fine as an artist, but he drew Cap's energy shield way too small.

Batman:  The Dark Knight #4 - They're trying some interesting stuff here, and I like the interactions with the rest of the DC Universe and the relationship with Commissioner Gordon.  I'm not quite sure if it's working, but it's interesting enough to keep me reading.

Wolverine & the X-Men #3 - I'm not sure if I'll continue to get Wolverine's solo series when Jason Aaron leaves, but I'll probably continue to get this one.  I read somewhere that he's a fan of Grant Morrison, and it really shows in this issue.  Wacky, fun stuff.

I, Vampire #4 - Another fun read, even though I thought that we'd have Batman involved in all this by now.  Honestly though, I think that the art is a bigger draw than the story - but the story's not bad.

Batman Incorporated:  Leviathan Strikes! #1 (of 1) - Nice to see that the Batman Incorporated stuff is continuing in the "New 52" although in a somewhat convoluted way.  Any reader who came on board with the relaunch will no doubt be confused by this, but us long-time readers need some satisfaction, dammit!

Comics Roundup for 12/21/11

Pretty good week.  Let's do this:

Wolverine #20 - This issue is pretty much just a setup for a new storyline, but it was nice to see Wolverine's girlfriend actually doing something.  I'm disappointed to hear that Jason Aaron isn't planning on sticking around after this arc.  Hopefully they'll get a good writer to take his place.  I've always liked the character, but few creative teams have motivated me to buy the series.

Batman #4 - Scott Snyder is weaving a pretty intricate tale here, just like he did with his arc on Detective Comics.  This one goes far back into Batman's past and explores Gotham City's history as well.  Greg Capullo is firing on all cylinders as well.  Nice to see his artwork go with a story that actually has a plot.

Justice League #4 - While I didn't dig this issue as much as I did the last one, it still was enjoyable.  I'm worried though that they're going to wrap everything up by next issue.  I don't know how they're going to do it. Plus, Batman needs to punch Green Lantern out sometime soon.  Oh, and I love the bit where GL touches Wonder Woman's lasso and accidentally reveals a bit too much about himself.

The Amazing Spider-Man #676 - I didn't quite feel like I got as much bang for my buck with this issue, as it basically just involves the Sinister Six, and we don't even get to see Spider-Man in it.  Still, the ending was pretty satisfying, and I'm eager to see what's happening next.

Wonder Woman #4 - Another awesome book.  I really love how Brian Azarello is utilizing the Greek Mythology, while at the same time not making me feel like I've seen all this before.  Not much else to say other than this is one of my favorite books right now.

The Avengers #20 - Just like New Avengers, this is a whole lot more interesting now that Norman Osborn is playing a role in the storyline.  I guess it makes sense that after everything that happened before Siege, it wouldn't be as simple as incarcerating him in order to shut him down.

Daredevil #7 - This is a stand-alone issue, and a pretty decent one at that.  Again, this book is really finding the right tone, as the darker stuff has been pushed about as far as it can go, while at the same time, you've got to keep a certain edge to the character.

Comics Roundup for 12/14/11

Some good stuff this week, starting with:

Batwoman #4 - I'm enjoying this series more and more with each issue.  The artwork is fantastic, as always.  My favorite part was the messed-up way Chase got Flamebird to reveal her secret identity - some cold-hearted stuff going on there.

Batgirl #4 - A satisfying conclusion to the first story arc with a cliffhanger that makes me eager for the next issue.  I don't have much new to say about this series, only I'll reiterate that I'm glad that they are dealing with the fact that Barbara Gordon spent so much time in a wheelchair, and her "miracle" recovery is being dealt with in a manner that makes the character more interesting.

Batman and Robin #4 - Easily tied with Batman as my current favorite book with the Dark Knight in it right now, this issue didn't disappoint either.  Batman definitely has a lot of work to do with this current Robin, and each issue develops the relationship further.  Plus, the villain is a pretty interesting one, as he's trying to recruit Damien Wayne to join up in a more ruthless vigilante partnership than the one he has with his father.

The New Avengers #19 - This series is picking up steam again, and it had one of my favorite Spider-Man lines in a long time:  "I like to take as much blame as I can whenever I can.  Don't take that from me.  It's the only joy I have."  Good stuff - is there any wonder why I love this character so much?

Green Lantern #4 - Good stuff, yet again.  Sinestro only gets more and more interesting in this series, as he has what all good bad guys have:  the conviction that he's actually the good guy.

Avengers:  X-Sanction #1 (of 4) - Meh.  Cable fights the Avengers.  Who gives a crap?  Not me.  I'm not getting the next one.

The Walking Dead: Volume 15 - As always, I zoomed right through this trade paperback.  I once worried that this series would start to feel repetitive, but with this current story, it definitely feels like it's going in a different direction.  The main motif is "hope" and that's what these characters are trying to hold on to in a world that seems to have crushed all sense of it.  I'm curious to see where it will go from here.

Comics Roundup for 12/7/11

The Avenging Spider-Man #2 - This was another fun issue of Marvel Team-Up.  I suppose that so long as this continues to be such a brisk, entertaining read, I'll keep getting it.  Still, it feels a bit inconsequential, as they're not going to do anything major with Peter's personal life in this book.

The Defenders #1 - Even though I've never been really into The Defenders as a team, and I can't ever seem to stay with anything that Matt Fraction writes, I figured I'd give this new series a shot.  It was an interesting enough of a read, and it's always nice to see Terry Dodson on pencils.  Maybe I'll pick up the next issue.

The Amazing Spider-Man #675 - Is it just me, or are Peter Parker's girlfriends more interesting when they're ex-girlfriends?  That was the case for Mary Jane, and now it seems to be the case with Carlie Cooper.  Anyway, nothing special about this issue, but this has been such a solid series since Dan Slott took over, that it just fits in as another solid installment.

Action Comics #4 - Maybe my expectations were just too darned high with this title, and maybe I just really wanted to read a good Superman book.  However, this series just really isn't living up to what I wanted it to be.  I really dug the first issue with the socially conscious Superman who had the world against him, and I was hoping for some more of that.  This issue was fine, but it felt like a standard superhero book to me.  I'm hoping that Grant Morrison will toss in some of his wild ideas soon.

Detective Comics #4 - This was entertaining enough, but it's definitely the weak link in the current run of Bat titles (with the possible exception of The Dark Knight).  I need to cut stuff.  This might just fall victim to that.

Justice League International #4 - Speaking of cutting stuff, I might stick around for the final chapter of this current storyline, but I'm somewhat surprised that I got this one.  (Maybe because it was a slow week.)  It's not bad, and I really like Aaron Lopresti's artwork.  It just doesn't have a lot of interesting stuff going on to make me really look forward to the next issue.

Comics Roundup for 11/30/11

Crimson Empire III #2 (of 6) - I finally got around to rereading the original two series, and I'm glad that I decided to pick this one up.  Dark Horse puts out a lot of Star Wars books, and this is definitely one of the better ones.  Kir Kanos is definitely an interesting, non-canonical character, and I'm intrigued as to how his story is going to end.

Wolverine #19 - This was another fun issue, and I'm glad that it's finally starting to refer to some of the pretty earth-shattering storylines from earlier in this series.  Also, this issue sees Logan's girlfriend come back into the picture.  I had completely forgotten about her.  I don't know where she was introduced, but I know that she had a very small part in the first story arc.  If they're going to have her, then I hope that they actually do something interesting with her.

Daredevil #6 - This was probably my favorite issue of this new series.  I liked the explanation of how the villain's powers worked, and even better, I liked how Daredevil was able to defeat him in a way that only Daredevil possibly could.  Oh, and I hear that Marcos Martin isn't sticking around.  Dangit - that guy never sticks around for long.  Hopefully whatever he draws next is something I'm already getting.

Wolverine and the X-Men #2 - I told myself I wasn't going to get this one, but it was a slow week and I'm weak-willed.  Kind of glad that I did, as it was a pretty fun issue.  I'm starting to dig Jason Aaron as a writer, as he seems to be a bit of a toned-down Grant Morrison.  The ideas are crazy, but you can read one issue and it has a cohesiveness to it - unlike Morrison.  Maybe I'll pick up the next issue as well.

Uncanny X-Men #2 - I also said that I wouldn't get this one, and just like with the other X-book, I liked this one a bit more than the first issue.  I remember Mr. Sinister from his earliest appearances, so I'm not too familiar with what they've done with him since.  Still, this is a pretty wacky thing that he's doing in this issue.  Dammit...might just have to pick up the next one as well.