“God is marking this generation with His holiness with the blood of Christ. To be set apart for Him and Him alone!”

Alleluia… I don’t get it. So, I thought that Christ died/ resurrected/ ascended roughly around the beginning of the Common Era- or Anno Domini, if you prefer. So this generation is marked with His blood how now? And can we talk about how morbid this is? I mean, I know this is supposed to allude to acceptance of a personal savior through whose ultimate sacrifice our sins are purged, but utilizing phrases like “bathed in the blood of the Lamb” sounds a hell of a lot more like that Dahawk religion that Xena tried to save Gabrielle’s stupid friend Seraphim from being sacrificed towards in the third season instead of the gentle, pacifist teachings of the Jesus-esque “Devi” Eli that appeared in the fourth season to lead the way to the acceptance of the God of the Israelites.

So I guess what I’m saying is that I wish religion followed the Xena/ Hercules model far more closely.

Are you poor? Drowning in debt? Trying to repay those massive student loans that we leant to you with insane interest rates? Don’t worry! Here at AES, we want to HELP you make the most out of your post-collegiate years. For example, I bet you go out to eat a lot. That sucks up a LOT of money. And even if you don’t, I mean COME ON, eating is so overrated anyway. Check out this neat-o money saving tip:

“One way to keep your stomach full for free is to drink 8 glasses of water a day. It’s free. It’s good for you. All you need is a glass. IF you’re one of those people that needs “pure” water, try pouring water from the tap into jug and leave it for approximately three days. By that time all of the chemicals have evaporated and, ta-da, you have pure drinking water. Free.”

Or you can go to Pizza Hut if you REALLY want to eat some food over the next ten years you’ll be paying back your student loans. But skimp on costs by totally picking it up yourself! What do you mean we told you to leave your car at your parent’s home to save on insurance costs? Public transportation! What do you mean we told you to hitch a ride with friends in areas where mass transit is nonexistent? Well, knock on some doors; I’m sure someone will bring your poor ass to the Hut.

But this topic is beloved by me, so I’ll share my thoughts anyway. It often seems that atheists/ agnostics smack on Christianity the most because of a few noteworthy factors (DISCLAIMER: All of the following are statements made in generalities of each religion, based upon basic reading of sacred texts, personal experience, and observation. They are NOT indicators of how all individuals act or interpret their faiths).

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way:

1. Most (but not all) denominations of Christianity are evangelizers: it is considered a moral, sacred, and dutiful act of the faithful to spread the “Good News” of the Christian Gospel. When compared to other major religions, it suffers somewhat. Judaism is not generally a proselytizing faith. It is a faith that in some cases regards evangelism AND conversion with a critical eye. Conversion for marriage, however, is often accepted and encouraged. “Eastern” faiths (i.e. Buddhism, Shintoism, Hinduism, Jainism) are often pluralistic and are regarded as more “philosophical” than “religious” by many Western believers, as those faiths are not encountered as often. There is a passage in the Vedas that says something along the lines of “truth is one; the wise call it by different names”. They believe in multiple paths to unity with a spiritual “father”, not a singular path. Islam, however, does encourage evangelism amongst the faithful.

2. As a result, it’s easy to rag on Christians, as in general they seem to be the most determined to assimilate others into their viewpoints. As a predominantly Christian country, we encounter them the most often, and thus, American atheists, like all critics, critique what they observe and experience. This does not mean that other faiths haven’t done abhorrent things in the name of their God(s). Oftentimes, problems of those faiths seem like they are relegated to small areas millions of miles away, in countries most people wouldn’t be able to find on a map. We don’t talk about it, because it (allegedly) doesn’t affect us directly, or is too far buried in history that World History classes don’t have the time or desire to cover them.

3. Since the dawn of this country, the religious right-the most vocal of whom are Christians- have attempted to utilize faith in the way that countless other faiths have in human history: to assimilate, to control, to gain and retain power through fear and dogma. Once again, visibility=criticism.

4. If the bedrock of your faith is that eternal life rests on the belief that one specific person died for your sins, was resurrected, ascended to heaven, and that ONLY through belief in Him may one attain eternal life, every other human being disavowing that fact is damned by default. With such a narrow interpretation of a “worthy” individual, you open yourselves to the gauntlet of millions of people who never spoke the name of Christ but dedicated their entire lives to performing what would be considered His Work; you also must defend the atrocities and hypocrisies committed by individuals most would regard as lowest of the low, but who seemingly make it “okay” because they speak in tongues every Sunday.

In conclusion, Christianity makes itself an easy target, and, if Transformers II and Battlefield Earth have taught us anything, critics wait eagerly in the wings.

sparkleneelysparkle:

notes!!
1. pandoras, rosa and i spoke at length with an elderly gentleman about the superiority of providence cheese fries on a food truck last night
2. i ate bacon covered in cheese and it was glorious.
3. minisparks is the single most wonderful child i have ever met.
4. new england is full of wonderment and hilarity that is not limited to its evenigs and delightful local brews. the guy in front of me today at dunkin donuts for example informed us all that “he had that” in ref. to a single cough a woman emitted. the two then went on to have a length discussion about being nurses who also smoke
5. this child in front of me is dora the explorer i think.
6.. omg this HANGOVER.

Addendum 1!

1. That cheese dog isn’t sitting so well with me today.

2. And I wonder if the married couple who were having their “first argument” in public finally decided to resolve their differences by something OTHER than insulting everyone else around them.

3. Mr. Clean was TOTALLY compensating, I think. And I still don’t understand that movie in the bathroom at the restaurant. The Wicked Queen from Snow White with green skin, the screaming Shirley Temple, the midget dressed as a skunk… I don’t get it one bit.

4. Zero hangover. I think it’s because I got up so soon afterward that I was still technically drunk.

Kids today enjoy reading the walkthrough to Devil May Cry 4, the cheat codes for God of War, the instructions to the super awesome Fashion Fever for the DS Lite, and occasionally frequent Texts From Last Night.

And then they read that stuff that they have to read for school, but if you go on Spark Notes or such you can totally get the gist of A Separate Peace without actually having to read that part about Finny’s broken leg.

I AM OLD AND UNHAPPY.

Eager to see the Harvard Lampoon’s take on some of the world’s most horrific writing, I caved and bought Nightlight. Behold, the madness:

“After lunch was Biology-with Edwart. I wish my heart wasn’t beating so fast as I walked down the hall. I especially wished my armpits weren’t sweating so much; I must be secreting pheromones like crazy, which would only heighten Adam and Tom’s frenzy. Drenched in my natural secretions, I walked into class and braced myself for their wild attacks. Instead I saw Edwart. He looked like a boy in an ad for deodorant, which I definitely would have bought if he were selling it, even if it had aluminum in it, which causes AIDS.

“Hi,” he said in the quiet voice of a boys’ choir of angels.”

And the love story begins as he saves her from a wayward snowball:

“”Edwart! Edwart!” I screamed, relinquishing my attempt at self-control. Pinning his arms to his back, I stopped him from exciting the snowball-hurler any further. “you saved my life!” I cried. “Isn’t that enough? Stop this endless cycle of vengeance!” I perched on his back to stop him from the demonic violence he was capable of.”

Gold, ladies and gentlemen. Gold.

vindicatedcommunications:

I work in development for a “small” heavily commuter college that lacks a strong organization structure, including no social sororities, but has athletic groups (we’re division III). So, part of my job is alumni communications and keeping alumni connected.

So, question: How and why do you stay connected to your college? And if you don’t, why don’t you?

If your school has an alumni magazine, that’s a good start. Events, alumni profiles, etc help keep alumni informed. The magazine is an automatic enroll for all alumni of the college, and many current student groups will advertise their own alumni events throughout the magazine. I’ve found throughout my college experience that if alumni aren’t directly involved in an alumni association, they’ll often return for events within the campus groups they participated in during their undergrad years. Our university’s debate society is a prime example. We debate the Cambridge Union every year, and alumni regularly attend the debate and banquet. We also help organize and moderate.

Alumni weekends are also fairly popular. If you don’t have any well-followed sports teams, pick a large (and/or popular) event in the academic year and focus alumni events around it.

On my end, since I am one of the only alumni from my particular degree program that successfully pursued a creative career, I get asked a lot by professors to speak to their creativity courses and portfolio school students. It’s helpful both to them and to me;  them because students seem to benefit from a real world experience, and to myself because it keeps me in contact with some very powerful people at the university and our community in general.

Our program also holds an annual alumni panel, where alumni in various aspects of the industry answer questions of incoming freshmen and graduating seniors. We have an opening reception beforehand and get a nice dinner out of it afterwards. All alumni on the panel have to supply work information and contact information, so the university can easily contact us for future events and lecturing opportunities. You could petition student activities for funding, if funding is scarce.

My university also had a heavy commuter population, a barrier that is more difficult to overcome than most realize. Without a strong experience on campus, it’s difficult to get people to come back to campus. They see no reason in doing so. Sometimes getting alumni coming back will be the result of a concentrated effort to create a meaningful experience for current students through an expansion of campus activities.

Side note: Did you ever consider acting as an advisor to help create a Greek community on your campus? Former greeks that work for your university might be able to aid in colonizing national fraternities and sororities, who could in turn host alumni events on campus.

Sorry for the rambling; I feel your dilemma.