Tuesday, June 8, 2010

The Flaws That Befall a Teenager Who Believes Nothing About Himself

I have this friend: Jacob. We met online in December 2007. He had everything: a loving relationship with a suitable guy, majoring in theater at Cornish College, a wealth of friends, and a family that finally accepted him for being gay. What happened next? He dumped his boyfriend, quit school, and moved with his family to Arizona. Why? There are many reasons, but mostly it's because of God. "I literally quit on God," he claims.
"I started out trying to find my own way in life. I listened to those around me
who weren't wise in God. Those who were telling me to 'just be happy', 'accept
myself' and 'live my own life.'"
This turned out to be the work of Satan, according to his own admission. Yes, Satan. For me (and many others), that's an extremely absurd, if not insane, notion. When the time came for him to go on winter break, he had this to say: (the bold is mine)
"So what happened? Well, Satan moved in and presented a new variable. He gave me the one man I had been looking for, for the past three years. An honest, loving, attractive, caring and loyal man. The one I had always imagined and desired. While home, I fell for him. He said all of the right things and had all of the right traits. I told my family about him and surprisingly enough, they accepted it. They told me, 'as long as you're happy, we're happy.' Upon hearing this I should have been jumping for joy, screaming at the top of my lungs and crying until there were no tears left...but it didn't happen. I simply smiled, said thank you and moved on."
Let's stop right here and deconstruct the implicit claims that he has just made. He is claiming that no one has free will. If "Satan moved in and presented a new variable", then Dylan, his now-ex-boyfriend, would be a pawn of Satan; I would be a pawn of Satan; the people who accepted Jacob as their friend and were happy with his happiness are pawns of Satan. If we are to understand his own logic, then the only person who is not a pawn of Satan is Jacob. That would mean that this world exists only for Jacob.

This is a world where we are chained by our being moved and forced by either God or Satan, except in the case of Jacob. He, and he alone, has free will. Again, this is all according to his own implicit admission. He says he spoke to God, and this is what He replied:
"Jacob - Leave your boyfriend and move to Arizona with your family because what you are doing is not what I have planned and if you don't change now, it'll be
too late."
I equate this to talking to an invisible brick wall: it doesn't exist, but you want it to say something to you, so you supplant the voice of your conscience for the voice of God. There is only one thing to say to that: it's fucking nonsensical insanity. Religions are a plague on humanity and they should be destroyed.

5 comments:

  1. The last time you mentioned this situation, I eloquated a response to that. I would like to hear your thoughts and why you so steadfastly hold onto that view.

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  2. Remind me to get you a full response in the days ahead. I've been without internet at home, and I don't have enough break time at work to flesh out a thorough response.

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  3. I'm glad you deem it necessary to share this story with your point of view. However, you act the same as every other crazy religious fanatic in the world, Jon. You claim to be upset anytime a "Christian" tries to shove their beliefs down your throat, yet you do the same to those who believe in a God. You claim His non-existence to be fact, when you don't know that. You base your beliefs on the thoughts of others and have no personal faith. That is a sad life to live, if life is what you will call it.

    Yes, I stated that Dylan was input into my life by Satan, but I didn't say HE was Satan. I merely meant that I was deceived, by Satan, that THIS was the man for me. And to further push that I believe the world exists ONLY FOR ME, is ridiculous. You, knowing me, know that I am one of the most humble, loving, caring people in the world, and yet because I believe in God you question my sanity. Why is it that EVERYONE who believes in God is insane? Why do you get so riled up when someone decides to live for something greater than themselves?

    I spot insecure, selfish, in-denial overtones with EVERY post you publish about God or religion. You're fighting so hard to convince others about His non-existence...but do you ever stop to think that maybe you're just trying to convince yourself?

    What I did is in fact my own business. Yes, I left you and our friendship and YES it bothers you that I am not living a homosexual lifestyle anymore...but why are you turning this into YOUR problem when all you received was an absent goodbye?

    Word of advice, don't knock something you haven't even given a chance. I have always loved you and said I'd be your friend, and yet, the second I start fighting for something real, you push me aside as if I were trying to crucify you. I have never pushed my beliefs on you and I never will. Yet, you wont do the same for me. Live out your own advice. Self-evaluate and really think about the things you say, because if you don't they will catch up to you.

    I tried living as you do. For myself. For boys. For partying. For work. For school. For philosophy, and it left me so empty inside. You say in this blog that I had it all, and you're right I did. But you refuse to mention that I was in insane amounts of pain and depression. You forget to mention that I was seeing counselors and doctors because they too were questioning my sanity. And now that I've left, I don't feel any of that anymore. I don't feel depressed. I don't feel alone and I don't question my mental health.

    If you're going to tell my story, tell it right. Tell them how I mustered up the strength and courage to leave the one man I promised everything to. How I was able to say goodbye to my closest friends and how I fought for my soul. At least make it for what it really is, and not for what it isn't. Dylan understands, and he is the one I hurt the most.

    Tell them I started a youth ministry, that I'm on my way to getting my pastoral credentials and how I have literally seen lives changed because of MY STORY.

    This isn't about you Jon. Life isn't about you, or me. So get over yourself and look beyond your closed mind.

    -Jacob

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  4. Way to go, Jacob! I'm proud of you! And even though I miss you immensely, I commend you for standing up for what you believe in. Keep at it, boo! I love you!

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  5. First off, its sad that you would write a whole blog about someone and their personal situation. I don't know how much lower you can get. Secondly, it seems that you have left some facts out. After reading the comment "Jacob" left, it seems that this was some type of obstacle he was struggling with, and it needs to be taken seriously, especially if your claiming that you were some friend of his. Also, it seems that he got his beliefs straight and stood up for them. I honestly don't believe religion had anything to do with it. Through this blog, I hear a begging voice trying to force their beliefs on what happened. When one, your not even apart of anything whatsoever that took place, and second, its not your place to speak of anything that's private. Through your words you try to convince people that there isn't a God. Is that what you really believe? Being highly against God and speaking so low of him, is that some type of escape?? If you didn't believe in God or care for his existence, there would be no reason to post this blog on someone who does. You want to question his sanity?? Some words of encouragement, truly examine yourself first and your actions, due to one of your friends believing in something different, than take off from there. Have a nice day :)

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