BLOG #6

Patrick Sanderson

February 26, 2012

Blog #6

            I really have been struggling to write this blog. I usually have no problem thinking of things to respond to your topic but this week is different. I don’t really think I can compare myself to Ignatius Loyola. There are definitely a few things that we have in common but not enough for me to type out a good blog.

            So instead I went back to last weeks (two weeks ago actually) topic. I watched the Why I hate Religion video and watched the Muslim version. I thought it was great and just as good, if not better, than the Christian version. The guy said so many things that really made me think. I guess I’m still on the fence about a lot of things. Now more than ever I have been contemplating my faith and really trying to find out what I truly believe.

            I think that it’s very possible that worshipping Jesus is a man made creation that was never Jesus’ intention. Worshipping the cross also seems to be a bit ironic too if you think about it. In the video he brings up this point and it makes a lot of sense what he says. Would you worship an axe if it were used to chop up your mother into little pieces? That’s a little graphic but no, I wouldn’t.

            I learned a lot about Islam last semester in World Religions. I went to a Mosque and wrote a reflection paper on it. I really enjoyed it and the more I learned about it the more I came to respect it. I like that the Quran has never been changed. I think that is a flaw with Christianity that so many different people have written in our Bible. How do we know that all of these men were legitimate? It’s easy to believe that at least one of them was corrupt. Its also a little odd that Bishops were allowed to pick what they believed was important enough to make the final cut of getting put into the Bible before it was first printed.

            I don’t want to believe that we’re putting our faith into something that isn’t fully true but I feel that it is important to question things like this. It would be naive to just go through life believing all these things just because we’re told its true. I’m going to continue questioning my faith and hopefully at some point in my life I will start to come up with answers.

This is the Muslim version of the YouTube religion video. CLICK IT!

BLOG #5

Patrick Sanderson

February 12, 2012

Blog #5

            I watched the religion video. I agree with the guy’s poem. I think he made a lot of good points and he said some pretty powerful stuff. The last couple years of my life I have really been thinking about how I don’t necessarily believe everything that goes on in church. I just don’t think that you have to go to church and sing and confess in order to get into heaven.

            I think religion is man made. It’s an idea. I always think about what would happen to a person that isn’t able to go to church. Would they go to hell because they can’t confess or have never been baptized? I just have a hard time believing that it’s THAT important. I think faith is personal. No priest can forgive you for your sins. I think that if you know in your heart what you did was wrong and you truly want to be forgiven, then you will be forgiven.

            This poem had many powerful lines in it. The line that hit me that hardest was, “And while being murdered, he yelled Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. Because while he was dangling on that cross, he was thinking of you.” That actually gave me goose bumps when I first heard it.

            I haven’t watched any of the response videos yet because I didn’t want them to alter my opinion in any way. I’m sure many people were offended by this video because he’s bashing the church but he didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.

            After learning about Martin Luter and his 95 theses, I really think I may change my religion to Lutheran. I just think he so right. I don’t think the church is still corrupt like it was but there’s so many unnecessary things that go on in the church. I guess its kind of ironic that I’m agreeing with a video that saying to get rid of religion but I’m also considering changing to another religion. I may only do that whenever I have a family.

            For now, I’m going to continue believing that faith is personal and I’m going to keep strengthening my faith in God. Its what I truly feel is right in my heart. 

BLOG #4

Patrick Sanderson

February 4, 2012

Blog #4

            I am very lucky to say that I have a group of friends that I am very close with. I consider these five people to all be my best friends. These wonderful people are Dylan, Rachael, David, Tyler and Matt. Rachael is my sister and David is my stepbrother. I’ve known Dylan since I was about 7 years old. His mom works for my dad. Tyler and Matt are both friends that I made in grade school and they were my roommates last year.

            Whenever I’m with my “crew” I can totally be myself. Not that I can’t be myself when I’m around other people but it’s different. We all have known each other for so long and we know everything about each other. I feel like I am at my best when I’m around them. We bring out the best in each other. I doesn’t matter what we’re doing, when we’re all together its always fun.

            Dylan is my closest friend. We’ve backpacked through Europe together and just went to Australia together. Those trips have made us extremely close. We know each other very well. There’s no BS with us. If I’m screwing up, he’ll be the one to let me know. Its weird whenever you hang around someone so long and so often, it’s like your brain is connected. A lot of times we don’t have to say anything, and we both are on the same page.

            I’m closer with my sister Rachael than anyone else in my family. I have stepbrothers and half brothers and sisters, but Rachael is the only sibling that is from the same mom and dad. Not that that makes her more of my sibling than the others, but it definitely means something. She’s only two years older than me but I feel like she is another mom to me. When we both lived in Baton Rouge she would do everything for me. Now she lives in Australia and I CAN’T WAIT for her to get home. Hopefully if it all works out, we will live together sometime next year. I really hope so cause she’s an awesome cook and I could learn a lot from her.

            Tyler, Matt and David are right there with Rachael and Dylan. I love hanging out with them so much and they know me so well. It’s hard cause none of these great people live in New Orleans. David lives in Baton Rouge, Tyler and Matt live in Colorado, Dylan lives in Hammond and Rach is all the way across the globe.

As spread out as we all are, we still keep in touch. I talk to all of them every week. They are what keep me sane. If I didn’t have them in my life I’m not sure where I’d be right now. I feel lucky to have them in my life and I intend to keep them in my life forever.