Thursday, May 01, 2008
Post #901
Wow, that post count just keeps going up and up. I wish the same could be said of the quality of my writing.
I was sort of offered a job yesterday but it's still in the same area and J and I would really rather not stay here. But who knows? Maybe I'll start applying for jobs this fall and I won't find anything and wish I would've taken it. It would be great job experience for a great company that would make the silicon needed for photovoltaic cells (solar panels) much cheaper and more accessible to more people and make the people involved some money for a good cause. For now, I'm focusing on my dissertation and then I'll worry about jobs.
One of my favorite readers and friends, Tom, read this post and emailed me some comments. He is about a week or two away from becoming a father and so has a special point of view when it comes to pregnancy and bringing forth life. He asked me if I would ever ask J to get an abortion. No. I can't foresee any reason why I would do that. But at the same time I don't feel right telling someone else that they must give birth to that tiny, microscopic fetus in their uterus. And as far as when does life start, I would like to propose 8 weeks. We went to Body Worlds in Charlotte and went into the mother and fetus exhibit and before that you can't really tell what it is, but at 8 weeks, it's cute and has the tiniest toes and fingers you've ever seen. Any idiot can get pregnant but it takes a caring mother and/or father to give life and care for it and make sure that baby has a full healthy life; that takes true talent and dedication. I know Tom has it in him. I wish the same could be said for everyone else getting pregnant in this country.
He also brought up the fact that I don't talk about my religious views much on here and noticed the only time I really did was reluctantly back in 2004. I feel that someone's religion and spirituality is one of the most personal things to talk about, and I don't like to volunteer that information. If someone asks me about it, I'll share my feelings and sometimes it's fun to debate theology and religion, but at the end of the day, it's a rare occurrence for those debates to actually change anyone's mind about their personal held beliefs.
And I REALLY like to keep my politics and religious beliefs separate. Kind of like the separation of Church and State. When I go to church, I don't want to hear about politics. When I'm watching CSPAN or reading about Congress, I don't want to hear about church. The laws Congress pass affect Muslims, Jews, Atheists, Protestants, Catholics, little kids who haven't decided on a religion yet, and everyone else in between, so why should they be based on one book from one religion? That doesn't make sense to me.
I saw a survey that said a significant portion of the American people wanted a president who was a member of a major religion, no atheists. What I'm looking for is a president who is smart, eloquent, and able to see both sides of arguments and then decide what is best for the majority of his people. I don't want "unilateral" to ever be part of what they do. Organized religion does good. They feed the hungry, clothe the needy, teach English to non-native speakers, and give hope to people around the world. Organized religion can also promote intolerance and hatred, superiority complexes, hypocrisy, sexual deviance and misogyny. That's why I'm not the biggest fan of organized religion. Yes I know all organized religion doesn't do the bad things, but they all don't do the good things either. That's why I keep religion out of my politics and I would appreciate it if you would do the same.
I was sort of offered a job yesterday but it's still in the same area and J and I would really rather not stay here. But who knows? Maybe I'll start applying for jobs this fall and I won't find anything and wish I would've taken it. It would be great job experience for a great company that would make the silicon needed for photovoltaic cells (solar panels) much cheaper and more accessible to more people and make the people involved some money for a good cause. For now, I'm focusing on my dissertation and then I'll worry about jobs.
One of my favorite readers and friends, Tom, read this post and emailed me some comments. He is about a week or two away from becoming a father and so has a special point of view when it comes to pregnancy and bringing forth life. He asked me if I would ever ask J to get an abortion. No. I can't foresee any reason why I would do that. But at the same time I don't feel right telling someone else that they must give birth to that tiny, microscopic fetus in their uterus. And as far as when does life start, I would like to propose 8 weeks. We went to Body Worlds in Charlotte and went into the mother and fetus exhibit and before that you can't really tell what it is, but at 8 weeks, it's cute and has the tiniest toes and fingers you've ever seen. Any idiot can get pregnant but it takes a caring mother and/or father to give life and care for it and make sure that baby has a full healthy life; that takes true talent and dedication. I know Tom has it in him. I wish the same could be said for everyone else getting pregnant in this country.
He also brought up the fact that I don't talk about my religious views much on here and noticed the only time I really did was reluctantly back in 2004. I feel that someone's religion and spirituality is one of the most personal things to talk about, and I don't like to volunteer that information. If someone asks me about it, I'll share my feelings and sometimes it's fun to debate theology and religion, but at the end of the day, it's a rare occurrence for those debates to actually change anyone's mind about their personal held beliefs.
And I REALLY like to keep my politics and religious beliefs separate. Kind of like the separation of Church and State. When I go to church, I don't want to hear about politics. When I'm watching CSPAN or reading about Congress, I don't want to hear about church. The laws Congress pass affect Muslims, Jews, Atheists, Protestants, Catholics, little kids who haven't decided on a religion yet, and everyone else in between, so why should they be based on one book from one religion? That doesn't make sense to me.
I saw a survey that said a significant portion of the American people wanted a president who was a member of a major religion, no atheists. What I'm looking for is a president who is smart, eloquent, and able to see both sides of arguments and then decide what is best for the majority of his people. I don't want "unilateral" to ever be part of what they do. Organized religion does good. They feed the hungry, clothe the needy, teach English to non-native speakers, and give hope to people around the world. Organized religion can also promote intolerance and hatred, superiority complexes, hypocrisy, sexual deviance and misogyny. That's why I'm not the biggest fan of organized religion. Yes I know all organized religion doesn't do the bad things, but they all don't do the good things either. That's why I keep religion out of my politics and I would appreciate it if you would do the same.
Labels: abortion, sex and religion, writing
# posted by Seth @ 7:17 AM 
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