An honest question, and something I'm struggling with personally, but would there be guilt for doing certain things if religion wasn't a part of your life?

I'm not talking child's guilt for breaking mom's jade vase, or even guilt for doing a great injustice as killing someone or terroristic arson, but guilt as you would put with Guilty pleasures. I know the answer is simple, if you are going to live life based on a religion or spiritual aspect, you must follow the rules according to your religion. The answer is there, its living with it that questions the question. I will give a few examples, then I will explain my dilemma.

Someone of the Hindu faith cannot eat meat. They believe in the rebirth of people souls into that of an animal or plant, Reincarnation as it were. On a cooking show I was watching at my grandmothers house, a woman of Indian decent was making a meal involving meat. I easily brushed off any concern about it, it had not yet said anything about her being a practicing Hindu, until she mentioned it. That in order for her to break this rule of her religion, she became a partial Hindu. Which I took as she negates the rules she doesn't want to follow, but still fasts for Mahashivaratri. ( I googled that just to make a point... lol, good luck pronouncing it.)

Next, lets take a BIG topic discussed daily in America, Gays. I see this falling under the same category as what I am dealing with, and that is basically Sexual Immorality. People often reference the Bible in a debate on Homosexual Relationships. In it, it reads, 

 "Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable." Leviticus 18:22

and again,

"If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them
have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."  Leviticus 20:13.

So, what is read, if a man has sex with another man, it is a sin. Not the relationship they have together, not the midnight Rocky Horror Picture Show parties they have with a bunch of buddies, just the act of coitus.

A lot of people look at homosexuality as an "ultimate sin" because they are choosing a life style based on a sin. That isn't true, what they do in that life style is what the Bible calls. a sin. So basically there not any more or less sinners then the rest of us. An every now and then dirty joke, taking a couple hundred from your neighbors dresser, A white lie here and there, and even a sexual act between men, its all sin.

BUT, the whole argument wouldn't exist without Religious Guilt. The feeling that you have done bad, so you must point out other peoples wrongs, or the Suicides of Homosexuals because of the guilt put on them from the Bible, or religious family members.

Religious guilt is the cause of a lot of depression, its what I have heard preachers call, "The Battle of the Flesh". I am really strong in my spirituality, I love Christ with all my heart, and try to follow God's word and wisdom daily. I also don't shove religious bull shit down peoples throat when they don't ask for it, but when they do, I will talk your ears numb. I love Christ, I love what he has done for me in life, but I cant help but think if I didn't have Christ in my life, besides all the pain and evil that would of ran it rampant, I wouldn't have religious guilt, but I have Christ and religious guilt. which is dumb because I don't like religion. Religion is a man made faction to control people into main ideas on how God works. Catholicism Doesn't preach being "born again" because once you die you face judgment, nor are they allowed to talk to God directly, hence the confessional. Baptist looks down on speaking in tongues because it's charismatic, but the Pentecost thrive on the whole idea of charismatic worship. There is WAY to many contradictions in religion to say I'm religious. I can tell you I have a relationship with God, but I wont claim to be religious. But the fact of the matter stands, religious or spiritual, guilt runs ramped in Christians. I like women, I like having sex, I like looking at beautiful women, what guy on the face of the earth is going to tell you otherwise. Following my personal walk with God I have made it 23 years without drinking, smoking, drugs, sculpting a life out of crime, or even being a total asshole. Lust is the one sin that seems to hammer and weigh me down. Every time I look at a woman and think sexual thoughts I feel bad. Every time I perform sexual acts, whether it be with someone or not, I feel like I just smacked my Grandmother. I don't have many vices in my life, but this one seems to be big enough to cover for it. Having "Impure thoughts" or acts is a sin, but its also a way of life. Without it, the world wouldn't have been populated. I have studied this subject hours on end. It comes down to a chemical level in your brain. Dopamine and Serotonin are the "feel good" chemicals in your brain. They get produced when you get a hug, when you go "awww" when you see a cute animal, when your significant other surprises you with a gift, and even during an orgasm.

During an orgasm, every muscle in your body tightens, releasing a bunch of acetone. (which is why an orgasm makes you tired) Your brain fires electrical impulses to nowhere, the dopamine and serotonin gets dumped by the bucket loads, your breathing gets deep and swift, pain respecters stop registering as a bad thing, for however long it lasts, your entire body is doing something. After its done, your muscles are tired, your breathing is shallow, your nerves are ultra sensitive, everything takes a moment to reset except the chemical bath your brain just got. You feel good, your happy, cuddles are sought after, you feel the need to touch, rest, and wallow in your happiness. After a few years of that, your brain gets addicted to it. The self made chemicals in your brain become an addictive drug. There is no natural way of stopping it. Once you show your brain a few time how invigorating an orgasm is, it begins to crave it. Releasing a bit of sexual tension is healthy. People like to feel wanted and loved, even if its just for a "one-night". Aside from all the fear of STD's and pregnancy's, because they are both preventable, there is nothing wrong with a one night stand, unless you are a Christian....

It is 5 am, I have church in 5 hours, (yeah a late morning church, thank you GOD!) and I have to walk with the guilt of sexual thoughts and feelings because I am taught and was raised that it is wrong, and I'm not arguing that it isn't, but the freedom of life, and the liberation of having faith in my opinion cant coexist. So its either abandon my faith, or live life in guilt because there is no stopping human nature.

So, my blog reading friend, (or Ani) in your opinion, and this might take a blog post of your own to answer, Can Religious Guilt and Life's Guilty Pleasures exist together?

Munch on that food for thought and Vomit your answer below.

(BTW may the Fourth be with you)

I Googled myself and found my old Myspace. I dusted it off and started to skim the pages. In it I found a Blog post of a Story I was given a long time ago. Gives quite the perspective on things. I found a site with the story on it, click the button below to read it.
Enjoy.

The Egg
By: Andy Weir

You were on your way home when you died.

It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me.
And that’s when you met me. 
“What… what happened?” You asked. “Where am I?”
“You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.
“There was a… a truck and it was  skidding…”
“Yup,” I said.
“I… I died?”
“Yup. But don’t feel bad about it. Everyone dies,” I said.
You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. “What is this place?” You asked. “Is this the afterlife?”
“More or less,” I said.
“Are you god?” You asked.
“Yup,” I replied. “I’m God.”
“My kids… my wife,” you said. 
“What about them?”
“Will they be all right?”
“That’s what I like to see,” I said. “You just died and your main concern is for your family. That’s good stuff  right there.”
You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn’t look like God. I just looked like some man. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.
“Don’t worry,” I said.
“They’ll  be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They
didn’t have  time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside,
but will be  secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If
it’s any  consolation, she’ll feel very guilty for feeling relieved.”
“Oh,” you said. “So what happens  now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?”
“Neither,” I said. “You’ll be reincarnated.”
“Ah,” you said. “So the Hindus were right,”
“All religions are right in their  own way,” I said. “Walk with me.”
You followed along as we strode  through the void. “Where are we going?”
“Nowhere in particular,” I said. “It’s just nice to walk while we talk.”
“So what’s the point, then?” You  asked. “When I get reborn, I’ll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my  experiences and everything I did in this life won’t matter.”
“Not so!” I said. “You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don’t remember them right now.”
I stopped walking and took you by  the shoulders. “Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you  can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you  are. It’s like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it’s hot or  cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you’ve gained all the experiences it had. You’ve been in a human for the  last 48 years, so you haven’t stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you’d start  remembering everything. But there’s no point to doing that between each life.”
“How many times have I been reincarnated, then?”
“Oh lots. Lots and lots. An into  lots of different lives.” I said. “This time around you’ll be a Chinese peasant  girl in 540 AD.”
“Wait, what?” You stammered. “You’re sending me back in time?”
“Well, I guess technically. Time,  as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come  from.”
“Where you come from?” You said.
“Oh sure,” I explained “I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you’ll want  to know what it’s like there, but honestly you wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh,” you said, a little let down. “But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point.”
“Sure. Happens all the time. And  with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don’t even know it’s happening.”
“So what’s the point of it all?”
“Seriously?” I asked. “Seriously?  You’re asking me for the meaning of life? Isn’t that a little cliche?”
“Well it’s a reasonable question,” you persisted.
I looked you in the eye. “The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature.”
“You mean mankind? You want us to  mature?”
“No, just you. I made this whole  universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and  greater intellect.”
“Just me? What about everyone else?”
“There is no one else,” I said. “In this universe, there’s just you and me.”
You stared blankly at me. “But all the people on earth…”
“All you. Different incarnations  of you.”
“Wait. I’m everyone!?”
“Now you’re getting it,” I said,  with a congratulatory slap on the back.
“I’m every human being who ever  lived?”
“Or who will ever live, yes.”
“I’m Abraham Lincoln?”
“And you’re John Wilkes Booth, too,” I added.
“I’m Hitler?” You said, appalled.
“And you’re the millions he killed.”
“I’m Jesus?”
“And you’re everyone who followed  him.”

You fell silent.

“Every time you victimized someone,” I said, “you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.”
You thought for a long time. 
“Why?” You asked me. “Why do all  this?”
“Because someday, you will become  like me. Because that’s what you are. You’re one of my kind. You’re my child.”
“Whoa,” you said, incredulous. “You mean I’m a god?”
“No. Not yet. You’re a fetus. You’re still growing. Once you’ve lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born.”
“So the whole universe,” you said, “it’s just…”
“An egg.” I answered. “Now it’s  time for you to move on to your next life.”

And I sent you on your way. 

((any and all credit to this story goes to the writer from the link below))

This is a Self-blog... yes I find myself "masterblogging" quite frequently... don't judge, it feels good.

Now the idea behind this blog is seen from a man's point of view, but the question and the hypothetical remains. A question I always struggle with in my faith and in my logical self reasoning... here it is.....

March 21,
1:18 am.


This one may not be as long, but there was a thought in my head today that i wanted to submit to my little word vomit folder. 


Picture a warm, serene summer’s afternoon, and you are on a walk, deep in the wilderness, enjoying the distance from humanity, the commotion, and any stress.

You come across a watering hole; you are overwhelmed with the urge to swim. As you undress to enter, you notice that the pond is already inhabited by a beautiful,
supple woman. Long red hair, slicked back by the water, pale skin, riddled with
little freckles. she swims totally nude, and as you notice her, and turn to
leave so's not to intrude in her privacy, but it’s too late, she already seen
you. Not alarmed by your presence, she invites you to join her. She swims over,
reaches a shallow but of pond bottom, and stands, revealing her smooth, wet
body. Perfect pink nipples upon her breast, and wide hips and thighs,  water drips from her as she lures you in. You calmly obey, who wouldn’t, and undress yourself, as she watches and becomes excited herself. You wade in, you begin to converse, and find you share quite a bit of commonality with this mysterious woman.

For hours you talk, embrace, fondle, her intoxicating, deep green eyes seem to pull your soul in to them. You have, in fact, have fallen in love at first sight, and she shares your feelings as well. As summer day slips into hot summer evening, you find yourself, with her, in a soft meadow field. Not bothering to get dressed, you
lie there nude exploring every sensitive aria of each other’s bodies. As you
mount her, she stares into your eyes with those emerald irises. You begin to
make love, gently, and carefully as if she might break. Your climax, along with
hers, is the most intense ever felt.

After it is all done, you hold her close. Smelling her strawberry hair, kissing her soft pale, spotted skin, pressing into her vivacious, round hips, it is a perfect summer’s day. The next day is unplanned, unknown, and unthought-of of. You may not start anything with this beautiful stranger, marriage isn’t planned, further interaction may not happen. What happed today was a freak happenstance. It was perfect; it was grand, almost fairytale, and amazing.  But according to the bible, everything read.... is a sin.



The bible also reads, if it’s good, its God. Everything that happened in the hypothetical, was good. It was uncomprehend-ably good, but the act of sex before marriage is a sin. If what happened was good, and what is good is God, how it can be a sin....



FOOD FOR
THOUGHT.....