Nick Alpin
Repent!
I grew up a Seventh Day Adventist. It's basically like being Jewish without the spiffy caps, and Jesus is part of the picture. The Catholic church, somehow, is the Antichrist. Anyway. My memories of (private) school and church are of being judged and guilted into compliance, being constantly reminded of the sinful world we live in, and of our shortcomings. The first time I was allowed to skip church was one of the most blissful days of my young life. Going to church was awful, because during those few miserable hours I wasn't allowed to think what I wanted to think, do what I wanted to do or be who I wanted to be.
Flash forward to the 32-year-old guy you see before you. I'm not a fan of religion... not a single bit, but I do believe that I have more tolerance for the religious, or as they like to refer to themselves, "the faithful", than they have for me or anyone else. Preventing gay marriage?! Come on, what do you care? "Judge not lest ye be judged", however it goes, doesn't seem to come into play very often. I really wish that we could all just view each other as human beings coexisting (no reference to the obnoxious bumper sticker) in a chaotic universe doing whatever we need to get through. "To each their own" is my favorite.
Anyway... I receive rosary beads from my mom (she was raised Catholic) along with a few other things. They both fascinate me and creep me out. The cross has the same effect... I'm much more attracted to all things Buddhist... but I wanted to make use of it somehow. So here it is.
Repent!
I grew up a Seventh Day Adventist. It's basically like being Jewish without the spiffy caps, and Jesus is part of the picture. The Catholic church, somehow, is the Antichrist. Anyway. My memories of (private) school and church are of being judged and guilted into compliance, being constantly reminded of the sinful world we live in, and of our shortcomings. The first time I was allowed to skip church was one of the most blissful days of my young life. Going to church was awful, because during those few miserable hours I wasn't allowed to think what I wanted to think, do what I wanted to do or be who I wanted to be.
Flash forward to the 32-year-old guy you see before you. I'm not a fan of religion... not a single bit, but I do believe that I have more tolerance for the religious, or as they like to refer to themselves, "the faithful", than they have for me or anyone else. Preventing gay marriage?! Come on, what do you care? "Judge not lest ye be judged", however it goes, doesn't seem to come into play very often. I really wish that we could all just view each other as human beings coexisting (no reference to the obnoxious bumper sticker) in a chaotic universe doing whatever we need to get through. "To each their own" is my favorite.
Anyway... I receive rosary beads from my mom (she was raised Catholic) along with a few other things. They both fascinate me and creep me out. The cross has the same effect... I'm much more attracted to all things Buddhist... but I wanted to make use of it somehow. So here it is.