““Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.””

— Rick Warren

Tags: Rick Warren ∙ culture ∙ lies ∙ lifestyle ∙ fear ∙ hate ∙ love ∙ agree ∙ nonsense ∙ compromise ∙ convictions ∙ compassionate

❝❝You see, I've done this before. When True Believer Christians told me I was damned and a mortal threat to their children. When conservatives told me that only one way could save the country and anything else threatened their children. When progressives told me that capitalism and individualism were dead and should stay that way for the sake of the children. When well-fed third wave feminists in designer clothes told me about how they were oppressed by the patriarchy and wouldn't have children. When pagans lectured me on the evils of monotheism and how love would save the world. Always, always, ALWAYS the pattern is exactly the same. In the absence of understanding, triviality dominates. The enlightened demand sacrifice from everyone else. "For the children" is for those living and in charge. Anyone who offers an absolute won't brook dissent. Experts are uniquely qualified to fuck the situation up beyond any hope of repair. Government is not your friend.

So you have a chance here to change your behavior, change your pattern and accept responsibility. Your choice.❞❞

— NeoWayland, from the comments of The Climate Change Watermelon Juggernaut & The Prescience Of Michael Crichton

Tags: maxims ∙ true believers ∙ Christians ∙ mortal threat ∙ children ∙ conservatives ∙ one way ∙ progressives ∙ capitalism ∙ individualism ∙ third wave feminism ∙ well-fed ∙ designer clothes ∙ evil ∙ patriarchy ∙ monotheism ∙ pagan ∙ love ∙ save the world ∙ understanding ∙ triviality ∙ enlightenment ∙ sacrifice ∙ for the children ∙ absolute ∙ dissent ∙ experts

❝❝Most importantly, it's not love. It's passion. We're not "wired" to seek out positive emotions over negative emotions. What our bodies want is the intensity, the peak, not the direction. What we choose to do with that passion, that's up to us. We can create or we can destroy. We can use it to rise above our fellow humans, we can use it as a means to cut ourselves off, or we can use it to give a hand up. Sometimes, each choice is necessary. There's no one answer that will serve in every situation or for every person. We have to trust that they will make a good choice.❞❞

— NeoWayland, comments from Column: Come Darkness, Come Light

Tags: maxims ∙ love ∙ passion ∙ intensity ∙ peak ∙ create ∙ destroy ∙ rise above ∙ cut ourselves off ∙ gIve a hand up ∙ good choice

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

Tags: maxims ∙ love ∙ reciprocal ∙ sharing

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

Tags: sex ∙ nudity ∙ love ∙ government ∙ authority ∙ bedroom police ∙ pornography ∙ swimsuit edition ∙ cheerleader uniforms ∙ ban ∙ dislike ∙ outlaw ∙ offends ∙ homosexuality ∙ public sexual acting out ∙ banned ∙ rom-com ∙ soap opera ∙ reality TV ∙ art ∙ classics ∙ bakers ∙ florists ∙ photographers ∙ nonsense examples ∙ nekkid pagan guy ∙ naturist ∙ privacy fence ∙ hidden out of sight

Sex without the emotional connection is masturbation

Tags: sex ∙ Corporate Clone ∙ collecting pelts ∙ masturbation ∙ pillow talk problem ∙ love ∙ choice & consequence

❝❝You want to impress me, come up with something more than "the Bible told me so.” Don't make threats about judgement and eternal flame. Don't tell me about the changes it's made in your life. Don’t tell me how it’s “saved you.” Don’t tell me how you have the hotline to the “Almighty." 

And don’t tell me “it’s God’s judgement” when you’re the one spouting the words.

Tell me about the changes your faith makes in the world around you. Tell me what you do that makes the world better than when you got here.  Tell me how your faith manifests through you. 

Tell me about how you pass it on.

If that "Living Word" exists, it has to be in the hearts and souls of those people who have really embraced it. It's not in a dusty book. The verses don't matter except to show you the way. Tell me what lives behind those printed words. Tell me how you turned your sacrifice into a blessing.

Tell me about love. Tell me about the love you showed today.

Your actions show that. 

Your next choice starts now.❞❞
     — from the private journal of NeoWayland

Tags: Christianity ∙ wisdom ∙ be careful what you wish for ∙ Bible ∙ love ∙ cross posted ∙ commenting