Things Trixie Loves
Posts tagged "religion"

mrgoatxvx:

xezene:

“When my husband died, because he was so famous and known for not being a believer, many people would come up to me — it still sometimes happens — and ask me if Carl changed at the end & converted to a belief in an afterlife. They also frequently ask me if I think I will see him again.

Carl faced his death with unflagging courage and never sought refuge in illusions. The tragedy was that we knew we would never see each other again. I don’t ever expect to be reunited with Carl. But, the great thing is that when we were together, for nearly twenty years, we lived with a vivid appreciation of how brief and precious life is. We never trivialized the meaning of death by pretending it was anything other than a final parting. Every single moment that we were alive and we were together was miraculous - not miraculous in the sense of inexplicable or supernatural. We knew we were beneficiaries of chance… That pure chance could be so generous and so kind… That we could find each other, as Carl wrote so beautifully in Cosmos, you know, in the vastness of space and the immensity of time… That we could be together for twenty years. That is something which sustains me and it’s much more meaningful…

The way he treated me and the way I treated him, the way we took care of each other and our family, while he lived. That is so much more important than the idea I will see him someday. I don’t think I’ll ever see Carl again. But I saw him. We saw each other. We found each other in the cosmos, and that was wonderful.”

Ann Druyan, about her husband Carl Sagan

now THAT is a fucking love story

I’m a Muslim. But I don’t really (at this point in my life, at least) really believe in an afterlife. But I really look at it like this:

1. If there’s an afterlife, what we do here matters because it will affect our afterlife.

2. If there’s no afterlife, what we do here matters because it’s all there is.

And people who follow that type of philosophy, that what we do on this earth matters no matter what, that we must show compassion and empathy and hope and love, that’s really all I care about. I don’t care what you believe or whether you have a religion that you follow or anything—just live your life like it matters. I think that’s all we can ask of people, really.

(via thoughtlessfroth)

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For the night is dark, and full of terrors.
Melisandre, “Game of Thrones”
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On my last visit to Jerusalem, I struck up a conversation with an elderly man in the Muslim Quarter. As a shopkeeper, he seemed keen to sell me jewelry. As a Sufi mystic, he seemed even keener to engage me in matters of the spirit. He told me that religions are human inventions, so we must avoid the temptation of worshipping Islam rather than Allah. What matters is opening yourself up to the mystery that goes by the word God, and that can be done in any religion.
Stephen Prothero
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Point, Counterpoint
  • Bill Maher: And I have faith--
  • Neil deGrasse Tyson: You have faith? I... I thought I knew you...
  • Bill Maher: No, you're misrepresenting the word "faith." I mean, you three have all been on the show before, so I have faith that it'll be a good show.
  • Neil deGrasse Tyson: You have EVIDENCE that it'll be a good show.
  • Bill Mayer: -___-
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transgenderstudentlife: thisgenderedlife: PCOS and ovarian cysts can be life threatening. There are at least four people I know and love who have experienced the excruciating, disabling pain caused by ovarian cysts. Do you know what it’s like to see a person you love in so much pain that they’re vomiting, crying, curled up in a ball and refuse to move because it hurts too much to even open their eyes? Hormonal contraceptives do more than prevent pregnancy. You want to protect life? Start with the people who are already living. Although PCOS & ovarian cysts largely affect women, anyone with ovaries is affected. Ovarian cysts are VERY common, however, most people don’t know they have them. Those who are aware know because either the ovarian cyst(s) burst causing excruciating pain, or the cyst(s) themselves cause excruciating, often debilitating pain (e.g. PCOS). The development of ovarian cysts and the likelihood of one or more bursting is often genetic- which means people generally have no control over whether or not they have ovarian cysts or if one or more burst. I have had 2 ovarian cysts burst in the past, though I’m sure I have more cysts. I thought my appendix burst, or I had torn through a muscle in my abdomen. I could barely sit up, let alone walk, and I had to drive myself to the doctor the first time. I had to get a painkiller shot that prevented me from driving home it was so powerful- it knocked me out almost instantly because it was so painful. The second time, my doctor’s office was closed, and I had to wait in the emergency room for 2+ hours for them to tell me they thought it was a gas bubble and that they couldn’t do anything. My doctor told me later (based on how I described the pain, where it was, and the fact that I’d had one burst before) that it was very likely that it was an ovarian cyst bursting again. I didn’t know before this that there was a prevention. Now that I do, AND that it is up to people without ovaries to decide whether it is available- I will fight every battle I need to. The government knows hormonal contraception can prevent ovarian cysts. *NOTE: (My best attempt at a privilege check- I’m still learning how to phrase privilege checks, so please be nice while I learn) I realize I have no right to be in women’s spaces, as I am not a woman, however this is an issue that affects everyone with ovaries.

transgenderstudentlife:

thisgenderedlife:

PCOS and ovarian cysts can be life threatening. There are at least four people I know and love who have experienced the excruciating, disabling pain caused by ovarian cysts. Do you know what it’s like to see a person you love in so much pain that they’re vomiting, crying, curled up in a ball and refuse to move because it hurts too much to even open their eyes? Hormonal contraceptives do more than prevent pregnancy. You want to protect life? Start with the people who are already living.

Although PCOS & ovarian cysts largely affect women, anyone with ovaries is affected. Ovarian cysts are VERY common, however, most people don’t know they have them. Those who are aware know because either the ovarian cyst(s) burst causing excruciating pain, or the cyst(s) themselves cause excruciating, often debilitating pain (e.g. PCOS). The development of ovarian cysts and the likelihood of one or more bursting is often genetic- which means people generally have no control over whether or not they have ovarian cysts or if one or more burst.

I have had 2 ovarian cysts burst in the past, though I’m sure I have more cysts. I thought my appendix burst, or I had torn through a muscle in my abdomen. I could barely sit up, let alone walk, and I had to drive myself to the doctor the first time. I had to get a painkiller shot that prevented me from driving home it was so powerful- it knocked me out almost instantly because it was so painful. The second time, my doctor’s office was closed, and I had to wait in the emergency room for 2+ hours for them to tell me they thought it was a gas bubble and that they couldn’t do anything. My doctor told me later (based on how I described the pain, where it was, and the fact that I’d had one burst before) that it was very likely that it was an ovarian cyst bursting again.

I didn’t know before this that there was a prevention. Now that I do, AND that it is up to people without ovaries to decide whether it is available- I will fight every battle I need to.

The government knows hormonal contraception can prevent ovarian cysts.

*NOTE: (My best attempt at a privilege check- I’m still learning how to phrase privilege checks, so please be nice while I learn) I realize I have no right to be in women’s spaces, as I am not a woman, however this is an issue that affects everyone with ovaries.

(via clgomalley)

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Indeed. Both Christianity and Islam require adherents to care for their community and those less fortunate than themselves; charity, and the mindset that allows for it—compassion, love, empathy—are important parts of living a life close to Allah.

Indeed. Both Christianity and Islam require adherents to care for their community and those less fortunate than themselves; charity, and the mindset that allows for it—compassion, love, empathy—are important parts of living a life close to Allah.

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And I don’t think they do!
Bill Maher, on whether people have the right to religious belief
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Seen on a de-motivational poster:

“Jesus loves you. Odin demands you grow the fuck up.”

I LOLed.

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Random Thoughts 1

I find it strange that millions of people walk around each day wearing and worshiping symbolized representation of a torturous execution instrument. I mean, that’s essentially what the cross is.

I wonder how many victims of capital punishment are buried underneath a cross?

(This is not meant to be offensive or to make a point, and my sincerest apologies if it offends you; please feel free to tell me so. It just popped into my head, and to me, it’s an interesting thought/question).

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Not All Muslims Are Bad…

thoughtlessfroth:

…but their religion is malicious. 

Fuck all religions. 

Without religion our world would be better off. 
Fuck religion…fuck religious people…fuck all the comes from religion.

If you disagree…go look up all the names of the people who died on 9/11 or in the war since. 

I would disagree, speaking as a Muslim. I wasn’t raised Muslim (raised Christian, born Atheist), but I converted to Islam two years ago. I have found that Islam, like every religion I can think of, has at its core the basic tenet of “be nice to people.” Even in the details, as a historical document, the Qu’ran is an incredibly egalitarian document.

Add in a human element and 1400 years, and the use of a religious document to lend credence to political regimes (which, at their core, are ways to codify appropriate behavior and cultural norms by the powerful few for the rest of society—thus constricting freedom of choice and ultimately—it can be argued—oppressing people), and you have what can turn into a corrupted and violent code of behavior.

I will add that I have found a way to worship Allah that fits in with my personal life and beliefs as a queer radical feminist. I am definitely a Sufi Muslim, and I hope that I live my life as I believe all Muslims—and all humans—should. With peace and love in my heart, always seeking the compassionate course, knowing I am not perfect but knowing I will never stop striving to be so.

It’s important to point out that many Muslims do not believe in violence in any form. Like myself, many Muslims are pacifists, and feel that to use violence in any situation that is not life-or-death is wrong—to use the Qur’an to justify such violence is to corrupt its message.

It’s also, I believe, important to point out that although religion has been used to justify violence and hatred, and indeed was used by the hijackers to justify their acts of terrorism, I think we ought to remember that religion has been used to justify acts of kindness, compassion, and peace. Religion can be used for evil purposes (depending on how you define that) and good (depending, of course, on how you define that). It’s violence we should be condemning, I believe, rather than religion itself. We should be condemning violence in any form, for whatever reason—including “because God said so.”

Anyway. Just my two cents. Peace be with you all.

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