Michael V

I'm 19 and I was a music education student but I've changed my major to criminal justice. I was doing some research into a local community college and I found out that their criminal justice program has more to offer and is just an overall better program than the one at my current university.

Is it worth to spend 80k+ to get a CJ degree and have a B.A. or spend 10k and get a CJ degree in a better program for a A.S.?

I am an atheist so therefore I don't believe in god. However, I started to get to thinking, did humans create god therefore he is real mentally because the idea of god has caused so many things, both good and bad.

How can something that causes war cause inspiration at the same time? How can something that causes the deaths of thousands of innocents cause communities to rebuild itself at the same time.

If the world have never thought of god, would the millions of lives lost to religious intolerance have been saved?

Hey, I just recently started doing marching band at the college level (with no marching experience in high school) and I play the french horn but for marching I now have to play the mellophone.

I'm used to playing with my left hand and not supporting the instrument with it and now my wrist is really hurting. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do to either help my wrist or maybe point out some way I'm holding it wrong?

There are five main forces that drive the world as of the year two thousand and eight. These forces have always been around but the never were constant. For example, at certain points in history, one force would dominate the others while later in history it would be the other way around. In other instances, some of the forces may have clashed against each other or worked together in harmony. These five forces have evolved, devolved and shaped the face of Earth. The five forces are nature, government, religion, economics and human nature.

If you were to ask me which one is the reason why the world is not a perfect place, I probably would have to say all but one. Humans have always been able to adapt to nature and while nature does have it’s negative effects on the human race, we adapt. However, nature could possibly kick the human race in the *** if the effects of global warming grow but that’s also coinciding with the force of human nature.

So, I have answered that question. Next, you probably would ask me what factor has more of a negative affect on the world than the others. I will give you my opinion: religion. However, I think that the combination and clash of government and religion causes a good portion of all the world’s problems throughout history.

Although some will disagree, government and religion do not mix well. Here are some examples. In some countries, a specific religion is the official religion of the state which causes some problems and even some intolerance towards those people who believe in different beliefs. In a country like the United States, with a mixture of so many different beliefs, if one religion gained dominance over any of the others in the government then you now have a group of people who can force their moral and political beliefs on others (i.e. the evangelical movement).

There’s a specific reason why government and religion don’t mix. It’s because they are complete opposites that definitely don’t attract. Government puts power in the hands of the people. Religion puts power in a higher being. Government is tangible and physical whereas for religion a leap of faith is required. I anticipate a religious person saying to me as a response to that, “Well, if there is no government then there is no control. Couldn’t the same be said about religion?”

Well my answer to that is pretty simple: No. Atheists, the anarchists of religion, lead perfectly fine lives and are just as in control of their lives as a religious person would. The difference between religion and government is that the world can run perfectly normal without religion but would be a disaster without government. So when you mix the two, you don’t get good results. The Crusades are the perfect examples to this for they lasted so many years and claimed so many lives and it was at the fault of the popes who ruled the Holy Roman Empire. Even to this day in Iraq, the three religious ethnicities (Sunni, Shiite and Kurd) battle with each other politically and in some cases violently.

However, I believe that religion alone is the force to point the finger at. Government works if the right system is used. Religion is an unnecessary evil. All it’s good at is dividing people and that is the real truth. If you take a look at Christianity alone, there are so many different denominations. The United States was founded because of religious intolerance within the Christian religion. In Northern Ireland, there was conflict between the Protestants and the Catholics. How can a religion based upon one man have so many different variations that contradict each other and even fight against each other? The same thing goes for Islam. The two sects of Islam, Sunni and Shiite, have been at each other’s throats for so long. Recently, violence between Shiite and Sunni Muslims in Iraq has claimed many lives.

I know that there will be opponents of this that say that religion brings people together. It only brings people of the same belief together to disagree with the others. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinions on faith but it should not carry over to anything else. This includes politics, moral issues and basic everyday life. Yes, I am assaulting those who try to push their beliefs on other people by pushing my beliefs. However, there is a difference between using hell as a main point, I use peace. If people wouldn’t focus on trying to convert or “save” others, then maybe we could focus on the real issues. Why should anyone care what other people believe? If you believe in something, good for you, but don’t go trying to “spread the word” to those that don’t want to hear it.

I really mean it when I say religion takes our eyes off of the real main world issues. Religion puts focus on one’s quest to reach whatever their religion promises. However, that’s not what we should be doing. I don’t care what you believe every person on Earth is apart of the human race. I don’t care if you are white, black, colored, American, French, Somalian, Haitian, Korean, Israeli, Palestinian, Vietminese, tall, short, fat, skinny, brown haired, brown eyes, blue eyes, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Pagan or Atheist, you are apart of the human race. We are one species that have the intellect above all other animals yet we waste our time on Earth. Those of you reading this are just as human as those who are too poor to have ever seen a piece of paper in their life let alone read the letters on the page. Their hearts beat inside them just as your heart is beating now. Their brain works the same way your brain works. So why do we waste our time worrying about religion and politics when we could be helping those that really need our attention. In an ideal world, there would be no religion and everybody focused on just helping those around them and in that way they personally achieve wealth and happiness. However, it isn’t an ideal world where we have televangelists that can afford to buy jets where villagers can barely survive on what they have. Why can’t the world get a grip of itself? If we didn’t have religion, then people wouldn’t be focused on whatever becomes of us and we can fix this world! We are in the here and now. We can either fix the world now or just let it stay the way it is. Everyone deserves a chance to be happy. Everyone deserves a chance to live life to the fullest. We are all one race. There should be nothing dividing us because in all reality:

We are born. We fight. We die. What’s the point of fighting?

And also, how can man be in the image of god if god has no body?

Sexual intercourse is a natural thing to do for humans and all animals so why do groups like the catholic church or other christian denominations preach abstinence?