Jesus – Anthony Otero

Mark 12:31

I will make this brief. I attended Catholic school for 12 years of my life. I have been taught many lessons about the holy trinity and the life of Christ. I barely remember anything being taught about hating other people based on their beliefs or actions. But, what I do remember specifically was this line: And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

So what is the big fuss over Jason Collins outing himself? Is there a need for Chris Broussard to just mention that being gay is an open rebellion to God? My personal favorite is how people are now saying that Tim Tebow was persecuted for being Christian while everyone is celebrating Jason Collins. Really? Let’s just put it out there that these are not the greatest athletes we are talking about.

First Chris Broussard is just a sorry reporter. He has every right to believe what he wants. The problem is that as a sports analyst, he needs to be objective. I would say the same thing about Charles Barkley. If you cannot be objective then it will be hard for anyone to report things straight up. Secondly, when you work for a company such as ESPN, whatever you say will be a reflection on them, period. So when he says that we live in a time of political correctness and people don’t have to say anything, then perhaps he should have not said a word.

My main point is simply this. Jesus preached to love everyone. He didn’t say love thy neighbor unless he is sleeping with another man. He wasn’t exorcising homosexuals in the streets of Jerusalem. In fact, Jesus was against the church and everything it was becoming! So I find it funny that Christians (those who follow the new testament) have to go to the old testament to pull out words like abomination when Jesus is telling the world to just love one another.

Why would he do that? So he could die for our sins. Please point out to me where in the Bible Jesus says that homosexuality is evil? 12 years of Catholic School has taught me one thing, I do not need the church to validate what I believe. But I do know that Christians of the past have used the bible to validate wars, genocide, and slavery.

So I will leave you with this:

Matthew 7:1: Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

John 8:7: And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Romans 2:1: You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

2012, Ghostbusters, Jesus, mayan calendar, religion

Our Last Year on Earth.

“Ray, when someone asks you if you’re a god, you say ‘YES!'” – Winston Zeddmore

Beware! This time next year is slated to be the end of the world! They made a movie about it so you KNOW that it has to be true. The Mayans have predicted this! They are authors of an ancient calendar that ends on this day next year. Now all of a sudden people want to listen to Mexicans.

I am always amazed that every few years someone is either predicting the second coming of Jesus, the rapture, or now the unexplained reason why a calendar just stops. I have read that some archeologists have suggested that it is simply the end of an era and that the world will not end. I tend to believe this. Although, I am a little bit more practical. I say that the calendar resets or maybe they got tired of doing all that math. I do not recall the Mayans having a knack for telling the future nor is there any accounts that state the ending of “civilization.”

However, there is seems to be a religious component to this (of course). The end of Ancient Mayan Calendar (aka Mesoamerican Long Count calendar) is supposed to mark the return of the Mayan God, Quetzalcoatl. Without going into further detail, he is a very powerful serpentine deity who was also worshipped by the Aztecs. There are many stories about his true nature but one thing was for certain, it was believed he was the God of the morning star (Venus). He avatar is more like a dragon than anything else but the the most interesting description comes a blog I read about Quetzalcoatl: “Legends say that Quetzalcoatl was tall and light-skinned, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a beard, in contrast to the natives who were short, dark skinned and dark haired. He is said to have worn a long, flowing robe. Quetzalcoatl was special because he was a god of creation.”

This raised my eyebrows because that definitely sounds like a European Cleric to me. Upon further investigation, there a people who believe that Quetzalcoatl is actually Jesus. There are some Mormons who believe that after his death he visited South America. I am not sure this is a Mormon thing because I remember hearing this somewhere in my 12 years of Catholic School. So according to some there is a link to Quetzalcoatl and Jesus Christ. Maybe all those rapture people were off by a year?

It is indeed interesting that the Ancient Mayan Calendar stops on Winter Solstice of next year. I can see why people, who probably have limited knowledge about ancient civilization, can pick on that small piece of info and think something catastrophic will happen. Never mind that cycle for this calendar is 5,125 years long. The Mayans were astronomers that studied the ways of the universe so they can map calendars and astronomical alignments. So there is no suprise that ABC News reports that “The Mayans predicted a final event that included a solar shift, a Venus transit and violent earthquakes.” Of course there is a failure to mention (which ABC News does state) that there is evidence that dates beyond 2012 were indeed recorded.

No one person or people this side of Nostradamus can predict the future and for what it is worth, people tend to bend Nostradamus’ words into whatever may happen in the world today which makes what he says ambiguous at best. What I am not understanding is what is the obsession with the end of the world? Are we not satisfied with the world we live in? Not that we should be. But, from a religious stand point, if you are just living your daily crappy life waiting for a better life in the ever after then I supposed you want that to happen as soon as possible.

But, what if the “end of the world” means something that is totally not physical. Perhaps a mental transformation. Such paradigms shifts have happened before after the atomic bombs were dropped in Japan in August 1945. Some could argue the world ended right then and there. The world that they knew was gone because from that point on the world got smaller and more dangerous. Since then we have lived under this shroud of Nuclear war up until the Cold War end. Some could say the world ended on September 11, 2001. The world we know as Amercians has changed so much since then.

So what will end exactly? Will there be a new paradigm shift? I certainly do not believe that the world will suddenly be visited by an ancient Mayan God like Gozer (Sumerian God) from the Ghostbusters, but I do think that Mayan Calendar could mean an end of an era, but for what, remains to be seen.

God, Jesus, my life, prayer, the alchemist

Dear God

Dear God…

I dedicate this blog post to one of my many prayers to you. I know that I am not the most religious being on this planet and I am certainly not Christ-like but I write this as a way to throw my literal words out into the universe as a testament of my faith that there is indeed a higher power. I pray to you because there are things in this world that I cannot control. I am just one person in a world filled with wicked people that murder, rape, and take advantage of the less fortunate all in the name of God. I pray to you because everything happens for a reason and every person in my life serves a purpose even if its for a little while. One of those people told me that if I truly want something than I need to ask the universe.

Asking the universe is like asking God because the two things are synonymous. I know that when I tell the universe my wants that it will conspire in my favor to help me get it. In saying that, I know that my prayers are pleas for help because I cannot do things without faith in myself and world around me. The problem is that I fear so many things. The decisions I have made in the past has not made my present as great as I would like it to be which only puts my future in question. I do think about my future because I still consider it bright.

I want to do so many things it is hard to comprehend where I can begin to start. This is a part of the problem because I don’t know what I don’t know. I ask for the strength to help me pass my own weaknesses. I know that I have not been one to totally go for financial success because money isn’t everything and let’s be honest, I cannot take it with me in death. However, I can pass it down to the children that I hope to have. What I want is to be able to live without fear. I don’t want to worry anymore about how I am going to get from paycheck to paycheck.

I pray for strength to get me through the hard times. I pray for strength to get me through the sparse amount of interviews. I pray for strength to let me deal with the unforeseen things that life throws my way. I am just a man in this world trying to do good. I help the students that I work with. I stay in touch with those former student who still feel they need my guidance. I want to be there in ways that people were never there for me when I was a student. I let my work speak for itself.

I thank you for things that you have given me. Those tearful nights when I thought I would never get to where I am now have seemed to have paid off. I am a survivor of bad decisions and financial consequences. More importantly, I thank you for putting her into my life. I thank you for giving me the strength to survive the past four years. I thank you for the family and the friends that I have because I am truly fortunate to have people support me when I needed them.

The strength I ask for is because I know my successes are not handed to me. I need the strength to act on motivations because fear is the only thing that is stopping me. I am tired of being afraid. Fear takes my will to succeed in every facet of my life. I pray to for help so I can get to my goals with dignity and honor. I ask the universe to conspire in my favor to help me achieve my personal legend.

I am not a perfect man. I am sinner in many respects, but I am a good person willing to help others in the only way I know how. All I ask is for strength, courage, and wisdom to guide me on this quest. I want to be the legend that I know I can be.

Amen.

Catholic Church, Easter, Jesus, religion

Happy Easter…Are you ready to be Judged?

It was a good day today. I had a dinner with students that I mentor. I am the advisor for Lambda Sigma Upsilon and Josie is the advisor for Mu Sigma Upsilon. We figured we would have both groups come over to the house for Easter dinner since most of them did not go home. I certainly ate way too much and I am so tired.

Before I knock out I wanted to share something that has been on my mind all weekend. It stems from a comment made on another blog about Easter. Most of you should know that I am a fan of Brookey’s Cafe Blog. This past Friday she made a brief post saying… “for those who observe, Happy Blessed Good Friday!” Not a big deal to me, but someone made a comment that I had an issue with. Here is what she said and my response:

Juditesista said…
It is my duty as an Israelite who worships Christ with understanding to tell you and anyone who may read this, the truth about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ,celebrates the passover and not Easter (Exodus 12). The holy day also known as the sabbath is the 7th day of the week. The 7th day is Saturday, not Sunday. Check out the calendar and you will see that Sunday is the first day of the week. Sunday is an ordinary day. Read Genesis 2:1-3, Leviticus 23:1-3, Matthew 12:5-8, Ecclesiasticus 33:7-9 in the apocrypha. The apocrypha is a Greek word which means hidden books. These books were taken out of the bible by Satan. You can still find some bibles with the apocrypha in it. I pray for all my brothers and sisters that you may see the truth. Praise Christ for the opportunity to teach the truth.

Your sista in Christ
April 10, 2009 12:22 PM

Latinegro said…
Brook have a great weekend! I hope you enjoy your time off. Get some rest too! Ok…now for my 2 cents. Easter is not about what Jesus celebrated. It is about his Resurrection. I didn’t know Satan had access to the bible, however there are so many versions I would almost agree with you.I don’t really care what day the sabbath is because evil does not take a day off, so why should i?
April 10, 2009 1:10 PM

There was no response to this. I really did think about this all weekend. I am not a fan of people pushing beliefs on others. I am so not a fan of people who don’t know their shit. I may not be the most religious person in the world, but I consider myself spiritual. I am a believer that the covenant with the Lord is more personal than anything else. If you read the Old Testament, particularly Genesis and Exodus, you know that God talks about the way to worship him (or her) is to create an alter and pray. To me this means that your relationship with the Lord is on a personal level. So I do not buy into many of the teaching of the Catholic Church. We must remember that Jesus was a rebel himself.

My truth is that God Loves us all. We all will get judged in the end. You can dance all day and talk about how you are saved, but at the end of the day only God will judge you for who you really are. Do not think that you can spend 6 days out the week being a generally bad person and then go to Church on Sunday for forgiveness. If you think that God is that shallow then you have another thing coming…like Hell.

With that…I hope everyone had a Happy Easter…I know I did.

Catholic Church, Jesus, Short Story

Are All of us Really Saved?

Looking at the short story that I posted yesterday, I had to sit back and really think about the themes that are in this story. I will first point out that this story came to me one night last October. I was literally in the shower thinking about this. When I came out, I need to find some paper and a pencil and write this down. I wrote down everything I imaged for about 20 minutes straight. This final product then took several hours before I was somewhat satisfied with it.

It made me think about what exactly am I trying to say with this story. I went to Catholic school for 12 years, so I very much believe in all the religious archetypes. What I find interesting is how I chose the main character, Margret, to be bi-sexual. I say that because she is the one that witnesses this “angel of death”. Of course, in being a Christian, we are taught that homosexuality is an aberration. This type of lifestyle goes against everything that is God and is course…a sin.

Being that we are all born with Original Sin, God sent his only son, Jesus to save us all. With him dying on the cross we would all be freed from sin. So, if indeed this is the case, wouldn’t that mean that Jesus (who loves all of us) also died for the sins of Homosexuals as well? I am not sure the answer to this question. But, I do know that we are quick to judge people.

I do not think that I am done with this particular story, so I am not sure that I even know what the story means. I will just say is the Margret does believe in God. Perhaps she was to bear witness as a part of feeling guilty that perhaps she is the aberration in society and not the homeless man…

bible, death, Jesus, religion

Death & Religion

As I get older it seems that death is all around me. The other day my co-worker’s father passed. The week before that my Graduate Assistant’s grandfather passed. Then there was of course my wife’s aunt who passed in the beginning of the year. Over the 2-3 years I have known or heard of at least a dozen people who have died. This will include, my uncle, grandmother, 2 SU alums, an SU student, and my dear dog. Perhaps listing a dog may be weird to some, but when you love a pet so much then you will know it is just like losing a member of the family.It has made me think about my own mortality in ways I never thought I would.

I don’t consider myself a particular religious person. Sure, I did have 12 years of catholic school, but I just didn’t care of some of the things that are said by the Catholic Church. I will further this statement by saying that while I believe in Jesus, I not sure his teaching have been passed down correctly. Let me take a moment to explain this thought.

During the time of the Crusades, the armies of the Church would kill anyone who did not believe in the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. When coming across different civilizations that did not even believe in Jesus they would brand those people as savage and hethonistic. Fast forward to the time of Christopher Columbus and you will witness the same thing. Those prompting the near eradication of indigenous people in North, Central, and South Americas. Take that one step further to the slave trade. Africans were converted to Christianity when they got off the boat.

Where am I going with this? The gospel has had many revisions and has thus been used to persecute the weak. Back in old times people can use a passage as just cause to burn a witch. Other passages can be used to show that people of color are savages. We all know know how the church views homosexuality. So when we look at the scriptures now, are we really getting the word of God or we getting the word of God through eyes of the dominant culture? I am not saying I have the answer to this.

How does this make me think about death? Well if you read the bible, then you know that there is a lot of death in it. I consider myself a god fearing man so to me death and judgement go hand and hand. I have often joked about how there is a suite reserved for me in hell, but do I really believe that?

Well this is what I believe for sure. Both my grandmothers are watching over me. I can write stories about how religious mi abuelita (from my mother side) was. I would have brutal nightmare as kid. Very vivid and very often about evil spirits coming to get me and bringing me to the feet of Satan. Once she died, I have not had one dream like that since. I was 12 when she died. I think that we all have a place in life and in death. I feel blessed that some how I have been able to survive my near death experiences (9/11 and my car accidents).

feet, Jesus, Syracuse University

Spring is Here!

{Originally Posted on Blogger}

Well, it is spring. The weather is getting better. So that means that students will wear less. Now, that is a good thing right? Try again. Today I saw people who need lotion for there ashy knees and elbows (lets not forget the feet folks).

Speaking of feet (oh god, why?), I saw a young woman today in sandals. Before I make this point, I want to mention that is the reason why I don’t like open toed shoes and sandals. She is chillin in her sandals and I look down and YIKES!!!! ONION BUNIONS!!!!! How sickening. I knew this girl so I could not laugh, but all I can think about is how in the world do you leave your dorm room with Jesus Wear on and don’t file down your BUNS! I know by the time this semester is over I will be blind if I keep seeing shit like this.

I know that Jesus wore sandals and that is fine, but you cannot tell me that he did not file down is Bunions. You know that he did not want his buns and corns showing while was telling parables, it would be too distracting! He must have used a rock or some shit to file them down. Why couldn’t she???