Sinners in the Hands of Angry Gods

This blog will be the first where I am expressing a real opinion. It is about a Puritan priest who talked about how angry God is at people if they sin at all. This forced the Puritans to not commit any sort of sin. Many of the English did not get accept this and that is why they went to England's new colonies.

This passage from one of Edwards' sermons is very odd from others views. It says that God is angry and has the power to kill you at any second. If you're not respecting God and committing sins, then God will kill you in an instant. That this God is an angry God that kills people if they do something that this priest says is "wrong."

While the Puritans deserved to be free of whatever religion they chose, but I can see how the English thought they were odd. They weren't allowed to enjoy the same fun as the English and they did not believe that God was helping them one way or another. It was also a completely different lifestyle they were living that was almost old fashioned for their time.

To me this seems ridiculous. He is ruling people by fear and religion is supposed to bring together not for fear, but for a sense of community. This man is saying that life should be restricted and more emphasis on your afterlife then when you are living. I would like to live my life having fun, rather then live it waiting to die. That is something worth thinking about though. Some cultures live, so that their afterlife will be good.

Live your life the best way you can and live to your standards.

There Goes the Neighborhood

A great example of two cultures clashing is with the Native Americans and the Europeans. All of the countries that came from Europe into North America were surprised by what they found. A culture that had lived for thousands of years much different from the Europeans. They did not live with the same religion and were much less materialistic. They were all separated into tribes and each lived their own lives. The Native Americans were also not materialistic. What they had materials wise was not on their mind unless it was necessary for survival. 

The Europeans did not get this lifestyle. They lived along side them for a while, but it did not last very long. They couldn't get over how different the Native Americans were from them. They did trade with them for a while, but eventually more and more people were coming from Europe. It was a classic example of a situation where if you can't get along with someone then kick them out. So they fought them and since they had more advanced technology, they usually won. 

We can now see that Europe won since Native Americans live on reservations now that the U.S. government gave them. There untouched mostly peaceful society was torn apart and forced out of their homes because of a difference in opinion. 

These culture clashes are still going on today. They are not as violent, but people still have issues with people in their neighborhoods and sometimes they can't deal with it. The best way to approach someone of a different culture is to accept them for who they are and not judge just because their beliefs are different from yours. Treat people the way you want to be treated. 

Self Introduction

It seems that summer is finally over. The usual dull schedule is back into motion. Those long summer nights with friends enjoying those hot nights are over. However, a new chapter is beginning and soon we will have more adventures this year as well.

I am Billy Brooks. I am currently a sophmore at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School and I've lived in Chicago my whole life. I'm a bit random, but stuff usually works out for me.

Hobbies wise, I ride horses, play the clarinet, and play the piano. All of which take up time, but I enjoy them... Most of the time. I compete competitively with horses and it takes up a lot of my time. While i do enjoy it, it can sometimes get in the way of being with kids in Chicago since my barn is in Gurnee, IL. Clarinet; well I've been doing that a long time so i decided I should stick with it. Piano, on the other hand, I started because I did an independent study on it in 8th grade. I quit this summer because i didn't have time, but I would like to start it again soon.

That's it for this blog, but I'll be writing a post again soon.