Knowledge or Ignorance?

"I'd like to give my testimony that I KNOW the church is true. I KNOW that Joseph Smith was a prophet...." If you have gone to a L.D.S. church house on fast Sunday you've heard this repeated over and over again. It get really exciting when some one switches the order or adds something new to it. I want to focus on two words repeated in both sentences "I know."
Knowledge is a great thing, it can give you great strength and power. Knowledge can save your life, or it can help you save another persons life. Knowledge, to me, is the reason we exist. As Carl Sagan beautifully put it, "We are a way for the Universe to know itself"
So how does someone come to "know" the church (whatever church it may be) is true? They read their religious book or books and pray about it. Then after their god, who ever it may be, "reveals" the truth to them they now know WITHOUT A DOUBT, that their church/religion is true. If you take the time to ask them how they came to know this they say, "a feeling", or "a voice", told them it was true. If I hear voices I'm crazy, but if a religious person hears them it's sacred?

How often do we all get warm fuzzy feelings in a dramatic movie? I watched the movie "Blind Side" a couple weeks ago, there were a couple parts in the movie that gave me a "warm feeling" inside, does that mean it was a work of god? No, it is a story that makes you feel good, much like religion. I'd live to like in ecstasy for all eternity, I'd also like to have unlimited money and a house that cleans its self but that doesn't make it so.
It is a religious practice to block out anything that doesn't fit in with their point of view, that's why when you have a discussion with religious people the conversation always ends in them saying "I believe the church is true and nothing will change my mind." It feels nice to know that you'll never truly die, and that there is someone who will always love you, even when you really fuck up big time, but as I said before, that doesn't make it so.
Knowledge comes from studying a topic completely and unbiasedly, from all sides. Ignorance is not knowledge, let us not confuse the two.

"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives." — James Madison

Tithing slip

I was going through some boxes in my garage and found some of my old church stuff including a tithing slip for 29.50. It made me stop and think for some reason, I sat down and thought about it for about for a while and 3 questions kept returning to my mind. How many times did I give the church money? How much money have I given the church in my life? What did I get in return for my investment?
By the time I was done thinking I came to one thought, I WANT MY MONEY BACK! I not only feel like the church owes me money, but that they owe me for the time I spent in church, the time I spent doing fast offerings, the time I spent in young mens, and the time I spent doing church callings. Add up about 8 hours a week, X 52 weeks a year at $10 an hour for 18 years (how long I went) and you will see that the church owes me $79,040. now add in the mystery amount of tithing, and I would guess about $3,000 in my church going life so the total comes to $82,040 but we'll round down to 82G's even just to be nice.
No wonder the church is so rich, they don't pay anyone for anything! I'd be rich to if I could do that!

Why my kids will never play sports

U of U vs. byu game.

Fat people

I'm an excessively large person, a.k.a. I'm a fat guy. I know I'm fat and I accept it. The problem I have is I dislike fat people. Now to clarify this I hate two types of at people, first and foremost I hate fat people that are bitter at the world.
I understand being a bit bitter to the world when your over weight. You are judged before people talk to you because of your weight, you get looked at when your at a restaurant because people think you don't need to eat because your fat. The joke, the teasing, even your friends will make jabs about your weight, so you become bitter and a recluse. Well bad news the world isn't going away! angry fat people piss me off for one reason, if you are that angry look in a mirror and see the problem.

Your fat, get over it or loose weight. don't hate everyone else because you have a sensitive spot about your weight. turn the joke around on them, or roll with the punches, quit caring what other people think and enjoy your life! Be funny about it! Life is a joke anyway.
The second type of fat person I cant stand are those who dress like they are skinny. One of my friends dated a girl who was BIG like 450 pounds of big. We went to the lake with a big group of people and she shows up in a fucking bikini!

If your fat, dress like your fat, cover up! I'm not saying be Amish, but have respect for your self and the people who are with you. There are ways of dressing that can make you look thinner, find out what they are and do it!

Lastly I want to say that there is a certain point of being fat where it hinders everything you do. if you hit that point, do something about it. if you cant go up a flight of stairs without getting short of breath you need to diet. thats not an insult just a point of view that you can change if you want to bad enough. I know it sucks being fat, I'll be the first one to say it. fat people are the last group that you can openly make fun of with out a law suit, try making a gay joke at work, or a black joke, hell make a joke about mentally disabled people and you'll be out on your ass, but you make a fat joke and people laugh. Its not fair it's not right but it is the way it is. So love your self no matter what and just enjoy life.