How To Get Youth Into Church

One topic that a person cannot go through their life avoiding is religion. From the moment we are born we have religious decisions thrown upon us, and from there onwards we’re on our own.

Some parents decide to baptise their children, while other do not. Some circumcise their children for religious reasons, some do not. Some are taken to church weekly, some are kept home and some are told that god does not exist. It seems that it does not matter what we may believe ourselves as a child but rather what those around us believe.

Personally I was not christened or baptised.  I grew up in a household where I was considered a little strange for not swearing, smoking or drinking as I grew up. The A grades that I received on my school work was a little out-of-the-ordinary and my stance towards God and religion was somewhat… unliked. Growing up I honestly don’t think that the words ‘god’, ‘jesus’ or ‘christ’ were muttered in a sentence unless accompanied by ‘fuck’, ‘hell’ or ‘burn in’.

I’ve written briefly about my religious stance before, which isn’t easy to put in a nutshell. I’m not for or against God per se. Not really. What I am for or against is religion. What I mean by this is the devout following and faith in the God and the rules dictated by the religious scripture- that being bible, Koran or whatever book it may have been labelled. For arguments sake, they all are the same.

I’ve been shown no proof that God exists, merely some compelling stories and somewhat-convincing fanatics. On the flipside, the non-believers have also been very convincing and very rightly pointed out the flaws, mostly of which consist in the fact that religion somewhat goes against a lot of proven facts. How much evidence does one need to sway me one way or another? Well, that isn’t the point of this article.

Recently I watched the 7pm Project and I saw a great segment which featured Father Bob Maguire. To be honest, I’m a great fan of this man. He has done a lot of hard work in the community and he himself has been stuck on an anti-church pedestal for his approach at Catholicism. The segment, which you may have seen, was about how we can get more youths into the churches. You know what: What a great question!

I would seriously love to experience what church is like. I’ve only ever been in a church twice- the first being for a christening of a family friends child, and the other while I was dancing [back in the days of my traditional-greek-dancing]. Since then, I’ve never been. And yes, to put it plainly: I’ve never been to a service.

Many people my age are quick to jump on the idea that church is boring and that the services are enough to put you to sleep. The weird thing here, contradictory as it is, those of my friends who regularly attend church often say the opposite of their churches. So what brings about this contradiction?

My first assumption would be preconceptions. Entering into a church I suppose I would think that I was about to be getting a lecture from some old guy standing out the front. In such a modern time though, I find it hard to believe that all churches are like this. Does Australia [pray, Adelaide] have any of those ‘modern’ churches where people are involved and the youth have fun?

To answer this question I suppose that I should just ask myself. What better place to start? Why does Brodhe not go to church?

Here’s a few reasons:

• Too early on a Sunday morning
• I don’t like to be told off for the things that others perceive as wrong
• My friends do not go
• I do not follow the bible

So is there a place for us Generation Y young adults where we can freely talk about our own religious views without the worry of being told off. I’m yet to be answered the questions of ‘Why would God care?’ I mean, if I said the word ‘fuck’, without it meaning to be an insult, why would god care? Sure, if I said it with the intent to belittle someone or to make them feel uneasy then I can understand. But any words can do that, and we can say them freely!

Also, when I drink I do not act aggressively nor do  I perform illegal deeds. I do what is deemed socially right [on the normal occasion] and keep myself in line. Why would god say I cannot get drunk?

If there was a church which promoted that people merely get along and do what is morally and socially right for each other, and stopped worrying about condemning us to hell and telling us that we are all sinners- well, that’s a church that I would go to.

While I know that it wouldn’t happen, I’d love to see the idea of a congregational venue- perhaps a ‘church’, however it would be open up to ALL religions. It would be a place of meeting and conversation. Peer review about each others beliefs. It would be a meeting of sorts, where people spent the first half hour or so saying thanks to their own religious idols, then spent the following few hours in discussion about different topics. Political, environmental, moral and ethical topics would be discussed and religion would be kept civil and polite. There would be no judgement of ones sins, but merely the reminder of what is morally right on the path to the afterlife.

I would call this setting Urban Belief. It is those that live in a modern society, have belief of God or gods, but simply do not feel that following a set religious scripture is the correct way to live their life. I suppose that’s me in a nutshell: an Urban Believer.

I would personally love to hear the ideas that Father Bob Maguire has to get the youth back into the church. While the church may condemn my lifestyle “choices”, I still see a heck of a lot of good being done by the church. I still strongly believe in the family unit and doing what is morally right, I just believe that the archaic way that they enforce their rule is wrong.

I would really love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this, so if you are in Australia or Adelaide or just have some general views on this, I’d love to know!

HIV+ Bareback III

In response to this and this post.

Question:

My partner and I are seeing our DR next week i will keep you posted. But my partner is still telling me he is willing to take the risk of catching HIV so good to see i have someone who will last the distance. Thank you brodhe.com

Answer:

I’m glad you guys are seeking professional help with this. Like I said previously, the choice is ultimately up to you and him- and so long as you are both fully aware of the situation and risks involved then there is no reason why you can’t ake an informed decision.
But I think the best way to reach an informed decision is by seeking professional help. Doctors especially, but also councilors, will be able to talk with you about different perspectives you may not have considered.

One of the big risks, of course, is that your partner will also contract HIV and be in a similar situation. If one of you progresses to AIDS and your situation becomes worse there is the chance (I believe) of there being other complications to consider.

Just make sure you are fully aware before making a life changing decision. I’m glad you are getting through this well
=]

Who is Your Favourite Biblical Character?

Question:

Who’s your favorite biblical character? You can’t say Joseph and his amazing technicolor dreamcoat, either.

Answer:

I haven’t yet thoroughly read the bible (nor any religious texts really) but look forward to doing so in 2010. I’ve already been given a nice copy of the Koran, and will be acquiring other texts to read over when I can!

Super Power for a Sense?

Question:

If you had to give up one of your senses in order to gain a superpower, which sense, and for what power.

Answer:

If I had to give up a sense it would have to be my sense of smell.

The power that I would want would be the ability to fly. To be able to defy gravity and to be able to effortlessly shoot into the sky would be the one thing I would love above all else. Total complete freedom to get away.

Why Do People Ask You Questions?

Question:

why do people ask you questions like your some kind of celebrity when your nothing more than a know all adeladian gay?

Answer:

I feel that this i a question more for those people that ask me the questions, as it would be difficult for me to answer that.

I suppose the best answer I can give is this…

When a person wants to know the answer to a question the best way way is to ask as many people for their advice. The more people who choose a certain answer, the more likely it is that this answer is going to be correct.

I doubt that anyone sees me as a ‘kind of celebrity’. I don’t claim to be this, nor do I ever promote myself that way. I do have a larger online presence through the use of social media that most people, however this means little in the grand scheme of things. I would also suggest that your opinion of a ‘know all adelaideian’ is just that: your opinion. I have worked hard to build up good, strong relationships with a lot of people, companies, organisations and groups who have a mutual respect for each others opinions. They often ask my opinion and feedback on certain topics, and I ask theirs.

This is, fundamentally, what a friendship is built on, I believe. Perhaps you could shed more light on the topic yourself?

Pick A Man: Hot or Bum?

Question:

are looks important to you? If someone was drop dead gorgeous standing next to a guy who looked like a bum, who would you choose? What if you kind of knew that the ‘bum looking one the nicest,dearest person you met? would you still date him?

Answer:

Looks are important, I won’t deny that. But I believe they are also subjective. For exaple, a friend of mine believes that ‘xyz’ is hot, while I think that ‘abc’ is. Just because one person thinks you are hot, doesn’t mean everyone will.

In regards to the men or women that I think are hot, I don’t think looks are *everything*. To the question of which I would choose- the hot person or the bum- what am I choosing them for? A one night stand? Marriage? Friendship? There are more variables to this question than which are mentioned.

If it was something temporary and there was no chance of permanency with either then why not choose the hot person? Admittedly around people who are ‘drop dead gorgeous’ I often feel that my own looks- which admittedly are subjectively average- are not up to par. But in saying that, I don’t think that a ‘bum’ is my type of person, so I think there is a chance that I would choose neither.

First Impressions?

Question:

are you a first impressions type of guy?

Answer:

In some ways, I am. Sometimes when someone makes a shocking first impression (shocking either for the good or bad) it is hard to shake that idea. In saying that, they may quickly make up for it in other ways.

While the above may be true, I also do believe in second chances! I think that if everyone did everything by first impression then I would be a very lonely person as I often don’t give off the best impression at all.

What is an Outlet? How can you Destress?

Question:

What are your outlets? What entertains you and allows you to vent everytime without fail?

Answer:

My venting isn’t usually very big. I’m one who very much ‘bottles things up’, and while it may not be all that healthy I often release through gym, jogging and other exercise.

Ensuring that I’m always grounded with friends and meditation also helps a lot, reminding myself who I am and what I’m doing on earth. It sounds all very broad, but knowing a direction helps me a lot.

I often get my entertainment through relaxing. Going to the gym and working out burns a lot of my energy but also provides a great source of extra energy. It is a social thing, and often leads to meeting new people.

I would never say that I have a sure fire way of venting every time without fail though: everyone fails sometimes! I lose my cool, get stuck in negative cycles and do all the things that everyone else does as well. It’s just about being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and when you can’t- knowing how to get help.

HIV+, Bareback?

Follow up to THIS QUESTION

Question:

I spoke to my partner last night brodhe.com and he said he loves me till death we have been together since we were 15, Both are 19 now and he said that he still want to BB and if he catches HIV then that is ok. Is it still ok to BB that i have his ok?

Answer:

If he is fully aware of the situation, understands the risk – and YOU understand the risks as well- then the choice is his. I would suggest that perhaps you both get counseling first. Not in the psycho-bable type of way, but in the fact that this now impacts the rest of your lives together.

In no way do I mean that you need to break up, but you have been together four years (which is great) but just think, potentially you have another 70+ years left on this planet. Do you both fully understand the risk? The other options available?

I would talk to your doctor to begin with, and take it from there. This is a big issue which needs more than just a day or so to think about it. Just remember that it only takes ONE time for him to catch HIV, and it is an irreversible action.

Private Time?

Question:

If you’re such a sociable person, how do you really have a personal life with your own partner? Or does that not happen because you’re life interactions are spread so far over the course of everyone else around you?

Answer:

This is something that a fair few people have asked me actually. It seems that because I have such a predominant online (and often real life) presence around people, they are under the impression that I don’t have a private life.

This isn’t the case and I don’t generally mention anything about my ‘currents’ on any online medium, other than maybe a passing comment. Most of my tweeting is done in transit, at work, etc and Facebooking is the same. It isn’t like I avoid spare time to be more social online.

Plus, if i’m with someone then I’m with them. They get my attention. No one else.