A right to believe, a right to sing?

I'd like to start this post with the question, do I seem like a christian? I've met lots of people and whoever meets me who's a christian immediately thinks I am one. I met a lady walking down the street who heard me singing and asked me if I was a christian. I then told her I wasn't and she went on for a good 20 minutes about how she had seen a vision of god telling her that she was suposted to say and live in autralia and not go back to the country she came from. There was also another man I met while walking home who's a christian, who thought I was a christian. He also liked hearing me sing. It's all very strange.

Is there a certain way christians act? Is it because I'm sure of myself and I like to sing loudly and proudly? I guess it must be something about me.....

Anyway, now for some more current stuff:

As many of you who know me well two things I loving doing is singing and thinking about religions. However, tonight (soon to be yesterday as I am typing this at midnight) the two seemed to collide as I was told at youth group something interesting. This is the gist of what one of the leaders said:

"I really like your singing and the fact that you sing loudly and sing harmonies is really nice. So much so you look like you are praising god. Do you have a spiritual connection with him? If you don't it seems strange and a shame that you can sing like christians are supposed to sing and yet you don't do it for the same reasons everyone else does"

So he basically told me that I shouldn't sing christian songs just because I like singing them, but rather because I should sing them for the love of god. (Not the love of music). This is why I've asked to be in the band and they've denied it.

I know you are all probably wondering "we'll you go to a youth group and yet your agnostic, so you should expect this kinda stuff", which is true in a sense. However this did touch a little bit of a nerve.

There were several problems I had with this remark (however I respected his point of view so I didn't bring it up until it was suitable):

1. If you are telling me to be a christian, are you respecting me for being who I am? Isn't part of who I am, what I believe? (he didn't believe that what you believe is part of who you are)
2. What/how am I supposed to do in response to this statement that will make you happy except become a christian? (I'm not ready to choose any particular religion yet, and doubt I'll choose one for a very long time)
3. Why do you want me to become a christian? If you are really doing it for my welfare, what's it gonna give me?

And not to mention, what do I ask myself?
Why not become a christian?
If this is their attitude, do I want to hang around them anymore?
Why are they asking me this?
Though, don't I feel a spiritual connection with something when I sing? if not, why is it so liberating?
Do christians songs really have to be sung because they are praising god, or can they just be sung for the fun of singing?

I guess my final conclusions are that I still respect this guy for voicing his point of view. I think to him, what he was doing was what he thought was what god wanted. Not to mention, you shouldn't get offended when a christian tells you to believe in god and christ as christians believe they are helping you towards god's gift of everlasting life. This doesn't stop them from seeming spiritually arrogant, but that's not their intension. I'm not ready to decide on any specific religion in my life as I don't have a need or a feel for any particular one at the moment. I'm happy with my little knowing, yet strong feeling self. I may not know the truth, but I know what I think could be the truth, and that's as close as I need for now.

In the meanwhile I'll just continue being myself and pondering the universe. I like singing because it makes me feel good. Whether or not it is to do with god, only god knows....

I just like being me and I don't want to change my beliefs or actions due to something I'm not even sure completely exists.

It's getting really late, so I'll leave you all, but I'll probably talk more on this later.

Sincerely, Jonathan Calleja

My reintroduction to Blogging.

It's been awhile since I last posted something here. Sorry people. This is due to year 12 and being in Bye Bye Birdie and getting a girlfriend and my 18th birthday and everything else I've been trying to do....

Anyway, this entry is more of a philosophical one. And the subject of today? What is a good life?

This all came from several of things that have happened recently. In my daydreaming I recalled a conversation I had with someone which went a bit like this:
"So what's your goal in life?"
"To have a good life?"

But what is a good life?

Well society tells us we'll have a good life if:
1. We grow up to be nice, strong and sexy people.
2. We go through schooling and go to university
3. We get jobs we love and become successful
4. We don't do drugs or drink huge amounts of alcohol
5. We get married (however this has largely reduced in recent years)
6. We have friends
7. We don't get involved in crime
8. We have aspiriations and goals
9. We have certain new technologies and gadgets (plasma TV, Ipod, etc.)
10. We have a house
Or something of the sort.
How correct is society? Is the life that we are told to follow the one that makes us happiest?

And I watched the movie "Fight Club" last night and by the end my mind had been well and truely pulled, pushed, warped and played with. I was really wound up. Hence I asked myself this question.

But how many of the things I've just listed do we really need?

Humans only need Food, water, and shelther to keep living, but how much other stuff do we need?
Not to mention how many of these things will lead to a good life?

I guess the idea of a good life completely depends on the person who is asking the question. My idea of a good life is where I'm satisfied with myself and what I do.
So I think my life is good as long as I sing, or draw or make stories and do something I love. My life is great if I have additional things taht make me happy. Like my lovely, briliant, awesome girlfriend. (Takes a moment to be smitten thinking of her).
But what if I camp for my whole life? Why do I need a house?
If I already know what I want to do with my life, why should I continue to learn new stuff at school if I already know everything I need to get it going?
Do the electronic products we buy really make us happy? what is the difference between a plasma TV and a regular one when it boils down to it? Looks mainly...
And this one is mostly inspired by fight club) since when is it so bad to fight as long as you aren't looking for something to kill? Why do men like fighting?
And who says you can't be happy being a Hermit up in the mountains? Where no-one will find you?
What is wrong with sleeping around as long as you don't get STDs?
And I know this sounds extremely childish, but why can't I do what I want whenever it comes into my mind?

But then again, if I sacrifice things i already have in life in order to increase my quality of life, will it really improve my life?

I guess the answer to all of these questions is:
"What feels right?",
"What will get you want you want in the end?"
and "What things do you want to avoid?"
Once you have established the answers to each of these 3 questions you can get an idea of what kind of answers you have to each of the other questions.

I don't have a point to make about this really, but its an interesting thing to think about.