08-03-2006, 05:08 PM
Wisemon Wrote:Unlike Nate, my opinion here isn't shaped by any religion.
My opinion on piercings as my personal choice is influenced by my religious views. I won't let any religion tell me what is or isn't right, though, nor will I allow anybody else to tell me what I think or should think. What I seek here is to share my feelings and perhaps come to understand the feelings of one person interested in body modification (clearly this particular discussion seems to not involve much of that community).
I did not come to tell him to not do it, but to discuss with him the risks and ways of thinking that both come with and surround the concept. His body is his to take care as he sees fit, and in the same way I wouldn't let anyone else tell me what to do with mine, I don't expect to sway him unless he has a desire on some level to be swayed. This attitude is my norm when enetering any controversial conversation or debate: "I do not expect to change your mind, but I will still put forth all the effort due to an attempt to do so."
How any divine being (Though I personally believe in one god, I also believe that there may be other gods in this universe) may judge him for doing it, this is not my place to take the role of such a being. I see this not as a desecration of a temple, but on par with cutting the bark of a tree to show that you were there, or pulling the legs off of a grasshopper. I view it as a crime against nature, not against the divine.
My reason for not doing it to myself is both natural and spiritual. But my spirituality has little to do with my stance on piercings, at least in my own mind. I realize that no matter how well I know myself, I will never understand how my mind works, and so although I do not believe my spirtuality is directly connected to my stance on body modification, I admit that I may simply not understand how exactly my mind links the two.
My stance on hedonism, however, comes from my spiritual side, and someone getting piercings for hedonisic reasons would clearly be part of my spiritual views, since thta's just one way they're trying to find a fulfilment I believe only some sort of religious belief, even atheistic beliefs for some, can bring. And religious beliefs, to me, are something only the person who needs to live with them can decide upon. Though I may teach what I believe, part of what I believe means teaching that your mileage may vary with anything, especially religious beliefs.
Perhaps to some, body piercings are their religious experiences. Perhaps some truly find satisfaction in that behaviour. I only stated that I've yet to see one who seemed happy or satisfied with their life, at least in my knowledge of them--not that it cannot bring happiness or satisfaction to anybody. I like avoiding unversalities, since very few things truly are universal.