September 30, 2014

On Religion

The rains have come (by the way)
For months on end I diligently post my thoughts on odds and ends, yet never seem to elicit many comments. I get the occasional compliments, which I value tremendously, although I am rather lax when it comes to replying to them (but be advised, I do appreciate it!! .
But in general, it is quiet in the comment section: this silence is fine with me: I write for me, and not for others. Thus I can write that all dogs stink, that lasagna is the best food in the world or that Chinese is an impossible language to learn, and no one is bothered by it.
 
Talking about intolerance

But lo and behold when I mention religion, and boy, does the comment section get busy. Everyone suddenly gets offended! Which is my point. Religion is by definition an inherently intolerant concept. When “I believe” becomes a fact, rather than an opinion, that says as much. The inability to accept criticism is another sign.
 
But rest assured, I (dis)like all religions equally.
 
Just a happy photo (baby gets no helmet, nor does mom. Son wears a toy helmet. Dad's the only one with a 'real' helmet)

14 comments:

Mehdi said...

I don't care about what's been said about religion, but I have to EMPHATICALLY disagree that lasagna is the best food in the world. Everyone in the world knows that stuffed Koussa is the best food in the world and lasagna is second place.

Anonymous said...

Only someone with a disgracefully lacking history of exposure to nachos would even dare post the filth you've just posted. You have lost my admiration. That being said, I hate religion with every fiber of my being and I cannot fathom for the life of me why other Lebanese do not. We are as close to a literal clinical experiment on the failures of monotheism as you can get, but people still tout this garbage. I may very well be missing something amazing in my life, but luckily I have nachos.

Anonymous said...

Give the lady a break, she left Holland to live in Lebanon, she loves Lebanon and its people.
How many Lebanese would leave Holland to live in Lebanon?

Anonymous said...

what is nachos? Its her blog she can write what ever she wants.
She is sad to see this country go from bad to worse and this religion thing is a big part of it.

Anonymous said...

You still have my admiration, love your blog,have been reading it for many years.
You know Lebanon better than most Lebanese.

someone said...

i think religions compliment

Aldo said...

I love every single thing you've ever posted.
Silence in the comment section doesn't mean you are writing for yourself. It simply means that your posts are self sufficient. I don't even notice the number of comments on each post. The core of your blog is your posts not the comments of some anonymous people.
Keep it up.
Much Love

Anonymous said...

I'm the one who posted the nachos comment and WOW people are dumb. Nachos is a FOOD. A glorious cheesy fattening food. Google it. It's tortilla chips covered with cheese and salsa and my post exhibited sarcasm. Sarcasm. Google that while you're at it.

Anonymous said...

Keep writing, Sietske.
I read your posts almost every morning before starting my daily works.
I am neither Lebanese nor Dutch. I simply a citizen of the world and a woman who loves your writing.
Keep it up, Sietske.

Jacqueline

Ms. M said...

COuldn't agree more, Sietske. I think the world ( and Lebanon for sure) would be a better place without religion.

I love keeping up on Lebanon through your blog.

Anonymous said...

To the nachos guy,
What you wrote in your second comment tells a lot about your personality,I am surprised you are reading this blog.

Sietske said...

Chill guys, the nacho lady was joking. She (or maybe it's a he) is incorrect on one point though; Pringles (sour cream & onions) are better than nachos.

And thank you for all your support and lovely comments!!! That's hugely appreciated! :)

Tony said...

Can you translate what the banner says please? thanx

Anonymous said...

Always reading your blog sistke and happy to do it . It's another Lebanon seen through your Dutch eyes. In fact it's a dutch friend who introduced this blog to me and i am still faithful to the blog. The friend is gone. Forever. I guess.L.