Nearly every day someone challenges me with the question, “What do you believe?”
This isn’t important.
Nearly every day someone informs me that they can no longer follow me or read my blog because I offend them. Even yesterday, someone close to me told me to stop blogging and drawing such offensive material. I said I couldn’t use that as a criteria or I couldn’t write or cartoon at all. This person informed me that they will no longer be following me.
There’s nothing I can do about that.
I question everything. That is what I do. As someone wrote elsewhere, I post “articles, comics and pictures often probing deeply into our unexamined preconceptions about God, church and life.” To me, that is not only a valid enterprise, but a necessary one. For all of our beliefs are conditioned commitments.
I have no intentions of disassembling ideas and beliefs only to replace them with my own. People aren’t sure what I believe. Some aren’t even sure if I’m a believer or an atheist, a deist or non-deist. This is only appropriate for what I am doing.
Nothing deserves center. Each thought that exalts itself must be decentralized.
So I question everything, hopefully humbly but effectively. But I will leave it up to you to decide, if your belief crumbles, what, if anything, to put in its place.
Get fine art cartoon originals and prints.
Get my original fine art paintings.
My name is David Hayward, and I am the nakedpastor. I am a graffiti artist on the walls of religion.
I get you David. Tick much the same way. Be who you are and do what you do…and let the chips fall where they may. I’m challenged and (I hate this word but…) blessed by your work.
I don’t have anything to put in its place but just to enjoy the freedom of honesty. Heck, maybe all I was taught is true. Who knows? All I know is I’m here, this is how I think, I question all I was taught, at some point I’ll die, then who knows? In the meantime, I shall have the freedom to be who I am without apology and to dare to question what I was taught. If you’ve spent your life deferring to others, you don’t know just how wonderful freedom can feel!
As for NP, I no longer care so much what label to put on him. Some of his cartoons speak to me, and that’s all I need. It’s more than I ever had before, which was just nodding and smiling and not asking questions. I will never return to that. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong. But at least I broke out of my timidity.
Keep doing so David. Never stop questioning.
This is the first time I find myself commenting on your blog, I will say that I have yet to find anything you have printed or drawn to be offensive in anyway. In fact I find your journey to be a fascinating one, especially because you have been brave enough to speak about your doubts and concerns, even knowing that it would alienate some people who you know on a personal level.
If I ever had an idea to get across to everyone out there it is that ideas can’t and shouldn’t exist within a bubble of silence. That leaves them no room to evolve, and adapt to this ever changing world.
If more people took the time to understand and examine the why of what they believe, well I believe the world would be a much nicer place.
But don’t you see the circularity and self-contradictions in this line of reasoning?
Who told you to “question everything”, and why did you seemingly accept this without questions? Presumably some sort of authority figure told you that you needed to do so. Did you question this?
“For all of our beliefs are conditioned commitments”. Is your belief that we need to “question everything” excluded from this? Is not the belief that we ought to “question everything” not a “conditioned commitment”? Surely it is.
Plus, you can never really “question everything”. This is a bullshit attempt at some sort of “intellectual honesty”. But when you say we need to “question everything” there are some things that you inherently aren’t questioning, such as the fact that we need to question everything. You may have doubts about something in particular that you feel needs to be questioned but this is based on something else that you’re already assuming to be true, unless you live in some sort of vacuum, which of course is impossible. To proclaim that we need to “question everything” has the appear of humility but this is a facade for reasons already mentioned. Plus, the gospel rejects such false humility because it makes real objective claims about real life.
“Nothing deserves centre. Each thought that exalts itself must be decentralized.” This statement is so self-contradictory that it’s hardly worth noting. Plus, in light of the person and work of Christ Jesus how can we ever say that “nothing deserves centre”? Truly, no work of ours “deserves centre”, and this includes self-contradictory attempts at being “intellectually honest”.
The belief that we must “question everything” does indeed “crumble” in light of Jesus of Nazareth.
Your writings / cartoons / paintings have over and over given expression to many things going on deep inside of me. Thank you for your courage and commitment to question everything…I need you!
JT’s right. Don’t question anything. ; p
JT: No, no one told me to question everything. The opposite has been true. It has cost me a great deal to decide for myself to question everything. And of course it is legitimate to question my assertion that everything must be questioned. But that only supports what I’m saying.
I was brought up to “believe nothing you are told and only half of what you see”, by my atheist parents. I was also taught to think my own way through perceived wisdom and draw my own conclusions.
This however extreme it might sound, is largely what I have tried to do with the result that, now, very late in life, I have come full circle and after years of cynicism and doubt have become a Christian – but even now – not one who unthinkingly accepts every facet of my Doctrine of choice.
Never stop asking questions!
I get what you mean about “probing deeply into our unexamined preconceptions about God”. Isn’t that kind of what Jesus did whenever He spoke, especially to the religious leaders of the time?
I feel there’s a big difference between questioning authority, and undermining authority. Debate/questioning is healthy, and is ultimately the only way to prove something is true or not. If it is true, it will stand up to questioning, and therefore is not something to be feared/discouraged.
True Phil. Well said. The problem is that questioning authority is almost always interpreted as undermining authority.
I don’t always agree with everything you post, but I’m not offended by any of it. You have your thoughts and questions and I enjoy seeing your mind at work. Usually the things I disagree with are the things I give the most thought to. I appreciate it when you provoke me. Thank you.
There have been times where it seems like you’re not really questioning as much as just mocking or chucking rocks at people. I much prefer the posts where you’re building up rather than tearing down.
But I accept the posts I don’t like as the price I pay for the posts I do like. Overall I think I benefit from coming here, so I’ll continue to do so.
thanks conan. LOVE your name btw “conanthepunctual”! awesome.
Just wanted to say that I enjoy your thoughts and comics. I’ve been a non-believer for several years now after a childhood spent in fundamentalist Christianity.
As part of my own continual searching, I find myself with more appreciation of the Gospel than I’ve had in years. I can’t imagine I’ll ever believe in the supernatural again, but as I’m unlearning what I knew of Christianity, the Gospel account of Jesus’ words (most of them, at least) begins to make more sense. Loving people that aren’t like you; forgiving and even allowing others to abuse you; removing the distractions of wealth- these things really do make life more rewarding and free. They take practice and they’re hard sometimes. My deconversion was the first taste I ever had of this freedom.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the story of Jesus speaks directly against the things embodied in American Christianity (at least, its most prominent forms). It’s amazing how far it’s come when people who (frequently, loudly) call themselves his followers are most commonly associated with mocking people who seek peace, with lambasting the poor for their condition, with demanding vengeance in all things foreign and domestic, and with their unquestioning support of a financial system that inevitably promotes the accumulation of useless shit.
I have been following your blog for a while, and love it. You don’t ask the same questions that I do – but you do question, and I love that. I think that my questions will take me, eventually, in a very different direction than yours, but that’s ok. I don’t like everything you write or draw, and that’s ok too. More power to you!!! But I love totally the fact that you write and draw, and put it out there, and clearly live what you’re writing and drawing. You are a stumbling-block to some – and an inspiration to some of us others. Be encouraged by the outrage!!!
interesting comments guys. thanks.
Yay! I’m excited that you question everything! It’s hard to find people that do.
And as for people asking you what you believe, I agree the answer isn’t important because many times (not always) people say they believe something yet act it out in a way that has nothing to do with their beliefs. I’m not judging, I’m just sayin’… I’ve done it myself.
I’ve been out of the religious system now for well over 2 years and I still don’t know what I believe. I mean, there are some concrete ideas, but as for all the doctrine that’s been pounded into me, a lot of that I still question. And I’ve learned to be really happy with not knowing the answers. What do I replace those beliefs with? I give my questions to Christ and fill those ‘spaces’ with more questions. For once in my life I’m more unsure about many of the aspects of my belief, but what’s new is that I know why I believe what I do because of questioning. However, I don’t ever feel anymore that those ideas can’t ever be changed. If I ever get to where I think I get it all, I hope that I’ll be scared. I never want to arrive, I always want to be searching for more of Christ.
there is a old but very true adage…. that comforts me in times of spiritual crisis………
*^$#”‘em if they can’t take a joke.”
awesome stuff. Love the blog, the cartoons keep it up and I’m with Cathryn Thomas on this one. lol
@JT,
“But when you say we need to “question everything” there are some things that you inherently aren’t questioning, such as the fact that we need to question everything.”
What you’ve managed to do is construct an inaccurate image of what David was saying and attack that. I don’t believe it was intentional, but that’s what you did nonetheless. The classic straw-man argument, which unfortunately is quite common in this neck of the woods.
By David stating “question everything”, I take that to mean, “accept nothing at face value or without evidence”, not “be contrary for the sake of being contrary”.
The two really are quite different. In the case of the former, once something has been “proven” or established, it follows that even though it may not longer be subject to intense scrutiny in the future, you may (and should) keep yourself open to revising your opinions if new evidence should arise that would contradict your earlier conclusions. Assertions and beliefs have varying levels or degrees of probability of being accurate or “true” or inaccurate or “untrue”. Something can have a high probability of being true, yet still end up being false and vice versa.
As far as someone categorically dismissing or questioning everything without regard to past experience or knowledge, well, that’s not how normal, sane people operate, regardless of political or spiritual leanings. Give David a little more credit than that.
I’m with conanthepunctual (and I love his name too…I’m heatherthepunctual, but it doesn’t have the same umph as conan….but I digress). I told you the other day, I don’t agree with all you say, but it sure gets me thinking about things. I even am offended at times. But, whatever, you’re still a good read. I’m not going anywhere.
ah heather. i’m glad i know you.
“You need to beat your God with a hammer, until either your God breaks, or the hammer.”
Keep being you David. Don’t stop asking!
I love this blog more and more every time I visit it. We’ve never met, but I feel like we’re traveling together.
cool val.
I post “articles, comics and pictures often probing deeply into our unexamined preconceptions about God, church and life.” To me, that is not only a valid enterprise, but a necessary one.
Nothing new under the sun … this has been going on from the beginning of time. The advantage one has now is to question in an enviroment that allows someone to hide behind face to face discussion. Hey, this is the world we live in – in a way – a shame. But, I do have to say it is easier to question preconceptions from people online then people face to face.
To just say: “oh, well – i offend, that is what i do and can’t do anything about that”….well i would have to say someone has the ability to choose to offend or not to offend. To question is good – to offend is pretensious.
My concern in this blog is that which you are pissed off with in the church is exactly what happens in the blog…being: Accept what i say – my thoughts – my opinions – do not question or say that i offend – something that has actually pissed you off with the church.
I know I will get blasted for saying this – something that you all get angry about what the chruch does when you have a different view – but “oh well”
But – caution is wise: Be careful a blog does not become a theraputic enviroment for one to say what they want to say about the church – even God – Jesus or whatever.
How can one be “naked” behind online? Are you being totally transparent about all things? Or just transparent about thing that are easy targets – the church is an easy target – People’s concepts of God are easy (Be done for centuries).
I had one person who approached me as a Pastor and wanted to be part of my board. I asked him what his strength was. His reponse was: “My strength is humility”. Now, that says it all – he was not humble – his problem was pride.
Can one say “I am naked” – yet be clothed?
JT said, “But don’t you see the circularity and self-contradictions in this line of reasoning?”
No.
Socratic Method. Question Everything. It’s a way to test beliefs and find Truth. It is not Dogma…it is a Philosophical function…much like Scientific Method.
It is a “Means”…not an “End”. JT, you are confusing the two.
John: Part of the purpose of this post was to say that I don’t write in order to offend. I write to question. I’m asking questions. That’s all. I’m challenging assumptions and beliefs that I think need to be challenged. I used to write extensively in my journal. I still write in my journal, but now online… allowing people to peek in on what I’m thinking, what I’m questioning.
I don’t write from an emotion of “pissed off”. I don’t believe so. I don’t feel resentment when I write or draw. Maybe sometimes. Mostly it is questioning how the church continually believes and does things that harm people.
I know I’m attacking sacred cows and sacred barns. Somebody has to. I will.
@John,
Quite a wordy comment, just to say:
A) David is a hypocrite and coward
&
B) The supernatural (well, YOUR particular interpretation of it, anyway) is off limits to tough criticism or scrutiny.
You wrote:
“To question is good – to offend is pretensious(sic).”
Really? Says who? Who or what bestowed upon you the “right” to not be offended? In the civilized world, nobody has the right to not be offended. And you accuse David of being pretentious? How absurd it is to say that questioning is good, but only insofar as it does not tread on your sacred beliefs? “Go THIS far in your quest for truth and knowledge and no further”. Absolutely disgusting, but what I’ve come to expect from many religious types. To take this one step further, how weak and insecure of a deity do you have that it cannot stand up to close inspection and criticism? If it cannot then (to paraphrase Epicurus) what call him God?
Comments like yours merely serve to highlight the difference between those who advocate tyranny and those who support freedom. Your comments also reveal the obvious fear in yourself; the fear of going the way of the dinosaur. Not to worry, John, it won’t happen in our lifetime and, in fact will probably never happen. There will always be the weak-minded and/or vulnerable who will accept easy, ready made answers from people like you without questioning. They’re never in short supply and they never will be. You’ll always have sheep to fleece.
CORRECTION:
“If it cannot then (to paraphrase Epicurus) what call him God?”
Should read:
“If it cannot then (to paraphrase Epicurus) why call him God?”
I have come to the conclusion that when I feel offended, it’s a terrific opportunity to ask myself why. While most of your cartoons practically put me in the floor laughing so hard at the irony, a recent one triggered a different kind of response. It was an “I don’t know how I feel about this one” response. I still loved it because I am learning to ask myself why and where’s this coming from rather than choosing to be offended. And yes, being offended is a choice. At this point in life, I believe YOU cannot offend me. I can choose to feel offense, but I cannot be “offended upon”.
@Rob, I would like to borrow your last paragraph as an opening to a blog post. It’s terrific. My feelings exactly. Link back to this page, of course.
@Angie Cox & Rob,
You touch on Christian vs. Christ-like behavior and while I concur with your observations to some degree, I am not of the opinion that all Christ-like behavior is very beneficial or desirable, either.
The overwhelming majority of Christians, when confronted with the barbarism of the Old Testament, use the following excuses:
1) It was another time
2) It was a different culture
3) The New Testament supersedes the Old (except when I say it doesn’t)
4) You took it out of context
Time and again, these lame excuses (and others) are offered to explain away the vicious, bloodthirsty, genocidal megalomaniac that is the deity of the Jews, Christians and Muslims. However, for all of the lip service given to Christ and his teachings, it becomes readily apparent to anyone who is honest with themselves that it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible to live one’s life as Christ had suggested we do. That’s probably a good thing, for I’m not only referring to the nice stuff, but the nasty, bothersome directives as well. The Old Testament, however, appeals to the baser instincts of those who would design a society that revolves around a dictatorial, patriarchal system. It’s ready made for jerks and it’s the default setting for most fundamentalists who claim to be “Christian”.
“You need to beat your God with a hammer, until either your God breaks, or the hammer.”
– great quote-mining, Rocco!
@NP and others,
This is a clear, straightforward case for making a value out of DOUBT, turned inward on oneself as well as outward. On the site values.com (Foundation for a Better Life) they have a list of values that make a difference in our communities, but DOUBT isn’t on that list! Can you believe that? DOUBT can make a huge difference in a community. Please help in revolutionizing the values status quo — go to values.com and suggest DOUBT as a value for their list.
I suppose I can agree that questioning everything is better than questioning nothing (that you’ve been taught). I would personally exclude ideas like “It’s better to be kind than bitter.” And loving your neighbor as yourself is something I’ve never questioned but have found difficult to practise.
Christopher
I think a more skeptical view can be more beneficial when you’re listening to a cult leader, or the preacher is telling you what God told him, or what God wants or that God is doing such and such, or that a certain happening means God answered your prayer, etc., etc. I might definitely make you happier to just have faith, but if you’re searching for the truth, doubt seems to be a better value. Doubt can be a protection of yourself.
Christopher,
I think “loving your neighbor” is something than can also be questioned. And should be questioned. Like who did Jesus say this to, what did he mean exactly, what does “neighbor” mean to Jesus, did Jesus actually really say that, how will we know if we’re loving our neighbor, is it a feeling or an action or must it be both, etc.
Even kindness vs. bitterness is not always such a simple thing. It depends.
@Angie, Please use it! I’d love to know when/where if you don’t mind. It’s a thought I’d like to explore myself- I just never do get around to making the space online. I definitely agree with your thoughts here- I’m trying to notice those times when I feel like I need to defend an idea. Sometimes, it’s an idea I feel passionately about for good reason; often, it’s something unexamined that has nevertheless become part of my identity.
@TGM, I don’t think OT barbarism has much impact on my thoughts here; but since you mention it, I have to say that the character of Jesus seems even more astounding given the religious and cultural backdrop. I can see the overall message- which I don’t feel the need to simply take or leave- as one telling us that we can be better than nature. We can be sympathetic to people who aren’t like us, we can choose to avoid violence, we can survive without the nicest car on the block. I guess I’ve started to see political, religious, economic, and social aspects of our world in very evolutionary terms- it works, but nature is cruel. And the words of Jesus- or Gandhi if you like- suggest another way. I don’t think a perfect world is possible, but a better one is.
@Christopher, why not question “it’s better to be kind than bitter”? Try them out, or look for people who are generally kind and generally bitter. Which seems happier? It’s like science for ethics. Sometimes good ideas of any kind are hard to put in practice. We shouldn’t beat ourselves up for failure, just keep trying.
Keep at it David and blessings to you and yours:)
thanks Leila!!
This blog has been a place of refuge for me…a place that questions everything rather than just drinking the kool-aid like obedient little kids. The cartoons that have thrown rocks at things have given me the opportunity to experience belly laughs at things I knew were absurd but wasn’t so sure if anyone else knew. Of course people are offended by a lot of what you have to say. It’s easier to be offended than to take a good long look at what you’re buying into…it might upset the status quo and then what? This blog has made me think. Until the startling depiction of the woman caught in adultery and the discussion that followed, I never entertained the fact that the stoners were also vicariously taking part in the adultery. I say to those who are offended…don’t read it…and to you, David, keep being who you are. Those you offend will get over it…or not. I agree with whoever said “If they can’t take a joke, @#$% em”
I just checked in this evening and so am not entering the major discussion. I wanted simply to say that I appreciate all the comments on various posts and love taking part in them as I can. Without David’s blog, I would have no avenue for these debates. I could never talk to anyone in my ex – church along these lines. If any pastor is upset about the subject matter or variety of questions or the propensity for this blog (heaven forbid) to be a theraputic environment for talking openly about the church, then he is hiding behind his own ideas of what church should be like ( probably something he learnt in bible school and believed without question) so David, carry on regardless, as I know you will.
You are not hiding behind this blog at all. You have put yourself out there for all to see. We all know who you are, where you live and which church you pastored before you saw the light. We’re all behind you and love what you do…crystal.
thanks crystal. kind words.
Phil Maylor said something about a difference between questioning authority and undermining authority, and nakedpastor responded that the problem is, questioning authority is almost always seen as undermining authority. I would take this one step further and suggest that the assumption that authority must never be undermined is itself highly questionable, and in my experience utterly useless.
Authority is a consensus human construct and a convenient fiction to which humanity has been in bondage for millenia. I think it’s time we face the facts: that crap isn’t working. It’s time to consider trying something else. Here, have a look.
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=301882519998
@TMG
I concur with the excuse list, more or less, and have seen and continue to see much from all four of those categories.
I was mostly a #3 for quite a long time, although I really wasn’t selective about the OT bits left in or not (I know most taking the #3 approach still want to keep the Ten Commandments, in particular), but I was happy to do away with the whole thing.
The Bible is a long and complex set of books. And many have preconceptions, a formed theology, and a community teaching certain perspectives before we ever get a chance to critically read the whole thing for ourselves. It’s a problem, but a real one, especially for those who don’t come to the faith in adulthood.
Then the brain has a tendency to read what it’s been taught. The mind can fill in the blanks and gloss over things feairly easily. It’s how the brain works. It takes a conscious, diligent and sustained effort, something that takes a great deal of time, to try and see things afresh. While some never do this, many acknowledge they are somewhere on that path. And who knows where that will lead? And can we ever say that that process ends?
I know some of the difficultly that Christian have with dialoging with atheists is that atheists often (and rightly in my opinion) criticize Chrisitnas for arrogance, but while simutaneous treating their own beliefs (that there is no good, that only what can be measured exists, etc) in much the same way. Often the assumption, actually or perceieved, is that people of faith are either dumb, in psuedo-intential denial, or just on the road that will eventually lead to unbelief (usually only because many atheists are assuming others will “progress” only along the same path they did). It is as presumptious as any fundamentalist. And atheists are certainly not beyond claiming absolutes in ontology and epistemology that cannot be proven and that are widely disputed in non-theological disciplines as well.
So, while I agree with much of what you are saying, and appreciate your thought-provoking questions, I feel I recoil a little at what seems to me like the very arrogance you claim to despise. Only sometimes, and it’s entirely possible that is just my perception, but sometimes it makes it difficult to take your contributions on their own merits and not be side-tracked by the attitude with which they seem to be delivered.
Clearly one para I missed in my proof-reading. Sorry folks. Only one thing is probably unclear, though: “no good” should have been “no god”. Obviously an important distinction.
@Christine,
I feel I recoil a little at what seems to me like the very arrogance you claim to despise.
I made no sweeping generalizations about atheists in this thread. In fact, in reviewing all of my comments in this thread, I see that I said absolutely NOTHING in regards to atheists, good OR bad. So what gives? I actually agree that some atheists can in fact be arrogant and also be illogical in their arguments. And???
What specifically did I write that was so offensive and arrogant? If you’re going to critique with the intent to correct and guide, it would be helpful for you to be more specific. But you haven’t done that. Why?
Since you haven’t been specific, what I’m understanding so far is that I make you uncomfortable with what I’m expressing and you’d rather that I just shut up and go away.
Hey TMG,
Just happy to get a measured response.
I didn’t mean to say that you thought anything in particular about all atheists. I agree you said nothing of the sort. My reference to to the beliefs espoused by atheists – or in the case, I suppose your own beliefs, than athiests in general.
And admittedly, my comment was motivated by more than just your post above, but also on other of your comments. But I think that sense comes accross since I mentioned the frequency (“sometimes”) with which your comments gave me that impression. On reflection, the particular comments I comment above is a good deal milder than I’ve seen, but I’ll put in a few examples.
Some of the phrases used, for instance, imply that the people who hold certain beliefs are disingenuous, rather than simply wrong. “Lame excuses” and “lip service” do have a certain judgemental bite to them that language like “insufficient explanations” and “discussion of” do not.
The phrases “vicious, bloodthirsty, genocidal megalomaniac that is the deity of the Jews, Christians and Muslims” would probably be much better as tha “vicious, bloodthirsty, genocidal megalomaniac that is the deity described in the OT”, since that is the text you are referring to. For some Christians, Jews, and Muslims, that is their deity, but that depends on their view of scripture, as not all who would claim they belong to these religions would accept the OT as an accurate depiction of their deity. It is, in effect, making a sweeping generalization of diverse group of mono-theistic perspectives, rather than an evaluation of a particular text.
And one that I personally wouldn’t feel impunged by, but would be taken personally by many, is your last assertion that most fundamentalists are a) not Christian (by what definition is unclear) and b) either jerks or desiring “a society that revolves around a dictatorial, patriarchal system”. Again, pretty sweeping generalizations. Nor are they really following from the point you were making.
I started my own commentby saying that I actually agreed with the key points in what your were saying and added later that I appreciated your contribution to the discussion. I did so specifically so that you would not simply assume that I was “uncomfortable” and wanted you to “shut up and go away”.
Quite the opposite, in fact. I would like to dialogue more, and hear more of what you have to say. But I feel like that’s gone badly in the past. I’ve seen the exchanges you’ve had with others, and with me specifically on another thread I felt to attacked me based on a position you assumed I held without really taken my comments for what they were. This is my attempt to try again. If I wasn’t interested, genuinely, in what you had to say, I would just ignore you.
@Christine,
Points well-made; your criticisms are indeed valid in some respects, arguably way off in others, but I get the gist of what you’re saying. Just know, I have my reasons for presenting the way I do.
Peace
it was me, your neice who deleted you. i have questioned my beliefs many times before but they’re firm. and to see you constantly writing blogs and drawing cartoons MOCKING my beliefs and making a joke out of it, is offensive. i’ve honestly lost some respect for you. all your little followers will disagree with me cuz they kiss your ass. i NEVER told you to stop, i implied blogging something your passionate about. i think it’s crazy that you get a kick out of comments like mine though. that’s your prerogative. and i dont think i should be blogged about when you seem to have a problem with people disagreeing with you. unlike a lot of people here, i have beliefs that i am willing to stand up for. i don’t listen to whatever the f*ck some blogger questions. peace, you won’t be seeing me on here anymore. maybe in the summer though! :] hahaa