Long story made short:

I am faced with two roads at my life.

One of them is religious. My father INSISTS like never before this is the end of the world (nothing to do with 2012), and urges me to join his religion which I left after I found it not to satisfy me.

The other is joining the military. I have already spoken to a recruiter, and have been making arrangements to go to El Paso, Texas around December if choose this path. The problem is, my father is putting a lot of stress and pressure on me not to (he even threatened to never speak to me again, a promise he can keep, because he's that zealous, I've seen him do things like this before), soley because of his religion, even though in our family we have a history of being militarily active.

I am near finishing high school, and have but a few months to find my path. The objective is not to convince my father, but to find truth and answer questions that I have never fully answered.

Question such as:

Is the bible a truthful book? Is it accurate? Most innacuracies that have been called to my attention have been debunked recently, others were insignicant, such as the numbers of troops a king had, which seems like a mistranslation than a fault at the bible.

Is this truly the end of the world? Would joining the military be a mistake?

I need advice, and help. Please try to keep it civil, I don't really have anyone else to turn to now. I've asked all kinds of people and friends. Nothing resolved.

Ugh, Jon'C, you're probably the brains of this site. Help me.

EDIT: Another issue is, what's in store for America? Is there any hope for the future? Obama seems to be ruining the country? What should we expect to see?

EDIT: I've stayed up the last nights looking for answers, on the internet, tv etc... I am going insane!

A stint in the army will make you a man.

Do what you want to do, not what your dad wants you to do.

It is not the end of the world.

Also, no, the Bible is not truthful in the sense that it was written by various men, translated by various men and read into by other men all of who are fallible. What it is though is a way of communicating a powerful, useful message: be nice to other people. The rest (imo) is window dressing.

I'm a little confused. Why are you going to El Paso TEXAS?

Asking if the bible is truthful is... kind of stupid. It all comes down to what you believe in. I personally do not believe in talking snakes or pregnant virgins or what have you. The old testament is a bunch of Jewish fairy tales and the new testament was put together by men who hand-picked the stories they wanted to tell about Jesus, and threw away the ones they didn't like. That and the fact that the Gospels were written decades and decades after Christ died by people who never met him, it's kind of hard to take seriously. But that's just me.

PS: Oh, and Obama's not ruining the country. That happened a while ago. Also, the world probably won't end in our lifetimes.

PPS: Guys don't be dicks on this thread. He needs advice, not put downs.

Well, as for your choice, you must first answer a series of questions. Such being;

- Does [your] father care about you, or just his religion?
From the sound of it, he doesn't. This is my opinion, however. My reasoning is that is he truely care about you, why would he ignore you? Even if it was a ploy to pressure you into it, it still isn't entirely an act of caring.

- Would following the religious path make, or allow you to be, happy? Same question applies for military.

- What prevents you from exploring religions while in the military?


No. No. It is a book of questionable origin, with questionable content, referring to questionable events and questionable entities at various degrees. In addition to this, its been translated, revised, added on to, modified, etc.


Most likely not. People have been predicting the end of the world for as long as history records. For example; it was believed that WWI would consume the Earth, it was believed that the atomic bomb would ignite the Earth's atmosphere, it was believed by some that the infamous Y2K bug would be the trigger to the end of everything, it was believed by some that several dates (such as 6/6/06) would be the beginning of the end, and so on.


Depends on what you define as mistake. Yes, there are risks. Yes, there are sacrifices. Everything is like that.


Not really, and only time and the reactions of both politics, market, and consumers will tell, truely.


Television isn't really the greatest source for information.


Also, I agree with both Martyn and Vin's points.

My father says that what he is doing is because he loves me, and wants the best for me. In his own reasoning the bible is what decides what's best for a son.

I need to find these questionable elements of the bible, and analyze them. I also find talking donkeys and world wide floods quesitonable, but hey, if a God does exist and has all this power, he could very well do such things can he not?

What I need is to listen to the other side of the discussion, a said I have been shielded from and makes me feel ignorant.

I understand very well the risks of joining the Military, and find it cowardly and dishonorable that my peers discourage me because of the possibility of death. This is the most difficult decision that I am faced with. Staying in my current status is not an option, I am sick of the downward free fall my life is taking.

The military will make a man out of me, which is one of the reasons I want to join. I also want to serve my country and continue the family tradition.

When I was religious, I was happy for a while, but then after time it ended, I lost all motivation.

You risk death crossing the road every day. I'm not saying there aren't risks in the Armed Forces - that would be silly.

It sounds to me like "finding questionable elements" in the bible to use as a stick to beat your dad with won't work anyway, so you might as well make up your own mind and just do what you want without trying to win over your dad. If you become a good person he'll come round.

If you want it, take it.

Aye, this seems to be the attitude I am adopting, but I need something to fight his arguments back with. Something to put my mind to rest, and not have his voice repeating like a broken record in my head. That type of influence can get me killed.

I wouldn't waste your time trying to argue with him, but that's up to you.

Join the army.

Hell, I've considered joining the army. Pretty seriously, too, if I don't get a job. The only things holding me back are general levels of unfitness, an unwillingness to eat the food and a total inability to make decisions under pressure.

Which is probably quite a lot.

Do you live in Mexico or New Mexico? I'm confused now.

And dodge crazy religions.

From what I've gathered from past threads, Gold is infact an American that lives in Mexico.

I haven't read all of this, but I'll give you the advice my dad gave me when I was thinking about joining the Navy. He said:

"Sarn," (ok he didn't say Sarn, meh) "If you join the military, it could either be a learning experience, or it could be a waste of four years of your life. Don't go into it, expecting it to teach you how to be a man. If you want to learn that, it's up to you to step up to the challenge. The military can be a tool for that, but it's not an Easy button."

Ok, so those weren't his words exactly, but that's the gist of it. Gold, if you are seriously at a point where you cannot live with where you life is and you need a change, then make that change. That's basically where I was when I joined the Navy. But joining the Navy wasn't the change, it was only a tool to bring about that change. The change was me stepping up to my responsibilities. So I tell you the same. Step up and take responsibility for your life. If you use the military as a tool for that, then great. But don't expect it to do the work for you. If you do, you'll serve your time in the military, and when you get out, you'll go right back to where you started.

As for religion, I think you need to spend less effort searching for an answer externally, and start focusing internally. You're not going to find the book or website that makes it 100% clear, because there isn't a single human being that has it figured out. So decide what works for you.

(As for your dad, he needs to learn how to love effectively. I suspect that my dad was actually against me joining the military, but he still offered advice and let me live my own life. Your dad needs to do that too, so listen to his advice, but don't let him bully you. You're an adult, and your own person.)

It really depends on your personality, which i cannot guess at.
If you're the artsy/super intelligent/thoughtful type, obviously the forces arent for you, not entirely, your skills would be of no use.


But that doesn't mean you should give yourself over to religion.
A good father would respect his sons individuality, therefore, perhaps it is not you that has to make a decision, but your dad. I think he needs to grow up. Ironic that being "zealous" in his faith brings about a negative change in his personality and creates friction for others. Thats the complete opposite of what faith should be about.

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the only advice i can give is you are the one who controls your life

According to the Bible, your Father is almost certainly wrong. People have been saying it's nearly the end for centuries.

I have a completely messed up cousin who joined the Marines. He's been an ******* all his life, especially to his parents. Being irresponsible, crashing 3 cars (Mazda RX8 and a Lexus SUV being two of them) in 24 hours, taking swings at his parents, threatening to cut himself if he didn't get what he wanted, etc.

He joined the Marines. Guess what, he's still an *******.

Don't join the Marines unless you want to. You'll only "man up" if YOU want to, not if someone tells you too.

Your Father is likely fooled by the manipulation of the media making it seem like the prophecies of the bible are coming true. I think this is continually done over and over in history, be it by "The Powers That Be", or Satan, or whatever you want to believe. Keeping people in the faith by fear is the best way man has ever manipulated man. It's literally a law system with no enforcers, unlike our own.

This is not to say that I don't believe things that are in the bible, I just think that it's true meanings and words were lost long ago.

Which is totally contrary to what the bible teaches.

The New Testament, anyway.

HAHAhahahahahahahhahahah

Your dad has a mental illness.

The bible is as true as you need it to be.

If you want to join the military but you're afraid of dying, join the navy. You'll probably never see combat and you'll get to have all of the gay sex you want. Submarines are great for basement dwellers and you get the best food in the military.

No.

Yes.

You can thank me later.

wut why not the mexican army dude

Except for all those athiests.

No, the Bible is not true, that doesn't mean God doesn't exist, but it is not the infallible word of God.

No, Obama is not ruining the country. We've been dealing with a multitude of factors that have been ruining the country for 60 years now, and they're coming to a head.

Yes, you should join the military.

You just made my day.

I found it in my attic.

Since there has yet to be any good advice, I offer this suggestion:

Consider the long term benefit of either decision. Don't rush into anything. It's hard, but waiting and carefully evaluating is the wisest move. You never want to make decisions with long lasting consequences based on emotion or temporary circumstances. Ask wise people who have no vested interest in your decision for advice. Pray to whatever deity your believe in. Meditate for a while. Whatever it takes to get you to slow down and genuinely evaluate. I've often found that after waiting and thinking, another option appears, or the better choice becomes more apparent.

The bible (specifically Jesus) states that no man knows the hour that the world will end. (not word for word, I'd have to look it up but I'm lazy)

This is supposed to generally mean that no one knows when it will happen, not to be interpreted like "it could be any hour on december X, 2012." (Although technically it could be on december X, 2012 since it could by anytime)

So yeah, don't freak out about the end of the world if the bible is your guide. It simply says to be ready for it at all times, because it could happen anytime. (Again, not word for word, I don't have the bible in front of me. I've got 7 years in private elementary school and 4 years in private college speaking here though)

As far as your future choices, I can't help you. I debate OCS (Officer Candidate School) often, but I've got until I'm like 29 or so to decide that. I'm pushing to get into the IT industry at the moment, kinda a longshot with my current skills but I'm hoping if I work hard enough I'll get lucky.

Sounds like your father doesn't really love you. You should just say **** him and start your OWN life the way YOU want to run it.

Pretty much.

I don't understand why anybody would be opposed to mandatory federally-subsidized health insurance. I don't think those people realize just how bad the situation is. If Americans can't find a way to convert future acute care into present day preventative care it is going to make the economy a lot worse.

Well, where's Gold?

Swimming.

Thinking... haha

Trying to get a job to cover my expenses for getting to el paso, going to the embassy and fixing some papers. Going to get my passport and visa in order, and register for the draft. Thank to my father I've had to postpone this till now! I sometimes feel like I'm some sort of prisoner here.

Now you'll be a proud United States of America soldier.

This is the best advice regarding your military question in the whole thread.
The army is not some kind of powder you take and then suddenly become a man.
Hell plenty of people have gone through the military and came out the other end being no different, or worse off. Don't go thinking the military is a guaranteed way of succeeding in life.
Don't get me wrong, it does a lot of good for a lot of people, but going into it thinking it will fix all your problems will get you a rude awakening.
Much like the one your dad will have when the years tick over like nothings changed, just like they always do, and will always do for a long time yet.

If they hadn't screwed the system up so badly in the first place, it might not have even been a issue. My worry is that people see the problem and automatically assume that socializing it the solution, and in the spirit of compromise, we'll end up with a half-assed, worst of both worlds implementation.

you mean the talc powder that guys in the locker room slap on their blalls?

The problem isn't the system, it's the American public. It's a perfect storm of obesity (which tends to be more prevalent among the low-income and poorly-educated) and a rapidly aging subset of the population that is known for being unwilling to confront their own mortality. These are people who do not seek out preventative care because they believe they do not require it, do not have insurance, and do not have sufficient liquidity. Over the next 20 years a lot of medical bills are going to be paid with liens against estates that will have no real value once the owners' generation is gone. The situation is really bad.

Socializing it is the solution. Private corporations have a very poor track record when it comes to handling government contracts. If you want I can cite specific examples but I don't have any right now; mostly European governments outsourcing certain services to the private sector, resulting in much higher costs and a lower overall quality of service. A reasonable domestic example can be seen in the skyrocketing tuition rates ever since the US instituted its markedly liberal federal student financial aid program.
As long as the US government is considering making these services mandatory (or even subsidized) they would do well to consider a public solution to the problem.