Letting Go Of God

High fliers

Emotions flew high in Spirit River last week as four quadriplegics were taken above the clouds for an experience they'll never forget.

On Friday, June 10 the quartet from the Edmonton-based Canadian Paraplegic Association made the trip to Spirit River in the hopes of taking part in something ''a little crazy."

That something, involved getting out of their wheelchairs and jumping out of an airplane, 10,000 feet above the ground.

Brian McPherson, CPA peer program co-ordinator, says he tries to find new ways to help his peer quadriplegics explore life. Giving them memories that will last forever.

"When I first started off being disabled I figured that was the end of my life. I thought I'd never get a chance to experience the things that my friends would get to experience," McPherson said.

"Together, we have about 30 friends that think we're absolutely crazy for doing this. The way I see it, we already have a disability, so heck, what doesn't kill us will make us stronger.

"This is the number one thing on our bucket list; let's see where we go from here."

The CPA finds it extremely important for quadriplegics to get involved and be active, even pushing them to their own limits.

"Otherwise you just get stuck at home, you don't do anything with your life. Getting out helps your mental health, you're only as disabled as much as you let yourself be disabled," McPherson said.

"When guys and girls can overcome certain obstacles it shows them that there are other ways to do things, it just opens the door for a whole new world."

The company that organized the jump, Skydive B.C., was able to develop a unique system that would allow quadriplegics to skydive.

Strapped into a special harness allows the tandem master to control balance and allow for a smooth drop.

Tandem master for Skydive, Barry Cyr, has more than 4,200 jumps under his belt and has helped teach close to 20,000 students.

"Every last one of them are still walking around, except the ones that weren't walking around when they started," he said with a smile.

Cyr understands the emotions that come along with the first jump.

"My first jump I was absolutely petrified. I found myself blanking right out, as soon as my parachute opened. It was an experience that I could never describe."

Kuen Tang, 32, of Edmonton, was the first member of the CPA to take the leap of faith.

Roofer On Fire: Letting Go Of God Part 8

But, I know some people DO indeed need to believe, and it absolutely astounds me as to how many sects of religions there are. Okay, we started off the Western bullshit with Judaism. We can all agree upon it. Judaism originated with male and female gods, got confusing, and then dudes started writing shit down. We got the Bible. And well over a billion people read whatever serves them daily. Thing is- Christianity and all it's 33, 000 sects of American Protestantism alone, as well as Islam and her 1000 derivations, came from this idea. And all I have to ask is why. Why are we killing each other over fucking semantics when it is the same God? I mean, I don't personally believe in this god, but this is supreme and utter bullshit. Why does Islam have this prophet and the zillion sects of Christianity have their prophets and Judaism have the fleet of magnificent rabbis in the Talmud? It is the same thing. You read all the books and you come to the same conclusion: Man created a God to suit his barbaric tastes. The Mosaic God and Moses were brutal fucks, Jesus is shown grinding people through a winepress, Mohammed was a brutal fuck. You should just say, "yo. I worship a merciless God that commands me to rape and murder". That's what's in all of the commands. And if you, at the end of the day, can see love out of that, you are the epitome of excellence or at the axiom of stupid. I'd like to think that my friends who believe are at the smart end. They're the apologists, the ones who thank God without reading that Jesus commanded them to raise swords, the ones who are good people. You see, my friends who are believers are very good people, and that's why I don't understand the God they choose, you know, out of the thousands of others far more worthy of worship. I don't want my buddies to act like Jesus, for he told his men to kill anyone who refused to submit to his authority. See, that ain't peaceful, but my buddies who pray to him are. The thing is- this Abrahamic God isn't at all worthy of the awesome people who pray to It and thankfully do not listen to the thousands of judgments, instead opting for compassion. Brought into a world with a brutal God, most of the planet's Muslims, Christians, and Jews have decided to not rape en masse, kill non-virgins (including their own rape victims), stone divorcees who marry again, bludgeon homosexuals, shun the blind, scald the leper, and enslave Africans.

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