Netflix has stolen my ignorance

Netflix has stolen my ignorance, and I'm not sure if I want it back or not. I have become a little bit addicted to Netflix documentaries. It all started last month with my research into the environment and finding the St. Francis Pledge. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, you can read all about it here. So, from there, I became hungry for information on what I can do to help. So, naturally, I looked into documentaries. There's SO MANY available on Netflix it's ridiculous. After learning all that I have about chemicals, the food industry, consumerism, healthy living, and being good to God's creation, my entire view of society is altered. So much of my life up till now was seriously destroying what God gave to us. It's bad for everything around you, and it's bad for your soul. So, I've decided, to ruin all of you're ignorance as well and spread the word on what we can do better to treat our bodies and our planet, the way I believe God intended. Below I will share with you the docs I have watched so far and why I feel the message is important. 

Food, INC.

Why I feel it's important: It exposes how horribly treated our food is. I'm not saying that for moral purposes we should all become vegetarians, I'm saying that meat is fine, God gave us many of these animals for food. However, they are still his creatures and it is for US to treat them with respect. Animals give up their lives to nourish us, we should be thankful to them and treat them with respect and humanity. The things I learned about the treatment of animals and the additives to the product have horrified me. The poster does not lie. You WILL NEVER look at dinner the same way.

Farmageddon

Why I feel it's so important: Did you know that there is a WAR on MILK? I sure didn't. But there is. Have you ever heard the term, "Raw Milk"? It means, straight from the cow. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the bible talk about milk? Moses was led to the land full of milk and honey, yeah? So it seems to me that milk was drank back in those times, before processing and altering the foods. So, how on earth is milk from a properly fed cow BAD for you? God isn't stupid, he doesn't make mistakes. There is NO REASON why we need to process and add anything to our milk. But, to drink milk straight from a cow is actually ILLEGAL in many states. Not just that, but when you hear about GMO's and Monsanto you're blood might just boil a bit.

Tapped

Why it's important: Bottled water is one of the biggest lies our society is fed and this doc exposes it. Did you know that bottled water companies that bottle and distribute in the same state are NOT FDA regulated? *Jaw on the floor* Did you know that many bottled water companies gather their water from MUNICIPAL (that means public) SOURCES? *yikes* These facts, and many many more, about the companies and what they are doing to harm many of the US's rural areas and the chemicals in the plastic bottles PLUS what the plastic manufacturing plants are doing to people who live near them, is enough to make you feel like a horrible person for drinking bottled water and make the switch to something better.

Hungry for change

Why it's important: Tons of valuable information about healthy living, the food you eat, and positive attitude. Great information on transforming your life through all the NATURAL things GOD provided for us!

Food Fight

Why it's important: Exposes the origins of the processed, flash frozen, additive FULL food craze and how it's damaging our world and bodies. Also talks about GMO's and how it's created more food than folks to consume thus creating over stuffed grocery stores full of utter crud food.

Ethos

Why it's important: One word...CONSUMERISM! This doc shows how our society has trained us to want more and more and more creating a demand that drains our resources, and seriously damages other countries through the purchasing of products linked to child labor, slavery, sweat shops. and more.

WHEW! That's a lot, right? Well,.if you're anything like me, you're wondering what to do with all this and what you can do to help create a better life for yourself, your children, your family. Well...here's some things you can do to make a difference in how God's creation, animals, people, and yourself are affected by you're choices.

Farmers Markets: Buy in season, locally grown, fruits and veggies from you're local farmers market. Many of them even accept food stamps. 

Kosher Butcher or Local Farmer: Transition you're meat purchases to a kosher butcher or a local farmer. You will ensure that the meat you are getting was treated with respect during it's life and that there is no additives to the product. Don't forget to ask the diet the animals where fed ensuring they were fed a natural diet and not a corn based feed. This has a huge impact on the quality and taste of the meat as well as the overall health factor of the product and the animal.

Water Filter: Instead of bottled water that is full of chemicals, over priced, and usually ends up a landfill of some kind, use a water filter. They have ones you can put on your faucet, pitcher's for your fridge, even reusable bottle sized ones so you can have delicious filtered water wherever you go. You'll thank yourself later and so will God's creation. 

Milk and eggs: If raw milk is legal in your state, give it a shot. If it makes you nervous, boil it first. My suggestion is to buy both your milk and eggs (as well as any other diary available) from a local farmer. This will ensure that there is no additives to the milk or the chickens and that you are receiving a clean natural product from an animal who was treated in the loving manor God intended. If raw milk is not allowed in your state, you can still buy organic whole milk. Remember that, fat-free, 2%, reduced fat, etc are all ques that something is full of additives and heavily processed.

Follow the frog and shop fair trade: If you want products that are made by people who are paid a sustainable wage to send their children to school and aren't slaves or forced child labor, consider the source. Here are some places to consider going to for things like coffee, chocolate, and even "craft type" items. All of the products are organic (natural) and better for creation as well as human rights.

The Catholic Relief Services (fair trade): http://crs.org/

Serrv: http://www.serrv.org/

Rainforest Alliance: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/green-living/shopthefrog

I hope that everyone who reads this takes the time to get more educated and makes the effort to be good to the gifts God gave us. His creation, his creatures, his people, and yourselves. 

-Blessings

Dare to learn

I had a little disagreement with my husband this morning. Now, I don't normally post about such things, as it's private between he and I! But I felt this was important and the moral of my side of the spat is something I feel strongly about that needs to be said to EVERYONE. So, I was reading an article about #GOSNELL when I muttered something under my breath about how could it possibly make any kind of sense for anyone to blame Gosnell on PRO-LIFERS! My husband asked what I was reading and I said "Oh, you wouldn't be interested, it's abortion related." I know how he feels about it and he would really prefer it not be discussed. So, instead of saying 'OK' and dropping it he proceeded to rant a bit about how he doesn't understand my obsession with abortion and needing to know everything I can about it, especially while being pregnant. I see where he's coming from, and he's not the first person to say this to me. However, what he, and others, view as my "obsession" is really a thirst. I thirst for knowledge and quest for understanding and for justice. I crave an end to this 'war against babies' as Mother Theresa so wisely put it.

My reply to him was almost a challenge. "I'm sorry that I seek out knowledge and choose to live in a world of truth rather then live in a bubble of ignorance and un-education." I understand that the subject matter is sad. It's horrible, and it's hard to understand. I mean, 2+2 is not 6. How is abortion even a question? The baby grows, it learns, it poops and pees and eats. It has hair and nails and a beating heart. How is abortion ANYTHING but murder!? To me, it is mind boggling. Like someone trying to tell me the sky is purple or, as I said above, that 2+2=6.  It's not arguing semantics or opinion, it's facts against facts and your facts make no sense. The point I was trying to make to my husband and now to you, as well as the challenge to anyone who reads this is...

EDUCATE YOURSELVES! You must learn history, to learn from others mistakes. You must learn math, to survive in life. You must learn science, because God is great and it is evident in how he created everything. So beautiful. So intricate. You must learn English (or whatever your first language is) so that you can speak and write and therefor express yourself clearly and intelligently. So to must you learn the issues around you. The injustices so that you can do everything in your power to fix them, even if it's "only prayer." Learn everything you can about the government and what's going on there, so that you can protect yourselves from the war that seems to be brewing and maybe even raging against Christianity and our liberties. Learn The Lords teachings so that you may better live the way He hopes for you.

I will never understand people who CHOOSE to live in ignorance and lack of knowledge simply because the truth is too much for their precious sensitivities or because it's too much for them. Learn about stuff, about every thing, even if it's scary, or sad,or bothersome. Learn it. Read about it. Understand it, or at least try. Research it. SOAK up all the knowledge you can about everything you can. Knowledge is truth, and the truth, as they say, shall set you free.


Note: I came across this today and figured I would share it. It's very long. But worth a skim. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05295b.htm

-God Bless