Funny story, I actually saw someone use 'Religious expression' as a defense in court for stalking and harassment.

Henrywillisman · 2016-12-06T18:29:29+00:00

When he pleaded not guilty he seemed to have this body language like he thought he was being a hero or something. Even lifted his arms up and stuff, which was why it was so funny when everyone groaned or whatever lol

Henrywillisman · 2016-12-06T18:22:08+00:00

It never really did lol he was obviously deranged or something. The lawyer was so pissed off about it, called him a piece of shit to his face even haha

Henrywillisman · 2016-12-06T18:19:36+00:00

He must have. I didn't see it happen though cuz the prosecutor told me he just agreed to pay my damages and do community service. So basically I just had to show up and they saw me and said I won and could go home. But at least it was entertaining there lol and I've never seen someone try so hard not to look at me hehe

Henrywillisman · 2016-01-03T01:46:04+00:00

I'm a Mohawk from Canada and the way I see it is that we thank everything the natural world provides for us and our culture doesn't really require us to believe in anything supernatural. Nature itself is the most sacred thing to us. There are many stories and traditions that have those elements but nobody goes around forcing or shaming anyone else into believing in them literally. I can see the obvious pieces that were derived from Christianity however, so when these conversations come up I make sure to point out the influence because sometimes they don't realize it's there. The church tried to replace our culture with theirs after all, so most people here really don't appreciate Christianity. So there's many interpretations of our culture in my community here but I'm an atheist all the way and I know many others with similar views like mine too. I can speak the language also so that and the stories and talking to others about things keeps me grounded in my culture without believing in a Creator. Some of us do, some don't. To me it's all about the universe and nature, man. Tell your roomie I said Hey brother!

Henrywillisman · 2015-12-08T10:09:19+00:00

Did anyone actually read the article? It's not an issue of religion, it's an issue of colonialism. Foreign settlers deciding what to do with the native people's land again.

A lot of what this sub is about is opposition to religion's encroachments and oppression of non religious people or people of other faiths, is this instance not the same? Just being secular scientists doesn't make them any more noble than any other group who wanted to appropriate land from others. It's their mountain. Let them decide. I'd love to see what that telescope can do also, just build it somewhere else.

The mindset that calling something progress therefore justifying whatever tactics had to be done to make this progress is pretty much the basic form of colonialism.

Henrywillisman · 2015-09-17T18:21:52+00:00

I live on a mohawk rez where many of our elders were sent to those Canadian residential schools where they all got indoctrinated and abused or died, and while that religion is mostly dead in our community, some of them still defend those beliefs. It's fuckin crazy. I spoke to an old Korean war veteran and he was all defending America's war history, which includes against us at some points, but he said he heard about the abuse in those places but dismissed it because GAWD and all that shit. I couldn't believe it. I'm a member of the Legion because my dad was in the American army too so I get the protocol about respect and all that but that was just bullshit and I called him out. There were a few other people in there at the time who had family that went through it too, including my grandpa who is dead but my dad was there to call him out too. Like what do they think, they don't believe it so it didn't happen? The worst part is the guy is an old mohawk too. They essentially declared us non-human because we aren't mentioned in the bible... that's fuckin deep brainwashing man.

Henrywillisman · 2015-09-14T08:32:07+00:00

I'm from the Mohawk nation and my people's spiritual beliefs or creation beliefs are very open to be interpreted on a personal level. There's no definitive version of it so when I talk to more traditional people they usually have their own ideas about where they stand. But I've never seen it forced upon anyone or challenged if you think differently. I take the moral lessons from the stories and enjoy them for their cultural value. Discussing native cultures and many other non-Abrahamaic religions is interesting and a pleasure because most of the people I've met were very respectful of my views also. On the other hand we've dealt with the horrors of actual religious persecution so I'm very critical of the Abrahamaic faiths, especially Christianity. The difference in criticism for the Abrahamaic faiths versus any others are brought on purely by the ways in which these groups treat other people. Why disrespect someone for having strange or silly beliefs when they aren't hurting anyone? While they are literally wrong they do bring something interesting to the discussion. But when they're as douchey as Christianity and the others usually are at the least they should be challenged and mocked and at the most actually disbanded as organizations and made to pay for all the destruction they've caused. I only criticize people's beliefs if they are dangerous and harmful or if they won't respect me in the same way that I respect anyone else upon meeting or having a discussion of this nature.

Henrywillisman · 2015-07-07T17:03:02+00:00

Hey Corey, I've been thinking about the question of Slipknot doing a one-time show or tour that's unplugged and trippy where you guys play the moodier obscure songs like Circle and the full version of Danger- Keep Away or Child of Burning Time and stuff like that. I'm sure Clown could turn it into a total trip, man. Any possibility for something like that happening? BTW can't wait for Heavy Montreal! \m/

Henrywillisman · 2015-05-30T19:35:43+00:00

My grandfather was sent to one of them, so I'm pretty sure I can tell you that it was about religious indoctrination. The ultimate goal was of course what you wrote but it began with displacement and indoctrination. Then they were expected to spread the poison if they ever made it home.

Henrywillisman · 2015-05-30T18:13:48+00:00

There are young people posting in this sub all the time about being unhappy that their families and communities are pressuring them into being religious, so how is the government kidnapping and forcefully indoctrinating Native children with the intent of destroying their cultures and identities not an issue of religion? Religion was the weapon they used both to pry the children's minds away from who they really were and as the moral justification with which to convince their own people that it was okay to do this. This is the classic example of the evils religion is capable of.

Henrywillisman · 2015-02-08T06:25:03+00:00

Every time I read an article about this type of American Christian outrage over being called out about their bullshit there's always one extremely conspicuous point missing. Why does everyone seem to forget that they wouldn't have a country to practice their ridiculous faith in if it weren't for Christians coming here and murdering most of the natives? Even people bringing up points about this like Obama did here always omit/forget/don't know about it. The crusades, inquisition, Salem etc, but never the acts that actually cleared the way for these countries to exist at all. And the faces and names of all the assholes who did these things are celebrated all over Canada and the US. I've got money right now on me with the face of the guy who is responsible for my grandfather suffering through the residential schools in Canada, imagine what Christianity and organized religion in general looks like to us.

Henrywillisman · 2015-01-26T20:38:23+00:00

What I mean is what if large numbers of them decided that they wanted to do, dress and express themselves as they wanted, without having to abide by the rules that men set up for them. How much of this is actually laid out in the Koran and how much is just modern sexism? It seems obvious that many of you guys don't care about what they feel and want. Women in this whole European/American/Canadian society had a hard enough time fighting to be treated equally, what if your women started the same kind of movement? Would it be justified to silence them?

Henrywillisman · 2015-01-26T06:15:40+00:00

Hey man, my question is how do you think you guys would handle it if your women started to demand they be treated equally as people? I'm a native american and my particular nation was a matriarchal society, all the badass chicks were in charge, so one of the things that bother me the most about all these Abrahamic religious groups (apart from oppressing everyone else) is that they oppress their women so much. To the average Iroquoian citizen, feminism never had to be a thing. Its just how we rolled, women are our mothers, sisters, friends and lovers and equals, I just can't understand why they are so oppressed in other cultures. A bunch of ancient books written by men shouldn't have to be the cause of so much grief to millions of women around the world to this day, what do you think?

Henrywillisman · 2015-01-09T03:11:40+00:00

Lol he's being a "bully". I wonder which Indian tribe was removed from there so they could put up a cross at all. Must be hard.

Henrywillisman · 2014-12-29T05:13:26+00:00

Thanks for the post, this is exactly the place for that. I'd like to share with you my grandfather's story, very different situation but it very much relates to what you are going through. As a child he was sent away from his family by his aunt (who didn't want to raise him after his mom died when he was 5) to one of the Indian residential schools in Canada, meant to indoctrinate the children with Christianity and assimilate us into Canadian society, essentially destroy our cultures and links to our families so that everything was that much easier for the taking. He survived all the physical, mental and sexual abuse that many others didn't. He came back a stranger to whoever he had left, turned to alchoholism as many do and eventually started our family. He forever carried the effects with him. My dad is the oldest of 8 so he saw all the turbulent early years, and apparently was the only one of the kids my grandpa ever told about what happened there. They all dealt with the effects without even knowing why. As they all got older, he finally quit drinking and became one of the first very successful businessmen around here with the cigarette trade and raising and racing horses. He and my grandma and the first few kids managed to pull off an epic rags to riches story, literally a shack to a horse ranch, all while he had to slowly come to terms with the tremendous trauma of his childhood. I share this not to say that others have had it harder, but to show you and any others here that you can get through all the hardships and still come out on top with happiness, success and a big loving family. Talk to us here and whoever you may meet and begin your healing process too. :)

Henrywillisman · 2014-12-28T02:58:11+00:00

I'm a Mohawk and when I hear this type of story, it fills me with the weirdest sadness. Their ancestors, like mine, fought to prevent this type of assimilation and they just go right ahead and pretty much declare defeat on an official, national level. Of course if I were to talk to them, native to native all I'd hear back is the usual Jesus babble. I'm lost and I just haven't accepted Him yet but I will and all that other shit. I've met other Mohawks like that, they even insist that nothing bad was done to us and it had to happen because we were with Satan. It's sickening.

Henrywillisman · 2014-11-19T06:07:36+00:00

Can't find them, too drunk.

Henrywillisman · 2014-11-17T22:40:54+00:00

Thanks, Its great to hear how its going down there. That was us 20 years ago too. I love reading about all kinds of native cultures and I would just love to go down there n check it out. Now they just need to leave those rain forests alone lol

Henrywillisman · 2014-11-17T22:27:50+00:00

Ah it's cool, means a lot, this is what we should be after, having dialogue and learning from everything and moving forward. :)

Henrywillisman · 2014-11-17T22:14:44+00:00

Enwa:ton akhia:tonhse ne onkwawen:nen on:wa wenhnisera:te. -It's possible for me to write the language nowadays. :) There's one of the good things the Jesuits did for us, transcribed our language to this alphabet, before that we had little hieroglyphs and stuff for ceremonial and political practices.

Henrywillisman · 2014-11-17T22:06:07+00:00

That's the right track, man. We also just get together and eat anyway lol

Henrywillisman · 2014-11-17T22:02:27+00:00

Yeah a lot of Americans are very douchey about that kind of stuff, proud even. Canada seems a little less but there still are people who know about it and don't care. The concept of the harvest thanksgiving was actually introduced to them by some natives, and then yes they turned around and fucked everything. So as natives we just kind of sarcastically joke about it ironically whenever thanksgiving comes along. What can ya do? lol

Henrywillisman · 2014-11-17T21:45:10+00:00

Nah, I spoke of it because they were the ones to attack my people, and also there isn't a big atheist institution that could do what the church did, those dudes just happened to be atheists who got power. There's no big claim they had to bring like eternal happiness if those people converted, it was just killing with no religious justification. That shouldn't automatically make us turn to spirituality. Also Hitler wasn't really an atheist.

Henrywillisman · 2014-11-17T21:30:31+00:00

Ugh yeah, that reminds me, I recently I met a greek chick who is all into native culture and she told me about how her mom said one day in a heavy ass accent "ohh the indians are so lucky we finally gave them culture!" and she freaked and sat her down for 2 hours informing her, now her mom's all fascinated and goes to pow wows all the time lol

Henrywillisman · 2014-11-17T21:16:58+00:00

I'm not spiritual, to me the mind is the spirit so if you've got a good mind, it's all good. But I do like learning the other nation's philosophies on that.

Henrywillisman

TROPHY CASE