I occasionally mention here that I believe Christians can be just as smug, self-righteous, and downright stupid as any other religion, Islamic, Jewish, or whatever. I don't usually use those words, but it's what I think.
As the most current proof, I offer this: a minister is suing the city council of, I believe, Alexandria, Virginia, for the right to lead the council in Christian prayer. He says that denying him this ability is a contravention of the Constitution and a denial of -- oh, the hell with it. I can't even repeat his nonsense without gagging. It makes me almost literally nauseous.
This is exactly the kind of (insert coarse characterization here) that leads to religious tit-for-tat, aka the Rise of the (Religious Right) (Religious Left) (NonReligious Army) (Moral Majority) (Islamic Jihad), and is precisely that which separation of church and state is supposed to avoid. Engaging in acts of religious observance is great if you want to; forcing other to do so is not.
Why don't these (insert incredibly coarse adverb here) people get it?
I know why. Really, I do. It's because (Insert Deity Name Here) is On Their Side. Right?
(Insert intensely exasperated pejorative here).
7 comments:
I've always thought that most religions were pretty much the same. They usually worship the same kind of god, but just give it a different name, and then fight over HOW to worship it instead of just being appreciative that it's being worshipped. In the end they always criticize each other of the very same actions they're all doing. They all want their religion to be the one true way and will start wars and kill people for it, yet they get angry when another religion does the same.
That being said, I do believe that over the centuries some have been persecuted more the others, and some are allowed a lot of acceptions. It's all according to what's popular at the time.
It all seems so futile...like playing tic tac toe.
I meant "exceptions".
Damn it :-(
Gosh, I don't know, LC; "some are allowed a lot of acceptions" actually makes sense. Its not what you wanted to say, granted, but it makes sense.
Someone -- Terry Pratchett, I think, but I'm not sure -- wrote a couple of novels based on the idea that religions are all based on the assumption of a benign and a hostile pair of deities, when in fact they were just intergalactic travelers stranded here who thought they'd pass the time messing with peoples minds. Or something like that. I read the books a lot time ago; as I recall, the first was excellent (not the least because the last sentence of the book was 'And then something really amazing happened...'), and the second -- well, it wasn't amazing. Fun, but not up to code.
I do understand that for a lot of people, religion is such an overpowering part of their life that they feel compelled -- literally, compelled, like a person under water is compelled to seek air -- to spread the word. I am uneasy with that, but I understand it. Its when it becomes forcible that I get actively unhappy; and when they say that my unhappiness is limiting their right of free speech, I have the urge to ask how my punching them right in the mouth would affect that speech. Not that I would... but I want to.
I'm in agreement with you. I guess they can free speech all they want, and I can not listen all I want. But yeah, that being forced to listen sucks, because sometimes (like in a meeting) you can't get away from it. I don't get so much unhappy as just plain bored. Religion bores me.
However, that part about the deities messing with people's minds to pass the time is quite comical :)
I think that religion can be a calming and enlightening influence. So can sitting on a hill and watching the clouds go by.
Is there a deity (deities) ? Sometimes, I hope so. Sometimes, I hope not. Most times, I've no idea.
Wow, Bill, you almost sound like you've been living around here (West MI) lately, but then again I guess the "only my group is right" wacko-meter does get turned up a bit for the "big three" near the end of the year.
It does begin to support the 'a pox on both (or all three of) your houses' approach to life, doesn't it?
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