It seems to be a week for religion. Ryan and I have been discussing some schmuck with religious propaganda on YouTube, then of course there was the Reverend Joe Lowery's eloquent and hilarious benediction at the inauguration recently, and now this on Facebook.
It seems a little silly to me that there would be a club for such a thing. Facebook, as a general rule, is pretty stupid (not as stupid as MySpace, but y'know). We can send each other 80s 'memorabilia', 'southern stuff', 'poke' each other and update our status every five minutes (don't get me wrong, I love me some Facebook, but c'mon. It's brain fluff!). So I guess it's no surprise that we can now accumulate with other Christians in an attempt to somehow petition the entire Facebook community into claiming their Christianity as well.
I don't know, I figure, if you're really 'on fire for Jesus' you'd have better, more Christian things to do than start clubs about it on Facebook. Like, maybe go help the poor, or go vaccum the rugs at Church or something.
I recently came to the realization that I'm going to have to make the whole, 'I'm not baptizing my baby' argument to various members of mine and BFlo's family in a few months. To me, religion is a choice, and I will not sway my child in any direction, period. When they are old enough to choose a belief system, whether they are 5 years old or 15, whether they choose Baptist or Muslim or Athiest, I will support it. But I do not believe in pre-ordaining a child's religion. Nor do I believe in sprinkling water on their head to 'mark' them with Jesus. I find it even more ridiculous that some people actually believe that if I don't do this, my child will go to hell. My little bitty, size of a grapefruit kicking baby is gonna go to hell if I don't have them baptized in the name of some holy ghost before they turn 6 months old.
It could be because I studied religion for three years at a very progressive college in a very cynical, forward-thinking country, or it could just be that I'm a non-believin' bitch, but...doesn't it seem that Christianity is becoming increasingly less relevant? When I hear things like, 'God Bless You', or 'Thank the Good Lord', it seems more like an effort at good manners, or being politically correct and polite than it does any real belief. When I hear evangelicals on TV or in person, spouting their hate-filled, close minded dogma, it's hard not to laugh. I want to say, 'Where have you been for the past 15-20 years? Do you really think you're relevant? Do you really think this fire and brimstone god and devil you want to scream about is relevant?'
Do these people really believe, even after all this time, that gay people are going to burn in hell? That abortion doctors deserve to be shot? That having sex before you're married is a quick ticket to eternal damnation? That if I don't accept a historical figure who I never met as my lord and personal savior, based on somebody else's suggestion, that I can't have 'eternal life'? Do people actually STILL believe this shit?
Do people actually still listen to top 40 Christian fluff music and hold their hands out to the heavens, palms and fingers stretched, waiting for the almighty to tickle their knuckles?
Fuckin A, people. Wake up. There's a whole world around you, a life you aren't living. If you really want to live in Jesus' example, read his words and go out and DO, instead of saying and yelling and crying and threatening. The thing that really disturbs me is that a lot of prehistoric Christians seem to think that 'charity' is going to the Bahamas as a missionary for two years. As if forcing your religion on people who never asked you for your opinion is somehow 'doing a good deed'.
The one thing that disheartened me with Christianity happened back when I was a teenager. When someone mentioned that non-Christians will burn in hell. I asked, 'What about people who never know who Jesus is, who are born in remote parts of the world and never have a chance to become a Christian?' 'That's what missionaries are for' was the answer I received. 'But what if they never know a missionary?' 'Then, unfortunately, they go to hell'. End of the line for ol' Teeray. That was it, then and there. Because it seemed like bullshit to me.
This quote was in this week's Human Evolution:
'We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever
believed in. Some of us just go one god further.' -Richard Dawkins
I'm not an athiest, per se, not yet anyway. I've dabbled with numerous belief systems. Being a religion major did not help me decide in any way, in fact, it only confused me further. I love the idea of Baha'ism so much, and yet cannot really bring myself to believe it, for so much of it's dogma is similar to Chrsitianity. I've been a Buddhist, and quickly shunned it for how trendy and un-similiar it had become to traditional Buddhism. Most recently, I've claimed Paganism as my religion of choice. But in reality, I'm an agnostic because I just don't know. I don't know what's the reality. Do I feel that when I die I'll go anywhere but a grave? Not really. Do I feel God? Not really. Do I feel energy and spirit and forces beyond my own experience? Yes. And that last one is the only reason I'm not yet an athiest.
I do find it ironic that so many Christians are so intolerant of other religions, when in fact, the majority of the 'Christian Fable' is stolen from other religions, namely Paganism, Greek Mythology and Egyptian Mythology (the most 'evil' of all, damn pagans!). I think that this non-tolerant attitude was formed at one time specifically for that reason. They didn't want the followers getting educated about the others, because then they'd realize how much of their faith had been stolen or 'borrowed'. If Jesus really was the Messiah, then somebody did him a huge disservice when they based his entire following on the pagan sun rituals.
Christianity has no credibility. ZERO credibility. And yet the majority of the Western World clings to this dogma, and for what reason? I have no freakin' idea, other than the fact that it acts as a cloak for people to keep performing their prejudices and hatreds without consequence. 'I'm not a homophobe, I'm just following Jesus' word!'
I don't recall a Bible verse that stated, 'Fags are gonna burn in hell, so you should picket at their funerals'.
But I dunno, I could have read it wrong (twice).
I've ventured off into an insane rant, so I'll leave you with my favorite part of the movie Zeitgeist (thanks, Wofford), for those of you who've been under a rock and might not have seen it (take the time to watch it if you can, it's really enlightening and will piss you off):
Part One is about Religion. The other two parts deal with politics and the federal reserve. It's worth watching, too, if you have two hours!
By the way, I don't just feel this way about Christianity! I feel this way about any religion that is intolerant, makes no sense, and primarily keeps it's 'flock' in line using scare tactics and dogma that ceased to be logical back when we were still eating sand and wearing sandals.
Peace Out, fellow sinners.
You studied at Vic, didn't you?
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