I had written a much longer piece about this topic but I'm having a hard time finding that fine line between expressing my legitimate opinion and coming across as offensive. Since I honestly don't want to do the latter I'm holding off on that one. I know the legions of people who read my blog (thanks to both of you) will be disappointed. It's not as if I have anything particularly poignant to say about the topic of religion, or at least anything that others who share my viewpoint haven't said thousands of times in the past, but sometimes you reach a stage in your life where you feel you need to vocalize these thoughts if for no other reason than to have a much-needed cathartic experience.
I don't dislike people of faith. I can see how faith could be a very powerful and positive force in ones life. What I have a problem with are certain individuals who feel they're good people simply because they can quote bible verses, stand on street corners holding "Trust Jesus" signs, or because they go to some building every week and act all somber and weepy.
So many things in life I don't understand. For one, how can books which, from my limited knowledge of religion, have such a basic message of "be cool to each other", be so badly misinterpreted? You never hear of atheists killing or committing horrible acts in the name of atheism. Maybe it's time to take these religious books away. It's kind of like in school when one kid was acting up and the whole class got punished. Little Johnny ruined it for everybody. Maybe the extremists have ruined the bible (and the Koran, and all the other books that may be floating around out there) for everyone else. Still, if you feel you really need some sort of a book to tell you or your kids how to behave, instead of just doing so because of your own inner sense of morality, just read Goofus and Gallant in Highlights for Children. I can't imagine reading Highlights would start anyone on the slippery slope that leads to attacking homosexuals with baseball bats, protesting outside of military funerals, or flying airplanes into buildings. Then again, I've been wrong many times before.
More to come, once I can discover where the line between condescending and thoughtful is.
