Religionocity

It's been very interesting to me what can only be described as a "Rise of Atheism" via both YouTube and Digg.

For example, you can read about the ridiculous case of religious zealots in this horrible murder. And how his family still associates with such practices.

It's weird to me yet strangely familiar. I see, first hand, the overzealousness of the religious among us. The sort of blank stares, the blind beliefs, the insistence on the imaginary guy they've been told their entire lives really, really cares and is listening to them.

And I can't help but shake my head in pity.

Worse? I feel guilty for all of this. Maybe it's living in the south where we have twice as many churches as Starbucks (not true--we have more). Maybe it's because I really dig and respect guys like Gary who I've communicated with for a long time and don't want to offend.

Maybe it's because my mother and mother-in-law are ridiculously insistent that my children be inundated with undue guilt for being "in sin" without knowing what sin is, why some guy had to be tortured and killed and what this whole praying business is about.

Maybe it's my wife who I believe really wants me to just give in to the whole mess. When I simply can't.

Maybe it's watching AT's world get flipped-turned upside down (sorry, I just can't fight vague Fresh Prince of Bel-Air references) and when science and human struggle let you down, God looks pretty good.

Maybe it's when I am in great turmoil or trouble or am deeply afraid it's been bred in me as a child to put it off on the invisible guy.

I know people like Gary and Brian are great people. There's no denying that. They believe in what the Bible got right: Treat yourself and others as equal. The sort of faux socialism in the middle of a book that was written and edited by committee, that bolsters people into actually believing some ridiculous notion about The Second Coming (give me a damn break people), that turns a few sentences into hatred for gay people.

For example, I'm pretty excited to see John Edwards running for President. But when he comes to Gay Marriage, he's "Just not there yet." Wake the hell up people, gay people are gay, they can't help it, they can't stop it, they're not going away, and marriage is as sanctimoneous as a drive-thru chapel in Las Vegas. It's a method of declaring legal status as a couple, no more, no less.

And I see all of this fundamentalist crap (700 Club much?), and I get preached to by my well-meaning father-in-law, and I wonder just how I became not so much an Atheist, but almost anti-religion.

Maybe it's Digg and YouTube bringing The Truthiness. Maybe it's my own rational mind. Maybe it's the feeling of sadness when people are 100% confident in their own theological myths, the same sort of attitude that would easily be found a few thousand years ago as we worshipped Sun Gods and Greek Gods and whatever else kind of deity you would like.

I've always thought that Religion is about acceptance into a group and that's great. People who are "worthless" can "redeem themselves" by "giving their life to God" which means exactly nothing beyond, you guessed it, "be good to yourself and others." However you find that, the better.

If it takes preaching, get preached.

If it takes church, go.

If it takes a fairy tale about some guy who loved you very much and gave his all for your mistakes, okay, sure, wear it out.

Morals are not religious things. The idea of treating people fairly has no savior attached.

But I still feel bad for trying to explain to loved ones what is obvious to me, and I still feel guilty for trying to shun my family from their religious beliefs. But whenever they begin treading on my children and trying to inundate them with this theology, I try to make it clear to them that not all people believe in Jesus, that not all people believe in prayer.

For four year olds and two year olds I guess that will have to suffice. But being as we live in the south, and how many social events as a child can revolve around church-like activities, I wonder how long it be before we hit the theological tipping point.

I fear it's closer than ever.

I hope he's right in the head
Even if he has to wrong someone