Thursday, October 15, 2009

I am a recovering religionist

I am not quite sure if I should call myself a christian or ex-christian. For that matter, should I be a catholic or ex-catholic. based on these faiths, once you are baptized you are a christian. Unless you want to undertake an 'un-baptism' ceremony, technically you remain a catholic and christian.
Now many people can say you are less christian, non-practicing, or even a non-christian. But that does not change the key to the religions practice to get folks baptized.

2 comments:

  1. Started reading you recently. Would it be out of line to ask why it seems so important to convince religionists that what you believe is the truth rather than just holding your belief and tolerating others' differences?

    Not hostile, but curious how you decided to take a different path than that of what's commonly called "tolerance", "respect for diversity", etc.

    I'm sort of sorry you don't have the facility to sign up to be notified of replies - I'll try to remember to check back for your answer.

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  2. This decision was very easy for me. Everyday, I read articles and listen to podcasts and hear all kinds of new stories of problems caused by religionists.

    I probably would not care if someone wanted to privately pray and have some religious faith if they were to go up into the mountains and practice it by themselves.

    But when I hear stories of children dying everyday because of their parents religious beliefs. Recent stories where both parents were withholding chemotherapy, a child dying because it did not get a simple insulin shot, and on and on.

    When child can be in their classroom say the pledge of allegiance and not say "under god" and not get beat up at recess or have the teacher keep the child after school for being a trouble maker.

    When their is a large lobbying effort to get religious beliefs added to school science textbooks. I can go on and on.

    If you think that is not so bad, then just think how you tolerant you would feel to know that several of your cousins were dying because of someone practicing the Mayan religion. Or the President during the inauguration saying something like "so help me Apollo". Or to have an official banner at the white house announce that the official "One Nation Under God" is now officially declared as "Elohim" Only, not Yahweh, El Shaddai, or Jesus. Or I approved attacking that country because it would help us achieve goals in the bible.

    Tolerance is good for private beliefs held quietly, but when those beliefs are forced on others that is another story.

    I could sit here and write hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of cases of these kinds of problems. What if you were a person on hard times and when to a publicly funded soup kitchen (not at a church). But when you would not say a prayer meal, you were asked to leave until all the praying people ate, then you could get in line again if there was any left.

    I come at this from a position of freedom and respect.

    A child should be give real science in a science class. Someone should get a meal in a soup line. A person should get medicine because it is the right decision.

    I also think that if a person is holding a set of beliefs that can do harm to them or others, it is important help them reach clarity. I am not just talking religion here.

    Let me turn this around, should someone stop your child, who just watched Superman, from stepping in front of that speeding car? If your father was very ill and had a pink stone placed on his chest instead of having heart surgery, you would agree that was a good decision based on a solid faith of your father and his spiritual adviser?

    Sorry getting way too deep here. I ask that you keep your answers to those questions private, because they are yours. I would like others reading this to keep their own answers private also.

    We dogs are treated pretty well. I just hope you humans can learn to treat each other well and give each a little more freedom. I see too many people getting all tangled up in religious leashes and trying to clip their leashes on others around them.

    snif ... what's that?

    Oooo is that a ball? Gotta go.
    --Jack

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