Got Religion? Great. Get It Out of My Face.

Greg Epstein is the humanist chaplain at Harvard University and the author of the New York Times bestseller “Good Without God.” In the introduction, he wrote: “This is not a book about whether one can be good without God, because that question does not need to be answered -- it needs to be rejected outright. To suggest that one can’t be good without belief in God is not just an opinion, a mere curious musing -- it is a prejudice.”

It's also complete crap.

I often say that people I have known that claim to be the most Christian -- "I go to church every Sunday, I've read the bible five times, I lead the prayer group, blah blah blah" -- are usually the least Christian in their actions. It's the ultimate in hypocrisy. These are the same people who are quick to quote the bible to prove their point, but they really dislike it when you either point out how they're using the scripture wrong or how they are completely misunderstanding it. These people will stab you in the back in a New York minute, they'll gossip about anyone and everyone whenever they get the chance, they're rude to customer service workers whenever anything doesn't go their way, you get the point. But try to argue your opinion, and they're the first to say, "But the bible says!!!"

I don't dislike religion. What I dislike is people who think that what they believe is what everyone around them should believe. Or in reality, what the whole world should believe. Take those who do missionary work, for example. If you're going to impoverished countries to actually help people, I think that is beyond commendable and I actually wish I had the opportunity to do that also. But if you're going there because you think that these impoverished people would be so much better off if they subscribed to your beliefs, that's just a kind of hubris I can't even wrap my head around. What's wrong with what they believe? Why is what you believe right, or so much better? What if THEY'RE right and you're wrong? 

Let's go back to the "civilization" of America. Funny term, that. We teach in history class that the first colonists were the ones to start civilizing the country. In my opinion, the country was already more civilized by the natives that were already here. You had people who respected the land, using only what was needed, took care of their own, established rules and governments within their own tribes and made treaties with other tribes, and established their own languages and means of communication. Yes, they fought with other tribes. They fought for land, they fought for supplies, they fought for many reasons. How, I ask, is that any different than any other civilization since time began?

And yet they were savages who needed to be taught.

So what did we bring them? The word of God. The bible. How to worship a book instead of the earth and everything she provided. And what else? Disease. Alcohol. And guns. Let's not forget the guns. Then we told them they couldn't stay on this land they had held for how many hundreds of years because we wanted it. So we made them move. But still told them God was good and would take care of them. Trail of Tears, anyone?

Then we have Catholicism. What a complete joke. That religion is so steeped in violence, murder, corruption and greed that I am absolutely amazed that anyone actually takes it seriously. The Pope is flawless and never has an impure thought? Seriously? He's MALE. I call complete BULLSHIT. And don't even get me started on the whole "priests raping little boys" scandal. That just makes me sick. So they're ok with covering that up, moving those priests around to keep it quiet.......but birth control is a sin, fertility assistance goes against the word of God, homosexuality is an abomination, and so on and so on. I've got news for you, Catholics....homosexuality has been observed in almost every animal species. You know what has never been observed in anything but humans? CELIBACY. Oh and then there's the problem I have with Catholicism and the ten commandments.....you know the one that says, "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me"?  Then there's the one that says you cannot create any image or any likeness of any heavenly being or object. Those would be the FIRST TWO commandments. Now, walk into any Catholic church. And there ya go. Absolute hypocrisy.

So now you have people arguing against abortion, even though Roe vs. Wade was passed almost forty years ago, and they're trying to use the bible to stand behind. You have people arguing against equal rights for homosexuals, trying to use the bible to stand behind. You have people arguing that the government (the GOVERNMENT) should be following the bible, using prayer in Congress, and so on. What in the hell is going on in this country? 

I love the people who try to argue that this country was founded on Christianity. Um, no it wasn't and some of you people seriously need to read up on your history. The Treaty of Tripoli, ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1797, states that "the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." Furthermore, Article Six of the Constitution reads "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any 
office or public trust under the United States." In other words, a person does not have to 
subscribe to any particular religious faith in order to serve as President, as a member of 
Congress, as a federal judge, or in any other government position. The First Amendment 
prohibits the government from banning any religion, and also prohibits the government from 
setting up any religion as the nation's official faith, no matter what the zealots would like to 
have happen.


Oh, Westboro Baptist Church. What ammunition you provide. If ever there was an entity that 
claims to be doing the work of God and is, in actuality, doing the COMPLETE OPPOSITE, it 
would be you. You people are so ridiculously misled and brainwashed it's amazing any of 
you can go take a pee on your own. Oh wait, maybe you all do that together, too. Mr. Phelps, 
you are evil walking, and you can tell yourself whatever you want to help yourself sleep at 
night, but the ONLY people who think you have any sense in that peabrain of yours are the 
ones drinking your KoolAid on a daily basis. Freak.

I don't claim to be an atheist. I don't claim to be agnostic. I was raised and baptized Episcopalian, but then church became more of a social scene once I was in middle and high school. We'd go to church with my grandparents, sometimes this Baptist church, sometimes that one, sometimes a Methodist church. I guess the feeling was, as Dolly Parton said in "Steel Magnolias", that "God didn't care which church you went to as long as you showed up." 

I also don't claim to be religious. I believe in science, I believe in facts, and I sure as hell don't believe that the bible: a book written by men, a book that contradicts itself over and over, a book made of up stories passed down by how many generations with embellishments and additions made by how many people.....I just cannot believe that this is a book I am supposed to base my entire life around. 

Now here's where I will concede a few points. I do not argue that there are good points and morals in the bible that we should all strive to follow. I mean really, there's the Golden Rule, which SOOOO many people seem to have conveniently forgotten: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." Too bad more "Christians" don't follow that one.

My husband and I are kind, generous people. We teach our children to be kind and respectful, and we do not judge people by anything but by their deeds. We have the same struggles as everyone else. We give to charities, we volunteer our time in our community, we take care of our responsibilities and we don't expect anything from anyone. We open doors for people, we say please and thank you, we teach our children correct table manners and to be respectful of adults. We do our best to recycle and do what we can to help reduce our carbon footprint. I work in the garden, I teach my girls how to help me with that, and hopefully in the spring we're going to start a vegetable garden. We help when help is warranted, but we certainly balk at helping people who just want something for nothing. My husband and I love each other deeply, we are celebrating our tenth anniversary this year, we have a lot of fun together, and we make sure our children see us show affection toward each other just as much as we show affection towards them. There's not a day in this house that every single person isn't told how much they are loved. Again, we have the same struggles, the same frustrations, the same child-rearing woes as everyone else. We yell, we get angry. We also make up, laugh, giggle, cry and hug each other. 

Yep, we're total heathens. 

Stupid People, Part I

Holy hell.

So I've been trying for two days to come up with a specific topic to go on a tirade about. There are just so many to choose from, and so many people doing stupid things every day. Decisions, decisions. Do I go with politics? All the crap happening in Boston? How about a parenting post? And then it hit me. At Chili's. And I didn't even have a margarita.

So first of all, there's something you should know about me. I am incredibly nosey. I am constantly amazed at the drama people will create in public places. I mean really, if you're going to have an argument or heated debate in a public place, how can you expect people not to listen? It drives my husband crazy. Maybe it's a character flaw......maybe I get drawn in to people's drama because it helps me forget about the ridiculous drama around me (and that, ladies and gentlemen, is a story for another day).

So there I am, sitting with my kids, and there is a table near us with two older couples. The offspring are preoccupied with their gadgets, and the hubs is out of town, so of course I tune in to the conversation. Here are some snippets:

• "Well yeah, I think Obama is the antichrist. I mean, look at all that's been happening lately, it's a sure sign the end of the world is comin'." (Be sure to read that with a nice redneck drawl.) To which one of the others replied, "Well, all that shit happened in Boston, and they're all democrats. I'm just sayin'." (Took everything I had not to reply to that one.)
• "I've driven a Chevy for over fifty years. You ain't ever gonna convince me that any of that foreign stuff is made any better." (Yadda, yadda, yadda.)
• "I don't wanna talk about no gay marriage. Men was meant to marry women, anything else is against what the Bible teaches." (Let's just ignore the fact that the bible also says that unless the woman is a virgin, the marriage will never be recognized.......and oh I could so go on.)
• And the icing on the cake......I couldn't hear the exact comment, but the gist was that the people in West were being punished for being German, or of German descent. (Because you know that all Germans are direct descendants of Hitler, right?)

And that was when I decided I had lost too many brain cells by listening. Maybe this one will teach me a lesson and I'll stop eavesdropping. Yeah, maybe not. The blatant attraction I feel for completely ignorant and clueless people who have public conversations is a little scary. It's like not being able to look away from a car accident......I can't NOT listen.

So seriously, what the hell is wrong with people? I cannot understand how anyone can walk around being so narrow-minded, so biased, and so naive. A lot of people like this always claim what devout Christians they are, and they love to quote the bible. The funny thing is, in my experience those who profess to be the most Christian also end up being the most judgmental, the most hateful, and the most intolerant. Westboro Baptist Church, anyone? Yes, they are an extreme example, but I am sure there are many more like it that just don't get the air time. Scary thought, isn't it? Doesn't the bible also say love thy neighbor?

I warned you in the page description, I am pro-equal rights. That means I am for equal rights in all things, including marriage. If you're not, and you kept reading anyway, well, I really don't know what to tell ya. Maybe you're clueless, too. But come on!  If two people wish to be married, regardless of their gender, then who am I to say they can't? It has nothing to do with me. And it has nothing to do with you. As long as they are happy, and they aren't hurting anyone, then who freakin' cares? Why is what goes on in someone's bedroom anyone's business but theirs? I just don't get it. Live and let live, people. The firstborn asked me not too long ago if boys could marry boys, and if girls could marry girls. Her grandmother (who is akin to Archie Bunker in her views) was sitting next to her. I told her that mommy's heart had fallen in love with daddy, so that's who I married. But my heart could have fallen in love with another girl, and daddy's heart could have fallen in love with another boy, and that would have been ok. I told her that you can't control who your heart falls in love with. She seemed pretty satisfied with that answer, and she was happily playing with her princess castle a few minutes later. The look I was getting from Archie, though, was priceless. And that made it all worth it.

I have to say.....the argument that gay marriage will destroy the institution of marriage in this country is the MOST ridiculous, self-righteous, narrow-minded argument that one could ever present. Seriously? There are so many hypocrites in this arena it's not even funny. Newt Gingrich, who based his political career on the "family values" platform, has been married three times, and has had affairs each time. He even asked one wife for an open marriage so he could keep his marriage and his mistress. What a guy. The Terminator had a "secret" child with a member of his household staff. You've got General Patraeus, Anthony Weiner........nope, not going there......, Chris Lee, Mark Souder, Bill Clinton (IN the Oval Office, for God's sake), and the list goes on and on and on. Moving over to Hollywood, we could talk about Britney Spears, Hugh Hefner, Elizabeth Taylor, Renee Zellweger, Tiger Woods, Kim Kardashian, blah blah blah. Oh no.....it's the loving same-sex couple living quietly in the suburbs, paying their taxes, living meaningful and productive lives......THOSE are the people that will destroy the institution of marriage. The argument is so inane it makes my head explode. And here again, we have people who argue against equal rights by hiding behind the bible. Sorry, but you lost me at, "The bible says......". I am no expert, but I am pretty sure the bible was never meant to be used to spew intolerance and hatred. Oh but here's the kicker.....people (and I mean people who get to speak publicly, in the media, where everyone can hear them) have actually attempted to defend their stance by arguing that it is unhealthy for children to be raised anywhere but in a loving home that has a mother and a father. A man and a woman.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Where do I even start with that? Well, let's start here.

Zach Wahls Speaks About Family

I would love to meet this young man and shake his hand. Hell, I would love to have him and his moms over for dinner. I love these people.

I have seen firsthand children who were being raised by a single parent that have turned out to be well-mannered, productive, and positive examples to society. I have also seen children, who were being raised by single parents, struggle in school and with the law. The same goes for children of "traditional parents". But children being raised by same-sex parents are going to be harmed psychologically or otherwise? Good grief. Being raised by homosexual parents does NOT make one homosexual! And any good parents, regardless of gender, are better than bad parents. I saw this the other day:

I freaking LOVE this. Try to argue this point with a bible thumper and they'll start stammering. They have no argument for this. I mean, if God made me, and I have a baby, then God made the baby too, right? (Well, sex helped, but I digress.) And then if that baby turns out to be homosexual, are you now saying God didn't make the baby? Aren't we all created in God's image? Doesn't God love all of his children? Oh and if you're Catholic, look away........because I'm about to go off on the Pope. He said "gay marriage destroys the essence of being human." WHAT A FUCKING HYPOCRITE. So tell me, all of those priests raping little boys.......how do you think that affected their "essence"? And the fact that the church covered up most of the occurrences, simply moving the rapist priests around to other parishes where they could do it again, what message do you think that sent to those children? There is steam coming out of my ears now.

I'll end with this:

I could go on and on and on, which is why this post is labeled "Part I". I've got to save some stuff for future rants!!

Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths. Okie dokie. Went to the doctor yesterday and my blood pressure was a little high, which is unusual for me. So I am trying to some meditation and breathing exercises to calm myself. But then Archie calls, or I see some news story about stupid people saying stupid things, and I get myself all worked up. Hence this blog......it's kind of like therapy for me. So I'll keep writing, and hopefully you'll keep reading and sharing!

In the meantime? Worry about yourselves, people......worry about yourselves.