Today was a day for not going out, except once, to the grocery store. I was very proud of both of us because we decided to stick to a budget for food for the next two weeks. we overdid the budget and saved about $65 over what I expected to spend, so we did good.
So the real point of this post, since i have to have a reason to blog lately, is that today some people from a local church came to the door to offer an invitation to join them in heaven. I try to be nice to people who come to the door offering salvation. I have no idea why I do, but I figure if i respect their beliefs they'll respect mine. interestingly, most of the people who come door to door offering the intangibles have a meme in their belief that denies all other belief. I'm sure you know what i mean. This woman actually claimed the bible doesn't contradict itself. she said no person could have made up such wild stories. i pointed out all of the mythologies from around the world about gods and superhumans and so on, she said all that came later. I corrected her. She said the bible is the oldest, i corrected her. I said religions have been a tool of man for thousands of years and that they simply didn't resonate with me as true. she said if i'd heard the truth about her god and rejected it that i was definitely going to hell (she said this in front of her daughter who was accompanying her on this walk of enlightening). I said that struck me as odd, logically. Here's what occurred to me next: why would a god who represents all love and compassion ever want to send someone to eternal torments in the bowels of hell? i mean you can't be entirely made of love and not forgive someone who rejects you. you have to forgive them every time. too much of the identity of god is either a paradox or a ridiculously arrogant creation of man. it's just too much to swallow. now i'm not saying i'm an atheist. but there are commonalities within all religions that provide comfort and such to those who are afraid or mistreated, or provide justification to the violent and greedy, and many other good and bad things. This woman asked what i thought would happen to me after i died, and i said i figured i would just go back to into the world.. you know. from whence i arose. and she just looked shocked and disgusted. she asked if i thought i had a soul. i said of course i do. but i don't feel the need for that soul to last forever. and if it does, then that's fine too. i don't know what i'll want to do after i die, just like i'm not really sure what i'll do tomorrow. i have some ideas, but i'm sure they're likely to change... anyway.. it was odd. the weird part to me right now is i don't mind at all if she continues to go along believing what she believes.. and i don't mind continuing to believe whatever i want because when it comes to fantasy and faith you don't need any proof whatsoever. but i would never use my belief to justify aggression against others or anything like that.
stool softener for everyone!
that has nothing to do with my post, but i had to say it.
Labels: religion rant.
