I haven’t attended church in a really long
time, but I am a member, and do remain loyal and respectful to the message and
beliefs. I spent my childhood
years in Sunday School, and if all that stuff they say turns out to be true, you
better believe I want a key to the front door of Heaven! If it isn’t, well, no harm done. Religion can be a touchy subject, I get
that, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to share my thoughts on it. It seems like everyone else is, so why
can’t I?
Everywhere you go nowadays you’re faced
with over-bearing Bible-thumpers singing the praises of God. Professional sporting events are
becoming insanely religious. Did
anyone watch the Ray Lewis spectacle during the Ravens vs. Patriots game Sunday
night? How ridiculous was
that? Even God must have been
rolling His eyes at times, muttering under His breath “Oh Me!” in disgust. Laying it on a little thick there Mr.
Lewis, don’t you think? There’s a
big difference in my mind between being a Christian, and the nonsense we’re
forced to endure from those who have taken things a little too far.
I don’t attend weekly church services
because I don’t feel it’s necessary to constantly remind myself of something I
already believe in. However, by no
means do I hold anything against those that do. I believe religion is an extremely personal thing, and that
each person has the right to practice their faith in a manner in which they
feel is appropriate. If everybody
did that, and just kept it to themselves, we’d all be fine. It’s once people take their personal
beliefs and try to force them onto others where I take issue. This isn’t helping promote a positive
image of religion, and in fact to the contrary, is exactly what is turning a
lot of people off! Do you really
think there were millions of people watching Ray Lewis last night on his hands
and knees weeping and screaming God’s name, thinking to themselves, “Now there’s
a guy that’s got it all together, how do I join?”
I do not need people littering my front porch,
or knocking at my door while I’m trying to eat dinner, wanting to hand me
pamphlets and teach me about all the benefits I’ll get by joining their
group. If you have a passion for
recruiting members and getting them to believe what you believe, join the armed
forces or a cult. I do not need
musicians mindlessly thanking God every opportunity they get, just because it’s
the “in” thing to do. You won a Grammy Award? Well isn't that special... I'm sure God's up there somewhere saying "You're welcome!". I do not
need to watch awkward football players huddled up and saying their prayers,
surrounded by television cameras and microphones, with half the guys only there
because they feel they have to be.
You could have just as easily done that in the privacy of the locker
room, but no, you wanted to do it where everybody could see you, because I guess God
hears your prayers better when you’re in front of a crowd. Give me a break! You can’t say the God’s Prayer in
school anymore, but if you turn on the television nowadays, you’re faced with
more expressions of religion than ever before! Somewhere along the way, this whole religion thing seems to
have developed a life of its own, and all the while poor Jesus is over there in the corner
looking down at his sandals thinking “Hey everybody! Remember Me?”
I think I’m living a good life. I’m doing it right. I’m polite to others, respectful, and
treat them the way I want to be treated.
I try to help those in need whenever there’s an opportunity. I try to promote happiness, and
generally try to have a positive influence on those around me. I don’t need to bother anyone with
public displays of my beliefs. As
strongly as you may believe in what you want to believe in, there’s someone
else that believes just as strongly in something else. We can’t all be right. Or maybe we’re all wrong, and the
aliens are just looking down at us shaking their heads, wondering how they'll ever fix
this mess they’ve created. I have my own beliefs, but I don’t
know who’s right, and neither do you.
If you go to church 7 days a week, or carry a Bible with you at all
times, does that make you a better person than me? I don’t think so.
As with most things, it’s all about
moderation. So if you’re one of
those Bible-thumping exhibitionists that are more about self-promotion than the
promotion of God, just knock it off already! If you’re going to do it, do it for the right reasons, or
don’t do it at all. If you really
are that passionate about your beliefs, well then good for you, but keep it to
yourself. Yes Ray Lewis, I’m
talking to you.
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