I went to church every week while growing up, and now that I’ve been able to take a step out and look at it from the outside, I have no interest of steping back into it.
When I express a feeling like this, normally I’m asked, “Are you drunk?” Apparantly having no desire at all to choose a faith I think ‘got it right’ is a character flaw. I could be told to become more open-minded, yet it was the very opening of my mind that made it possible to find happiness outside of religion in the first place.
I honestly view religion right now as nothing more than an instrument to initiate cash flow. Some church spends their money on feeding the homeless, some church finances suicide bombers, another spends its on lawyer fees, and another spends it on a waterslide and television studio.
Because there’s a world of difference between “we help people” and “we help people, but you have to embrace our politics and teach your kids that Joeseph Smith invented the steam engine.”
The idea of confessing my sins to God or a priest…it just takes away from the brilliance that can be seen when you admit to yourself that you made a mistake. Believe me, the practice of asking for forgiveness can make the entire process a lot easier to cope with. Getting honest with yourself is the thing that’s hardest to do, and the entire concept of receiving redemption from anywhere but within seems to me like a drug.
Because there are go-getters in this world of ours, and those people seek to excel within the framework they’re presented. We’ve had enough religious people in this country end their lives in a world of shame to know that people slip through the cracks. Like a company dumping chemicals in the river, when people get sick, their first instinct is to protect the money and their second instinct is to do the right thing.
Kick the ‘bad apple’ out, everything’s fine, nothing to see here…everyone move back towards the tables. OK, PLACE YOUR BETS!