God Delusion

Just a quick one today, because I am, as the adage goes, deep behind enemy lines.

It's Easter weekend, and I am at my in-laws with my wife and daughter. I am reading, for the first time, The God Delusion, with some trepidation, considering my surroundings. However, the family is being indulgent and tolerant, and I haven't had to resort to my backup in deference to their superstitions.

Acutally, considering how respectful they are being, I should also be respectful, and refrain from calling it a superstition. I will not retract it, but I will offer a half-assed apology.

At any rate, I am now reading the chapter on the in-group, and how religion breeds intolerance. I find myself marginally guilty of the same crimes committed by the zealots, though obviously less strenuously so. I am trying very hard, but still can't seem to help feeling a little superior.

The intermarriage thing really gets me. Obviously it causes difficulties. I was raised Baptist, and my wife and her family are Catholic. I've since stopped playing, so I have no team affiliation. Mostly, I think, I'm happier, but sometimes I miss having a big brother to look after me (though I must admit that he always did a rather piss-poor job of it).

But I know there was some trepidation around our nuptials, and some members of my family skipped it. I thought they were being bigots. Turns out they were just being lazy. I haven't yet decided which is worse.

But still, there was no pressure to marry within the in-group for us. No external pressure, anyway. I expect Tasha had some misgivings. And probably still does. I don't blame her. I find some of her most cherished beliefs to be silly at best, and although I respect her, and try to understand, I cannot bring myself to respect the Church. Needless to say, that causes some friction. In fact, I got scolded by an aunt for skipping church. She knows my stance, but disapproves. Somehow she still likes me. Most of us can see past it, now. Thank god, I say, not because I do, but because it's a useful phrase.

I'll return to the idea of religious contests another day. I should get back to "passing".

Crucified

This is amusing.

I say that if people are stupid enough to whip and crucify themselves, they deserve tetanus. If they are dumb enough to do it with dirty nails and whips, they deserve tetanus and a nasty infection. If god digs this shit, then they deserve the plague and theists deserve better.

In a sick, misguided way, I can see mutilating, torturing and abusing other people in the name of your religion. Not fellow members of your faith, mind you, but infidels, apostates and heathens. That makes sense. They're wrong, so they must be punished.

To a lesser degree, I can understand abusing members of your faith who are still different from you in some way, like burning widows, beating wives and killing homosexuals.

I want to make perfectly clear that I condone NEITHER of these things, but I could see how they would make sense.

But to crucify yourself, and flagellate yourself is some fucked up shit. And you have a fucked up god if that's what jellies his roll. You need to find a new religion. Seriously.

Stop, take a step back, examine yourself, and the guy you call god (you know the one, the merciful one who demands blood sacrifice), and call your shrink.

Happy easter, you sick fucks.