Musings on Christians

reply to post by autowrench


I, too, live in the Bible Belt (NC rural countryside, at that!) as an Agnostic and have ran across people trying to 'save' me. Since I work in retail with the general public, I come across most of the people on the list. They used to piss me off, but now I smile and stay silent. Arguing got me nowhere and it could have cost me my job. Many Christians are not like those above, but hang out in the southern Bible Belt and you will run across them.

I found your musings entertaining. I too am in the bible belt.(Texas panhandle) Yes everyone here says Jeeayzussuuhhh!!! Of courseuh I thinkuh that isuh toughtuh in seminaryuh here. Take the glottal stop "uh" out of a local preachers repertoire, and their sermons would only be 15 minutes long.

Grew up in a very religious family. Good people, but they can see through a keyhole with both eyes open. I have formed the theory in my adulthood that religion is the training wheels for spirituality. Some people never get a frim enough grasp of what is going on to ever take the training wheels off. So when you rattle their bike they are terrified of taking a tumble. They don't realize that the bike could offer them much more freedom, and usefullness if they took the training wheels off. Fear of hellfire, and damnation is an extremely powerful motivator evidently.

There are however true christians who simply strive to be "christ-like." I tend to be a bit of a taoist, and strive to be christ-like also. There is no conflict. I get the "ZOMG!!! You can't DO that! JEEEAAYYYZZZUUSAAHH is the ONLY way!" I politely inform them that their stupid is hanging out as taoism isn't actually a religion at all it is a way of thinking, a way of living.

If you need hellfire to convince you to be a moral person, then by all means fear it. I'd hate to see what you would be without that limiter. I choose to be moral because I want to, not out of fear of celestial reprisal. Who do you think God would rather hang out with? An emulator, or a fearful subordinate?