Please Tell Your God To Mind His Own Business
In an ideal world, religion would be a private matter based solely on the spiritual relationship between an individual and the god of their choosing. Unfortunately, the world we live in is far from ideal. Instead of taking solace in their own spiritual well being, too many people feel compelled to impose their personal beliefs on others.
I wrote a post last week about the fact that I don’t believe in God. I made it clear that I had no interest in changing anyone’s mind about their own beliefs, and that no one should feel the need to change mine. One of the comments I received was from a Christian Scientist who wanted to share his personal experience of healing cancer through prayer. He also told me about the fact that his son had recently held an audible conversation with God. I wasn’t sure what to think at first, but after reading his comment several times it became obvious that this man was offering to aid in my conversion. The more I thought about it, the more angry I became. I had offered a rational explanation as to why I did not feel the need for a supernatural presence in my life, and this man felt compelled to tell me otherwise. What possible difference does it make to him if I don’t share his beliefs?
The Mormon Church has been in the news lately for their organized opposition to same-sex marriage in California. Is it just me, or does anyone else find it ironic that a group that only reluctantly abandoned the open practice of polygamy should suddenly be the self-appointed defenders of traditional marriage? Even more bizarre is their insistence on the posthumous baptism by proxy of Jewish holocaust victims. Jewish groups have been fighting the practice since 1995, but the Mormons persist in a rite intended to allow conversion in the afterlife. What makes them believe that people who died as a result of their faith will be receptive to their proselytizing efforts in another life?
What compels Fred Phelps and his followers at the Westboro Baptist Church to show up at military funerals with their God Hates Fags banners? Is it pure audacity or blind faith that drives evangelical missionaries like Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry to create an international diplomatic crisis by attempting to spread Christianity in Afghanistan? I don’t know what makes these zealots believe that people will simply abandon their own deeply held beliefs. Maybe I’ll ask the next time a Seventh Day Adventist knocks on my door, or maybe I’ll just hand them a brochure of my own.
RELATED POSTS
Chris,
Have you had the pleasure of meeting any one of the conversion groups patroling downtown on Friday and Saturday nights? They’ve provided a near constant source of irritation for me over the years, as I’ve discovered I can only ignore them to a certain point.
Albeit, it’s been about half a year or more since I’ve been downtown on weekend nights, so I’m not certain if they’re still operating in large numbers.
At one point, there was a Baptist youth group amongst the conversion troopers. I had the exquisite pleasure of dealing with two of them one night after leaving Mill Mountain Coffee. The younger of the two proceeded to recite a pamphlet he was holding, at which point I made what some apparently considered a bit of a snide comment concerning the need to actually know what you’re preaching without the use of “Cliff Notes”. I was then asked in what it was I believed, to which I replied, “I’m rather comfortable with Physics.”
The younger kid looked me dead in the eye and said, “But Physics isn’t real. You can’t prove any of it.”
I think it took me nearly ten seconds of stunned silence before I could even begin to respond to that.
Getting more on topic, I think the conversion game is something of a competition between different evangelical branches. Nothing else seems to explain their need to continuously force themselves upon you, even after you’ve made it clear that you have no desire to start any conversation with them.
You use the words ‘ideal world’ which clearly we are always far from. There are always people at all ends of the spectrum ready to either shove their beliefs down your throat or totally ignore you. Personally, I believe having a relationship with Jesus and accepting him as God is the way to go but I would never stand on a corner and shout it. I would never condemn someone because they do not share my belief.
If someone came to me hurting and looking for healing, I’d share my faith. I would share it and let them go. Many people do not understand that. They feel they need to walk them to the alter, force them on their knees, push down the back of their head and say ‘now ask God into your life.’ Some religions are like that and it hurts me. Too many people use religion to control to many people.
JJ,
You’re absolutely right. For something that is supposed to provide comfort and solace, religion is all to often used as a blunt instrument.
Two Points. God never intended for there to be religions. Religion came to be by the divisions brought on by man’s interperetation of His word. Leave it to mankind to complicate and screw up some otherwise perfectly good stuff. Secondly, in order to understand why these folks do what they do, you must understand that as believers they are called to “reconcile others to Christ”. It is more or less the prime directive. Where it goes astray is in the “how” this gets done. When a screaming, 260lb. man paints his half-naked body in Tech colors in 37 degree weather we see him as a fan. His hearts’ in the right place. But still a lunatic. I don’t think he is typical nor do I judge the team or it’s attributes by this moron. Throughout the post and subsequent comments it seems your conclusions are based more on those who claim to follow Him, rather than on what God has to say about himself. I’d hate for you to miss the game with such a great team because of a couple obnoxious fans.
Enjoy your posts thoroughly! Great stuff.
Bob,
Your comment reinforces one of the most common misconceptions about people who do not share your belief in God. We’re not missing the game because of a few obnoxious fans. We choose not to participate in the game because we find the entire premise to be utterly nonsensical. For some reason, people seem to think that non-believers are somehow more susceptible to conversion. The fact is that we are every bit as sincere in our convictions as you are in yours, and we are no more likely to abandon our deeply held beliefs than anyone else.
Give me a Flying Spaghetti Monster any day :)
As an agnostic, I must debate the existence of the FSM. While I believe it may be knowable, there is currently no proof to confirm this obvious propaganda from the atheistic movement.
/sarcasm, of course, just in case someone takes this too seriously.
Or, /silliness, if you prefer.
Matt,
There is just as much proof of the existence of the Flying Spaghetti Monster as there is proof of any other god.
Chris,
Exactly. Which, of course, is why I must question it.
Though, I do have to ask… is there a “Pascal’s Wager” equivalent for the FSM?
Matt,
If I wager that he exists and I am wrong, I am no worse off than I would have been otherwise. If I wager that he does not exist, I face the prospect of an eternity without pasta. Therefore it is only prudent to believe.
Chris,
Hrm. That’s an intriguing wager. While I remain convinced of my desire to have proof before providing faith, I find it difficult to imagine an existence without pasta. This may be a gamble I’ll have to take, just on the off chance there is an afterlife that may contain gnocchi.
I’m with Matt. I love pasta. I’d rather take a chance and worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster so I don’t miss out later. What if I don’t believe and then I die and I found out there was all this pasta up there? Fettucini, macaroni and meatballs, you name it…and I’m in like, Liver Land or something?
http://www.GreenerPastures–ACityGirlGoesCountry.blogspot.com