Offense - Religion pt. 1

Of anything I've written so far, this is the subject most likely to piss people off... why is that? I've been talking to people and researching it for awhile, and its time to get some of this out of my head. I titled it 'part 1' because it is such a HUGE subject, I'm going to have to tackle it in bite sized chunks.

Religion and Politics are two areas that many people are just unwilling to discuss intelligently. Yet, these are two items that effect human life every minute of every day. Don't believe me? How about when you drove over that pot hole this morning, and said "God Damn It!" Or, when you roll your eyes to heaven when listening to any fucking thing Rush Limbaugh says? Or, that marriage is a state sponsored institution regulating your 'holy matrimony'? (Except for the homosexuals, who are apparently not allowed to exist in either arena.) There you go... several examples of both politics AND religion at the same time.

In just ONE paragraph, I have managed to offend the Christians, the Republicans AND the gays... (ok, maybe not gay people; what I said is true, in marriage, you guys truly get the shaft. HA. Ok, NOW I've offended gay people...) Why is it, that I cannot go into a work place, or a public setting at all, and say something as simple as "I don't believe in god?" BUT, I can certainly shout 'Hallelujah' and 'Amen' at any time at all, because these things are considered 'acceptable'. Why is it ok to be O-fended by my disbelief, when spoken quietly, without fervor... yet, its NOT ok to be irritated by being blessed when you sneeze? How fucking stupid is that? Shouldn't GOD have better things to bless than my snot? Why stop there? Bless me when I fart, piss, spit... any bodily fluid oozing out of me should be worthy of 'HIS' holiness...

Another thing that bothers me about both subjects... At work, it is OK to have a picture of a cross, displaying your religious allegiance... yet it is NOT ok to have a picture of the president. Both could be cause for 'workplace disturbances'. There have been people walked out of the building at my office for their political displays, because it was somehow O-fensive to someone. However, Religion is the leading cause of death the world over... Oh, your doctor will tell you some shit about heart disease or cancer, but believe me, too much religion will kill you fast. Its been killing people non stop since it started millennia ago, and there is no cure.

And the bitch of it? It kills perfectly healthy people! Not just healthy people, but young, strong people... people who could accomplish real good with their lives, yet they have been made to believe that throwing away the only life they are going to get is somehow worthy of praise from an invisible man in the clouds. I'm sorry, but that is fucking retarded. Why spend your life guiding yourself by a strict set of asinine rules so that you will be happy when you are dead? What's wrong with being happy now? Be a good person, because it FEELS GOOD to be a good person! Not because you are afraid of the consequences after you die!! I cannot believe that religion was originally designed to make people feel bad about themselves, and want to die... I think I'll do 'religious design' next time around, I've got some good shit to say about that...

I've talked about being a Buddhist at some point in this column, and in a loose way, that's true. I've chosen a religion that works for me, and I follow as much of it that makes sense to me. AND, I still think I'm a good person, which is what matters... Buddhism suggests not drinking alcohol because it is a toxin, and destructive to your body, which I believe to be true. I also believe that I'll have another beer...

The Angry Man