Coming out of the closet

My pastor was heated to-day.  Evidently he saw a billboard that was an open affront to Christianity.  That's a big deal, I suppose.  I mean, we all know there's a large number of people in America who have some sort of vendetta against the Christian religion.  I get why.  Who wants a huge unified club dedicated to the benefit of it's non-members?  Sounds shifty right?  And all those poor people they feed, and all those countries they send people to, building houses and stuff...

Yeah, they build churches, and yeah they push people to join.  But look at all the good stuff they do!  Of COURSE they want everyone to join!  They've got a lot to live for, and they think you'll want that too!

The religion is built around a belief, and the people who believe it don't always live up to the expectations of this particular club.  To their defense, there are literally people watching Christians just to catch them slipping up.  These are still PEOPLE, you know.  It's not like you're watching Christ himself.  And usually the people that DO join a club like Christianity are the ones who need it the most, so they don't tend to be the best kind of people of their own accord.

When there is an affront on Christianity, it causes poor Christians like my pastor to get upset.  And for what?  From my point of view it looks like that one episode of Glee with the in-the-closet football player.

See, there's this gay fellow on the glee club in this show "Glee" who came out of the closet in the first season.  It is the second season and he is still getting picked on by bullies for being gay.  He confronted one bully in the locker room who was being particularly antagonistic and the bully turned out to be gay as well.  The bully didn't WANT to be gay.  He was in denial and upset about it.  So he was taking his aggression out on Kirt, because he is comfortable being openly gay and that constantly grate on the football bully.  Not that Kirt is being in-your-face about it, it just SEEMS that way because he's got what the football player secretly wants.

That's what I see when I see those atheists going on those talk shows and writing those books trying to show everyone and anyone just what a stupid idea Christianity is.  I mean, they don't believe in God.  They go great lengths out of their way to let everyone know they don't and to convince everyone else not to as well.  They seem do define their lives by their disbelief, which they will say is better than defining themselves on a belief because it's based on understanding instead of faith, and that seems to allow more open-mindedness somehow.  Fact is, BECAUSE they don't believe in God, they don't get to enjoy all the benefits they see those who do believe in God enjoying.  Even smart people get jealous.

I don't like to make a habit out of taking sides, not even in religious matters.  Usually in hot button world religious issues, everyone's just acting childish.  But I grew up in a charismatic Christian sect and my parent's pastor beat into our brains from an early age, like some sort of a prophet, quoting revelations for backup, that there would be more and more lines drawn in the sand, getting all hyped up for some sort of holy war.  I don't think that's really true.

But I do see this: except for my poor upset pastor, most of the Christian believers I know, including myself, are being very passive about religious confrontation - or they react by dissociating with the religion itself.  I will say "this isn't about some theistic government propaganda, we're not that kind of collective.  This is each individual's relationship with our Father and our rapport and support with each other as brothers and sisters."

I am realizing that I might come from a hated family.  Makes sense, we don't have the best history with people.

As I'm writing this, my sister is watching "the Wizards of Waverly Place" and there is a tweenage girl on the screen wearing a steering wheel as a hat.  Nobody is paying any attention to it.  I don't think it's part of the show, I think it might be a legitimate fashion choice in this world.  With Lady Gaga in existence, it might even be a legitimate fashion choice in the real world.  I'm not sure.  Fashion is weird to me anymore.  Now that I'm an adult I only want to dress in argyle and tweed.  Taurus thinks I should wear a steering wheel hat to school one day.  If I do, I will be sure to keep you posted on how it goes.

--J.M. Gatewood
Probability Significator