Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Religion

A NOTE ON COMMENTING ON RELIGION

I have my views on religion and I stand by what I say. However if you disagree with my opinion please don't try to harang me with your own version. Just agree to disagree. Flames and hate mail will be met with an appropriate response. On the other hand an intelligent comment will be treated with the courtesy and respect it deserves.


1. God Botherers and Jesus Freaks.


I would vigorously defend any ones right to worship their God as they perceive Him (or Her), whether they be Christian, Jew, Muslim or any other persuasion. However I will also vigorously defend my right to keep my own faith, or lack of it, as my own personal business. I really get angry when some over zealous God Botherer comes knocking on my door and tries to ram THEIR version of worship down my neck. I recently had reason to eject two of these pests from my next door neighbour's home. Two young men with accents actually had their foot in her front door and were haranguing her with demands that she take their literature. The Lady in question is a devout Christian and while I might have  reservations about her choice of denomination I will defend her right to worship as she sees fit.


2. Sects and Cults.


I had a mate of some thirty years standing, an ex serviceman like myself, and a competent and devoted Father to his two children. As happens all to often in this world his marriage ended when his children were in their early teenage years. Because of his commitment to his career, which took him away repeatedly from home, he did not contest custody of his children, he merely had infrequent visiting rights. The wife met and remarried a man who was involved with one of the more outrageous types of  allegedly "christian" cults. By the time my mates older child reached the age of eighteen she was so involved with the cult that she denounced and disowned her Father. My mate was so distraught that he eventually took his own life. How can these cults, who call themselves Christian Churches destroy and break up families in the name of their perverted image of  God.


3. Believers, Agnostics and Atheists.


I have a very good friend who is a practicing Christian Clergyman. I do not subscribe to his particular denomination but that does not debar us from being good friends, we have common interests, we play chess, we fly radio controlled model aircraft, he some times helps me by proof reading some of my manuscripts. The other day he turned up at my door and while we were having a cup of coffee he noticed a book I am reading, the book is written by Richard Dawkins and is titled THE GOD DELUSION. I must admit I expected some sort of negative reaction but all he said to me was he didn't know I was an Atheist.


I had to admit to him that I really don't know what the hell I am. My early years were spent in an orphanage and the local clergyman was typical of his time, all fire and brimstone and God is Great. My life's experience has led me to have many doubts but that damn indoctrination as a child still haunts me. The image of a white, blue eyed God in a long white gown, dispensing love, mercy, benevolence and forgiveness is a bit hard to take when you have seen the torn and bloody bodies of innocent women and children ripped apart by the waging of war. Is there a God? Damned if I know but I fear if there is some sort of Supreme Entity up there He, or She, or It must have a pretty strange sense of humour.

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