You know, I have this theory that organized religion could almost be tolerable if we could somehow just get rid of that pesky human element.
I sometimes have to resist the urge to go up to one of the "devout" and just shake the hell out of them until enough room opens up in their pea-sized brains that a modicum of common sense can sift through. I want to literally smack them in the face with a copy of the Bible and ask them if they've ever actually opened it.
I, of course, do not refer to the moderate believers, the people who are basically good people trying to do the right thing in a very scary, screwed up world. I don't believe a few bad apples can spoil the whole bunch, just like I don't believe a handful of fanatical nutcases should ruin the reputation of decent, morally centered people. I'm directing tonight's indignation against the people who think Jerry Falwell was the second coming of Jesus, okay? Let's be clear.
My husband comes from this crowd, and while I try to play nice with my in-laws, there are times I rage inside about the ignorance and intolerance that abounds. You wouldn't believe the arguments we've had about evolution and homosexuality. One time, his grandmother hatefully insisted that the Christmas song, "Jingle Bells," was satanic and glorified the Devil (yeah, I'm still scratching my head over that one). Another time, she insisted there is no such thing as ghosts. "But, don't you worship the Holy Ghost?" I asked. She didn't appreciate my snarky tone. But today, it's not them I rail against. It's actually the members of their congregation, these so-called soldiers for Christ.
My teenage niece, Becky, who is very active in her church's youth ministry, got shingles. Now, I know not everyone who reads this is medically saavy, so let me spell it out for you in layman's terms. When you get a virus like chicken pox, you rarely get it again. But sometimes, due to stress, a weak immune system, or whatever, the chicken pox virus will manifest itself again. Shingles, therefore, is essentially the chicken pox virus that has manifested itself in the body's nerves. You even get the chicken pox rash, but the blisters follow your nerves. My dad's gotten it several times, and each time he looks like a weird roadmap of blisters, or that one stripey guy on Seaquest. Old people are usually the ones to get shingles, so it's a little unusual that Becky contracted it. Here's the thing, though. If you've had chicken pox before, and who hasn't in this day and age, or at least gotten the vaccine, you're safe.
But as far as Becky's church is concerned, she's the great, unwashed she-demon come down to infect that masses with her evil microbes.
This intolerance really pisses me off. I've battled with it since I married my husband. They think I'm the Devil because I'm a Catholic, and not a very good one at that. I drink wine, I dance (badly, but it counts), I worship idols, I believe in such gosh-darn, irrational things like science, I finished high school, heck, I finished junior high, I'm not married to my cousin, etc. I feel terrible that she's now on the receiving end. See, I can take it because I consider the source. But this church is her whole life, and she really respects their opinions. So it irks me how these people are supposedly her friends, but they are treating her like a leper. They've kicked her out of her youth group and have stopped talking to her altogether. Their parents confronted my brother and sister-in-law, telling them that she shouldn't be allowed to leave the house.
Okay, I understand not everyone's had chicken pox and so yeah, she could potentially infect someone else. Keep her home to be safe. But to treat her like a social pariah for it?
It takes me back to my childhood. I have terrible excema, and when I was very little, AIDS was still a great mystery to doctors. One of the only things they knew about it was that it was highly contagious and that it caused a rash. My second grade teacher saw my excema rashes, panicked, and thought I had AIDS even though I told her what it really was. Incidentally, excema isn't contagious at all. Still, she freaked and launched a crusade against me to get me expelled from the school. She tried to browbeat the principal and she made sure to warn all the parents about me. As a result, many of my friends were forbidden to go near me. I came this close to being kicked out of school. When my mom got wind of it, she brought in my doctor's extensive explanation stating my disease, albeit terrible, wasn't AIDS and certainly wasn't contagious. Still, the damage was already done. And the teacher, even with the evidence weighing in my favor, never quit treating me like a leper.
But that brings me back to the issue of the "devoted." See, the woman who campaigned against me was merely a teacher, and look what kind of trouble she caused in my life. She wasn't an entire church. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Jesus put his hands on lepers without a single ounce of worry for his safety, or one judgmental thought?
Yes, but Katie, that's Jesus. Of course he wouldn't be afraid. God would protect him from leprosy and other contagious diseases!
Okay, in the interest of fairness I can't play the Jesus card, but what about truly good Christians like, say, Mother Theresa? Isn't it amazing that in all that time she touched and hugged lepers, she never got sick with it herself?
Of course, one doesn't have to be Jesus or Mother Theresa to be a good Christian. They just need to open up their Bible and actually read it. I seem to recall Jesus saying something along the lines of the Golden Rule; treat others how you want to be treated. I also remember a parable about a good Samaritan. Gosh! When you really start to look at Jesus and his messages in totality, there isn't really anything condoning hatred and condemnation of your fellow man for any reason whatsoever. I'm just so shocked that Christianity's numero uno religious figure didn't advocate being a douchebag to your neighbor.
Actually, it IS kind of shocking when you consider that so many Christians are douchebags.
The bottom line is, how can you call yourself a Christian if you don't heed Christ's words?
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