He's My God, and I'll Praise Him Out Loud if I Want To...

I try to keep the subject of religion out of this space. In my opinion, religion is one of the most divisive influences in society today. That’s the major reason why you will always hear me say that I am spiritual, not necessarily religious. I am not ashamed of my religion, mind you. I proudly plan to leave this physical realm an Anglican (be it practicing or non-practicing). I also respect everyone else’s religious beliefs. Unquestioningly. However, every now and again, someone comes along who feels the need to try and impose their doctrine on me. And each and every time, it unerringly makes me want to slap the shit out of them. I had one such moment about a month ago.


My idea of God is a bit unconventional (see here for an idea and here for a visual). I see him as a more of a benevolent father-figure, guiding us through life with our best interests in mind, than a fire-and-brimstone wielding tyrant, waiting to strike us down at the slightest indiscretion. That does not mean that I believe not listening to him is without consequence. There are always ramifications. I just believe he is way more loving and forgiving than a lot of people give him credit for. So with that mindset, I posted the following FB status one day:

“Chad Hall thinks that God should stick to his day job, cuz he sucks as a comedian.”

I got some comments of course, most of them of the concerned variety. And then came the comment that literally made me want to perpetrate the above-mentioned violence on the poster:

FB “Friend”: “some things are better left unsaid…”

(ok, gimme a sec, fighting urge to rant uncontrollably in uncommonly foul language…)

(…)

(and I’m good...)

I won’t even begin to address the fact that this person came on to MY fb page, to tell me that I shouldn’t post MY thoughts and MY beliefs there. That goes without saying. The part that really drove my ire, is the implication that because my beliefs don’t dovetail nicely with theirs, they are irrelevant and thus should not even be aired in open. In short, due to their belief, they are superior to me. Really? Is that how it works now? I’m not allowed to even question God anymore? Really? Not even a “God, where are you going with this?” I’m not doubting his method, ya know, I’m just asking politely. The last time I checked, Job told God he sucked once. And look how it worked out for him. So, is that what’s really popping in the streets now? Your way is the only way, so I should just shut the hell up about what my beliefs are? Wow…

The sad thing is that stuff like this is not an isolated event even today. In this age of freedom and equal rights, there are still people who place their personal religious beliefs over the basic human rights of other people. I constantly get into arguments with co-workers over simple matters like gay rights. For example, the image above is largely used to represent spiritualism, instead of any one religion. It signifies, to me, that all religions have their pluses and minuses. Even though the bedrock of my belief is Christianity, that does not mean that I hold those tenets to be superior to any other religion or faith. I also have the image as the background on my phone. I showed it to a co-worker who is staunchly catholic. He recoiled as though I had just shown him a pentagram. When I asked him what the issue was, his response was that the image struck him as being “weird”. I guess the implication that I wasn’t strictly beholden to any one particular set of religious ideals, but a basic cornucopia with Christianity as the foundation, unsettled him. In short, I put him outside his comfort zone religiously, and his instant reaction was to reject (to the point where he physically reacted) the notion that there may be other ideas of what God might be like outside of what he believes. And I find that strangely sad and depressing.

I am not trying to get anyone to change their beliefs. I am not trying to start a movement. Hell, you don’t even have to agree with what I believe. I don’t care. My beliefs are exactly that: my beliefs. I am finding my own path to God and Godliness, you need to find yours. But do not tell me that my faith is irrelevant because it does not follow your tenets. Do not assert authority over me because my vision of God does not fit nicely into your doctrine. Even a hate-mongerer is entitled to his opinion, and the right to express it (as long as he's tasteful). You don’t know for sure, as much as I don’t know for sure. That’s why it’s called a belief and not a fact. But I’ll leave you with this little messed up thought: for all the time you spend beating down my beliefs, and thumping your chest and your Bible while pushing your religious fervor on me, what if we’re both wrong, and the Jehovah Witnesses* were right all along????

*Witnesses believe that only 144,000 of us are getting into heaven. Period. Total. Don't ask me about the math.