I dumped religion long ago. I knew from childhood that trying to figure out the truth of the Catholic Church, the Bible, God, and Jesus was all wrong and bogus. Doctrines designed to keep people down, living in mortal fear of God’s vengeance. Under the guise of a cruel joke that false hopes of eternal peace and happiness in a make-believe heaven were indisputable facts. For all faithful followers of Christianity, it’s a bunch of bunk for truth in advertising. Willing converts form a line along the fence. Wait your turn before salvation through the pearly gates. Or, simply opt out, heading in the opposite direction to fire, brimstone, and damnation in Hell. A painful death for every sinner down the line. Those who don’t pray for peace ask forgiveness, confessing their sins, earthly misdeeds, scandalous transgressions, and eternal damnation in some fuzzy afterlife. The path to enlightenment is fraught with detours and dead-ends.
The Roman Catholic Church conveniently washes away all sins, embracing their minions, those hand-picked schoolteachers of the Catholic faith. The sadistic sisters, aka nuns, and perverse father-pedo-priest winos who enforced the laws. Commanding holy orders directly from above, spewed from the mouth of the heavenly kingdom to the ears and hearts of the wretched masses. Most people will fall for anything. There are too many characters in this fanciful spiritual farce.
Rising from the dead, turning water into wine, walking on water, 12 apostles, the Holy Ghost, and the Virgin Mary are main players thrown into the mix. The power to inflict the wrath of God. Handed down by some old guy named Moses who found Ten Commandments carved on stone tablets. There was also a burning bush that talked, feeding the multitude on a fish and a crust of bread. And so, it is written they may be involved in something along the way somewhere up on a mountaintop or the three wise men bringing gifts to a stable in Jerusalem where the Christ child was born. Details are sketchy. But it was a whopper of a fish tale. Let’s see, a guy nailed to a cross is somehow comforting? Oh death, where is thy sting?
I didn’t buy the bullshit or fall for the fairytales. I saw the movie. No need to read the book. Those paradoxical parables they were trying to pawn off. Who’s buying that stuff? Keep your preaching to yourself. Turn the tables over in the marketplace. Whip the money-changers mercilessly. Religion is nothing without moneymakers. Pass the collection plate. Where’s the shame? Under the guise of peace and prosperity for all, that is, only if they’re on your side. My god is better than your god.
The cosmic pendulum of religion goes up and down. Going through the motions of devotion and faith without conviction. To believe in vague promises of salvation, forgiveness, and retribution for eternal life filled with blessings of redemption in some heavenly abode. A place hidden in the clouds. It makes total sense now, doesn’t it?
The true believers lack substance. They have no mercy for the suffering of others. Somehow their god is the only true one. The rest are phony imposters. The first reason for self-righteous hatred of anyone who does not share their own beliefs is fear. Also, the hatred and loathing for themselves because they think they know what it means to have a good life with their homeboy Jesus in the earthly realm. Nobody is perfect except for God, whoever she is. The Buddha of the people. The divine trick of being. Have we been here before? Maybe. Your savior has no clue.
God is great, God is good; there are no gods in this neighborhood. The only genuine proof of earth is that we exist in it. That’s never enough for some to accept. There must be more to life than physical illusions. All the tough questions go unanswered. Why are we here? Who am I? What’s this slimy ooze that covers everything?
There’s no answer, no divine plan. The rule of thumb is the law of the jungle. Survival of the fittest wins the prize. Eat of my flesh and drink my blood. There’s no reward, no parting gift, no pat on the head for a decent job well done. Get what you deserve and forget about the rest. It’s a “me thing.” Please don’t pray for me. Save yourself. I’m already gone.