Ecuperating - Chapter 22

It means they condone the killing of others in that religion’s name. It has been so since the beginning of time. I certainly will not be able to change it. That’s the pathetic part.

“The funny part is in the core beliefs of some of the churches. They all have some ridiculous belief there is a land that is holier than any other land. Hell, they call it the Holy Land! Now, to me, that’s funny! How can there possibly be any part of the land any holier than any other part? Did not God create it ALL? And to fight over possession of the said Holy Land is ludicrous. Is it possible they are unaware that most of this Holy Land is nothing but a desert? Is it possible they are unaware that most of the rest of the land in the world is better suited for human habitation than the so-called Holy Land? I find it to be hilarious. And to beat yourself with chains until you bleed, or bang your head against some wall as if by doing so would bring you closer to God! My God, what stupidity!”

“Actually, it’s not that funny. Millions have lost their lives because of these beliefs. And the churches all still condone it. The Islamic religion still has the belief that killing the infidels is sufficient cause for you to automatically go to heaven, ravishing 72 virgins along the way. Now, THAT should tell you something about that religion’s attitude toward women! Mohammed, they claim, appeared one day when two palm trees or date trees, or whatever trees, sprung apart and there he was! In all his glory!

“Of course, this isn’t near as good as the ‘fact’ that Christ was conceived by a virgin. I can see it now:

“Hey Joe! I hear God got your wife pregnant. Is that right? Sure, I believe you, Joe!”

“or..”So you say he was killed but then came back to life in three days? Hmmm Possible I suppose..

“How stupid can you be, anyway? Hey! If God wanted me to know something, or even if I was doing something drastically wrong, He would blazon it across the heavens saying, Jayne, you piss me off! There wouldn’t be any doubt about it at all. He wouldn’t wait for some idiot to try to convince me from an individual interpretation of an ambiguous statement in some book written by a monk in the middle ages.

“And then there are the people who believe the Sabbath should be on Saturday because it’s the last day of the week since Sunday is the first day of the week. This is funnier yet. Hell, the calendar wasn’t even perfected until sometime in the 13th century. We have NO idea what day started when. Then there are those who believe you shouldn’t eat pork, or beef or some animal they think is sacred.

“The ones who believe the entire ball of wax started some 8000 years ago are also funny. We already know, by scientific dating, the earth is billions of years old.

They are the ones who scream about creationism, and that God made all there was at that time and he could certainly make it so we would think the earth was made millions of years ago. My question is.Why? Why would God do something like that? To fool us? AgainWhy? Again, yours is not to question but to have faith, they claim. Bullshit!

“I have come to believe the only true sin in the world is to refuse to learn what God put there for you to learn. Truth will stand scrutiny. Question everything. Test the truth. Find the secrets of the world and act upon them. Thus I believe we should do all the stem cell experimentation we can. This is God’s will. Not using your brain and knowledge is the first sin. And the last. Believe me, the old saying that ‘if God had wanted us to fly, He would have given us wings’ is more invalid today than at any time in history.

“In answer to your question; ‘What about religion?’ My answer: I think very little of it in its present form. But I will say this. As I have stated about politics…I am a realistic anarchist, I say about religionI am a ‘just in case Christian’. Hell, old king Mumbo Jumbo of the Congo may turn out to be the big boss after all!”

“I’d like to put that entire statement into the piece, if I may!” Brett said.

“It says it all! I think it may be well received, too. A lot of people are tired of the traditional religious beliefs. And women will grab onto it. Maybe. They haven’t in all these centuries. Maybe they still think they actually ARE second class people.

“Your readers are going to LOVE you!”

Brett exclaimed. “But the clergy will excommunicate you from everything. And the Muslims will put you on a hit list. The men will hate you, and a good percentage of the women will too. But then, do these people read? Are they your customers? I think not. You will have the support of the thinking people all over.

“Let’s take another one, how about.”

“Lets not,” Jayne said, holding up her hand.

“It’s getting on and I want to get back in that game. Suppose we go to dinner tonight? How about having it about 7 o’clock right here in the Excalibur. They have great steaks upstairs at the steak house.”

“Sounds good to me. I’m staying right here, so it’s no problem. And it’s my treat. I’m on an expense account after all!”

“You’re on!”

Jayne said.

They shook hands and Jayne headed back to the poker table.