Religion and all that implies

With the Rapture having come and gone just this last weekend, i feel this is the perfect start for my blog. Religion is a touchy subject. This is where you make or break friends, followers, voters, what have you. But really, should it be? What beliefs do you hold that demand that you hate a fellow human being? Feel free to disagree with what someone does in the privacy of there own home, sure, but hate the person for a harmless consentual act that has no baring on how you live your life? Why do we feel the need to mock or criticize an idea that doesnt make sense to us? By all means speak out against factions and fanatics spreading lies, hate and death to further their own power or ego, but to those simply believing in a higher purpose? Something doesnt seem to click.

Im not picking on any religion, and im not going to get into specifics. Before anyone out there in internet land gets the idea that im a radical athiest in the vain of Bill Mayher attacking the very idea of religion you might want to stop reading now if youre looking for an on going insult to those of faith. Thats been done over and again, and frankly, its sickening. Is it worse to belief in a god and try to bring others around to your way of thinking in an attempt to "save" them or to attempt to strip them of something thats brought them comfort and a sense of purpose? If youre an athiest, power to you, youve made up your mind. If you feel the need to lash out at those of faith, however, how are you expressing anything but the same blind hatred and stubborn ignorance you so desperately want to hate them for?

The week leading up to last saturday was a source of fear for some, humor for others and for a very small group, hope. I myself made countless jokes leading up to saturdays non-events. Obviously Harold Camping was...misguided... But for as many jokes as i made and though i risked ushering in the end of the world to the sound of MuZac and a whirling slicer blade, it was still in the back of my mind. There was still that thought of "what if".

That being said, as 6pm rolled around the globe like an inevidable earthquake of ungodly terrors, I faced my own judgement day. I stopped for a second and realised just what this "apoco-lapse" really meant and how the reality for these people was anything but a joke. For some it really was the end of the world as they knew it. For Harold Camping and his followers it was a pain that i doubt anyone but they could understand. Their faith, quite possibly the most preciouse thing a person can have (for those who have it), wasnt simply tested, their faith was torn assunder. They removed their children from school, quit their jobs and spent their life savings in many cases. These people were promised heaven, what they were left waking up to sunday was a hell of their own making. Imagin in this economy, no job, no house and no faith to lean on. All these people are left with are RV's painted with giant billboard reminders of why their lives are upside down. All i ask is that these people be shown some respect at least for their conviction to what they believed. Who among us would be willing to do the same for our faith?

While there are some would say this is an indication of the dangers of religion, i say that those who would had arrived at that conclusion long befor these events. No, these events are simply bad investments in the spiritual stock market. We all make our own investment be it athiesm or otherwise and we wont know until the end whether we'll cash out or bust. I, myself, go with agnostic bonds...at least until the market's a little less volitile..

If you actaully read these ramblings than i thank you for your time. Be good

Allow me to Introduce myself,

I am a 26 year white male residing in north florida. A chronic under acheiver, I currently work as a deli clerk for a large, south eastern grocery chain. I cannot begin to explain my reasoning for starting a blog, not to whomever might read it or to myself. One might cite anything from boredom to the tried and true narcissistic idea that people actually care what random thoughts pop into my head on a daily basis...but then again, isnt that what facebook is for? The closest reason would probably just be as simple as the need to justify owning a laptop for something other than stockpiling page after page of long abandoned writings.
Whatever my reasons, here we are so i might as well get to it. Grammatical and spelling errors are sure to be a mainstay, so sit back, relax and read half of an opening paragraph before getting bored. Be good all