Whenever spending time with a non-believer - there's always that inevitable moment when 'The Conversation' comes up. It's especially fun (and by fun, I mean 'mildly irritating') if its on a first date. It always starts something like,
"So what's all this church stuff you're always talking about? Are you super religious?' with a look on their face like they just swallowed a worm. Or they're a bit more appparently dick-ish and say something like,
'You're going to church tomorrow? Does that mean you pray every Sunday or what!?' ..
Once I manage to wipe the smile off my face (because I've been athiest before) I always follow with something like, 'I'm not religious, but I believe in God.. not because I think it sounds like a good idea, but based on radical realization' or I say 'There are different types of churches - some are religious and some simply promote love and freedom and aim to strengthen the community and provide resources for those who are lost - (though most churches have to classify themselves at least loosely as religious organizations).' Then despite me BLATANTLY stating that I'm NOT RELIGIOUS they ALWAYS (never fails) say this next,
'Yeah well I think religion is the cause of all the worlds problems.. like all the wars and everything." Often these are the same people that would say 'Guns dont kill people, people kill people.' but they don't get the obvious reference.
And then, because I already stated that I'm NOT RELIGIOUS, I re-confirm this by saying, 'Yeah religion actually isn't a product of God, its a product of people that lack the humility God promotes and find it appropriate in their self-righteousness to claim that their interpretation of living life is the 'correct way' and that other people should adhere to the framework of their definitions.' And then they either get confused, or start talking about ISIS or something which is usually a great opportunity for me to smile and nodd and then go balls-deep into my dinner plate. (Look, bro - I just want to eat.)
Anyone who commits crimes against humanity while wearing the mask of religion is operating out of self-righteousness, which is synonomous with God-lessness. And does not prove or disprove God's existence through their assinine actions and claims. They are simply acting in their own free will.
Some will still say, 'how can there be a God if bad things happen in the world,' though I dont hear this often anymore. And this popular question is attached to the belief that life on Earth in the human body is all there is ... the "there-is-nothing-else-and-thats-it-the-end-do-not-pass-go-don't-forget-to-unplug-the-toaster-stick-a-fork-in me-I'm-f*kn-done" mentality.. which ironically denies the die-hard science fans observation that energy is continuous, and that the equation of a circle has no ability to clearly define a beginning and end to existence (or essentially, anything), and the now common fact that if you combine these two concepts, bake them for 20 minutes and then add a little salt and pepper - you find that energy continuously assembles and disassembles across infinitely many dimensions in what might as well be a solid block of black mass.. (so what's the point? The greater purpose of this life still must fulfill itself and you play a role in that.. and if that reason doesn’t motivate you, there is a war on for your human vehicle and you might want to choose who wins) human beings can only depict energy formation across a certain 3 dimensional platform with 5 basic senses that continue to become more elementary as we become more disconnected with nature and finger-f*k our iphones into oblivion (I'm a DROID) as we observe life behind windows from TV screens.. and there is life happening all around us that cannot be percieved superficially by the human genetic code.. much of this extra-dimensional life being projections of our own mind in the absense of faith that we allow to take shape and follow us around and whisper in our ear feeding off fear like parasites (demons) .. a reason for designer angels being set forth off-set the spiritual war - and much of the reason why God inhabited a flesh body on earth in order create a bridge for those who wanted to know how to find their way back to Him in the midst of human bred chaos, if they ever choose (Jesus).
"God, god, who's god? There's lots of God's. which one are you talking about?!" I'm talking about the one that sets people free from the forces that bind them and governs an eternal state of peace that surpasses understanding.
Always in this conversation with the non believer comes the Christianity or the Bible disucssion.. Christianity is evil.. or the Bible contradicts itself.. (its a living document compiling communications and events that speak into individual circumstance and doesnt follow an obvious pattern of logic) And then they say something like, "BUT ON THIS PAGE IT SAYS ITS OK TO STAY UP INTIL MIDNIGHT; AND THEN ON THAT PAGE IT SAYS YOU HAVE TO BE IN BED BY 11:00. WHAT kind OF BULLSH*T IS THIS!?"And I'm just over here like..
saying the Bible contradicts itself is like saying that a Ouija board contradicts itself, in my opinion, because in essense a Ouji board functions in a similar manner to someone who believes in the Ouija board as does the Bible to someone who believes in the Bible, your eyes function as an oracle as you are guided supernaturally to passages that speak into your heart. So its not really that easy to debate the validity of the Bible with a nonbeliever. If you don't believe in it, it might as well be a pet rock. And if you do, it's a world of magic. That's really all I can say. You also have to rub a couple of brain cells together and evolve these circumstances into the the current times where life is a little bit different.
As far as being a Christian.. there are Christian religious devotees AND there are followers of Christ, and they are not always the same people. And following Christ doesn't mean you are perfect by societal definition or that you are obligated to be. The truth is in the matters of the heart.
I always have the question for them.. we watch human beings create life every day in different forms, engineering new organisms in laboratories, creating autobots or whatever you call these wierd twirking robot people, engineering computer programs, genetically modifying organisms, cloning, generating organs from stem cells, reversing the life-cycle of the cell making advances in immortality - but its still that far-fetched for a non-believer to grasp the idea that they might also BE A CREATION. (Ooohh watch out! you're just a creation.. get away from me you creature!) The idea of being created is so disgusting to non-creationists that they will often choose to believe in anything other than creationism because they associate being created with having no proof, or even worse, no power - which could not be further from the truth - its just a different type of power.. and have difficulty in being humble enough to accept that they might have been intelligently designed and set forth on a viable planet by other beings to evolve soul energy through adversity. perhaps even genetically modified by other life forms that study thier vehicle. To these non-creationists humans must be the ultimate being.. there is nothing greater <insert fart noise here>.
Because people are like computers operating on free-will they have the choice to live with or in the absensce of God.. including the freedom to compete with God and do crappy things. And you cant always choose what happens to your flesh body or your loved ones.. cancer.. car accident.. war.. starvation and other products of the earth.. but you can determine the path of your soul and the continuous energy that comprises your being (is anyone else interested in a natural buriel? I don't want to be in a casket).
Instead of always being on the hot-seat as a Christian or a believer or whatever you might want to call me, sitting there chewing my food just waiting to be verbally probed by the person across the table. I'm challenging myself to put more non-believers on the hot-seat every day:
WHAT COLOR IS YOUR UNDERWEAR?
WHY DONT YOU LIKE ONIONS? Do you not UNDERSTAND them?
..is a place like Heaven really that difficult to believe in?
-and-
Athiests will always welcome in my house.. Will I ALWAYS BE WELCOME IN YOURS?
Whit C. Red