I tend to agree w/ you that organized religion can be very disconcerting, to say the least. I am of mixed feelings, at best. I am an agnostic in practice.
America is a very wierd place re religion. In many ways we are and always have been a very practical pragmatic nation. We are secularists to the core, in many respects. But there is this strange overlay of religion. So confusing. I have spent years studying religion in America, and have basically given up figuring it out. Europe has been done w/ Christianity since WWII among the masses, since the 18th century among the educated. But it hangs on in this country, a country in many ways more coldheartedly secular than any other on earth.
Being atheist doesn't mean you have to hate or despise Bible thumpers or whatever book that represents thier chosen religion which tells them that there's is the best and everyone elses is bullshit and people who's beliefs differ are going to rot in hell because they chose wrong. People, let me rephrase that, we all ,or I think we all want a reason to know why we're here, what's the point and is there something after this life. I don't know about you, but I'd rather know the truth about the easter bunny and santa claus than buying into, pretendending, or swallowing hook line and sinker, etc., etc. Organized religion came from what started its way with good intentions and like many intentions turned out to be an unintentioned monster, like capitalism, but hey that's my own fucked up view of the world. Not all the the time!!!
Relax, and take 5 slow deep breathes and let some of this shit go if you can.
or maybe your lucky (or cursed) like I consider myself, have your nervous breakdown now, (if you haven't allready, and you'll know) that way you won't have to have a mid-life crisis or drop dead after retiring, or believe you have to go to church to redeem yourself. Either way you/me/ a lot of people are going to feel weird paranoid, cynical, confused, and hopeless about this world. Yeah, but every once in a while when you're about to give up there's almost always some damn little thing that gives you a little bit of hope or joy, that's more addicitve than anything else on this planet.
America is a very wierd place re religion. In many ways we are and always have been a very practical pragmatic nation. We are secularists to the core, in many respects. But there is this strange overlay of religion. So confusing. I have spent years studying religion in America, and have basically given up figuring it out. Europe has been done w/ Christianity since WWII among the masses, since the 18th century among the educated. But it hangs on in this country, a country in many ways more coldheartedly secular than any other on earth.
Go figyah.
Relax, and take 5 slow deep breathes and let some of this shit go if you can.
or maybe your lucky (or cursed) like I consider myself, have your nervous breakdown now, (if you haven't allready, and you'll know) that way you won't have to have a mid-life crisis or drop dead after retiring, or believe you have to go to church to redeem yourself. Either way you/me/ a lot of people are going to feel weird paranoid, cynical, confused, and hopeless about this world. Yeah, but every once in a while when you're about to give up there's almost always some damn little thing that gives you a little bit of hope or joy, that's more addicitve than anything else on this planet.