You Have the Right to Remain Mouthy

Writing about politics, racism, and social justice, with attitude and a sense of humor. My goal is to keep you woke, thoughtful, and laughing. Sometimes all three. &:^)

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Outgrowing the Fairy-Tale Bullshit of Organized Religion

I Don't Fear Satan or Hell Like Hypocritical MAGA Christofacsists Do

I don’t buy into the whole “Good vs. Evil” supernatural BS. Especially when most people don’t do a damn thing that Jesus taught.
My father was the pastor of several churches during my childhood and teen years. I never thought to question any aspect of the things we were taught. Which is the way most Christian leaders prefer it. I did, however, start to notice patterns of things I didn’t like.
Most of them were vile and difficult to believe. To Hell with that.

Hearing racial and homophobic slurs was somewhat commonplace in our household. Always under the guise of “Well, I’m just joking,” or “Don’t ever say that in front of anyone else.” Nice hypocritical take on things, like many Christians.
It seemed like it contradicted the message of “Love thy neighbor as thyself” and “Jesus is love.” Oh, and “Judge not lest ye be judged yourself.” The one most hypocritical people tend to forget about.
Not this fella. Though I don’t consider myself a believer anymore, I know that if I did, I wouldn’t handle my business in that way.

We were never allowed to go into music stores as kids. I figured the Devil lived there.
I remember not being allowed to listen to music as a kid. When most of my friends were buying albums at Sam Goody and Musicland, I didn’t hear an entire rock album until junior high, Def Leppard’s Pyromania at my friend Kevin’s house. I loved it. I just told my daughter that story today when we were driving, and “Rock of Ages” came on the radio.
I couldn’t figure out why it was bad to listen to the current music of the 80s and early 90s. Yet we could listen to the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, or Kenny Rogers if my parents played those albums. What was the damn difference?
It seemed hypocritical. I remember a pastor friend of my dad’s speaking from the pulpit and ripping on REO Speedwagon one Sunday. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with REO SPEEDWAGON?
I hate to badmouth the guy, but I can’t fight this feeling anymore.

As a young adult, I was heavily involved with the church we attended. As time passed, it just seemed more and more hypocritical and fake. A younger girl flipped off my new girlfriend, who visited our church after I asked if she’d be open to it. What a first experience.
That same girlfriend later stood up to my father in front of our church’s youth pastor and his wife over Sunday dinner, when my father referred to gay people as “fags.” She told him that he wasn’t going to save anyone by calling them slurs. He told her not to lecture him in his house about how to save people.
I jumped up and told him to go fuck himself in front of our youth pastor and his wife, who couldn’t believe what they were seeing and hearing at my folks’ dinner table. We stormed out, and that was the official end of my church career. I was more than fine with it at that point, believe me.
I have better shit to do on Sundays than deal with disgusting, bigoted people. Especially during football season.

We had quite a shocking Sunday dinner one weekend in 1997.
In college, I learned more about life, acceptance, and marginalized people. I was educated about how religion has been used to justify segregation, hatred, war, and greed since the dawn of time. I started becoming a man of logic, not of unprovable fallacies.
Science, I learned, was NOT my enemy. The Earth is not 2000-5000 years old and created because God had Mexican food one night and farted us into existence.

As I aged into my 30s and 40s, I often saw how hypocritical and ridiculous most religious people tended to be. I remember hearing about how the pastor of the last church I attended regularly was caught having an affair with the church secretary. That tracked. I always got a bit of a creeper vibe from him.
At least he didn’t fiddle with my wiener. High School Me had that one under control. I didn’t need a spotter.

This wasn’t the only infidelity that had been going on within that same church. I was angry. How dare these people who judged me for leaving their hypocritical church behave in this way? While they judged us, they were engaging in extramarital affairs.
I just laughed it off and pitied them. As human beings, we are all flawed and make decisions that many would not approve of. That’s part of the human condition. I didn’t give them much thought after hearing all of this.
It’s been 30 years since I left organized religion, and I don’t feel as though I’m missing a damn thing.

Stop expecting things from others and try accepting their differences.
My Bride is a Buddhist. She’s half-Vietnamese and was raised in a non-Christian home. She’s a loving human and a well-respected therapist who helps people with their mental health. If there are a handful of amazing humans left on this planet, she’s undoubtedly one of them.
The second Christmas we were together, she took the time and effort to have Christmas cards made for friends and family. It had a traditional Christmas message on the front and a Buddhist quote on the backside.
My dad threw a little bitch-fit about it. “How DARE she send me a Buddhist card for Christmas!” he whined like a little Ho-Ho-Ho. No appreciation for being thought of, nothing about the traditional Christmas message. Just a big, whiny baby fit and an angry outburst like a petulant child would have. Similar to the tangerine twatsicle of a president he supports.
Well, a lump of coal it is, Bigot.

With the rise of Combover Caligula and the fanatical obsession over him among conservative Christians, I saw hypocrisy at a whole other level. The degree to which people seemed to worship this morally bankrupt, ignorant, cruel coward almost fascinated me as much as it disgusted me.
Most of his followers believe in the Ten Commandments and other aspects of the Bible. Yet they think that THIS is the man whom God has chosen to lead our world. I have to question their commitment to Jesus Christ’s teachings and Christianity.
Somebody give these people the Cliff’s Notes version of the Bible. And read it to them.

You’re wasting your time every Sunday if you’re not being a good human to all.
Claiming to be a Christian or a part of any religion doesn’t mean shit if you don’t have a good heart. Or an outlook that favors acceptance and equality. Ditto if you don’t do things to help people and better humanity.
Religious fanatics of all makes and models kill in the name of their fucked-up, radicalized religious beliefs daily, all over our planet. All over the United States, in fact. And for what? To be RIGHT? Because they disagree with YOUR personal choice about religion or lifestyle choices?
If God is all-powerful and able to do anything, why do we still have war? Why do men, women, and children die of cancer by the thousands, daily? Why are human beings and animals tortured, beaten, and murdered constantly?
And why did a fuckwit like Cadet Von Schitzenpants get elected president? TWICE.

Why would a wonderful, loving god want people to die cruel, miserable deaths if he truly has the power to end their suffering? How does that make us closer to him? Are we supposed to love Him because we fear Him?
That sounds like an abusive relationship if you ask me. If thousands of people are dying daily from cancer, abuse, torture, or anything else horrific, I feel that either your god of choice can’t stop this suffering or, worse yet, chooses not to.
Hell is what we’re all living through here on Earth, not some imaginary place we’ve been taught exists as a way to control us. The way most people treat their neighbors, coworkers, and even family is not loving. Some don’t even like each other very much.

If you’re a good, loving human, I have your back. You’re my people.
My gay daughter, my Buddhist wife, my Buddhist stepdaughter, and I are good humans. We stand up for the marginalized people of the world. We fight for equality. We have good manners and empathy toward all good, decent humans.
For the religious people out there who actually are wonderful humans who help others, this article isn’t about you. I very much admire those who walk the walk, as it pertains to their religious beliefs. I’m happy that you have a religion that brings you peace, helps you treat others better, and makes you comfortable with the idea of a life after death.
This article is 100% for those who are terrible, racist, bigoted, selfish, judgmental, abusive humans. The ones who are hiding under the hypocritical guise of being “Good Christian Folk.” And don’t tell me “You’ll pray for me.”
Pray for YOU. You need the fucking practice.

If your neighbor loves someone of a different gender, respect that and be happy they have love in their lives. If your friend votes for candidates who promote equality, social justice, and programs that help the least of us in society, applaud that and consider a different viewpoint.
Be Christ-like if you’re going to preach your religion to the rest of us. And use it to be a better human being, not to justify your racism or bigotry. Otherwise, don’t be surprised if we find your views to be hypocritical bullshit.
You don’t have to be religious to be a good human. And you aren’t automatically a good human just because you are religious. Let your actions reflect your heart and faith.