Pickled Religion

Imagine that you and I are are strangers. Perhaps I've opened the door for you at the post office once. Perhaps I saw you dancing at a social with a mutual friend. Perhaps we both reached for the same kind of apples at the grocery store, but that's about all we know about each other; we both like juicy, crunchy apples. Now, with that thought in mind, imagine that I unexpectedly knock on your door while you're still in your pajamas. I push past you and run to your bedroom, and snuggle under your sheets. Or I walk into your kitchen, open the fridge and take a pickle out of the pickle jar with my fingers. Or I go to the bathroom with the door open and ask if you can come and turn on the fan. Pretty intrusive, intimate and unexplainable, wouldn't you say?

Well, that's how I see it when people from specific religious sects come knocking on my door reading scriptures from the bible to me. A couple just came to my door. She first asked if she woke me up, but didn't really mind if she had. Her God obviously had a mission. Then she said, "Well, you know why I'm here and I'd like to read from the bible for you." My look of disdain must have triggered the next question; do you have a bible? When I said that I didn't, (It's on my to-do list...one day I'd like to read it) I was asked the next personal, intimate question through her shocked gasps, "DON'T YOU BELIEVE IN GOD? ARE YOU ATHIEST?!" *sigh* Would it have been a sin if I had said, "None of your "beep'n" business?" Or perhaps I could have said, "Would you like to hop into my bed and we can talk about this there since we're getting up close and personal? How about having a pickle first..."

I don't have issue with the fact that this woman has found a religion that keeps her comfortable, and gives her solice and reason. I think that is fantastic. My issue lies in the fact that I am judged and deemed unworthy because my philosophy in that regard does not coincide with hers, and therefore, I am of lower status, a heathen, a sinner, and doomed for all eternity. And I didn't bother to share my perspective with her or give her an argument. I simply said, "I prefer not to share my beliefs with others. It's my own perspective." She walked away with her partner shaking her head, most likely thinking, there's another one going nowhere but down into the firey pit of debauchery.

Little does this woman know how intimately I have been connected to organized religion. Little does this woman know how I was raised. Little does this woman know that I have taken a phenomenal amount of art history courses as well, which always delves into the world of religion. Little does this woman know where my studies took me when I was questioning my faith as a young adult. Little does this woman know what my opinion is today. Little does this woman know me.....

And that's the thing, I don't spend my time throwing my opinion in that regard at others. Who am I to tell others what they should or shouldn't believe in? A person's relationship with their concept of God is so individualized that absolutely nobody can possibly be "right". I once had a priest tell me that if I lived in Poland, and crossed myself with my left hand, (I'm left handed) they would have cut it off. I once had a woman tell me that I am a sinner because I have tattoos. My body is not pure. I didn't tell her that I think she's a sinner because she eats highly processed food or that she uses Saran Wrap. And yes, I can see the hypocrisy in the fact that I am writing a biased, opinionated blog that pushes my opinion on you, the reader. BUT I am not telling you that you are wrong, or bad, or unjust, et al if you do not agree with my opinion here. You simply pick apples from a different barrel, and that's your prerogative. I won't walk away from you shaking my head in disgust of your choices. That would be judgemental.

Isn't it ironic that the universal concept behind religion is to create a sense of peace and unity and acceptance in the world?