History, sociology, economics, and real state seem to strongly suggest that everybody does, in one form or another. Consider the wealth of our world that is tied up in religious land and buildings! Consider the employment provided by mega religious organizations! Consider the multitudes of temple, mosque, and pagoda goers! I doubt that many of us share Thomas Edison's blatant agnosticism, but we surely must ponder his notorious quip: "Humans are incurably religious".
Sure we can point to hospitals, schools, clinics, water-wells, famine relief, Livingstone, Carey, Brandt, and Mother Theresa. Certainly stars in often very dark nights. But then we are confronted with irritating, frustrating, intrusive, obnoxious, loud religiosity. Loud is "in".
How many travellers in the East have bedded down in an economy hotel, thinking that a peaceful night of rest would be worth the price only to realize that a religious festival is blaring its music into your room through every key hole and crack? Most Asian travellers have experienced the disturbance of a before-dawn un-welcomed loudspeaker transmitting the reading of the Scriptures or prayers in an incomprehensible language.
My picture of Jesus is that of one best described as "meek and gentle". The old movie popularized "have gun will travel". For would-be preachers it is often "have microphone will preach"---LOUD and l o n g.
I find it difficult to be grateful for the youngster in his Corvette who bounces up beside me at a red light and the decibels cause my little car to tremble as though it were the target of 7.7 earthquake. I experience the same challenge when religious folks share loudly what they seem to have too much of!
Religion, who needs it? Especially the "yelling-and-telling" variety.
Oh well, likely just another grumpy day! But, if you have something spiritual that you believe is worth sharing, please don't yell it at me!
1 comment:
Tim found my blog, so I found his and now yours! This post is so right on! We have been discovering the same thing. We went to a church that kept using the word "religion" in a negative sense and I kept getting offended by that until I saw all the yuck religion in me and realized there is a vast difference from religion like the pharisees and saducees, like organized, looks-good but reeks inside religion and following Christ. Still on that journey and I'll never get it perfect, but being able to notice when I'm yelling and how to be quiet, shut up and listen has brought me a lot of peace and the presence of God and what do you know, kingdom things start sprouting up without great effort! I love it when it's a God thing instead of a Me thing!
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