Episode 51: Politically Incorrect; Approval Not Required.

Hello everyone.

I realize it's been a long time since I've jacked in and given you the lowdown but if you've been following me on Facebook, what you'll see is that I have, in fact been busy. To put it bluntly, I've dealt with getting moved from one location with work to another, having to face saving my boss' behind, creating and implementing the Poor Impulse Control Podcast and the many facets surrounding it. Yeah it's been a long, strange, busy trip.

Still I haven't come here to talk about that at all. I came here to talk about something else. If you choose not to follow me on Facebook, you drop our show as a listener, or you just decide that I'm not related in any way to you, fine.

For anyone whom has known me knows I've been on one long, really weird spiritual journey throughout my life. I've had experiences I can't prove to you, nor do I want to. Write them off, do whatever you want, I don't care. I know what I went through and that's all that I need. It impacted me, shaped me and made me the creature you see before you today. You can say that it did me fuck all good in some situations and I might say you're right. You can say that it was all essential to my growth and, to be fair, I'd have to concede that point as well. You can say that I'm completely insane, irrational and prone to delusion and it is at that point where you had damn well better be prepared to either show me your credentials as someone who is actually licensed to diagnose me with a mental disorder or know your role and shut your damn mouth.

Lately, I've had to deal with a lot of crap about what it is I have faith in. I came from a Catholic background. It wasn't strict or overbearing, it's just the way I was raised. I later became a Baptist and spent some time in that setting. I have to say that I liked them both in one way or another. Later on I went through many many years in paganism and mysticism in a variety of forms. I tried it all out; Wicca, Asatru Paganism, Native American Spiritualism, Dark Paganism and others that I'm not exactly proud of. When I met Misty, I was being pulled back home already, spiritually speaking. Many of my friends and peers saw what was happening to me, I'm sure and if they didn't, then something out there was looking out for me. Going back to my Catholic roots was a wakeup for me. Things were happening I couldn't explain and the world didn't seem like such a dark, black pit of dispair anymore. I have to say, though I've mostly ignored the organizational aspect, I occasionally attend church. I have a copy of the Bible on every electronic device with a screen. I take an eReader and a tablet with me almost everywhere I go and what that means is that I do not ever leave home without it. Do I read it? Best believe I do. I'm curious, fascinated by it. Do I require you to believe it? Nope. Nossir, not at all. You believe whatever you want. If asked, I can give you the information but if you reject it I'm not gonna think less of you. You have the information now you're the one responsible with what you do with it.

I will say this. I am in no way, shape or form Tim Tebow. I don't do it publicly and I'm certainly not saying that I'm the paragon of virtue because I'm anything but. I am, however, working on it. There is a very real possibility that I might be headed for the Inferno wearing High Octane Undies but know that I am working on keeping that from happening.

I do have to concede the possibility that if I go toes up permanently, there may be nothing there but decomposition but the multiple experiences that I have had that I am unable to properly explain tell me otherwise.

Now, with that being said, I move on.

What is the point of this statement? Well seems a photo of Bill Maher was posted to Facebook recently with the following quote:

The irony of religion is that because of its power to divert man to destructive courses, the world could actually come to an end. The plain fact is, religion must die for mankind to live. The hour is getting very late to be able to indulge in having in key decisions made by religious people. By irrationalists, by those who would steer the ship of state not by a compass, but by the equivalent of reading the entrails of a chicken. George Bush prayed a lot about Iraq, but he didn't learn a lot about it. Faith means making a virtue out of not thinking. It's nothing to brag about. And those who preach faith, and enable and elevate it are intellectual slaveholders, keeping mankind in a bondage to fantasy and nonsense that has spawned and justified so much lunacy and destruction. Religion is dangerous because it allows human beings who don't have all the answers to think that they do. Most people would think it's wonderful when someone says, "I'm willing, Lord! I'll do whatever you want me to do!" Except that since there are no gods actually talking to us, that void is filled in by people with their own corruptions and limitations and agendas. And anyone who tells you they know, they just know what happens when you die, I promise you, you don't. How can I be so sure? Because I don't know, and you do not possess mental powers that I do not. The only appropriate attitude for man to have about the big questions is not the arrogant certitude that is the hallmark of religion, but doubt. Doubt is humble, and that's what man needs to be, considering that human history is just a litany of getting shit dead wrong. This is why rational people, anti-religionists, must end their timidity and come out of the closet and assert themselves. And those who consider themselves only moderately religious really need to look in the mirror and realize that the solace and comfort that religion brings you actually comes at a terrible price. If you belonged to a political party or a social club that was tied to as much bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, violence, and sheer ignorance as religion is, you'd resign in protest. To do otherwise is to be an enabler, a mafia wife, for the true devils of extremism that draw their legitimacy from the billions of their fellow travelers. If the world does come to an end here, or wherever, or if it limps into the future, decimated by the effects of religion-inspired nuclear terrorism, let's remember what the real problem was that we learned how to precipitate mass death before we got past the neurological disorder of wishing for it. That's it. Grow up or die.

I won't argue with him on the negative effects of organized religion. Sure there are complete clusterfucked whackjobs out there that are just frothing at the mouth to create discord and using some type of fundamental fanaticism to justify their own cognitive dissonance, however, faith is not so easily written off. I have faith in many many things, Bill and sorry, I have given them thought. My own conclusion was to follow my instincts on them and see where they lead. If they're going somewhere destructive, I have a pretty damned good family both here at home and back down south that won't hesitate to let me know something is up. I have friends who will tell me, "Dude, you got this thing all wrong." and I'm always more than happy to consider it.

But you want to talk about what rational people do, right? Let's do that. To verbally browbeat me into submission to your point of view here, Bill, what exactly is rational about that? Let's see those credentials, pal, I'm not letting you off this hook. Bill, by profession you're an entertainer, comedian and a TV personality. What exactly makes you an authority on what I should and should not think or believe. Last I checked there was still a Constitution in this country and I still strictly adhere to it because I believe in a free and open society where ideas are exchanged. Somehow you're issuing what seems to be a rallying cry to your audience to completely wipe out organized religion. Okay, fine but here's the thing you have completely failed to take into consideration. There are whacked out frothing at the mouth fanatics in everything.

Bill I don't call for a complete teardown of the Battlefield servers because some douchebag can't stop griefing other players with some inordinate amount of C4. I don't demand the shutdown of the Skyrim servers because some basement nerd with far too much time on their hands and nowhere near the parental guidance he should have is up past his bedtime talking down to me. I just don't play them. I ignore them. I don't go near them. At the end of the day I just don't value their opinion enough to get caught up in that. It has no effect on me, it's not mandatory that I play and when I go to work to earn my paycheck, they'll still be losers who can't manifest a semblance of a social life. On the other side of that coin, Bill two of my coworkers play those games and they have a great time. It relieves stress for them and they constantly talk about teaming up. It's obviously doing them some good so where's the problem?

Bill, there are people who go sideways about the brand of car they drive and how dare you challenge the brand of Lexus. There are people who will lose their minds if Burger King stopped selling the Whopper. There are people who will have a nervous breakdown if a TV show is cancelled.

Before simply writing off the majority of these people as the same few dumbasses that pop up claiming to represent the whole, I suggest you take a good look at #4 on the following list:

http://www.cracked.com/article/85_6-bullshit-facts-about-psychology-that-everyone-believes/

As you can see, even rational science has it's sheep and people will adhere to those tenets. Wait? What's that you say? Yes, Bill it is a humor article, that's right! Well I figure a comedian and TV personality comes out with a quote such as yours presenting themselves as the authority (and let's face a fact, you did come across that way) why not use a humor article as well? Besides, have a look at #4 on that list and factually run it down and tell me...is it wrong?

Bill let me put it to you the way I put it to everyone else who knows me. First, you can spark up a crusade all you want. Go ahead and outlaw religion. Outlaw my beliefs. Outlaw my books. Have 'em all destroyed til your heart's content and I guarantee you one thing, I'll believe and practice anyway. I'll read those books anyway. Good luck finding them. You won't have to worry about me, of that I can assure you. What you WILL have to worry about is all the frothing at the mouths whom have channeled "the wrath of God" into themselves and target you. I won't be among them because I'll be busy praying that no harm actually comes to you. You're welcome.

What I also won't do is seek your approval nor will I seek your permission. I'll do what I do each day, Bill. I'll get up, go to work, do my job, get paid (though I do chuckle at what they call pay) and I'll go home to my girl, watch some TV, attend church when I can and work on my projects and if I feel compelled to post my beliefs on the interwebz then I'll do it. If that is a bother, they don't have to follow or be a fan. I don't really care, Bill. I've been past seeking approval since I was 16 years old. Didn't require it then, don't now.

So good luck in all your future endeavors, Bill. Even if it's the irrational fear of something that is protected by our Constitution.