Ok, so this one could be a little controversial and possibly even a bit, you know, “uummmmaaaahhhhhh i’m dobbing on you!!” Well maybe so but it is something that I find fascinating and frustrating all at once. And from what I hear on the radio/TV/news feeds and numerous blogs lately I am not the only one ready to throw some preaching, loud mouthed bigot from the roof a very tall building! (you listening Margaret Court?) Geez, that was a bit harsh was it? Well so is “you’ll burn in hell for eternity if you don’t do whatever the church says!!!” Since when in hell did the bible or it’s many spin off series ever say you cannot use a condom or contraceptive pill? Can you honestly see Moses dictating to the monks writing the bible “oh and another thing HE said when I was on that big hill over there, make sure there is a section that tells the minions to stay the fuck way from rain coats and never pop any pregnancy killing pills!!!” Nope, I can’t see it either….
Remember, NO rain coats, NO pills and NO freedom of thought!!!! (source: http://www.cartoonstock.com)
Look, I have nothing against organised religion or the people who believe in it. Fact is that I have even tried it myself on more than one occasion. I didn’t think it would suffice to just try one type, which would be akin to just trying vanilla ice cream and ignoring all the other mouth watering options out there. So I went and ventured into different flavours over the years!! I figured the more I broadened my view of what is available on the market, the more “qualified” I would be to make an informed decision on what flavour I liked best. Sadly for the preachers of those institutions none of them hit the sweet spot in my world to keep me going back as a return customer. Ahhh and there it is, the whole point of organised religion- “return customer”!
Think about that a for minute. Return Customer. They are businesses. Plain and simple. Money making juggernauts. Think Vatican city, the place where the richest individuals on earth, and possibly even the universe, reside. It should have a registered business name and sign on the gate reading The Pope and Co. Even the British Queen is jealous of those digs! Anyway, back on track…. This epiphany that organised religion is about nothing but big business concerned with the bottom line and controlling people, led me to the somewhat vague concept of “spirituality”. I say vague because although the term is gaining popularity and gradual acceptance among the non chemically altered citizens of the world, it is still a little Mickey mouse-ish to a degree. It is a very hazy description of something very personal and very different to each and every one of us.
Ahhh and there is the other epiphany item!! Something that is different to each and every one of us! Wow, imagine how annoying this spirituality caper must be to a card carrying, god bothering extremist. No CONTROL or REVENUE over the individuals concerned. Bugger bugger bugger. Shit shit shit. Damn damn damn.
It seems quite absurd really to think that there are still so many people part of organisations which are of the belief that they alone are correct and that anyone who doesn’t agree with them should be ridiculed, bullied, harassed and even eliminated in many cases. The greatest single cause of death, destruction and wars in human history is indisputable…. Religion. Quite astonishing considering it is supposed to be about love and forgiveness. Shame those two things don’t generate revenue in vast quantities to select individuals isn’t it.
Every god botherers standard pose when being challenged...
Personally I like to be different, a different flavour. Not just because it pisses the god botherers off (although that IS a bloody sweet bonus!) but simply because it is liberating to be free to think what I want, believe what I want and be a good person in MY ways. Surely if there is a God or some sort of deity who had nothing better to do one week than create a bunch fucking stick figures with attitude,
The most famous space slug we know...
then surely he would be impressed by those who do good things, treat others with respect and exercises the free will HE thought was so vital when HE created us? Or alternatively, as a very wise old man once asked me to consider, maybe HE doesn’t give a rats arse at all because HE is just a great big fuckin space slug who’s droppings left unwittingly as he passed by just happened to contain the bacterial building blocks needed for life to spring up on this obscure little rock? Notice I didn’t say “intelligent life”!! Interesting concept though isn’t it? Leads more to the Darwinian road which is more believable really…
Anyway, enough of my rantings! I’m already destined for smiting queue apparently. Just consider that there IS an alternative to the prescriptive, captive and very expensive ideals of organised religion. Consider that there are indeed many many different flavours of spirituality out there, all of them constrained only by the individual’s own power to dare to think outside the Vanilla Vatican, sorry I mean square, and be a good person without restriction and denial of anything fun and mostly harmless in life. Not to mention saving you enough money to enjoy the odd reefer while doing it!! 
Mmmmmmm.....
Just a thought…
mLr
