Well, there it goes… the first decade of the 2000’s, over.  It’s been good.  I rode two financial downturns… but certainly enjoyed the booms before them.  I traveled, got married, moved around, worked at a few places and then decided it was time to start writing about my past as a religious zealot and why I left it behind, and what I think about all of that now.

While I only started this blog in 2009, many of the things I write about are thoughts I’ve pondered over many years.  The beginning of this decade is when I officially started telling people that I had left my religion, when I really felt like I had left my religion, and was no longer looking over my shoulder for the wrath of the big guy upstairs.  The beginning of this decade was a feeling of absolute freedom… in 2000 I was open about leaving my religion, I left my job, traveled solo for some time and really started to know myself, and… like myself.

While the decade had massive events that were horrific… I would rate this a good decade for me, personally.  I got married, grew a lot in a career I like, met some amazing people who are now some of my dearest friends, challenged myself, got healthy, and did all kinds of other good things.  This doesn’t mean I didn’t have my share of disappointment (getting laid of, twice, during the tech bust comes to mind), but overall, the positive in my life outweighed the negative.  Thankfully.

I left my religion… was open about it… and still had a great decade (in fact, some of my best years ever); and I was always taught that life was no good without God… so, as I go into 2010… I call bullshit on this theory.  I’ve officially tested it, and the exact opposite appears to be true.

Tis the season to give.  To have a heart.  To help others.  To give a damn.  The rest of the year… who cares… but, this season… yes, this one, right now… because Christ was born, you should get a heart and care a little and help a fellow human being out.  You know, just in time to get a tax break.  Because really, what is charity without the tax break??

You know what I saw right underneath one of these feel good ads… I’ll tell you what I saw.  I saw a man, with a battered coat, with nothing more than a blanket and a newspaper, sitting there.  Underneath that sign telling all of us to have a heart.  Telling the world that we should give a damn.  All the guy wanted was a dime, and not one person would even look him in the eye.  While everyone carried their new purchases, and walked down the street and read all of this marketing B.S. telling them to care, they did the opposite.  They. would. not. even. look. a. fellow. human. being. in. the. eye.  Forget the money, how about acknowledging this person exists!

I have lived in various places  and all have had some amount of homelessness.  I generally try and carry some change, but more than that, I attempt to look them in the eye, smile and say “hello.”  Do you know what happens… before I even give them change, their face lights up (most of the time).  They smile back.  They say something.  They look as if they haven’t had anyone talk to them in days.  It breaks my heart.  I can’t imagine not being acknowledged by anyone.  Cannot. Imagine.

I remember when I went on a date during college, the guy was a Christian and told me all about his good works and the mission he was going to go on, and what he already done.  As we left the restaurant, a homeless man stood beside us and asked how we were.  I answered him and talked to him while we waited for the light to change.  As we walked away from him, this guy said, “I can’t believe you talked to him!”

Needless to say, this was our last date.  I mean, the homeless man just asked how we were doing.  He didn’t try and come into our space, he smiled, he just wanted to say hello.  I’ve had worse incidents with busy business people who shove me out of the way to get off the fucking curb.

Why do I write all of this?  Just to remind you… this season… when everyone is cheerful and asking you to give (which, believe me, I’m happy people do), I ask that in addition to giving… look someone in the eye, smile and acknowledge your fellow human being.  Seriously.  You’ll be shocked at how good it feels.

“Curious how many of you out there have had a similar experience. Any things you would now like to claim as your own, and not as a result of God randomly choosing to make it happen for you?”

I’m curious to know why you are curious about this. Are you seeking validation?

Also, now that you are an atheist, are you still going to take Christmas day off this year? What about the exchanging of gifts? Are you still going to have a tree and all, or are you in boycott mode? Just curious

Mark

This is a comment I received, and it got me thinking about why people seem to think that having a tree is solely a Christian tradition, and why taking Christmas Day off is considered celebrating the Christian religion.  So, let me answer the comment above point by point.

1. I’m curious, because I’m sure there are others out there who have gone through the same thing I have and have stories to share.  I’ve been proven correct.  I don’t need validation for what I think about things coming together as I’ve been on both sides of the fence and have hard proof through my own experience.
2. I’m not an atheist.  I have been decently clear on this point on this blog.  I don’t believe there is one guy in the sky, nor do I believe the Bible is the perfect word from this guy in the sky.  I believe the Bible is a historical text, at best.  Now, that being said, I’m not sure that there is nothing out there either.  I’m not convinced that there isn’t some sort of energy that connects all of us.  I’m not convinced there is, either.
3. Yes, I will be taking Christmas Day off this year… it is a nationwide holiday… one that my Company pays me to take off.  It is a great time to spend with family and friends, and I treat it as such.
4. Again, yes, I will have a tree.  Trees and evergreen and holly, etc. are NOT just Christian traditions and in fact many started well before Christianity as a celebration of the winter solstice.  Many pagan religions also used evergreen trimmings.  The Romans used holly wreaths and evergreen clippings in a ritual to celebrate Saturn. (http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_tree.htm)
5. Yes, I will exchange gifts, meaningful gifts.  I like to give gifts all year round, I find that at this time of year, I’m able to see members of my family that I don’t see any other time and it is a great time to give them gifts in person.  Giving gifts is not something that is just for Christians, you know.

So, I’m curious Mark (and any others who feel the same way he does about this topic), do you know that you aren’t even celebrating Christ’s birthday in December… as it has been pretty well agreed that he was most likely born in the spring?  Will you admit that there are MANY celebrations that take place this time of year that started well before Christmas that are as celebratory as Christmas is?

Why are some Christians so up tight about other celebrations taking place?  They have been going on for many centuries… before Christ was on the planet.  Let everyone celebrate, enjoy their families, enjoy the turn of the season, enjoy their religious traditions.  I see the joy that my Christian friends get from the holiday, and it is equal to the joy I get from the holiday.  Why is it that some Christians think they are the only people on the planet who get to celebrate something in the winter?  Get over yourselves… maybe you’ll be able to celebrate more if you just focus on what it is you’re doing, and not so much on what others are doing.

I’ve been working very hard on some projects, and the months of hard work is beginning to pay off.  I’m getting some traction, getting some interest and seeing this happen makes all the late nights and hard work really pay off.  The other night, I got to thinking… when I was a Christian… everything coming together, as it is now, would have been attributed… NOT to my hard work, but to God. Because, things don’t just happen… they happen because I prayed to God about it,  asked Jesus for His hand in it.  Because, under no circumstances should it be attributed to myself, and myself alone.

Now when I accomplish things and see good things coming together, I attribute it to a lot of hard work, a lot of perseverance, and great support from my husband, family and friends.  I do NOT let some guy in the sky take all the credit for something he hasn’t done.

I do think it is a special thing when people, things, ideas come together at just the right time.  But now, I remember something I heard Oprah say a long time ago.  When these things happen, it is not… as so many will say… luck.  It is Opportunity meeting preparedness.  I see that now… more clearly than I ever have.  All of my preparedness is now meeting some opportunity, and it is a fantastic thing.

Curious how many of you out there have had a similar experience.  Any things you would now like to claim as your own, and not as a result of God randomly choosing to make it happen for you?

2 Corinthians 12:9

^{2 Peter 3:9}

The “Giving Kiosk” is a product that makes me go, “Why the hell didn’t I think of that!?”  Not really, because I could never live with myself… but seriously… it’s a little crazy.  I just can’t imagine walking into church where there is a flashing kiosk asking me for my money.

Although, thinking about it more, at least one of the main things the church really wants is now front and center.  They definitely aren’t hiding what they want with one of these cool things out front.

Why GivingKIOSK?

Too many Church organizations do not have the convenience of paying by credit card or debit and losing the ability to capture Tithes and Offerings that the church may not have otherwise received. Checks are on the decline and the Church community needs a way to keep up with the changing landscape of the younger generation. GivingKIOSK was developed and designed to meet this need.

Yep… use your credit card.  Go into debt.  Spend more money.  Oh, and now… feel guilty when you pass by a kiosk, after putting nothing in the plate.

This is pure awesome!

As you’re coming to find out, I love The Fake Steve Jobs blog.  In his most recent post, he points out that even Jesus himself didn’t always tell the truth.  He also points out that those who wrote the gospel contradict each other… and concludes that one of them must be lying:

You go through the whole New Testament and you’ll find case after case where Jesus kind of holds back a little bit, or stops short, and maybe it’s not outright lying but it ain’t the truth, either. Same with the guys who wrote the gospels. How else can you explain the fact that they all contradict each other? Somebody was lying, right?

It’s always nice to see a blogger I love point out the obvious.

Random Bible Verse

Galatians 6:9-10

Politics… religion… politics… religion.

After my last post, I thought about politics and religion.  I thought about how America was founded by a group of men who were leaving their country because religion had become so tangled with their government that they couldn’t take it anymore.  That they risked their life just to get here, and risked it again while fighting to stay separated.  Then, they wrote a document.  A document, that to this day, still stands up.  Has staying power that even they may not have believed was possible.  They argued, they ‘red-lined’, they analyzed every single word.  If you go to the Library of Congress, you can see the real deal and judge for yourself how committed these men were to creating a government that stood for freedom.

When you see for yourself what has been written… what has been fought over… what this country is founded on… I don’t think one can just sit back and ‘let it happen’ to them.  Go walk the halls of the Capitol, go walk the streets of Boston, check out all of the places where major battles took place.  Then, you tell me that you don’t care what happens.  That you won’t question your leaders (a right we all have in America… a right we are EXPECTED to exercise as written in our constitution) when they do something you vehemently disagree with.

Just because I voted someone into office, does NOT mean that I will always agree with their decisions.  Does not mean that I will not question their intentions.  Does not mean I will rest on my laurels and let them do whatever the hell they want.  In fact, if I voted someone into office, I almost feel more pressure to speak up when they are not meeting expectations.

So yes… when I see President Obama, who I voted into office, upholding something that I thought was not good under Bush, I’m not going too all of the sudden change my mind on that fact just because it is Obama.  I am not going to just trust that he’ll do the right thing.  I’m not going to put all of the power in his hands and then just walk away.  Never. ever.  He is my President, and I am the people, and I have my say.  Just because I voted for him once, does NOT mean I will vote for him again.  Just because others think he is the second coming… does not mean he is always right.  Just because the masses nod their head to every word he speaks does not mean what he speaks is truth.  Just because I agree with a lot of what he says does not mean I agree with ALL of it.

I question all of my politicians.  Republican, Democrat, Green, Libertarian, etc.  It is what is expected of me, it is the right I have, it is what those men fought and died for.  My freedom to voice my opinion.  I may not be religious anymore… but you can be damn sure that I will never stop caring about my country or my government or most of all, my freedoms.  In fact, I care even more now that I DON’T believe.  These freedoms are what allow me to think, believe/not believe what I want… openly, publicly and without government retribution.