BEGIN RANT:
As I have mentioned before, I went to school, ALL of my schooling life, to a Southern Baptist Hellfire and Brimstone Academy. In the age of Facebook, people friend you left and right, people you really have no interest in speaking to again...but you know, the friending happens.
Case in point: I have been friended by various people from my ol school from back in the day, one of them was actually my 6th grade teacher! One particular person that friended me has been part of that school/church her entire life; she is in her late 40's now.
As you may also know, I have been suffering from allergies, which has caused a tremendous amount of snot build-up, which has resulted in a nice, deep, crackling cough.
A few days ago, as an update to my Facebook status, I wrote: "Jessica is coughing up a storm"
I got various responses, such as this from Mama Dawg: "Stop it, dammit!"
Which is hilarious. And then I responded: "Larkin has already pegged me in the head with a paper clip to try and make me stop. I already had half a bottle of cough medicine. What more can one do?!"
I THEN get this response, which is soooooooooooo very Baptist, from a sooooooooooo very Baptist acquaintance of that church/school (incidentally, the sister of my 6th grade teacher...weird.): "You could PRAY Jessica"
I have such a long, drawn out theory on prayer; one that is best discussed after about 3 beers and a lemon drop shot. The statement literally caused my entire body to cringe.
I think it is the ignorance within the religion that causes me to get all twitchy. I personally believe it is rediculous to pray for a cough. Sickness happens. I would pray for a cough as much as I would pray that I make rent next month or that I have enough money to go buy a case of beer. What a sad misuse of prayer!
Prayer for me is very much like what most people know as meditation. It is a time for me to get my mind centered and concentrate on a good energy and think about what course it is that I need to take in life to get where I need to be that day.
All in all, it brought back alot of animosity about how I feel about Christianity. The way that it was presented to me, ALL of my life, was very oppressive. It was taught that I was wrong for feeling human.
As a kid, if I stole something, it was Satan in me and I needed to confess then and there. Kid's steal! You explain stealing is wrong, but scaring a kid into thinking that some kind of satanic force was within them and that this mystical Jesus character was going to banish me from the gates of heaven was ALOT to put on a kid!
It wasn't until I got MUCH older that I realized how much the Baptist rely on fear to control their congregation and to control themselves. It is a crutch for them.
I have kept my Baptist church visitation to a minimum in my adult life. I was privy to such preachings just this last Sunday (as can be read a few posts down) and the message is still the same.
You are covered in the blood of Jesus. You cannot get to heaven without being covered in the blood of Jesus. The ways of this world are not of God, but of Satan and you MUST repent in order to even HOPE to be in the presence of God when you leave this filthy, rotten, terrible, God-forsaken earth.
Here is my deal: God created this world for us to LIVE in, to ENJOY! It is not evil in and of itself, people are. If you are in your right mind and surround yourself with the right people, you are going to enjoy your life here to the fullest AND enjoy whatever afterlife awaits you.
If you are a miserable little shit, then you are going to absolutely hate your life here on earth and I can't imagine an afterlife being much better for you. Simple as that.
I see no reason to constantly put yourself down as being not worthy of God's forgiveness, love, admiration, whatever...of COURSE you are worthy, He created your stank ass, didn't He?
Ah, anyway, this post has gone on long enough and I haven't had a damn thing to drink.
END RANT.
As I have mentioned before, I went to school, ALL of my schooling life, to a Southern Baptist Hellfire and Brimstone Academy. In the age of Facebook, people friend you left and right, people you really have no interest in speaking to again...but you know, the friending happens.
Case in point: I have been friended by various people from my ol school from back in the day, one of them was actually my 6th grade teacher! One particular person that friended me has been part of that school/church her entire life; she is in her late 40's now.
As you may also know, I have been suffering from allergies, which has caused a tremendous amount of snot build-up, which has resulted in a nice, deep, crackling cough.
A few days ago, as an update to my Facebook status, I wrote: "Jessica is coughing up a storm"
I got various responses, such as this from Mama Dawg: "Stop it, dammit!"
Which is hilarious. And then I responded: "Larkin has already pegged me in the head with a paper clip to try and make me stop. I already had half a bottle of cough medicine. What more can one do?!"
I THEN get this response, which is soooooooooooo very Baptist, from a sooooooooooo very Baptist acquaintance of that church/school (incidentally, the sister of my 6th grade teacher...weird.): "You could PRAY Jessica"
I have such a long, drawn out theory on prayer; one that is best discussed after about 3 beers and a lemon drop shot. The statement literally caused my entire body to cringe.
I think it is the ignorance within the religion that causes me to get all twitchy. I personally believe it is rediculous to pray for a cough. Sickness happens. I would pray for a cough as much as I would pray that I make rent next month or that I have enough money to go buy a case of beer. What a sad misuse of prayer!
Prayer for me is very much like what most people know as meditation. It is a time for me to get my mind centered and concentrate on a good energy and think about what course it is that I need to take in life to get where I need to be that day.
All in all, it brought back alot of animosity about how I feel about Christianity. The way that it was presented to me, ALL of my life, was very oppressive. It was taught that I was wrong for feeling human.
As a kid, if I stole something, it was Satan in me and I needed to confess then and there. Kid's steal! You explain stealing is wrong, but scaring a kid into thinking that some kind of satanic force was within them and that this mystical Jesus character was going to banish me from the gates of heaven was ALOT to put on a kid!
It wasn't until I got MUCH older that I realized how much the Baptist rely on fear to control their congregation and to control themselves. It is a crutch for them.
I have kept my Baptist church visitation to a minimum in my adult life. I was privy to such preachings just this last Sunday (as can be read a few posts down) and the message is still the same.
You are covered in the blood of Jesus. You cannot get to heaven without being covered in the blood of Jesus. The ways of this world are not of God, but of Satan and you MUST repent in order to even HOPE to be in the presence of God when you leave this filthy, rotten, terrible, God-forsaken earth.
Here is my deal: God created this world for us to LIVE in, to ENJOY! It is not evil in and of itself, people are. If you are in your right mind and surround yourself with the right people, you are going to enjoy your life here to the fullest AND enjoy whatever afterlife awaits you.
If you are a miserable little shit, then you are going to absolutely hate your life here on earth and I can't imagine an afterlife being much better for you. Simple as that.
I see no reason to constantly put yourself down as being not worthy of God's forgiveness, love, admiration, whatever...of COURSE you are worthy, He created your stank ass, didn't He?
Ah, anyway, this post has gone on long enough and I haven't had a damn thing to drink.
END RANT.
