Our Father...

When it comes to religion, I usually mind my business.  I believe what I believe and love MY relationship with the God I believe in.  I do not knock anyone else’s beliefs nor do I frown upon what I don’t understand.  I have Jewish friends, Catholic friends, Muslim friends, Atheist friends, Buddhists ...you name it…I have had at least a conversation with them.  However, most of my friends and family are Christians.  Therefore, a lot of my thoughts and beliefs and morals and prayers are Christian based.  I don’t go to church, unless I feel like it, and if it behooves me to wear jeans and a T-Shirt that particular Sunday, I am confident that God won’t love me any less.  As a matter of fact, I usually have conversations with Him in my pajamas, so I am pretty sure He is JUST happy that I got dressed.

What bothers me though, are Sunday Christians.  A Sunday Christian is the person that is a sinner Monday through Saturday, and the holiest of holy rollers on Sunday.  Falling out in the aisle, crying their eyes out, speaking in tongues Hallelujah Thank You Jesus ALL MORNING, and then they leave church get in their car and cuss somebody to the floor. The kind of people that play the role of a perfect Christian leader when the lights are on; sharp suits and polished shoes when the sun is out, and as soon as night falls they are in drag insisting you call them Vanessa.  The ones that stand at the podium in front of the congregation jumping up and down shoutin’ and sweatin’ singin’ and dancin’ shuckin’ and jivin’, telling everyone in there the things that are wrong in their life and what they need to do to make it right and be right with “GAWD-UH”, but have 3 separate court dates with 3 separate women, none of whom are or have ever been his wife, for child support hearings.  Or the ones who are respected, by so many people in the community, because they have no idea that your wife and your mistress are sitting in the same row watching you.  

If you are going to be a devout Christian, if that is a life you are going to lead then by all means lead it. I know a few, so I have an idea of what it should look like.   If you, however, are going to throw the bible at me no matter what I bring to you for conversation and at the end of the day you go home and covet another man’s wife on a daily basis, I am going to need you to get ALL THE WAY out of my face with that.  You can’t be serious.  How in the world are you going to lead a reckless life and tell me what I should do in order to be accepted in your world?  It’s not just Christian leaders though.  It is the bible pushing “my way is the right way” Christians that are basically the reason I don’t go to church.  All of the cliques and gossip is absolutely ridiculous.  When someone new enters a church, and is looking to join.  You would think that they would be embraced because they have decided to make God a permanent part of their life and accept Him as their Lord and savior.  Instead, you are met with stares and glares about what you are wearing.  How you live your life and who you are dating.  If you don’t choose the right clique you are talked about and singled out and ostracized. Why would anyone want to be a part of that? 

There is usually a ringleader and the ringleader is usually the worst one.  If it’s is a man, he is usually gay.  Most straight men don’t do gossip.  This gay man is usually very into his faith, knows the bible well, has a great wardrobe and can sing.  He is always in someone else’s business and tells everything he knows.  He will befriend new comers to the church, but this is typically to find out everything he can about you, so that he can take it to the other church hens and decide whether or not you will fit into their clique.  He is the decision maker and usually has secret passageways in the closet where his skeletons are kept, otherwise they would systematically fall out every time he opened his mouth.  Now if the ringleader is a woman, simply put, she is usually making up for the fact that she is in a loveless sexless marriage with a man she is cheating on or is cheating on her.  She is usually very pretty and helpful and sweet on Sundays, but is a flaming bitch Monday thru Saturday because she is miserable at home.

 I love God as much as the next man and the relationship you have with Him is one that needs only to be understood by you and Him.  To me there is no right or wrong way to praise whatever God you believe in or don’t believe in for that matter.  What is wrong; is to tell someone they are going to hell for not living the way YOU think they should.