Random Thoughts

Day 95 (271) – McChristianity

(EDIT: I changed the title because for some reason it was really bothering me that I hadn’t picked the obvious one.)

I generally try to stay away from talking about religion because it’s so controversial, but I recently read a great “blogalogue” between an atheist and a Christian (thanks to Ben Casnocha, from who I found the link) that has prompted me to talk about it (that, and tomorrow is Good Friday – “Good Friday… Sit… Stay!”).

The first thing I have to say is thank you to all of the Christians for creating days in which I don’t have to work. Sure we’ve tried to politically correcticize some of our holidays (schools have “Winter Break” which just happens to revolve around a little thing I like to call “Christmas”), but we all really know what it’s about.

Now I also want to make it clear that I am not trying to criticize anyone’s belief, nor do I try to pretend that I know everything (admittedly, I know very little). And if you are at all easily offended by someone challenging some stereotypical praticing of religion, you may want to stop here.

I think the biggest thing that I don’t understand is how people (in my experience they happen to be Christian, but could be true for any religion) can pick and choose what it is they believe about their religion. The Bible, according to Christians, is the word of God, which is to suggest that its ideas are infallible (though humans wrote it, so the possibility of errors exist, but then makes you wonder if God chose the right people to write it). So then how can you say, “Ok, I’ll believe the whole Jesus thing, but that part about Sunday being the day of rest, or saying the Lord’s name in vain, ehh not so much.”

Sure mistakes in the past (ahem, slavery) are often chalked up to “misinterpretations,” there are plenty of other examples of where there clearly is a pick and choose. I didn’t realize religion was like Burger King and you can “Have it your way.”

“Hi, welcome to McChristianity, what would you like?”
“Hmm, I think I’ll take having a savior who died for my sins, with a side of holidays, and an eternal afterlife to drink.”
“Ok, would you like a strict following of the Ten Commandments or condemning all other religions to Hell with that?”
“No, I think I’m good.”
“Ok, your total comes to: visits to church at Easter and Christmas, and telling people you are Christian despite many of your actions suggesting otherwise.”
“Great, thank you.”

So what’s the other option? It would appear that, with religion, you technically have to take it or leave it. There’s no custom option. A good friend of mine is a strong believer in Christianity, and believes homosexuality is a sin. And he hates that he has to believe that, but he does have to. According to the Bible, homosexuality is wrong. He can’t choose to not accept that part of the Bible, because then the whole thing is null and void.

Now, wouldn’t it just throw a monkey wrench in the whole Bible thing if science were to prove that being gay was inscribed in our DNA, that some of us were “born” gay. How could you then justify homosexuality as a sin, if our creator made us that way?

Again, I’m not pretending to know what’s right and what’s wrong, or that I have even found what it is that I believe in. I’m just a comedian who points out his observations.