By Ray

Image by Tomás Rotger via Flickr

Since posting my testimonial, "Religions are ridiculous" on May 23, 2009, I've noticed a lot of "anguish" on the postings to this website. There seems to be a "trend" to leave Christianity and then take up some other religion or belief. Either that, or going "cold turkey" into the world of atheism. Another alternative (which is no alternative at all) is to sit around in a limbo of gloom and examine our navels. These approaches can be bad for our health, and resolve nothing! Remember that God did not invent religion, people did. Watching and listening to people like Joel Osteen at his Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas should be enough proof of that. I doubt if God needs this kind of quackery.

Again, it is not necessary to give up on a Supreme Creator or Ruler of the Universe. But if you have to, then kick back and relax for a while. Get yourself a good bottle of wine (I suggest a white wine), some gourmet cheese and tasty bread. Then start watching some of your favorite movies and reading some fiction books. Take up cooking, gardening, model railroading, sewing, or some hobby. Whatever you do, don't become a religious addict by joining another church or religion. And don't start reading Christopher Hitchens to convince you that you need to be an atheist or whatever. Give your own brain a chance.

Finally, if you find you just can't stand leaving whatever Christian denomination you belonged to or/and church you attended, then pick another one that seems to have some sort of intelligence connected with it. That's going to be a tough call if you go that route, and only you can do it. However, keep in mind that deciding to join up with Islam or some other religion will not really satisfy your religious addiction. Once you have tasted and experienced Christianity (no matter how ridiculous the denomination), joining up with Judaism or Islam (much less Hinduism or Buddhism) could blow your mind out. These outfits are even more ridiculous.

If you do opt for atheism, then don't sit around and gloat, but join one of those organizations (preferably a non nut case outfit) that actively works to keep religion out of politics and education. It does not take an atheist to realize what damage religion has already done when it gets mixed up with politics or education and so on. On that note, keep in mind that there are a lot of anti-religious organizations out there that are as nutty as some of the religious groups they oppose. Good luck to everyone in their quest to find some sanity in the supermarket of ideas out there.