My Recent (and Short) Vacation

I just got back from a friend's wedding that took place in Massachusetts, and I had a fun time with my friends. They are the same ones who I wrote about in my blog titled, A Letter to Some of My Friends. It was a very nice wedding and reception, and it was a lot of fun. I felt so happy for my friend, and I hope her husband treats her how she deserves to be treated. Absolutely wonderfully!

As I wrote about in the previously mentioned post, I was worried leaving for this trip, that they might act slightly hostile again, or maybe not want to spend any time with me, but I was pleasantly surprised. I had a very fun time with all of them. They didn't act negatively towards me at all. I felt like I had my friends back, and that hopefully they will accept my atheism. I even went to church a few times with them. Those experiences were interesting, but nothing that I didn't already know.

They did a lot of singing in this particular church, and the words to many of the songs are typical. They spoke a lot of god's "love" and how they need to be "lifted up" by jesus, and how thankful they are of jesus. Constantly, they were basically groveling to jesus, and saying how grateful they were. This, I feel, is due to the christian doctrine of "original sin" and how the church makes them feel guilty and therefore, needs jesus' salvation. It's pretty much the same thing as someone coming up and stabbing you, then trying to sell you a band aid, as I've heard it explained before.

I saw some kids there and felt bad how they were being indoctrinated. They didn't get a choice on what they were going to believe.

They had a period where they all were told to go and lay their hands on people who needed to be healed by god, though, no one seemed to care to put their hands on me, and pray that god make my leg grow back. I honestly thought they looked silly doing that, knowing full well that nothing was going to happen, unless it was purely a placebo effect, and a headache is gone or something of that sort.

The second time I went to the church I got to experience their brainwashing first hand. The women went off to learn self defense in one room, from my friend, and all the guys stayed in another room and talked about some passages in Proverbs, in the bible, about how to recognize when a women is hitting on you, and how to avoid becoming tempted, and so you don't "sin".

My feeling is that this session was to imply that they were all weak and unless jesus helped them overcome their sexual urges, they would cheat on their wives. The minister looked right at me, and asked if I had ever felt tempted, or might feel tempted in the future to cheat, by asking how my state of mind was. I said I was just fine, and didn't worry about cheating, because I know I won't. I was amused by his response. He had a bit of a confused, and shocked look on his face, then said how this session might help me by putting me in an even better state of mind. Good save mr. minister. Can't make your philosophy look weak and unneeded.

He was shocked that I didn't admit I was a "sinner" and might get seduced by some woman. This is the thing I don't like about christianity. They never feel that they can do anything unless it is with god or jesus by their side. Their philosophy is very degrading. But it's all about tearing down the person, making them feel worthless and in need of salvation. It was pathetic when we were all to pray in a group to jesus for help in not allowing us to get seduced. They don't have the self control to do it on their own??? I'm sure they do, but their belief system doesn't want them to, otherwise why would they need "salvation"?

They handed out bibles to each of us in that group to go through each of the verses in Proverbs warning you about the adulteress woman. Looking at the bible in this very narrow way, and having the minister lead you through the passages he wants you to read, you do get the sense that the bible is a good moral guide, though I know how the bible was put together, the motivations of the different groups, and the cruel god. For fun, I went to Hosea, in the bible they handed me, and looked up verse 13:16, where god murders women and a pregnant lady, and circled it, and wrote "THINK" next to it, in the hopes that someone might see the cruel god, as is written in the bible, that atheists speak of all the time, and "think" about what the bible says verses what they are told.

The group session was interesting and let me experience their indoctrination first hand. I talked with a few people there and they asked what church I went to, and I said that I didn't go to church. I didn't tell anyone I was an atheist for fear of getting burnt at the stake! Just kidding of course. At most they would just start preaching to me most likely, and maybe a few dirty looks.

In the group session, afterwards, I talked with this one guy, and we were talking about marriage and he was saying how his wife and him would often get into trouble with his father interfering with their relationship, and I said how I could relate because of my mother interfering with my past relationships, and how the bible says that once married a man and woman are now one, and how they alone should make their decisions, with no outside influence.

During the discussion, I was talking about how parents should be free to give advice, but not tell their grown up children what to do, and let them make their own choices. He quickly agreed. I was thinking in the back of my mind how this christian is talking to an atheist about life and how we agree, and how he probably has a negative view of atheists, and that we are just immoral people, with no moral guide. Yet, I came to the same conclusion without the bible, so how useful can it really be?

I was thinking of coming out and telling him I was an atheist and making him see how atheists have the same ideas regarding many issues as christians, but the guy was nice, and I wasn't sure how he would respond, so I stayed quiet.

I very briefly spoke with one man who came up to me and welcomed me to the church. He asked me what church I currently went to, I said that I didn't go to church, and he abruptly turned around and walked off without saying a word. Why did he act like that? Because I didn't go to church I wasn't worth talking to? Prejudice against someone who didn't go to a church and wasn't as religious as him? I don't know why, but he seemed like a real jerk because of it.

After leaving the church I talked to my friend about the group session, after he asked what I thought. I was honest and said how it wasn't really helpful, and that it was mostly just common sense stuff, about just not cheating. He said how, to me, it might be common sense stuff but to other's it might be very helpful. I suppose, but I don't like the underlying philosophy of making a person feel guilty over something which he never did. Hell, even the bible itself contradicts that idea of original sin in the first place!

Over all it was a fun and interesting visit. Some might wonder how I could go to a church and see all these worshipers there and not be convinced there is a god. True, it is a very powerful experience and I can understand peoples' feelings about the feeling of the "holy spirit" going into them, and being convinced by it, but I know that it's all just in a person's head, and nothing magical is happening. After all, I know about their ploys and I am not fooled by them.