All That Glisters Is Not Gold

I do not wish to get into an argument against your beliefs. I don’t wish you ill and I wouldn’t want to insult you. Unfortunately, since I am of the opinion that religion is useless at best and dangerous at its core, I feel that I couldn’t avoid insulting you. There is no benefit in wielding Logic against faith. As long as you choose to believe in god and the power of faith against reason and in the face of contrary evidence there is no hope for my changing your mind. As I am of the opinion that religion is a collection of poorly written fairy tales, I can’t be brought around to seeing your point of view. I hope that you find great comfort in your religion. If you don’t I hope you can wriggle free of it some day. Just know that there is nothing in the world that makes you feel ashamed of yourself that is any good. There is no book written or word spoken that should enslave you. If you are burdened by the weight of god’s judgment, if you feel guilty or sad or unworthy of the blessings he keeps holding at arms length, then know that the rest of the world gives you the right to be happy and carve your own path. Don’t let men control your life through fear. Don’t let them tell you that you are stupid or weak or can’t teach people or lead them. There is not a single man on earth worth your own happiness. Should you remain a religious person I hope you can maintain the loving spirit that you have shown me thus far. Too many people of god are bitter and angry and red faced. I am surprised that among the many tenets set down in the bible, all Christian religions choose to universally ignore Mathew 6:1 - 34. This chapter begins, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others for the purpose of being seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” In essence, saying, “I’m awesome.” automatically makes you not awesome.