I drove deep into Georgia this morning. I came through Sumpter County and saw the tornado damage from last month or so. I’ve never seen any real tornado damage. I’ve seen a lot of trees knocked over, a few signs blown down and one McDonald’s destroyed. I’ve never seen damage like this before. You know how they always talk about how a tornado will touch down, destroy a house and then jump over the next one? Well someone forgot to tell this one to jump. There was a long line of blue tarps and rubble walls. It was pretty weird to see it up close like that. It was almost like a museum piece. No one was paying attention to the houses and businesses. Since this happened a month or two ago I guess it is old news to the locals but I thought it was pretty weird.
I’m listening to one of the many Podcasts I always check out and I’m having a hard time cutting this one off. She is a nice lady and I’m sure she helps some people out with her opinions and all but she’s too wishy-washy and contradictory for me to enjoy any more. I came across her Podcast last year and I’ve listened to every episode she’s put out. While most of it was interesting, she takes an hour to divulge about twenty minutes worth of content. She puts out a show about once a month and for the last four months or so I’ve decided to “unsubscribe” to her feed because she’s just not for me. But, I feel weird about it because she really is so nice. There are Podcasters that I have had e-conversations with but she’s not one of them. I’ve never talked to her but it’s like I’m breaking up with a Podcast or something. It is so weird.
Last week I watched “The Reaping” and in the review I pointed out the two scientists with/without faith. This is the second time this week that someone has pointed out to me that being a Christian is detrimental to your life expectancy. The scientist that had his faith in God was killed. The doubting scientist lived through the whole movie because we had to complete the circle and bring her back to her faith in God. The one that had faith was expendable because he’s already going to a better place and there’s not much character development to explore with him. So in terms of movie plot, being secure in your faith gets you killed earlier.
Also, I once again received that e-mail about a father and son and the son’s friend out on a boat and the seas turn rough. The boat capsizes and the father can only save one of the boys. Knowing his son is a Christian and that his son’s friend is not, the father chooses to save the friend instead of his own son. The story always ends up with someone calling “Bullshit” and it turns out the storyteller was the father or he was the little boy and now he’s turned into the world’s greatest preacher or something. Doesn’t this sound to you like being a Christian is going to get you killed? I can’t ever imagine a situation where (all things being equal) I could only save one person and I don’t pick my child. You change the situation a little and maybe I could pick the friend but not with all things being equal. I mean if you told me that if I tried to save Becca there was a 95% that they would both die but if I tried to save the friend, Becca would still die but there was only a 5% chance the friend would die… MAYBE then I choose to save the friend, but still I doubt it. Maybe I’m not such a nice guy but I believe we should make the best of life as we know it. My lack of faith in a paradise-like afterworld prevents me from making decisions like that one. Why refrain from living here on Earth when there is absolutely zero proof that there is something better waiting for us after we die, but only if we sacrifice what is given to us now? It’s like Monte Hall offering you door number two if you give up the $10,000 you have in your hands. No thanks dude, you keep door number two, I’m going to buy a bike! Door number two could be a million dollars, it could be a cow in a dress. I’m making the best of what I’ve got. If I’m wrong and I do have to face the Christian perception of judgment, at least I can hold my head high and say that I used the brains that he gave me to make the best decision possible and that I lived the life he gave me to the fullest, never wasting one second of it on what might be. But, I don’t think I’ll have to give that speech. Not to anyone with any authority to sit in judgment of me anyway…
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