Being in the ministry these many years (since 1959) I have heard a lot of dumb statements concerning religion. At the top of my list is the inane statement, "I just don't believe in organized religion".
Someone with this kind of a mentality surely believes the earth is flat and the universe revolves around the earth. A statement such as this guarantees that my face will go red, my temperature rise, and foam flow freely from my mouth. I am ready to fight and poke somebody's eyes out. It is not the theological inanity that bothers me; it is the stupidity of such a statement. Let me illustrate: I don't believe sports should be organized.
Now just hold on! Think of it. A game, which has no rules. Envision a basketball game using a football. Or a golf tournament using baseballs. A pool table with no pockets. (Would it then be billiards? Remember, I am not a sports nut).
Here is the game. Held in a stadium, the players, any number from three to forty or so, meet on the field. Someone from the stands is elected to throw up the coin for the first something or the other. The ball is round and players all wear ice skates. Or maybe some of them have roller skates or skis. Remember this is unorganized sports.
The ball is kicked, passed, dribbled or whatever, and the teams clash. But the center has the ball !!! He is running toward the basket but changes his mind and runs up in the stands. The fans try to tackle him or guard him and the hockey sticks are flying. He breaks away and decides to go back down on the field and this time heads for the goal posts. But...wait...no! He has changed his mind again. He is heading for the exit.
There he goes with the ball. He is out on the street and knocking down civilians. He is tackled by a cop, but gets up and keeps going. There is a red light, but he runs it and leaps over a passing car. The ref following him calls a foul on the car but the center keeps going.
Where the #*&@ is he going ?? TO THE POOL! He is heading for the pool where he hopes to save the game by doing some laps.
Now before you discard this whole concept just think about it. Our government is constantly worried about our over weight, our lack of involvement in health programs and other health related issues. This non-game will solve that. Look at all the exercise and involvement that took place in this unorganized....not disorganized....unorganized game. The fans were involved, the team was involved and we all felt better when the non game was over.
Now, I ask this jerk who disparaged "organized religion", how about applying that rule to our favorite sport? Huh? Huh?
Interesting to equate religion and sports in such a way, but sports needs rules because there needs to be a clearly defined winner. Religion would serve us all better if it wasn't concerned with winning and losing.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, getting upset when someone says they don't believe in organized religion seems to reveal much more about you than them. If you identify yourself as a religious person then who are you without religion? Or more to the point.. what is your true essence?
ReplyDeleteIf you feel offended when someone questions your religious beliefs then you may feel the necessity to to defend them. But if you do this, aren't you playing the game of my religion is better thank yours? And if you go down this road, aren't you just another fool taken over by religious one upsmanship?
Better to be a spiritual person than a religious one. Be willing to learn and explore who you really are.