The World's Biggest Confidence Game

I know that our great nation was founded on the principles of religious freedom, and that our forefathers were devoutly religious. I live in the Bible Belt, where it seems EVERYBODY is devoutly religious. All around the world, it seems, wars are fought, nations founded, TV stations bombed, or fined or some other punishment, because they either believe in a God, or they don't, or they believe in the wrong god, or call it by the wrong name, or celebrate this god's birthday on the wrong day. I can't watch TV on Sunday anywhere without some rich , slicked-up dude or snotty lady telling me I'm going to go to hell because I don't live their way.

Oh, shut up! I am so sick of these con artists extorting money and time and work ( usually for free) and pitching fear to the masses of people who believe in their words and mannerisms. I mean, really- There's a little man up in the clouds. He sees you when you are asleep and awake and he knows about everything you've ever done, or ever will do. You better be good, because He's watching you. If you're not good, you'll go to Hell, and he'll refuse to acknowledge he knows you. What? There's BILLIONS of people on the earth, war, famine, disease, poverty, abuse, starvation and hate everywhere we turn, and the little man in the clouds is mad at ME?! I didn't cause any of this shit. I'm just trying to hold my head above water. Oh, yeah, and you can't think about doing anything that isn't good and holy, or you'll go to hell. What? I'm screwed, then. I might as well drink, smoke, wear short skirts, cuss, watch legal porn, and enjoy having sex with my husband, then. I don't need to go waste half my Sunday listening to this crap. I'm already going to hell.

Everybody wants to save me. Save me from what? A cheeseburger? I'm already going to hell for the stuff I thought about doing to my brother when he pissed me off when we were kids. ( He should be really glad I only thought about that stuff.) It's too late, Bertha- I refuse to get near the Amen Pew- it makes my butt hurt. Yall know what the Amen Pew is. It's where the snottiest, most Holier than thou people sit and gossip about everybody else, knowing they did stuff that would make a sailor blush with shame. Every time the preacher says something, they holler, "AMEN!" and fan themselves, because they are so overwrought with the spirit. Spirit of what? That hollering backup for the preacher is their only talent? I get calls from people who want me to go to church. I get people knocking on my door, trying to convert me. I get people pecking on my car window in traffic to give me literature, so they can try to convert me. All that makes me want to do is shut the door, roll up the window, and screen ALL my calls. Leave me alone. I don't come to your house to try to convince you that you've been brainwashed since you were born, and that God is a boogeyman used to frighten folks into behaving. So why do you come to my house or car, or wherever and bother me, trying to make me believe in things that aren't real? Man, if you believe that stuff, fine. If it makes you happy and you aren't BOTHERING anybody else, I don't care. But trying to convert me BOTHERS me, and there is the exact spot where your freedoms and your rights end. Leave me alone.

And then there's this concept of hell. They say you'll be burned forever. You'll be dead. Have you ever burned anything? It only lasts for so long. If you're dead, you won't care if you get burned, and if you're burned, you'll eventually be ashes, anyway, so you'll still be dead. Dead. Dead is dead. You only get one shot. Why the hell are you letting other people tell you you have to waste it, sitting on your ass on a hard bench once or twice a week, so some slick dude can tell you you can't do the same thing he JUST did ten minutes ago? To top it off, you have to beg the little man in the clouds and kiss his feet for every little thing. And turn the other cheek when you are hard done by. Sounds an awful lot like slavery to me. You aren't supposed to question, you are supposed to be thankful for everything. Yeah. I'm sure I'll try to be real thankful for that GIANT kidney stone. Please people.

Human beings sometimes remind me of two-legged sheep. If one jumps a fence, everybody jumps a fence. Somehow, mankind has managed to remain superstitious through all these centuries and millenia, and even though Science, Medicine and Education have become so far advanced, there are still enough Sheeple in the world to make a HUGE business out of the biggest confidence game the world has ever known. In a way it's kind of awesome. That so few people can hold such a sway over masses and masses of people, convincing them of the existence of a higher power.

I have another question for you readers out there to ponder: Why is God OK, but aliens are crazy? Aliens come from the sky, and they are far more advanced than humans. No one believes in Aliens, though, or if they do they get laughed at or locked up. But saying there's no such thing as God will get you shot. It makes no sense. I don't know about you, but I've noticed that when things people say don't make sense, they aren't true. Think about it. And keep your eyes open to con games.