April 05, 2004

How I Got This Way

After my tirade against "The Passion," I thought I'd better explain why I'm slagging on Christianity, and at the same time thumping the Bible (sorta). I was raised a Jehovah's Witless (spelling intended). For 21 years, I sat in church an average of 7 hours every week, plus an additional 2 hours on Saturdays of door-knocking. Two of those hours were spent in "Theocratic Ministry School," an exhaustive look at the Bible with a unique helping of JW dogma thrown in. Over the years, I think we went cover-to-cover at least five times that I can recall.

I spent my last two years with the Jay-Dubs doing some seriously introspective thinking. I came to a couple of conclusions: they don't know, and I don't either. Personally, I don't feel like I owe any worship to a god who would not only allow the atrocities committed in the name of religion, but who would also demand a human sacrifice via Jesus ("My Father So Loved Me That He Hung Me On a Cross") for the sins committed by Adam ("I Was Framed") and all of his offspring.

Okey-doke. So that's me. Because I spent all those years trying to sway people to the particular form of brainwashing I'd been subjected to, I'm pretty sensitive about now telling people what they should believe. I don't want to make people feel bad or stupid because I find Christianity silly. But I figured it might be good for you all to hear...well, how I got this way.