St. George is a beautiful town filled with endless resources, especially in the way of statements by St. George residents fueling my fire. Today's fuel is sponsored by a co-worker/part owner of the company I work for; we'll call him "Gary". We were touring homes for sale as a group of a few agents of the office. At our second stop, in a senior community, a couple took the time to have a conversation with the group I was riding with. When asked if they enjoyed living here in town, the lady mentioned that their community is strongly political and full of gossip and that she, for the most part, does not enjoy living in St. George.
When we returned to the vehicle, Gary asked us why we thought she didn't enjoy living here. I mentioned that it might be because they weren't "members". His reply to that was, "Only a non-member would say that!" What I should have said is, "Exactly," but instead, I proceeded to defend my statement by mentioning that some neighbors of mine, LDS church members, were all too happy to invite my children to their church functions where they are taught "Mormon Ideals." I went on to say, "In a gesture of reciprocation, I invited them to send their children to my house for two hours of atheist study as well. Let's just say not only was that an end all to conversation with the neighbors, but their kids no longer play with my kids."
With that, Gary said, "Well, if you don't like it here, move." Now I wonder why the couple from New England feels they're not exactly welcome here with their "outside views" and all. As I tried to reconcile this, I realized there must be some kind of religious precedence for this kind of thought and through many hours of research, I found what I think may be driving this sentiment in the Book of Mormon. Jesus clearly states in the book of Moroni 2:2 (I know these are Jesus' words because they're in red) "And it came to pass that Nephites, now the minority in the once great city of Zerahemala, rose up in opposition to Corahor, and demanded that their voices be heard. Jesus," ('cause if you read the Book of Mormon you would know that Jesus came over here too), "standing next to Corahor said, 'If you don't like it here, then leave.'"
As Glenn Beck says on his television show when feeding misinformation to the public, I don't know for sure if Jesus said this or if it even says this in the Book of Mormon, but I'm just saying that, based on this sentiment, it sounds like Jesus must have said this.
(Look for an upcoming post that will reveal the "Republican Jesus" and how many scriptures in the New Testament would need to be re-written if Jesus were in fact a Republican.)
This type of closed mindedness is exactly why I don't belong to any religious or atheist groups. It's too easy to convince yourself of your profound wisdom when there aren't any naysayers in your circle. I encourage outside thought and civil debate of all subjects, and want to remind anyone reading this that my views are based on the environmental situation at the moment. Twenty years ago, I voted for the first George Bush, so based on that vote, I may be stark raving mad!
Now, do I think that Gary is in any way really this arrogant? No; in fact, I'm sure he's somewhat embarrassed at his statement. Nonetheless, I do find it rather hypocritical of him, considering Mormons send out thousands of missionaries every month, (he "served" a Mormon mission) with the expectation that the world is going to open their doors to their message, when, in their very own back yards, they are more than happy to say, "If you don't like it, move!"
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
My Atheist 10 Commandments
It seems where ever I go in St. George, if I dare share that I'm atheist (I only do this when someone shares their belief system with me), they always say, "then you don't believe in anything?" or " you are not, your too nice of guy." So for those of you may be guilty of this incorrect assumption or for those fellow atheist or agnostics that need a place to hang their morality hat, here are my top 10 "Atheist" commandments.
1. Thous shalt not kill. Especially in the name of God!
2. Thou shalt respect all people and cultures equally, for a perfect God, would never have chosen children.
(now if the Jewish authors of the Old Testament had said the Arabs where the chosen children of God, I might believe that!)
3. Thou shalt respect the earth and all it's creatures. The earth is not here merely for human consumption.
4. Thou shalt not proclaim to have all the answers. When someone tells me they have all the answers, its a sure sign they don't!
5.Thou shalt be honest in all business dealings and personal relationships. If one holds their spouse back, they are stealing from her/his soul. If one doesn't give an honest days work, they are stealing from their employer. If an employer doesn't pay an honest wage, they are profiting on the backs of the men and women that ultimately make the company successful.
6.Thou shalt remember that faith is a tool used by those who wish to manipulate others when logic and reasoning are absent. (men usually use faith to pursue power, money and sex) Such as calling oneself a prophet, collecting money in the name of God, using ones position of power to have access to multiple sex partners. Apply this test to your faith!
7.Thou shalt not be self-righteous. Self righteousness is nothing more than mental masturbation.
8.Thou shalt not force ones beliefs (religion,atheism, etc.) on others through legislation or snobbery. (The Utah state legislature or parents that won't let their children play with my children because were not ?????? )
9.Thou shalt not collect money in the name of God. If you do, then put the funds in a bank account until he/she comes to claim it.
10. Thou shalt not believe in God. For there is no God. The proof is in the chaos, violence, and murder that the concept of God creates within the differing cultures of the world. Maybe I'm wrong and God just needs to take an English 101 class so she/he can communicate better!
O.K. so I'm no Moses. But "now a days" with the availability and the strong urgings of my family members to take my psychoactive medications, God has decided not to appear near so often, so I had to make these up "all on my own!" Never the less, I would like to have these etched into granite and placed in front of every courthouse in the nation. To promote myself even further, I would like to sponsor legislation that requires every gun that is manufactured from this point forward, to have part of my first commandment printed on the side, "thou shalt not kill!" Have a great day and may God bless you and America!
1. Thous shalt not kill. Especially in the name of God!
2. Thou shalt respect all people and cultures equally, for a perfect God, would never have chosen children.
(now if the Jewish authors of the Old Testament had said the Arabs where the chosen children of God, I might believe that!)
3. Thou shalt respect the earth and all it's creatures. The earth is not here merely for human consumption.
4. Thou shalt not proclaim to have all the answers. When someone tells me they have all the answers, its a sure sign they don't!
5.Thou shalt be honest in all business dealings and personal relationships. If one holds their spouse back, they are stealing from her/his soul. If one doesn't give an honest days work, they are stealing from their employer. If an employer doesn't pay an honest wage, they are profiting on the backs of the men and women that ultimately make the company successful.
6.Thou shalt remember that faith is a tool used by those who wish to manipulate others when logic and reasoning are absent. (men usually use faith to pursue power, money and sex) Such as calling oneself a prophet, collecting money in the name of God, using ones position of power to have access to multiple sex partners. Apply this test to your faith!
7.Thou shalt not be self-righteous. Self righteousness is nothing more than mental masturbation.
8.Thou shalt not force ones beliefs (religion,atheism, etc.) on others through legislation or snobbery. (The Utah state legislature or parents that won't let their children play with my children because were not ?????? )
9.Thou shalt not collect money in the name of God. If you do, then put the funds in a bank account until he/she comes to claim it.
10. Thou shalt not believe in God. For there is no God. The proof is in the chaos, violence, and murder that the concept of God creates within the differing cultures of the world. Maybe I'm wrong and God just needs to take an English 101 class so she/he can communicate better!
O.K. so I'm no Moses. But "now a days" with the availability and the strong urgings of my family members to take my psychoactive medications, God has decided not to appear near so often, so I had to make these up "all on my own!" Never the less, I would like to have these etched into granite and placed in front of every courthouse in the nation. To promote myself even further, I would like to sponsor legislation that requires every gun that is manufactured from this point forward, to have part of my first commandment printed on the side, "thou shalt not kill!" Have a great day and may God bless you and America!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
The Short Creek Mentality
Utah, with its Mormon heritage, should be the most sensitive of any state to the fundamental constitutional right to the freedom of religion. In the early days of the Mormon Church, many members were persecuted for practicing polygamy and the United Order (an early form of communal living where church members gave all their earthly possessions to the church and in return received what they needed to live as determined by the church). Many Missourians at the time were quick to judge this upstart religion for what seemed to be extreme practices even by today's standards. Nevertheless, no church should be interfered with as long as their practiced beliefs are not in direct conflict with state and federal law.
With this in mind, I find it curious how many local members of the St. George community are against the building of a Muslim Mosque blocks away from ground zero. Their arguments range from, "it simply can't happen and should never be allowed " to "while legally it could be built, its in very poor taste and in this one situation it should not be allowed." This is a direct quote from a colleague of mine and a Philpot supporter in the St. George. Amazingly, it wasn't ten minutes later that he said he was a strict constitutionalists when it came to taxation and the federal government and went on to say that the Obama administration is imposing socialism on the nation. If I'm not mistaken, the United Order is the ultimate form of socialism.
Surprisingly, as an evil, UN-American, pin headed liberal, I too am a strict Constitutionalists. But here is where I differ. One cannot make exceptions to the Constitution of the United States on a case by case basis or, simply put, we would be governed by mob rule. The very essence of the constitution is not protect only the rights of the majority, but to protect the often UN-represented rights of the minority. All of which brings us back to the subject of the Muslim faith and their right, to build their place of worship, anywhere that any other church or place of worship could be built in America.
I certainly understand the sentiment that many Americans hold in opposing the Mosque but I also believe we are an intelligent nation and we are more than capable of seeing through the pundits and their selfish agendas. The pundits play on our natural fears and are all to eager to have us believe that the Muslim faith is based on terrorism and is propagated by Satin himself.
(A quick side note: one day in speaking with a follower of the Mormon faith, I referred to Satin as a "women" just to get a reaction, his replay was, "Satin can't be a women, they're not smart enough")
Having been raised Mormon, I can recall many beliefs and scriptures that my father held true and fast to. Beliefs that modern Mormons distance themselves from or completely deny as having ever been a part of Mormon teachings. The Mormon Church, as practiced by Fundamentalists, is a prime example. The Fundamentalists primarily living in Colorado City and Hilldale are strict followers of Joseph Smiths original teachings and hold the belief that "the church" was led astray by recent false prophets outlawing the practice of plural marriage.
With this in mind, I believe modern day Mormons don't want to be judged by the actions of the Short Creekers (the unfair nickname we gave to the polygamists when I was a kid) and in fairness, nor do the fundamentalists want to be judged by the actions of the Mormon Church headquartered in Salt Lake City. Even further, many Christians take offense to Mormons considering themselves Christian, but I can assure all, that Mormons do believe in Jesus Christ. The lesson to be learned, is none of us want to be defined or judged by the most extreme actions of those within or closely associated to groups or religions we belong to.
This brings us full circle to the argument of insensitivity relative to the construction of a mosque so close to ground zero. While simplistic, the basis of this sentiment is understandable. One can easily look back to a time when the Mormon Church was proposing the construction of a temple in Washington D.C. There were many protest surrounding the building of this temple by many groups, especially by many blacks living in the neighborhoods closest to the proposed temple site. The protests were based on the long held Mormon belief that black weren't worthy to hold the priesthood. A belief that was not abandoned until the mid 1970's. Based on the sentiment behind these protests, women should protest the building of any Christian, Muslim or Jewish places of worship, as for the most part, women are banded from holding the priesthood or positions of ultimate leadership in all these faiths. Incidentally, the Mormon Church did complete the Washington D.C. temple.
Despite our individual views, there is no place for a "onetime" exception to the Constitution and the freedom of religion held within. Fighting for the rights of those with whom we disagree and for causes that don't benefit us directly is the very foundations that makes us a great nation. The founding fathers were wise, but not ultimately so, as they did nothing to address the simple civil rights of blacks, women, and dare say it "gays!" It's our civic duty as flag waving, constitutionalists to protect all Americans Civil Rights. Especially when we may disagree with the very premise of their beliefs, or may be uncomfortable with our stereotyping of their racial makeup and yes, to have never doubted our straightness when deer hunting and spending as much time as is humanly possible with our manly buddies!
With this in mind, I find it curious how many local members of the St. George community are against the building of a Muslim Mosque blocks away from ground zero. Their arguments range from, "it simply can't happen and should never be allowed " to "while legally it could be built, its in very poor taste and in this one situation it should not be allowed." This is a direct quote from a colleague of mine and a Philpot supporter in the St. George. Amazingly, it wasn't ten minutes later that he said he was a strict constitutionalists when it came to taxation and the federal government and went on to say that the Obama administration is imposing socialism on the nation. If I'm not mistaken, the United Order is the ultimate form of socialism.
Surprisingly, as an evil, UN-American, pin headed liberal, I too am a strict Constitutionalists. But here is where I differ. One cannot make exceptions to the Constitution of the United States on a case by case basis or, simply put, we would be governed by mob rule. The very essence of the constitution is not protect only the rights of the majority, but to protect the often UN-represented rights of the minority. All of which brings us back to the subject of the Muslim faith and their right, to build their place of worship, anywhere that any other church or place of worship could be built in America.
I certainly understand the sentiment that many Americans hold in opposing the Mosque but I also believe we are an intelligent nation and we are more than capable of seeing through the pundits and their selfish agendas. The pundits play on our natural fears and are all to eager to have us believe that the Muslim faith is based on terrorism and is propagated by Satin himself.
(A quick side note: one day in speaking with a follower of the Mormon faith, I referred to Satin as a "women" just to get a reaction, his replay was, "Satin can't be a women, they're not smart enough")
Having been raised Mormon, I can recall many beliefs and scriptures that my father held true and fast to. Beliefs that modern Mormons distance themselves from or completely deny as having ever been a part of Mormon teachings. The Mormon Church, as practiced by Fundamentalists, is a prime example. The Fundamentalists primarily living in Colorado City and Hilldale are strict followers of Joseph Smiths original teachings and hold the belief that "the church" was led astray by recent false prophets outlawing the practice of plural marriage.
With this in mind, I believe modern day Mormons don't want to be judged by the actions of the Short Creekers (the unfair nickname we gave to the polygamists when I was a kid) and in fairness, nor do the fundamentalists want to be judged by the actions of the Mormon Church headquartered in Salt Lake City. Even further, many Christians take offense to Mormons considering themselves Christian, but I can assure all, that Mormons do believe in Jesus Christ. The lesson to be learned, is none of us want to be defined or judged by the most extreme actions of those within or closely associated to groups or religions we belong to.
This brings us full circle to the argument of insensitivity relative to the construction of a mosque so close to ground zero. While simplistic, the basis of this sentiment is understandable. One can easily look back to a time when the Mormon Church was proposing the construction of a temple in Washington D.C. There were many protest surrounding the building of this temple by many groups, especially by many blacks living in the neighborhoods closest to the proposed temple site. The protests were based on the long held Mormon belief that black weren't worthy to hold the priesthood. A belief that was not abandoned until the mid 1970's. Based on the sentiment behind these protests, women should protest the building of any Christian, Muslim or Jewish places of worship, as for the most part, women are banded from holding the priesthood or positions of ultimate leadership in all these faiths. Incidentally, the Mormon Church did complete the Washington D.C. temple.
Despite our individual views, there is no place for a "onetime" exception to the Constitution and the freedom of religion held within. Fighting for the rights of those with whom we disagree and for causes that don't benefit us directly is the very foundations that makes us a great nation. The founding fathers were wise, but not ultimately so, as they did nothing to address the simple civil rights of blacks, women, and dare say it "gays!" It's our civic duty as flag waving, constitutionalists to protect all Americans Civil Rights. Especially when we may disagree with the very premise of their beliefs, or may be uncomfortable with our stereotyping of their racial makeup and yes, to have never doubted our straightness when deer hunting and spending as much time as is humanly possible with our manly buddies!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Glenn Beck Supporter
I've decided as a free thinker (liberal to republicans-Tea Baggers) that to survive in St.George, Utah, I must have a forum in which to vent. The following are events as they happened Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010.
I'm sitting at my doctor's office (technically a nurse practitioner's office, and no, don't assume that the nurse is a woman, even though she is). Since I'm a product of this community, I know that sexism runs deep in St. George, as it does with the Coca Cola Company. (My opinion only, Coke, you can't sue me for my opinion.) You see, when Coca Cola decided to produce a drink similar to Dr. Pepper, they made the assumption that Dr. Pepper was a man and therefore named their knock off product "Mr. Pibb". If they weren't sexist and their marketing department didn't think the United States was sexist, they would have named the drink "Mrs. Pibb."
Of course, it's always dangerous to assume anything, as my high school Coach/English teacher wrote on the chalk board the first day of class my sophomore year, "Don't "ASSUME" anything", because if you do, it will only make an ASS out of U and ME (ASS/U/ME). Yes, I did go to high school in the '70s and even graduated! I know that society has evolved greatly since then, so here's the modern day interpretation of ASSUME. To assume some thing, you'd only make an ASS out of UME. UME is more than likely a terrorist of middle eastern decent trying to raise funds for the mosque at ground zero. Or maybe that's just how they would view the name UME in ST. GEORGE!
Well, so much for my attempt at humor.
Anyway, there I was, sitting in the nurse practitioner's waiting area when a couple in their eighties comes in(yes, they bragged about their age; in fact, they stated they were in their eighties and went on to say, "We're too old to work, but too young to die!") The gentleman came over to the table holding the magazines next to me and asked, "Is there anything good to read over here?" I replied, "Well, if you want to find out what's going to happen with the elections a week ago, then TIME is your magazine." The gentleman chuckled and said, "You've gotta be happy with how the elections came out!" Trying to be courteous, I simply said, "I think there's a lot of happy people out there right now." and left it at that.
When the gentleman sat down next to whom was obviously the love of his life, she looked at me and said, "Can you believe Obama is spending $200 million a day to go to India?" Now I know they're Glenn Beck fans and are open to believing anything sputtered out of his mouth. Again, I bite my tongue, which you have to do in St.George at work, the grocery store, in bed (ah, sorry, different sort of tongue action), and so on. Eventually, the frustration builds up, that of not feeling as though you can a challenge this misinformation publicly. So, once again, trying to be courteous and keep public tension from being too high, I looked at the elderly gentleman and said, "So what did you do for a living?" As it turns out, he was a game warden for the federal government regulating streams that run through military bases and, as he put it, "Indian Reservations." (Another sore subject for us liberal Atheist progressionists.) We didn't converse long before his wife went on to complain that neither his retirement fund nor social security gave them a raise this year. (Maybe we should go ahead a give all the retirees a raise and increase the federal deficit further, God damn Obama.) Once again, I bit my tongue!
After that, I was agitated to the point of breaking my unspoken vow to remain civil.
Next, I went to get my brakes replaced on my not-so-liberal car. I knew I'd be there for at least an hour, so I took my new read, "Broke", by Glenn Beck. As I'm sitting there highlighting sections and writing side notes, a gal enters the waiting room with her son and we instantly recognized one another, but were unsure as to exactly how. Finally, after a few minutes of mild conversation, my 49-year-old mind figured it out: she had tried to sell me some ridiculously priced, multilevel marketed health supplements at the Senior Games, at which I had previously volunteered. As I mentioned the epiphany in regards to our connection, she noticed I was reading, as she put it, "Glenn Beck, my favorite person in the world!"
Having bit my tongue as much as I could manage throughout the day, coupled with the fact that the product she was selling at the Senior Games had no real science behind it (and I hate multilevel marketing), I chose to let her know that I was not a fan of Glenn Beck and I was reading it for the opposite reasons she would, subsequently adding that I'm "a real liberal."
With that, she looked at me and asked, "Do you believe in the constitution?" To that I replied, "Yes, and all the amendments, especially the fourteenth." Looking directly into her eyes, I proceeded to say, "So, do you believe in civil rights?" To that, she answered, "That depends on how you interpret the constitution." I simply replied, "Do you believe that all American citizens are entitled to equal rights under law, or do you prefer to pick and choose those you believe to deserve civil rights?" To that, she dared not answer, for she knew she was wrong. I went on to say that all Americans deserve the same rights, especially those of the gay community, as they are by far the most oppressed community right now, and should have the right to marry, to have their spouses recognized in the same light as straight couples."
She turned to the cashier, abruptly abandoning the conversation and proceeded with her payment for services rendered. As it turns out, multilevel marketed ineffective products must not be too profitable, because she was $11 short of being able to pay her bill. I piped up from my chair, "The liberal Atheist will cover the $11 for her." She looks at me as said, "You're really not an Atheist, are you?" I responded, "Of course I am, what else can you be?"
Well, as I've been told before when donating time and money to a cause represented by religion, "God can bless people, even through Atheists." How nice of her to inform me.
With that, the lady left and I proceeded to pay my bill. The clerk said, "You know why she was mad don't you?" as she proceeded to answer her own question, "'Cause she's Mormon."
Now, while I disagree with Mormons on nearly every front, I do believe that it's easy to help those who agree with you and your philosophy, but to help someone who is on the opposite end of the spectrum is true giving.
I'm sitting at my doctor's office (technically a nurse practitioner's office, and no, don't assume that the nurse is a woman, even though she is). Since I'm a product of this community, I know that sexism runs deep in St. George, as it does with the Coca Cola Company. (My opinion only, Coke, you can't sue me for my opinion.) You see, when Coca Cola decided to produce a drink similar to Dr. Pepper, they made the assumption that Dr. Pepper was a man and therefore named their knock off product "Mr. Pibb". If they weren't sexist and their marketing department didn't think the United States was sexist, they would have named the drink "Mrs. Pibb."
Of course, it's always dangerous to assume anything, as my high school Coach/English teacher wrote on the chalk board the first day of class my sophomore year, "Don't "ASSUME" anything", because if you do, it will only make an ASS out of U and ME (ASS/U/ME). Yes, I did go to high school in the '70s and even graduated! I know that society has evolved greatly since then, so here's the modern day interpretation of ASSUME. To assume some thing, you'd only make an ASS out of UME. UME is more than likely a terrorist of middle eastern decent trying to raise funds for the mosque at ground zero. Or maybe that's just how they would view the name UME in ST. GEORGE!
Well, so much for my attempt at humor.
Anyway, there I was, sitting in the nurse practitioner's waiting area when a couple in their eighties comes in(yes, they bragged about their age; in fact, they stated they were in their eighties and went on to say, "We're too old to work, but too young to die!") The gentleman came over to the table holding the magazines next to me and asked, "Is there anything good to read over here?" I replied, "Well, if you want to find out what's going to happen with the elections a week ago, then TIME is your magazine." The gentleman chuckled and said, "You've gotta be happy with how the elections came out!" Trying to be courteous, I simply said, "I think there's a lot of happy people out there right now." and left it at that.
When the gentleman sat down next to whom was obviously the love of his life, she looked at me and said, "Can you believe Obama is spending $200 million a day to go to India?" Now I know they're Glenn Beck fans and are open to believing anything sputtered out of his mouth. Again, I bite my tongue, which you have to do in St.George at work, the grocery store, in bed (ah, sorry, different sort of tongue action), and so on. Eventually, the frustration builds up, that of not feeling as though you can a challenge this misinformation publicly. So, once again, trying to be courteous and keep public tension from being too high, I looked at the elderly gentleman and said, "So what did you do for a living?" As it turns out, he was a game warden for the federal government regulating streams that run through military bases and, as he put it, "Indian Reservations." (Another sore subject for us liberal Atheist progressionists.) We didn't converse long before his wife went on to complain that neither his retirement fund nor social security gave them a raise this year. (Maybe we should go ahead a give all the retirees a raise and increase the federal deficit further, God damn Obama.) Once again, I bit my tongue!
After that, I was agitated to the point of breaking my unspoken vow to remain civil.
Next, I went to get my brakes replaced on my not-so-liberal car. I knew I'd be there for at least an hour, so I took my new read, "Broke", by Glenn Beck. As I'm sitting there highlighting sections and writing side notes, a gal enters the waiting room with her son and we instantly recognized one another, but were unsure as to exactly how. Finally, after a few minutes of mild conversation, my 49-year-old mind figured it out: she had tried to sell me some ridiculously priced, multilevel marketed health supplements at the Senior Games, at which I had previously volunteered. As I mentioned the epiphany in regards to our connection, she noticed I was reading, as she put it, "Glenn Beck, my favorite person in the world!"
Having bit my tongue as much as I could manage throughout the day, coupled with the fact that the product she was selling at the Senior Games had no real science behind it (and I hate multilevel marketing), I chose to let her know that I was not a fan of Glenn Beck and I was reading it for the opposite reasons she would, subsequently adding that I'm "a real liberal."
With that, she looked at me and asked, "Do you believe in the constitution?" To that I replied, "Yes, and all the amendments, especially the fourteenth." Looking directly into her eyes, I proceeded to say, "So, do you believe in civil rights?" To that, she answered, "That depends on how you interpret the constitution." I simply replied, "Do you believe that all American citizens are entitled to equal rights under law, or do you prefer to pick and choose those you believe to deserve civil rights?" To that, she dared not answer, for she knew she was wrong. I went on to say that all Americans deserve the same rights, especially those of the gay community, as they are by far the most oppressed community right now, and should have the right to marry, to have their spouses recognized in the same light as straight couples."
She turned to the cashier, abruptly abandoning the conversation and proceeded with her payment for services rendered. As it turns out, multilevel marketed ineffective products must not be too profitable, because she was $11 short of being able to pay her bill. I piped up from my chair, "The liberal Atheist will cover the $11 for her." She looks at me as said, "You're really not an Atheist, are you?" I responded, "Of course I am, what else can you be?"
Well, as I've been told before when donating time and money to a cause represented by religion, "God can bless people, even through Atheists." How nice of her to inform me.
With that, the lady left and I proceeded to pay my bill. The clerk said, "You know why she was mad don't you?" as she proceeded to answer her own question, "'Cause she's Mormon."
Now, while I disagree with Mormons on nearly every front, I do believe that it's easy to help those who agree with you and your philosophy, but to help someone who is on the opposite end of the spectrum is true giving.
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