Rantings of a madman

I'm not a 'religious' man. I think I've said this before, and most of you know that I ain't a church-goer.
Some folks think this means that I have no faith at all. WRONG! I have a sure knowledge of Divinity. I see it in every living thing that my path encounters, from the smallest blade of grass struggling in the middle of a well worn trail, to the quiet dignity of a homeless man refusing to give up.

And I believe in evil. Maybe not some horned dude with a forked tail and cloven hooves, although that image is pretty cool, being an amalgam of evils derived from many religions rolled into one. Kinda like a 'Coexist' sticker for Satan. I see evil every day. You can't turn on the news, or log onto the internet without hearing of some heinous act by someone who is, in fact, evil.

But I don't believe a deity causes towns to be destroyed by hurricanes, as I have heard people say of a small town in Florida that got wiped out by hurricane Ivan years back: "There must have been a lot of sinful people for God to punish them that hard!"

I believe that good works return good results. I believe that sloth and some of those other 'deadly' sins equate to bad results. I also know that most people, including myself (often!) fall prey to them.

I am a quietly unorthodox, inherently spiritual, kind, loving, thoughtful Narcissist. I laugh at kittens jumping off telephone poles while being rescued by the fire department. I think its funny when some woman walks into a fountain because she is texting. I hurt deeply to see a child in pain, whether it is the necessity of having a splinter removed, or the emotional pain that children should be free of. I don't really care about the children of Newtown, Connecticut, other than my overall aversion to ANY child suffering. I could not honestly give a crap that Gabby Whatshername got shot in the head by a government addled lunatic. Life sucks like that sometimes.

I care about people who affect me. Whether I have physically interacted with them, or only know them 'electronically'. I say "God Bless you'" to people who have helped me, and to people I have helped. I am not being hypocritical here, I know the power of belief. And whether you believe in God, Jesus, Allah (The good one, not that 'kill 'em all' bastard), Jehovah or a fucking doorknob, good returns good and evil returns evil. You can only be blessed if you give blessings. Or if you like your blessings, you can keep your blessings. Period. (And be a miserable son of a bitch.)

Amazing how one little article I read some days ago created such a rant here. But what can I say? The voices in my head sometimes get stuck on an issue and won't let go until I let it have it's say.

Here's an excerpt of the article:
Research produced by Arin Dube and discussed at length by Mike Konczal at The Washington Post's Wonkblog suggests that raising the minimum wage within reasonable limits — to a livable level, if not a luxurious one — would result in a net reduction in poverty, contrary to GOP concerns about a loss of employment.
And at a theological level, there is an imperative to raise wages for those who don't earn enough to provide for themselves or their families. Christian politicians like Ryan and Rubio — both confirmed Catholics who have inflected their recent anti-poverty rhetoric with the ethics and language of faith — should get on board. (source)


Some 'research' was produced, and then 'discussed' and now all you Christians out there better pony up some more cash to raise the minimal wage for less than minimal workers!

You want to make a man's pay? Do a man's work. You want someone to give you money for your time? Give value to that time.

Too many free rides. Too many handouts. Not enough give and take carpools and not enough hands up.

I'm gonna end this now. I'm getting myself pissed off. Here's the bottom line: Stop using religion as a crutch to harm others, or take for yourself. Believe whatever you want. But keep it out of my government, out of my face, and don't use it as an excuse for evil. Etc..etc..etc...ad infinitum ad nauseum.