* = Name, gender and title removed to protect the INDREDIBLY GUILTY of blindly listening to and retelling blatant falsehoods.
I hung up on my *. I HUNG UP ON MY *!
This was the first time in my life that such a thing has ever happened. My * has said plenty of insensitive, uneducated and brain-washed things before. "The earth is only 10,000 years old." "Satan was God's right-hand man before blah blah blah (somehow this lead to the fact that Israel is God's chosen nation, and "All the other countries should just leave them alone so this doesn't become a One World Government.")" (WTF?)
So. What got me this time? Blatant bigotry and racism (not that I hadn't heard some of it from * before.)
Now, don't you just love how people will say, "It's not racist, it's the truth!" or some other qualifier to let you know they aren't the ones in the wrong? No. I'm pretty DAMN sure I just heard you say something so offensive that I had to slam down the phone in order to keep myself from screaming at you at the top of my lungs in my place of work.
What did my * say to incense me so? To paraphrase, "He is a Muslim, and they want to GET RID OF ALL WHITE PEOPLE."
!!!SLAM!!!
For nearly an hour after this happened, I thought I might vomit.
Today, * called me to apologize. I returned the call. We picked up almost exactly where we left off. This time I held my cool while scoffing at the racist, brain-washed nonsense spilling out of * mouth. "She is an angry woman who HATES WHITE PEOPLE." You mean her relatives, *? You do realize her husband is half white...?
During this conversation, I came out of a "second closet" to my *. I told * I am an Atheist. When * started to uphold all of the religious, political, spoon-fed, bull-shit ideas, I finally said, "I do not believe in God." I explained my journey to the Land Of No Belief twice just so * won't get the details mixed up in the future. This includes my growing up gay in a very religious family, trying desperately to appeal to God and finally getting married to a woman to "change" me. Hopefully * listened as I explained that I was extremely afraid as a child knowing I was going to Hell because they told me it was so. Hopefully * listened as I explained that I am now free of that fear due to letting go of my "faith." Hopefully * listened as I explained that a great deal of research and thought has brought me to where I am, and has a great deal to do with the way I vote.
Why is it so wrong to try to keep discussions of a human nature here on earth? Why must they always turn to their reasons based on their faith? Do they not realize the circular logic and hoops they have to jump through to justify their bigoted lies? The conversation at one point went something like this (Highly paraphrased, and spurned by the accusations of Islamism.):
Me - "I remember when I went away to college, you were so afraid that I was going to become a Mormon."
* - "Mormonism is a false, made-up religion."
Me - "All religions have unique origins in our history. You just need to do some research to see where your own religion comes from, and the other religions that it is borrowed from."
* - "I believe in the True God."
Me - "Muslims believe Allah is the True God. What if they are right and you are wrong? You do realize that if you had been born in the Middle East, there is a great chance that you would not be a Christian."
* - "Yes."
Me - "But you're going to vote for a Mormon?"
* - "I'm going to vote for a man of God."
The moral of that conversation is... what, kids? Right:
BETTER TO VOTE FOR A (WHITE) MORMON (EVEN IF YOU THINK THEIR RELIGION IS FICTION) THAN TO VOTE FOR A PERCEIVED (ONLY BY THE PEOPLE (AKA YOUR RELIGIOUS LEADERS AND FOX NEWS) WHO FEED YOU THIS BULLSHIT) MUSLIM.
That seems like some racist, bigoted nonsense, no? No matter what facts are presented, people of any god can contradict, dodge, restate and lie themselves blue to get out of a corner or to make themselves feel better. It is some of the most impressive mental gymnastics I have ever been witness to. Would it not just be easier to take your god out of the equation and state your true feelings? The answer to this is no.
GOD IS AN EASY OUT. JUST BLAME YOUR (insert noun of choice such as bigotry) ON HIM.
