Patterns

     Everyone has a God hole in their head. The theist fills it with whatever brand of God they subscribe to, the atheist with laughing gas. Religion is the ultimate "connect the dots" game. The more apparent the connections, the more faith is reinforced. People love patterns, in fact, we look for them. Man stared up at the stars and saw bulls, archers, virgins and fish. He divided the cosmos into sections, the sections separated the seasons and the wheat grew right on time. 

     Everybody hopes for something better than this life, and the closer to death's door we get, the more real the promise of heaven becomes. The funny thing is the minute you get a promise of heaven's gate, someone comes up with a key that they, and only they possess, and you must abstain, detain, and rearrange in order to use that key. It's great to go to heaven, but it's almost as good to see someone else not make it. So we come up hell, lakes of lava, devils, pitchforks, and cantankerous ex-wives to harass and torture those who were denied the key. 

     The ideas that stem from religion are sometimes astounding to the ones outside the blessed circle. Ideas ranging from eating fish on Friday to holy underwear, caps, shawls and little boxes attached to someone's forehead.  Some of these rituals took centuries to develop. Others just popped out of thin air, like the revival of the faith in the mid 1800s. We Americans were particularly crazy. Everyone suddenly became convinced that the end of the world was just around the corner. 

     People look for a master pattern of life. The closer to that pattern, the better they feel. When the pattern rips they either leave the pattern, or they repent, effectively mending the pattern. Verily, verily I say unto thee, all patterns are man made. The older, more vetted patterns last a long time. The newer ones, stemming from the original last a while. These are "on sale." The Catholic faith is tried and true for generations of believers. Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Westview Baptist church are "on sale." 

     You have to stand back and ask what you really believe. Did Mohammed really fly a winged horse to heaven, was David Koresh really a prophet, did Joseph Smith really find anything on that hill?  Believers get mad when you challenge their beliefs. You're ripping at their pattern. To the logical mind all of these things are blatantly false, but you'll never get past the warm fuzzy they generate for the faithful. 

     In most religious arguments, unless I'm drunk, I'll keep a low profile. It upsets me listening to someone argue about something they cannot prove. And it depends on what they're arguing. If someone tells me they speak in tongues I realize that such an event is between the mind of the believer and the mind of God. When they start with the winged horses and golden tablets I hope they took their medication on time. 

     I know how the Qu'ran, Book of Mormon, and the Karma Sutra were written. I'm a writer. And the reasoning is always the same. How could this person have composed such a work? How did Thomas Aquinas write Summa Theologica? We count degrees and judge intelligence accordingly but a well read, or experienced person can shame someone with a master's degree. Smith read extensively, Mohammed traveled widely and Koresh memorized the Bible. Never doubt the power of the human spirit. 

     Then, there is Jesus. Wanna see how real Jesus is? Just look at all the people trying to rip and tear, and IMPROVE on His pattern. Jesus walked everywhere, never wrote a grocery list, wised off at the high priest, and got himself killed. For two thousand years learned scholars have labored, trying to prove He didn't just get up and walk out of his grave like he had good sense. 

     I'm not going to pick apart anyone's pattern with thus article.  What would I win? The pattern they hold to is all they have, and they're not hurting anyone, so you don't take that away. What do I believe? I believe there's a great big spark in the sky that caused it all. There is no tornado through a junk yard producing a Buick. You can't possibly look at creation and not perceive a creator. Can we understand the spark, moreover can any book or pattern fit? No! The Kingdom is within you. Do unto others . . . If you just do that one thing it will be enough. If books, garments, and winged horses make it for you, that's cool, just don't put your horse in my stable. When someone tries to fit their religion on you it won't work any better than borrowing their false teeth. 

      The American brands of religion are mostly "out there."  Freedom of religion is like baptizing a cat. They sit at opposing ends to the religions playing field, and they've all got "the truth!" Joseph Smith received a revelation telling him all the churches were false. So did Mohammed, David Koresh, Jim Jones and every sidewalk, soapbox preacher looking forward to the end of the world.  The true believers go to church, pray, talk in tongues, and try to follow their pattern doing unto others. As the Master said, "Know them by their fruits." 

     Do I have the answers? Will my teeth fit your mouth? Probably not. This is hard to talk about because you end up ripping at the fabric of someone's life, and that's never good. So, by and large, I keep my understandings to myself. I tell my dog. She's a Lutheran. Most of the time I just keep my mouth shut as they try to dip me in that lake of fire they're so proud of. Peace out!