My Pal Robert
My pal Robert is waiting for me to open my heart to God and take Jesus Christ as my personal savior. I would if I could, I tell him, but I was given a mind that is taking me along a different path. I tell Robert that while he thinks of God, the Christian one, my view is of a larger reality that performs a lot of deity-type tasks, but is beyond our scope of understanding. Robert is not open to possibilities. He pretty much believes what is written in his Bible, and for reasons of his own believes that I will come aboard his vessel at some point.
I’m honored that he thinks me worth his efforts, but I make it clear that I don’t see Christianity in my future. One primary obstacle is that I don’t have the slightest indication that an all-powerful god would hoist Christianity as his exclusive banner. What about all of those Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and flower children? I would think that a really world-class deity would follow the religion on the bumpersticker that reminds the truly conscious that god is big enough for all religions. That he would love all god’s chilluns, even if they didn’t all believe in him.
I used to refer to myself as a third generation atheist, since at least two of my grandparents didn’t believe in god. Of course, it’s impossible to pass along a non-belief, but I felt very comfortable with the pseudo-Calvinist attitude of live an ethical life, and then moulder in the grave. At some point after I moved to the less cloistered thinking of Northern California, I discovered that there is something going on, even if I can’t type it, and it’s bigger than any religion I’ve heard about.
I should say that living a good life -- contributing as well as consuming — is a pretty reasonable ticket. Heaven wasn’t necessary. Indeed, the description of floating around on clouds listening to people singing and playing the harp was never terribly appetizing. Along with Mark Twain, I wondered why heaven hadn’t been designed to be more appealing. Eternal life is fine, but plunk me down by the Pacific Ocean with access to Beethoven, Mozart, John Lennon and James Taylor, a fine wine cellar, and a high metabolism. Oh, and something to write with.
Robert is a very dear person. His recruitment while persistent is never offensive and is often instructive. A voracious reader, he is ready to substantiate every position he takes, and report evidence he believes will refute my every point. But then we get to the big stuff. He thinks there is going to be a second coming of Christ, which will see all Christians spirited away to heaven, and the rest will be "left behind."
I think what Jesus Christ did two thousand years ago is more than anyone or god should be asked to do. I believe that it is now the duty of everyone who believes in every religion to lay down their edifice and take up the cause personally. Let every person embody the ecclesiastical values they preach, emulating their deity for the good of all mankind.
And that’s SetonnoteS...I’m Tony Seton.