Should We Be Afraid? Should We Be Very Afraid?

Which of the following scenarios is more likely to occur in your life?  What is reasonable fear?  Fear of --well, you decide.

You get struck by lightning.

Twice.

You get kidnapped for a ransom.  Not nearly as likely in today's economy because no one can afford to pay a ransom..

You are mugged on the street of your hometown.  Okay, if you live in Chicago, you might be more likely to experience this than in Center of Nothing Much, or another small town.

You are accosted by missionaries and forced to convert to a cult religion.

You are accosted by members of a religion and told that your own beliefs, which are supposedly the same as your assailant's, are a travesty and you are an embarrassment to your own faith.

You are accused of engaging in religious heresy, condemned to burn somewhere, including but not limited to Hell, for having a friend(s) that are members of an allegedly "heathen" religion.  Or a satanic faith.

Yeah.  It was that last one.  Well, really the last two.  And I did it without speaking a single word.  But what I wrote, well...

All for saying that we ought, all of us, be kind, courteous and respectful of members of that supposedly heathen, satanic, horrific faith.  And, while being courteous, there were also those encouraging words of, if you want someone to share the joy of your own faith or religion, a good way to do that is to show, by your own life example, that your own chosen path is the one of greatest happiness.  You know, sort of giving someone something to think about, and to think they might also want what you have.  Grass is greener and all of that.

Or if your friend is of a different faith and they don't want to change what they believe, well that is their choice. It's a free country, worship wise, here in these United States.  And, truth to tell, we can all learn something from people that aren't all just like us.  We can even learn sometimes that people that we thought held one belief about our own religions, did not, do not, and never did, hold those thoughts.  But, I digress.

Heaven help me, I actually said that, on top of being courteous, Americans should realize that our own Constitution prohibits us from preventing any group from worship in accordance with their faith.  And, if their putting up a house of worship is in all other respects legal, as to zoning and so on, there should be no prohibition on it.


Silly me.  I am now, officially, going to Hell.  No word on basket, hand basket or Hula Hoop as the mode of transport.  But, I am hell bound, for encouraging we all be a little more like Miss Manners.  And that we be courteous.

Yes, gulls and buoys, I have been banned by the Christians for supporting the fact of our President issuing a courteous Ramadan greeting to the Muslims among us.  And, for supporting the construction of the community center in NYC, because it is legal under zoning laws, and being two blocks away from Ground Zero, could actually help people realize that, if the hijackers really did the deed, there is no reason to condemn 1.5 Billion people for the actions of less than 0.00000001 percent of them.

The Mafia didn't cause us to condemn all Italian Americans.  The gangs of LA didn't make us condemn all, well you get my drift.

Anyway, it is now official  I am officially persona non grata with people of my own faith, for supporting courtesy directed to people that are not of my faith.  And, for the record, I am not going to stop being courteous.  I will not dump my friends that are not of my faith.  And, I will continue to support the lawful assembly for purposes of worship anywhere in this country.  Period.  No exceptions.

It do get curiouser and curiouser.  But I am not going to fear.  Any of them.  Except the ones sending me to Hell for believing that all God's children are all God's children. No exceptions there either.

I am consoled though, in remembering the words of Einstein, now that I have been judged.  "Whoever undertakes to set himself up as judge in the field of truth and knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods."

Fear, it turns out, is an enemy of good manners. And the fear that leads to prejudice can set the gods off on a giggle jag. Let us all laugh at hypocrisy, laugh at prejudice, laugh especially at irrational fears.