John: 3/16

We've been seeing this slogan a lot for several years. Often on banners at sports events. Don't you love it when a professional fighter knocks his opponent senseless and the first thing he does in the post-fight interview is to thank Jesus, his savior, for the victory. I mean, how much more christian can you get?

Knee-jerk christians genuflect to Jesus as their salvation. This is a very common position in Louisiana, Mississippi and other regions currently feeling the wrath of Katrina. Now I am wondering if salvation in a Jesus hereafter is really sufficient unto their current duress.

If I believed in a god I would really be pissed at the reckless way he, she or it is running this planet. Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, not to mention rising gas prices. Give me a break!

Unfortunately, since I don't recognize the existence of any supernatural authority I have nothing to blame except bad luck and the idiocy of citizens who stick their heads in the sand while offering their fannies to political profiteers and war mongers.

I wonder how many persons in this world really and truly believe in a deity. I thought I did when I was younger, but then I realized that I had no inherent belief in the supernatural, I only had belief in what my parents, teachers and clergy had been indoctrinating me about god, Jesus, heaven and hell. When every essence of my heart and mind finally revealed to me that god and Santa Claus were merely pleasant fictions, I began to look elsewhere for my pleasures.

I know a few devout deists. Usually, their belief was the result of having been spared from death or some other personal disaster. They are, in effect, paying homage to a good luck charm. After all, it might come in handy again, But I don't think I have ever spoken with someone who expressed a personally felt belief in the existence of the god of their choice. The only knowledge of god conveyed was the catechism of cliches we had all been taught.

It's under circumstances like Katrina that people should come to recognize their true beliefs and look for ways to achieve a better life here on earth because, John: 3/16 notwithstanding, it's the only one we got.