On Religion, or Haters Gonna Hate

I was born & raised Irish(-American)-Catholic. The church I went to was modern & quite liberal compared to the Draconian teachings & rituals of many other churches in the area. As a youth, I went to Sunday School or Catechism Class or CCD or however you know it.

Fun Fact: CCD stands for Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. That sounds legit.

I (begrudgingly) attended church services. Begrudgingly because what child would rather go to church than sleep in & watch cartoons? But I went. I earned (is that the right term? Earned? Received? Earned the reception of?) the sacraments of Penance/confession, the Eucharist/Holy Communion, and, finally, Confirmation.

I guess I made Confirmation around 15ish or so. And that was it. That was my exit from the Catholic Church. In the ensuing decade+ since, other than weddings & funerals, I don't think that I've been at a church ceremony more than a dozen times.

But why? Well, science for one thing. It is impossible for much of the creations stories to have taken place. If you agree, that's cool. Disagree? Also cool. I'm not going to hate on another person's religious beliefs. Except for those..."fringe"...or..."culty" religions. You know the ones I'm talking about. They make a great story, but it's for the birds.

When the subject of religion is brought up, I align myself as an open-minded Agnostic. I am open to the concept of religion. I'm open to the concept of an all-powerful/knowing/loving creator. I'm open to the concept of Heaven. All I ask is that I'm shown some proof. I mean, hey, Thomas was a doubter, too. At least that cat got some proof. If I am shown concrete evidence that proves all the science ever is wrong, and that there is a great & powerful being watching over us, I will repent. Until that day, I must remain skeptic.

But even then, I'm reminded of a quote by the great American author and humorist Samuel Clemens, or Mark Twain, as he's better known:

"If one truly believes in an all-powerful Deity,

and one looks around at the condition of the universe,

one is led inescapably to the conclusion that

God is a malign thug."

And more than anything, I must agree. Look around: The hate. The hunger. All the bad happening to good people. Proper villains thriving. Science and facts come secondary, THIS is why I have no religion to call my own.