a re-affirmation of faith

At work there is a woman who is one of those church snob types. You know the type: whether you're a good person or not, whether you believe in God or not, whether you are happy or not is totally irrevelent...your goodness depends on your church attendence. The more you go, the better a human being you are; the less you go, the worse you are. If you don't go -- you are on a one-way track to the deepest, darkest, hottest, most agonizing pits of Hell.

For those on their way, she can't help but try and save. She'll scorn if you deny her efforts, but she'll try and try and try until her conscience is clear of your eternal damnation. Then you're shit.

She's started pulling this crap on a friend of mine. She hasn't gone to church in a long, long time, but she remains a very faithful person. To me, that's what matters...a personal relationship with God being infinitely more purposeful and meaningful than a public one.

In any case, it reminds me of why I stopped going to church so many years ago now. I've mentioned it before, I'm sure of it, so I won't go into it again, but suffice to say it is people like this woman and myriad other phonies that pushed me away. I got out before all of them pushed me to question whether God was just some made up cosmic superstar of which the entirity of the church was some mega fanclub. It could have happened too...it almost did while I attended the conservative christian college that I did...but I stopped associating myself with the people there too.

I, for one, have a deep personal faith in God and feel a need right now to share it with the world; not to preech, but just to say it out loud:

The Earth is the cathedral in which I worship, more beautiful than any brick and mortar creation of man;
The sounds of everyday life, of conversation, is my hymnal;
Playing children the choir and their laughter, their song;
My conscience the minister;
Love is my communion;
Every waking moment a prayer.