As I’ve said here in the past, I still get emails from old friends in Texas. Some of those people have gotten so goddy over the years that we seem to have nothing at all in common anymore.
Every time I get one of these things, it’s like waking up in a cold cabin with the fire gone out. I remember how warm it used to be, and some part of me hopes there’s still an ember in the coals. Thinks that if I go back to Texas someday and feed it new fuel, the flame of our friendship will burn again.
But … damn. The stuff they send me is so STUPID. So blithely, perky, smirky, goddam BRAINLESS that it’s painful just to read it. Picture coming up to the scene of an accident and seeing someone you know all bloody and gutty on the highway. THAT’s what it makes me feel like — like my own old, dear friends have been hit by this truck of Christianity, and might not make it. I can barely even imagine how they might be put back together.
Here, look at this:
First off, if this was anyone but Buck and Billie, I’d email them back and suggest a little graphic punch to the background image. For instance:
Here’s the whole text of the thing:
Ask yourself the question, “would you run?” after you read this!!!
Imagine this happening to you …
One Sunday morning during service; a 2,000 member congregation was surprised to see two men enter …
… both covered from head to toe in black and carrying submachine guns.
One of the men proclaimed, “Anyone willing to take a bullet for Christ remain where you are.”
Immediately, the choir fled …
the deacons fled …
and most of the congregation fled …
Out of the 2,000 there only remained 20.
The man who had spoken took off his hood. He then looked at the preacher and said “Okay, Pastor, I got rid of all the hypocrites. Now you may begin your service. Have a nice day!”
And the two men turned and walked out.
TOO DEEP NOT TO PASS ON …
This phony, contrived, sticky-sweet LIE is sent out in all seriousness — probably even in love — hoping that I will bite on it and come to believe the same things they believe.
Buck and Billie didn’t create this piece, I’m almost certain. They’re just passing it along from someone who did create it. But even that guy is just some smirking idiot vapidly passing along the infectious meme. There is no evil genius behind all this, just a faceless, brainless SOMETHING fishing for new victims. Because that’s what it does. Because it couldn’t survive if it didn’t.
If I could talk to it directly, I’d say “Hey, next time, bring better fucking bait.” But I’d also do my best to HURT IT for stealing away my friends.
Since I can’t talk to it, the only thing left is to fight it. Fight it, in all the ways I can, for all the rest of my life.
If you ever wonder why atheism is important to me, this is why: In a cold, cold world, there’s this thing that steals away my loved ones. Turns them into these Stepford Wives, from the bright, lively, creative, adventurous, life-lusty people they once were.
Man, it makes me feel lonely.
.
.
.
On the other hand, as I have to remind myself when this happens, I’m finding all these new friends. Yes, you.
Even better, as became clear to me during Reason Rally, we really are making a difference. I have every reason to believe, if we continue to do all we can to make it happen, that we will live in a future in which fewer of our loved ones will be lost to us in this way.
I hope we’re all doing whatever we can, in all our small ways, to make that future happen.
Regarding which, I have a favor to ask. See the following post, Doing My Part for the Godless Future.