Last week, our local paper featured an article about a group of Christians who all decided to gather around a gas pump, join hands, and pray for lower prices.
This is just wrong in so many ways that I don't know where to begin.
Personally, I consider myself to be agnostic. I believe in the possibility of the existence of God, but I feel that I need some evidence. But let’s put that aside. Let's assume that there is an omnipotent being dressed all in white, with a long beard and a booming voice, somewhere out there running the universe. Okay, but is God a cosmic ATM? A magic genie that grants wishes? If I close my eyes and click my heels and just believe, will gas prices come down? Lets pray in one hand and crap in the other and see which one fills up faster. C’mon folks.
And why did the local paper feel that this was a newsworthy story? We are all aware that gas prices are high and we are all aware that the Baptists run amok in this part of the country. One need only to read a few bumpers on some of the enormous gas-guzzling vinyl-topped cars around here to see that.
While we’re at it, what do these religious bumper stickers mean anyway? Think about it, what do they really mean? Isn’t the point of religion to find a personal and deep meaning about our existence on this planet? Isn’t the point of religion to dedicate yourself to becoming a loving person who realizes that we are not individually the be-all and end-all of our existence? Is the back of one’s car really the appropriate place to express such deeply held beliefs?
I wonder if any of these bumper sticker people ever had another driver come up to them and say, “Gosh, I had really lost my way in life, but now that I’ve read your bumper sticker, I’ve been found. Thank you for putting that shiny fish on the back of your car, otherwise I’d have spent my whole life as a heathen.”
I think these bumper stickers really mean, “I’m better than you.” Here’s a bumper sticker on my imaginary car. Jesus loves you. Everyone else thinks you’re an asshole.
Well, this blog is one more thing I’ll have to burn in hell for. You'd better pray for me.
Monday, June 30, 2008
About My Blog
"Hot Boiled Peanuts", you say? What has that got to do with anything? Well, for the last nine months, I have been living in Florida - and not just Florida, but rural Florida. I moved here after a 12-year stint as a resident of Las Vegas, not exactly a center of culture, but a city nonetheless. Now, I live in the middle of nowhere. My friend Dave, who owns the house I live in, often jokes that our zip code is "EIEIO". Only, it's not really that funny.
Hot boiled peanuts are a roadside delicacy here in the middle of Bumblebug, Florida. They are the best way that I could think of to represent the way people here live. But they also represent a twist on things, a different way of looking at things. These southern delicacies are advertised outside gas stations and at roadside stands on every rural road in the area. They are a soupy mess that people slurp up with joy. I can think of few foods that I would find more disgusting that a soupy stew of mushy peanuts. No other phrase that I can think of, better sums up my feelings about the place I live in. So, if you are a Florida fan, you'd probably better move on. You won't like what you read here.
And one more word of warning. This is a place for me to share details and thoughts of my life with friends and family. I am a gay man. I have a partner, Paul, of 15 years whom I love very much. I do not intend to discuss my daily life without including him. If this offends you, I would recommend that you read no further.
So, why am I starting this blog? There are several reasons. First, it's a good way to stay in touch with family and friends. I don't expect that many strangers will stop in to read my blog, but they are welcome. Second, you just can't make this stuff up. I have stories (some say hilarious stories) to share and I want them recorded somewhere. Last, I have been told by several people that they believe I should write for a living. I disagree with them and I do not see myself as any sort of a "Hemingway". Having said that, it's quite possible that some of my friends and family would like to hear my stories and share my triumphs and challenges. Those that don't are free to go back to growing tomatoes, or reading their bibles, or whatever other folks do in their spare time.
For the rest of you who are still reading, I hope you'll come back and join me often. I'd love to hear from you.
Hot boiled peanuts are a roadside delicacy here in the middle of Bumblebug, Florida. They are the best way that I could think of to represent the way people here live. But they also represent a twist on things, a different way of looking at things. These southern delicacies are advertised outside gas stations and at roadside stands on every rural road in the area. They are a soupy mess that people slurp up with joy. I can think of few foods that I would find more disgusting that a soupy stew of mushy peanuts. No other phrase that I can think of, better sums up my feelings about the place I live in. So, if you are a Florida fan, you'd probably better move on. You won't like what you read here.
And one more word of warning. This is a place for me to share details and thoughts of my life with friends and family. I am a gay man. I have a partner, Paul, of 15 years whom I love very much. I do not intend to discuss my daily life without including him. If this offends you, I would recommend that you read no further.
So, why am I starting this blog? There are several reasons. First, it's a good way to stay in touch with family and friends. I don't expect that many strangers will stop in to read my blog, but they are welcome. Second, you just can't make this stuff up. I have stories (some say hilarious stories) to share and I want them recorded somewhere. Last, I have been told by several people that they believe I should write for a living. I disagree with them and I do not see myself as any sort of a "Hemingway". Having said that, it's quite possible that some of my friends and family would like to hear my stories and share my triumphs and challenges. Those that don't are free to go back to growing tomatoes, or reading their bibles, or whatever other folks do in their spare time.
For the rest of you who are still reading, I hope you'll come back and join me often. I'd love to hear from you.
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