Nothing Good Can Come of This

Foreword: This got a bit out of hand. It's a lot more than I intended when I sat down.

I try to avoid talking about religion or politics as much as possible. These discussions can turn otherwise reasoned and intelligent people into bellowing gasbags who feel the need to speak louder than everyone else in the room. I am pretty sure that any who read this already know my feelings on these topics, but for those who do not, allow me to provide you a quick sketch of my beliefs.

I have absolutely no problem with people who are sincere in their religion, or even a lack of religion. I occasionally even envy that these people can devote themselves entirely to such conventions. What I have a problem with is people who decide that I am wrong in my beliefs, and must be lectured and scolded for not conforming to tenets and beliefs that are so out of date that the original intent behind them is mere speculation. I personally do not care if you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, or if you worship a three-foot hot dog. If I tell you that I am not, then I probably have my reasons.

For the record, I was baptized Catholic, and my grandparents tried to keep me in the church throughout my childhood. Like many people, when I entered my teen years, I avoided any sort of religious service simply because I found them boring. As an adult, I went through some personal events that would cause many people to turn to god, or their religion for answers and guidance. When that happened, I was met with nothing. Emptiness. When I asked about this, I was confronted with the same empty responses. At that point, I discovered the clearest explanations and assurances of "how" and "why" were in logic, reason, and education.

That was a bit more than I intended. Not quite the "quick sketch" of my religious outlook I had intended. Now for politics.

I like to think that my political views are rather moderate. My leanings tend toward the Democratic side, but I can see value in both Republican and Democratic plans and policies. I have no problem voting for an incumbent, regardless of affiliation, if that person has done a good job. The same holds true for ousting the incumbent from office if they have dropped the ball.

What irritates me about the political process is the electorate. People are stupid. I know far too many people who have decided that, rather than vote for a candidate, their vote will be against another candidate. This is a completely valid act, and I can respect that. In a two-party system, sometimes you have to make that decision. However, if you are taking the path of voting against someone or something, you owe it to the process to make sure that the reasons behind your vote are valid.

You hear an attack ad, or get an email forward saying "don't vote for Bob Smith. In his spare time he likes to toss babies into tiger pits." Simply deciding to vote against candidate Smith based on this is irresponsible. As voters, it is our responsibility to find out if, in fact, Mr. Smith has ever tossed babies into tiger pits, why, how often, and if he continues to do so.

Religion and politics specifically cause me more headaches than I can keep track of.