Beyond Hypocrisy

"Life in Lubbock, Texas taught me two things: One is that God loves you and you're going to burn in hell. The other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you really love."

-- Butch Hancock

What are we teaching our children? Butch's experience is not unique. Too many kids, growing up in supposedly good, God-fearing households, are indoctrinated with the same crap that Butch was. Maybe "God-fearing" is part of the problem. 

Let's make it real simple. First, give up all this talk about God. Or at least don't turn Spirit into a cartoon character God through some sick and misguided anthropomorphizing.  There ain't no big daddy in the sky being the Top Genital Cop and monitoring everyone's sexual behavior just to have an excuse to smote them. God, in the usual sense of the word, is a fantasy on par with Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. 

Next, drop the hell nonsense. No one knows what happens after you die. Not you, not your favorite preacher, priest, rabbi or swami. Not even Oprah or Dr. Phil. No one. If you get your twisted jollys fantasizing about eternal fire and damnation, go right ahead, but please keep it to yourself!

Now onto sex. Why is it so hard to be sex positive? Everybody likes it. Hell, everybody loves it! It's better than a summer picnic with good friends, cold beer and fresh sweet corn! To teach kids that sex is anything less than beautiful and awesome is just downright hypocritical. And all this "saving it for one person" is patently ridiculous. Something that good needs to be shared! 

Let's grow up people! Let's give up childish religious fantasies, honestly align our words with our actions, embrace the natural joys of life and quit sewing the seeds of fear. Life is good, sex is good, love is good. We don't need to make up super natural beings or after death destinations to appreciate these things. We just need to be good to each other and enjoy life's bounty. 

Simple and uncomplicated. All of us in this together. One world, one people, on love.

Sin Freely

"Christ died for our sins. Dare we make his martyrdom meaningless by not committing them?"

-- Jules Feifferr

Who defines sin? Is there a big Catalog of Sins somewhere that I somehow missed? Or maybe I should check out www.sin.com to see if there's an online compendium.

Personally, I think the whole idea of sin is just a giant control mechanism put into place by the religious powers that be in order to control the citizenry. Hell, even so-called religious leaders, themselves, can't agree on what constitutes a sin! Is dancing a sin? Or drinking alcohol? What about drinking caffeine? How about using electricity? And how about having a threesome with some hot, blonde twins? (OK most clergy would probably agree on the last on, but given the opportunity, my bet is that more than half of them would partake).

Even crazier is the fact that many of the arbitrators of sin speak only out of unexamined theology and moldy tradition, not from real life experience. As has been said about the Pope by many a pundit and comedian, "He a no playa the game, he a no make-a the rules!" Lousy Italian accent aside, their point is well taken. How can a guy who supposedly has never had sex in his life be the arbitrator of the sexual mores for an entire planet? Patently absurd!

So, should we all just run around willy nilly doing what we want? Sort of, but not exactly. If spiritual leaders have any role at all in post-modern culture, I think it is to teach tools and techniques of quieting, centering and transcendence. By using those methodologies, we can then see what actions are really in the best interest of ourselves, others, and the world as a whole. Does it really harm anyone if two adults have consensual sex outside of a relationship sanctioned by some church or government? Are the caffeine drinkers of the world darkening really their souls with coffee and Mr. Pip, and thus rendering themselves incapable of entering the gates of Heaven?

Alot of what passes for religious belief is, in the light of either reason or intuition, just pure unadulterated crap. It is up to each of us to separate the wheat from the chaff. No one can do it for us. Not even a priest, rabbi, or preacher. Especially not a priest, rabbi or preacher!

So, if in your best judgement, it seems OK to partake in an act that others deem a sin, have at it! Sin freely! Enjoy yourself! Even if the Christians are right, Jesus has got your back. Sin now, repent on your death bed, and baby, you're home free!