Yes, the title is a tad over the top but it
got your attention and that’s all that matters. So, what is a zealot? Well my
favorite definition is: A zealot is someone who is doing what God Himself would
do, if He only knew the whole story.
And
why are zealots dangerous? Because most of them don’t realized that they are
zealots. For example, I was ‘Unfriended’ on facebook when I sent an atheist
friend a link to a respected Swedish scientific organization that claimed they
had proof that in some cases people who were clinically dead had been able to
give detailed descriptions of events that occurred in the operating room
several minutes after their demise. (Sorry, I didn’t keep a file of that link,
at the time I simply thought it interesting and moved on)
Anyway,
he completely dismissed their finding as religious nonsense. When I reminded
him the information came from a highly respected scientific organization, he
went off his nut and called me a religious fanatic, yet this same person had
sent me a link to an article where Stephen Hawking said that the concept of God
and an afterlife were simply fairy tales. I read it, found some of Hawking’s
points interesting, but not convincing enough to change my beliefs. But I
didn’t freak out and unfriend him.
But his reaction taught me that a person’s ‘religion’
is rarely associated to an establish house of worship. A ‘religion’ is whatever
tenets each of us base our entire lives upon. And if you shatter that
‘religion,’ the choices and actions that person has made throughout their entire
lives is called into question.
Apparently
people don’t like that.
As
stated in previous posts, politically I am a radical moderate, religiously, a
practicing Catholic and nationally, I am proud to call myself an American.
However, I have stipulations regarding all three. Politically I support the
second amendment because I learned as a kid growing up in the Bronx that the
guy who has the gun makes the rules. And I trust my neighbor with a gun far
more than I trust those whores in Congress who have shown repeatedly that their
votes goes to the highest bidder.
Although
I am a Catholic, I support gay marriage, the right for priests to marry and the
right of a woman to become a priest. Why? Because Jesus never said anything
that prohibits it. Some say that it is because Jesus chose only men as his
apostles. The problem with that theory is that Jesus never officially swore the
twelve in. At no point did Jesus tap a kneeling apostle on each shoulder with a
sword and say “I hereby pronounce you, Bob the Apostle. Here is your official
apostle hat and secret decoder ring.
The
other problem I have with zealots is that they travel in packs like wolves.
They gather with like-minded extremists and feel utterly justified to harm and
in some instances, kill people who refuse to accept their ‘religion’.
As
a long term ‘lone wolf’, misanthrope and party pooper, I am not on their buddy
list which is another reason I support the 2nd amendment and
although I go to church each Sunday I have realized that Catholicism is just the name of the gang I belong to. My religion is to be kind, open-minded, trustworthy, responsible,
honest and make at least one attempt daily to bring a little joy into people’s
lives while making an honest living selling my books and tutorials over the
internet. And so, I have combined the two. On my facebook page I collect and
post beautiful and interesting art, photographs, technology, little known facts,
famous quotes and just about anything I find fascinating So have a look here: http://facebook.com/aripublishing
and click LIKE if you enjoy the stuff I’ve posted.
Just a quick note* Although Barnes and Noble is closing a third of their stores Ari Publishing continues to thrive. To check out our latest commercial click this link
