Metaphysic Storm

Like any exploration to a new place, one doesn’t know what to expect. I didn’t read much about Seattle and didn’t talk to many people about city. I speculated that the city is heavily influenced by Asia, has miserable weather, is the capitol of The Junkies of America viva la spaced out needle, the leftist of the west coast in hyper-politically correct terms and is the birthplace to the latest addition to American art, Emorock. One shouldn’t give too much credence to the stereotypes one picks up along the way, but there are usually valid reasons they come into existence. One day I want to meet the mean human and its name better be Pat.

Living in the heart of the bible belt, NOLA, with it’s geographical saturation of churches and public religious festivals has worn on my tolerance a little. And the ignorance that has infested that part of the U.S., because of our governments shitty public education, severely depletes the opportunity for stimulating conversation. It blows my mind that so many Neworlinians don’t even know that Mardi Gras is about Christianity and not boobs, beads or beer. I’m not sure how accurate the studies are but there are assertions that the more educated a person is, the less likely they are to have religion. It makes sense to me, that the more a person trains themselves in critical thinking, the more difficult it is for them to suspend disbelief, the requisite of faith. That, with the stereo type of liberals being hating atheists, led me to speculate that Seattle, “the most educated place in America”, might be the least religious city in the Nation. A place where people are just people sounded like heaven on earth.

Lets just say that I was shocked during my drive from Portland to Seattle when I heard the numerous Jesus channels on the radio, very similar to the broadcast nightmare that is Texas. I was soothed by my first stop in the Emerald city at the Bauhaus coffee shop surrounded by the “Church of Liberalism” and our most sacred sacrament, Bush bashing fliers. “Have I found my next home?”, I thought. I even felt as though the hipsters here were slightly more original than the conformed rebellion found in so many urban hubs. Are these people, unique like everyone else in a more pure way? Whatever. I like the city. It’s got serious flavor, mountains, water, volcano views and several public radio stations. I’m sold, free of charge. When I park my minivan mobile home permanently there is a good possibility it will be in this city.

The second day I was in Seattle, I woke up to the sound of godz bells. I got out of my van and walked to the church to study the flock. To my surprise it was a Buddhist congregation. They were celebrating their 100th anniversary and had adolescent “Buddhists” seated around the front alter. The Sensei started going on about nonsense, stating that Buddha came up with the concept of evolution and the big bang; that scientists are proving the truth of Buddhism. Then she requested the flock to confirm their belief in the four pillars of truth by reciting some gobbily goop and clasp hands in prayer. “Difficult is it to receive a human form, now we are living it. Difficult is it to hear the Dharma of the Buddha, now we hear it. If we do not cross over to the Truth in the present life, in what life shall we cross over?” The remaining romanticism I had of the far east religion vaporized in the realization that this Church, at it’s core, was just as ridiculous as the Catholic church I was born into.

Wanting to experience the mostly non-supernatural beings of Seattle a little more, I found a great free venue in the hub of liberalism. The Democrats were showing the vice presidential debates live on a big screen, with beer and pizza! Holly shit, me likes new low brow elitist experience. During the debate there were a few shallow mob attacks of the heckofa character pretty lady, but for the most part, one could tell that the audiences response to the “debate” was based on fact and educated criticism. It reminded me of an article written by the “liberal elitist” Sam Harris

The problem, as far as our political process is concerned, is that half the electorate revels in Palin’s lack of intellectual qualifications. When it comes to politics, there is a mad love of mediocrity in this country. “They think they’re better than you!” is the refrain that (highly competent and cynical) Republican strategists have set loose among the crowd, and the crowd has grown drunk on it once again. “Sarah Palin is an ordinary person!” Yes, all too ordinary…

“Governor Palin, are you ready at this moment to perform surgery on this child’s brain?”

“Of course, Charlie. I have several boys of my own, and I’m an avid hunter.”

“But governor, this is neurosurgery, and you have no training as a surgeon of any kind.”

“That’s just the point, Charlie. The American people want change in how we make medical decisions in this country. And when faced with a challenge, you cannot blink.”

The prospects of a Palin administration are far more frightening, in fact, than those of a Palin Institute for Pediatric Neurosurgery. Ask yourself: how has “elitism” become a bad word in American politics? There is simply no other walk of life in which extraordinary talent and rigorous training are denigrated. We want elite pilots to fly our planes, elite troops to undertake our most critical missions, elite athletes to represent us in competition and elite scientists to devote the most productive years of their lives to curing our diseases. And yet, when it comes time to vest people with even greater responsibilities, we consider it a virtue to shun any and all standards of excellence. When it comes to choosing the people whose thoughts and actions will decide the fates of millions, then we suddenly want someone just like us, someone fit to have a beer with, someone down-to-earth…

I’ve agreed with most of the things I’ve read from Sam. He’s promotes the obliteration of religion but also has the balls to say

We should not call ourselves “atheists.” We should not call ourselves “secularists.” We should not call ourselves “humanists,” or “secular humanists,” or “naturalists,” or “skeptics,” or “anti-theists,” or “rationalists,” or “freethinkers,” or “brights.” We should not call ourselves anything. We should go under the radar—for the rest of our lives. And while there, we should be decent, responsible people who destroy bad ideas wherever we find them.

I say balls because it is the choir of non believers who go by the “identities” he just bashed who buy his books so he can pay for his PH.D. Another edgy thing he’s said to the mostly silent invisible choir is that it’s logical to put religious irrationality on a scale. If Christianity is crazy then the Later Day Saints are a level of craziness slightly higher because it is Christianity plus John Smith.  Oh how the complexity of the anti-religion POV intrigues me. Quantifying crazy is really fucking crazy. I love it!

That got me thinking which religion I dislike the most. Does that make me sound like I’m looking for something to hate? Oh no, my mom was right about me: I’m a hater. I wouldn’t despise religion if it wasn’t indoctrinated in children, influenced how people vote, dictated their base for ethics and stayed inside their church walls. Unfortunately this is not the case. Most official US holidays aside and without the gazillion crucifixes planted on the road side and with out the god billboards stating that I need God to be a good person, the greatest dislike of religion I felt was found in the Jews. It’s because of their little silly hats. When I see one I can’t help but think that it symbolizes how that person believes he is fundementally different than me and it makes him superior on an eternal absolute level.

Back to Seattle

I stayed in a hotel in South Seattle and was shocked by the number of women sporting Islamic garb. There was a knock on the door in the morning, I opened it and there was Muslim asking me if I needed her to take my soiled towels. The maid was nice enough but I felt rather embarrassed standing there in my underwear while she was wearing cloths that’s intended to kept the evil thoughts of finding her attractive out of my mind. I have to now concede that I dislike the Muslims more than the Jews, simply because of the volume of religious clothing they were. Quantified. Didn’t god intend for us to go around naked anyway? WTF!

So here’s the irony of the liberal capitol of the Nation: Seattle has one of the fastest growing Muslim communities in the country because of the tolerance non religious people are stereotyped to have. I think that it’s not that non religious liberal elites are any more accepting of religion in general, I just think for the most part we don’t see Islam much differently than Christianity. Well that, and the impression many Muslims have of the predominantly intolerant judgmental Christian communities who support for the war on evil”. Christians may not be flying planes into buildings but they sure can push that voting button in unison.

To round off my Seattle experience I went to the cinema to see Bill Meyers Docudrama “Religious”. I found a few parts to be extremely humorous but for the most part don’t give that much credit to the comedy based on anti religious sentiment. I mean people who believe things with certainty, without valid reason or any legitimate evidence are jokes in themselves. It’s like Jerry Seinfeld on Acid in a mosque. I agree with Bill that we adult human beings need to grow up, put Santa and Satan in the fiction section where they belong or die before we kill all the life on earth. He interviewed a Catholic priest in Rome who I think was the funniest guy on the screen. I’ve heard that there are a growing number of priests who know that the whole Jesus game is bullshit but stay priests because they like the retirement package. Bill asked him how he thinks we can talk sense into the faith heads. And like many men who spend a good time thinking he replied with wisdom, “Don’t. It’s impossible” and then he made some really funny noises. Unfortunately I tend to agree. I’ve been bashing my head against the anti walling wall trying to talk sense into loved ones, and the only thing it’s done is caused tension between us. Like the old saying goes, “you can’t chose your family”…

The science is here and has smashed nearly all the reason for believing in god. If a religious person doesn’t care about reason, nothing a person can say or do will change their desire to believe in something because it feels good. It would be nice if the democracies of the world would deem the brainwashing of children through intimidation a crime, but I don’t see that happening. So I think the only answer is to fight back with children. The world is facing some massive problems and most of them stem from xenophobia, irrationality and overpopulation. All we can do is fight to keep god out of government, out of the public schools and be a bigger part of the problem by breeding like rabbits.