When we were kids, my brother and I were closer than most friends, and I've never had many friends so that meant a lot to me. We went to ball games, we joked around, skipped church together, and talked about anything, everything.
Then he accepted Jesus into his heart, and fifty years later his Christianity is still the most important thing to my brother.
He reads his Bible constantly, and reads other books about the Bible. He leads midweek Bible studies at his church, teaching about Ecclesiastes. He prays about major and minor decisions. He says grace before meals, and before snacks, even if he's alone. His car's vanity plates read "IS 41 10" (the IS stands for Isaiah).
Thankfully, he's stopped pushing God at me, because I push back. For my brother, though, a conversation about God is always spring-loaded, for family, friends, strangers, anyone he talks with. At breakfast once, he tried to discuss God with the waitress.
He's happy as hell with God running his life, and I am sincerely happy that he's happy, but his Most Important Thing is not even my Least Important Thing; it's not on my list at all.
I don't "hate" God, as my family sometimes slanders. I just don't care.
When we were young, there were no limits to what we could talk about and laugh about — the more outrageous the better, and funnier.
Now, he sends videos of "clean comedians" doing stand-up. And some of it's funny, sure, but I wish I could tell him the joke about the priest and the rabbi and the mullah who walk into a whorehouse together.
Jesus Christ, I miss my brother. Thanks a lot, God.
10/14/2019
Republished 4/7/2024
He belongs to a cult and doesn't even know it, since it's so ubiquitous and popular on a fukkin GLOBAL level. What a shame.
ReplyDelete- Zeke Krahlin
They're all cults. Christianity is my favorite cult, just because I grew up in it. I try not to shake my head when they're around, and hold my wisecracks for later.
DeleteFor most believers it's harmless, I guess, and cripes it makes my brother happy. Or makes him think he's happy, which is the same thing.
Christianity is not harmless, it's destroying this country, and the world. Some call it "Christofascism." Those who come off as harmless do not lessen the danger, for they are just too dumb to know better. Nonetheless, they are like foot soldiers for the zealots that follow. The overwhelming number of domestic terrorists come out of a Christofascist upbringing. DJ Trump has empowered these kind beyond all sanity. They have infested all levels of gov't, up to the very highest. Including the Supreme Court. Eradicating women's rights, LGBT rights, POC rights, etc. It is Nazism v. 2.0.
Delete- Zeke Krahlin
Agreed, it's not harmless. I mourn for the life my brother lost when he surrendered his soul to Jesus. From my church upbringing, though, I do remember some good people. My brother is good people. But yup, he voted for Trump and all the Trumpettes.
DeleteI probably ought to be more hardass about it, but I just sigh and thing "Oh well" when Christians mostly keep it to themselves. I save my condemnation for the Christian AntiChristers, the people who swear they're believers and loudly endorse hate.