The Greatest Country in the World and The One, True Church vs: The Only Habitable Planet in the Solar System I was admonished by one person recently to never forget that I live in the greatest country in the world and that I should stop criticizing the United States, its consumption-based policies and capitalist traditions. Another admonished me that I am by baptism, a member of the one, true Church and that I should stop criticizing the Catholic hierarchy, least I spend eternity in Hell. Interestingly, they both told me that they felt sorry for me. Apparently, thats because they equate education, critical thinking and the exercise of reasonable doubt with being a back-stabbing Judas, a turncoat, and a backsliding apostate. It appears to them that I never really deserved my good fortune at having been arbitrarily born in one country rather than another and at having been arbitrarily born into one religious tradition versus another. I told them that I, like both of them, was, more importantly, born onto the only habitable planet in the solar system. And that, at this late point in history, it is abundantly clear that that 3rd role of the dice was the only one that was really important. We got lucky once. Lets not blow it because of politics, religion or economics. In terms of what actually matters, they dont even come close. By saving the Earth, we are only saving ourselves. After all, even as true believers we really cant pray another planet into existence. No matter how rich we become, we still cant buy another planet. And, for once, we cant even go to war and take another planet from someone else. ...bz
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 18:40:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015