Making Mistakes

AT LENGTH I felt compelled to punt gospel singing at the senior center, to put it on hold onna counta the rapid transmission of an anbient brand new virus, against which even the boosted contend considerably less effectively, preliminary studies indicate. Too much close promiximity and maskless heavy breathing among probably unvaccinated Christians. I have thus resolved to refrain from celebrating in song the washing away of my many sins with the blood of Christ until the pandamic abates at least a bit, which, lord knows, should have long since eventuated, and would have, had the fifty remaining eligible Americans who still are not, been vaccinated. I sing gospel because its the only game in town, I like to sing, and, well, what's wrong with open mindedness, a willingness to participate in activities not of one's personal ideology? Ironically, the unvaccintated tend to be people who participate in gospel singing; conservative evangelical Christians. They make a show of their faith in God by refusing to accept the blessings offered by God; intelligence, and modern science. I'll flee from omicron and, with luck and smart choices, live to fight pi another day. Meanwhile, it remains beyond my comprehension why any self respecting responsible person would even want, much less cherish and celebrate a good person being tortured to death the bear the burden of guilt of billions of mistake makers. A strangely sadistic deity indeed. We are taught, if we are raised right, to accept responsibility for and consequences of our own behavior, including our mistakes. Goethe said: "Since everyone has erred, since even the greatest among us have made mistakes, we have no basis upon which to regard our own mistakes as unforgivable." Accordingly, consequences needn't, shouldn't be severe, but commensurate. What matters is that we learn from them. Any religion which requires that one worship a particular deity, a deity who has been tortured to death, inexchange for liberation from eternal damnation and its substitution with eternal salvation, is not only guilty of of blackmail, but of encouraging personal irresponsibility. It is also primitive, barbaric, irrational, and cruel. Goethe said: "The Christian religion is an abortive political uprising which failed, and turned moral". It is also, as many scholars have pointed out, one of many fertility cults which originated in the near east millennia ago. This particular one, largely because of Saul become Paul, went viral, as we like to say. The same people who embrace primitive dogma in America tend to support politicians, such as Donald Trump, who are likewise barbaric, irresponsible, and cruel, who neither give unto the poor nor render unto Caesar. They tend to believe in hell, further demonstrating their cruelty, barbarity, and mental illness. Their hypocrisy is so profound that it is laughable. Or, as a percipient observer said: "The fools would be humorous were they not in such deadly earnest" I sing gospel because I can, but am careful to omit the crazy parts.