Singing, Just To Sing

SOMETIMES I WONDER whether anyone thinks it strange that I, who lack religious faith, sing with a gospel group. Or maybe they simply smugly assume that I am one of them, a devout Christian, and have been "saved". People, and particularly deeply religious people, are presumptuous. How on Earth could anyone possibly not be a Christian, especially one who sings in a gospel group? Well, dearly beloved religious, permit me to introduce you to a concept which to you is doubtless novel. Its called "open mindedness". One way to put it is "when in Rome". A better way is to say that it never hurts anybody, including me, to try to understand and experience the viewpoints of other people. In fact, it might help. Also, let's bear in mind that there are thousands of religions on Earth, about fifteen hundred organized in the United States and registered with the gevernment for purposes of tax evasion, and that, as Goethe said: "When I realized that everyone invents his own religion, I decide to invent mine." Any approach to anyone's religiosity which is not predicated on open mindedness and acceptance is unreasonable. No matter who yo are, your approach to god is not superior to any other. Its simply....yours. People who ardently embrace formal, organized religious dogma are by nature not prone to espouse or express empathy beyond the limits of their own faith, tending instead to recoil in horror, disgust, or mere disapproval of those outside it. I don't like organized, dogmatic religion, nor dogmatic, religious viewpoints generally. Give me the free spirited pantheist, agnostic, or atheist any old day. Having said that, I know many Christians who are extremely nice, kind, and good people. I firmly believe they would be that way no matter what their religious convictions, or lack thereof. I have never seen any evidence that religion improves anyone, and I suggest that neither has anyone else. Actually, research repeatedly indicates that atheists are morally of higher quality that the deeply religious. As Casey Stengal said: "You could look it up". Personal improvement comes from within. Contrary to what most people seem to think, religious influences come from outside the individual, bestowd by societal influences. Truth be told, I'd much rather gather together and sing classic rock n roll songs from the sixties, or I think I would. But, singing is singing, it is what it is, as the tired cliche goes, and if I can learn to tolerate their bizarre, unpleasant songs about being saved by being covered in the blood of Christ, they can learn to tolerate me, or better yet to accept me, since sustained tolerance, as goethe said, is an insult, whether or not they have the foggiest idea of my religiosity, or lack thereof.