Explaining the Inexplicable to the Uncomprehending

I'M GETTING GETTER at gospel singing. I should be, its about time, I've been singing in the group for three years. Most of my improvement has to do with knowing the songs. My voice has been fine the whole time, but unaccustomed to gospel songs, which in general I despise. The lady who graciously plays the piano to accompany us has for years been concerned about the disposition of my eternal soul, my not having been "saved" and all. Our one and only theological conversation ended in disaster, as such discussions among people of divergent religious views often do. She was in tears, at my refusal to be saved and my assertive reference to Thomas Paine; I was fit to be tied, at what I perceived to be her fascist refusal to accept the validity of any form of religiosity other than her own, Christianity. Af few weeks ago I started attending church, the same church on a regular basis, the first time I have ever done that. I really like the place, I especially like the laid back minister, an older gentleman even older than I, and I plan to keep going, for how long, I have no idea. This minister, who is actually a retired attorney turned lay minister, came to visit our local senior center the other day. We had lunch together, during which I mentioned that I do not agree with everything Jesus said. He confided that he doesn't either; my kind of minister. When I bragged about his visit to the piano lady, and expressed regret that they had not met, she suggested that I bring him to our gospel singing grooup. I told her that this was a bad idea, that his weak, raspy speaking voice clearly indicates a lack of natural singing talent. She shrugged her shoulders, as if to say that's only my opinion.I suspect that she is conditioned to take anything I say with, as they say, a grain of salt. I sense something unsavory is happening here, a fundamental misunderstanding, one which, if left unchecked or brought openly to the surface rather than ignored, could lead to a further disastrious confrontation. The basis of it is this: despite my three years of gospel singing,depsite my recent regular church attendance, my opinion of all religion, of Christianity in particular, namely, that it serves an important purpose (giving people meaning, comfort, and inspiration), but that is is also primitive, barbaric, and fundamentally false, remains unchanged. May the human species evolve some fine day spiritually and intellectually to a new and higher form of spiritual expression and reverence for creation! Only, the Christian paino lady does not know this. I can almost guaran damn tee you that the information she has received from me aobut my new chuch going has misled her, or that she has misled herself, to assume that her unsaved baritone/bass singer, the one who until recently was in such dire peril of losing his soul to the devil, has now changed his ways, has turned toward Christ, is eitehr saved now or close to being saved, and that all will, in the end, be well with me. She has that look in her eye, that tone in her voice. That, plus my enthusiastic agreement with her when she said the other day that she doesn't know why we don't sing all four verses of "How Great Thou Art." Actually, she knows the reason: we sing three verses of all songs. But I don't think she knows my reasons for loving that song, nor will she ever, nor does she need to.