Why Your Religion Is Like Your Genitalia

As you can tell by the title, I'm tossing political correctness out of the window and opening a vein in this entry. Love it or leave it.

I'm not against people being naked under their clothing. I'm not even against people running around naked. But imagine a world where people not only run around naked but some people, because of their beliefs, thrust their genitalia upon you.

This is the world I live in. It may even be the world you live in, whether you shove your genitalia in other people's faces or you are on the receiving end. Granted, some people like having other people's genitalia in their faces - maybe with some women I may encourage them to do so - but having random people try to hump my head is not something I'm into. There is a fine line between tolerance and being trod upon.
Today, without realizing what would happen, I posted this quote on my Facebook status:

"There's no one so self-righteous as someone policing someone else's morality."

- Laurell K. Hamilton

And in speaking to a realtor today who has done quite well at making unprompted excuses, we finished talking about business. I was about to leave when the realtor decided that I needed to be saved. Quaint. So I diplomatically tried to extricate myself, telling the man that I respect that he has beliefs but I do not share them and would ask that he respect that. That he has a right to believe as he does and that I have the right to disagree.

March on Christian soldier, as they say. Or whatever it is that they say.

He asked me if I was happy in the spiritual sense. I responded, 'Sure'. He, apparently having a dixie-cup and a string with his God on the other end, told me that I wasn't. I then told him in an even tone that I get disrupted enough at home with people trying to press Jesus and Jehovah on me and I really don't appreciate it when people try to do it to me. That I can choose to walk away. That he could continue his attempted rape of the beliefs and thoughts of others if he wished to, but he would do it on his time - not mine.

He, of course, persisted.

I, of course, walked away.

He attempted to continue the conversation. I told him with a dismissive wave that if he couldn't respect that I didn't believe as he did that I had no reason to respect his beliefs. So I hopped into the pickup and drove off. Slowly and emphatically.

But I know that he thinks I may be going to his religion's Hell. Maybe he'll pray for me. Poor fellow.

His actions are not the actions I support in any religion. This frantic humping of other people's heads is, at the least, desperate. At the worst, it's disrespectful and creates friction - as I saw it today. My friends are of varying religious backgrounds. Some practice their religions and, as I joke, some are perfect as they apparently need no practice. I've been known to participate in religious discussion and explore the beliefs of others, but I don't take part in the 'my God can kick your God's ass' sort of discussions. That's basically why the Middle East is as it is today.

You see, I keep my atheism to myself for the most part. I don't feel the need to press onto others my own lack of belief; I am happy with it- so happy that I don't see it as a lack and often see it as an asset. That I could be happy with it seems to stun people into pressing their faith upon me. I don't go door to door preaching evolution (why would I have to? It's a scientific fact, though still not completely understood). I don't go around telling people that they need to accept my savior (myself).

I don't go around humping other people's faces. I think that this makes for a polite society. I can appreciate what other people believe without having to believe it myself, and yet - I can have ethics and morality without a textbook. Examples even show that it can happen without parents. Most stuff is simple empathy. Do unto others: Empathy.

Wait. Do unto others? For some, that door doesn't swing both ways when it comes to the beliefs or lack of belief of others.

Religion is sort of like genitalia. You can keep your clothing on, you can take your clothing off - but refrain from humping people's faces without invitation. And when they say 'no'... bugger off.

If you were wondering, now you know.