CHRISTIANS AT MY DOOR

Yesterday I wrote a piece about evangelical christians who prowl the streets, door to door, in pairs or by threes or fours. This morning it didn’t read very well so I started over. I understand perfectly; perfection in this case meaning both unflawed and complete. I understand: nothing left out, nothing overlooked. My father was devoted to my mother. She was devoted to Jesus. We never spoke in tongues or shouted out, we didn’t stand or wave our arms in church. But Christianity in the 1940’s & 50’s was ‘literal.’ We were poised and constrained as opposed to passionate and animated but the world was created in 6 days plus a day of rest, about six or seven thousand years ago. The difference between evangelical and literal is the difference between a Guns & Roses concert and James Taylor, simply volume and phrasing still, everybody moves to the music. 

I should have just said, “I’m sorry, I don’t have time for you today.” I could have closed the door and they would have moved on. But I’m old, live alone and I don’t get many chances to dialogue, with anybody. Small talk is just that, small. When I hook a fish I like to play it for a while before I reel it in. So we took turns, all agreed on the wonderful weather and why they were at my door. With tact and consideration for their faith, I shared mine. I talked that talk and tried to walk the walk for a very long time but I don’t do that anymore. I think I was trying to please my mother. When she died so did the last thread of my religious upbringing. I have moved on to what I like to think is spiritual enlightenment; it does not require an omnipotent, omniscient, supreme being. 

The exchange descended into a predictable quagmire. They couldn’t begin at any point that wasn’t validated by “In the beginning - God” and “For God so loved the world,” and I don’t go there. I hate cliches but it was one of those ‘Been there, done that,’ moments. The chance at a conversation erodes and I just needed to let them go in peace. But evangelicals don’t give up easily. I concede that civilization without religion would be worse than with. Cooperation in large groups would be near impossible. The ‘Selfish Gene’ is at work whether we like it or not and religion does expand the bond of kinship. But the history of God’s people killing God’s people in God’s name is an insurmountable contradiction. When it came to books and research they don’t like mine nor likewise me theirs. We tend to like what we already believe and dismiss what we don’t. I trust math and physics more than myth traditions and that is the hurdle we couldn’t clear. 

I resisted that urge to explode the gathering with my own bias. They had no appreciation for critical thought and no patience with pushback. I could have finished with a flair but I let it go. If I had, it would have been something like: If the fear of God keeps you from murdering your neighbor then pray hard. If God allows you to discriminate against people who are different, who believe different, then your God sucks and so do you.