let my people go

it is quite impressive how little people actually know of their chosen (or inherited) faiths. when discussing christianity with people whom i know is christian, i find that their overall knowledge of the actual subject is quite limited, both historically and literary. i do not pretend to suppose that i am a religious scholar, but nonetheless it is often the case that i would have a better grasp to argue even for the validity of christianity than the trivial commentary of the faithful.

these conversations almost always end with the faithful wriggling out, in even a casual tone where i am not being aggressive but merely conversing over christian ideals objectively. i recently had a conversation with someone who proclaimed their total obedience and respect for the ten commandments--though when i rhetorically asked the individual to state all ten of them, the wriggling began. ironic, how something so iconic and beloved in the faith can never be recited verbatim by most--though i'm sure many of them could sing back several kelly clarkson songs to me without missing a beat.

no doubt, for the more apocalyptic-minded, you'll find a great admiration for the pulp and silly left behind series, but i'm sure they have not so much as a read one pass through the entirety of revelations. the laws of god are cherry-picked and watered-down into marketable, hollywood fiction--so much, i am pressed to think that a reading through exodus can be easily summarized in a charlton heston film for many.

i think an easy observation would be that it takes that kind of commitment to actually believe in such a thing. and is it not fear of finding the profane, the irrational, the ludicrously stupid, that keeps people from delving into their holy books and finding such ghastly scripture that they'd most certainly censor and abhor in secular contexts?

in fact, some of my most beloved arguments against the validity of christianity occur in those very holy texts--from the book of job, to ecclesiasticus. i doubt many have even read these texts beyond a paraphrased reference by a pastor, or a lively coloring book at sunday school (and i am quite sure that sunday schools can't keep enough red crayons on hand.)

of course, in what other study or field of thought could ignorance not only be admitted, but praised as virtuous? not any worth mentioning, except for the malevolent strategy of government totalitarianism that abhors rationality and instead instructs blind obedience, backed by laws impossible to be followed.

it took until the new testament to really take hold of the people's fear of death, and trade it for a euphoric but equally problematic gift of immortality. and perhaps, setting aside obvious cultural and historic justifications for the continuation of faith in an otherwise educated society, it is this very fear of death that keeps the collection plates full, and which keeps the human potential from climbing beyond its infancy.