Problem: An Observation Of Assimilation Towards Black and White Where Mostly Gray Resides (believe, Jesus)

[GCSTroop]

Allow me to explain the context of the title:

I think we, most notably - Americans, but most people in general have a severe problem with taking shades of gray and trying to assimilate them to black and white contexts. We see these two areas most clearly in America when we casually observe religion and politics. In fact, the parallels that could be drawn between the two seem to become more characteristic of the way individual thought influences and directs sociological behaviors and decisions.

To speak of politics, it would certainly seem we relish a two party system in this country. On the surface, we could place a counter argument to say that we have an Independent Party, a Green Party, and even a Tea Party in this country as well as a few others. But, these are not really effective parties and I think most would agree that regardless of how one feels about these miscellaneous parties, we will probably never see their prominence rise to power. However, on the left we have a semi-liberal Democratic Party and on the right we have an ultra-conservative Republican Party. The two have loyal and faithful followers who will always vote for their respective parties absolutely regardless of the politics or policies on their respective sides. Yet, in the middle lies a vast tract of untapped resources every election cycle. The bulk of the "middle" are there to be swayed every time an election rolls around. In fact, this "middle" outnumbers the loyal supporters of both parties in almost every case. So how is it and why is it that these vast tract of independent minded people are forced to sway in one direction or another by minority parties every time an election comes around?

To answer this, I think it's essential to look at the way Americans tend to do business in regards to religion. Though the numbers are a bit lopsided in favor of religion in this country, there is a growing movement of those that are irreligious. Again, it would seem we have two extreme sides comparable to the way we have a Republican and Democratic Party vying for votes every few years. To really focus on the context, though, it's imperative to look at the "middle" of the religious group in the same way you might want to look at the "middle" of the political groups - but this is where things get confusing.

I believe that the majority of Americans, when polled, will say that they believe in God. However, I believe that a large majority of these people will also say that they do not attend church and don't really care for religion all that much. In fact, many of them probably just believe but don't really care much about it at all. It's just a convenient and popular thing to say.

There are a few in this religious middle who are in a similar boat but who really could care less about whether God exists, who don't care much about religion, and probably just keep quiet about it because they really don't see the need to talk about it.

Much like our third parties in American politics, we also have what you can call "Third Party Religious Groups." I don't know the numbers, but I'd be willing to suspect that those belonging to anything other than the Christian Faith (Or Atheistic Non-Faith) probably number roughly proportionately to the numbers of Third Party Political Groups.

This gives us a casual glance of perspective when we see two polar opposites. We have Christians in one hand (a majority party - like what the Democrats are at the moment in regards to Senate and House seats) and Atheists (a minority party - like what the Republicans are at the moment). Of course, it should be quite clear that due to the nature of politics, these majorities and minorities frequently change whereas with religion they seldom do.

It seems that the goal, whether it be political or religious, is to always take these vast tracts of the "middle" and make an attempt to force them to assimilate to the respective ends of the spectrum. Christianity has done a wonderful job of this for quite some time and has had over two-thousand years to perfect their public relations.

Evangelical Christianity has a unique way of taking that large majority of people who say they believe in the Christian God but don't really care about church, religion, or waking up on Sundays. These are your "Easter Catholics," your "Christmas Christians," and your "Popular Pentacostals." It is the methodology of evangelical Christianity to use these moderates to convince them that, though well intentioned, they are mistaken in their beliefs about God. They compel them, force them, and guide them to realize that the Christian God of the Bible must be taken literally and must be feared like a demagogue of the outer celestia. It seems that this happened quite a bit in the years leading up to George W. Bush's pseudo-election in 2000 probably as a partial result to the semi-liberal Clinton years demarcated by several sexual scandals in the White House - an interesting politico-religious link I think should be examined.

On the flip side, there has never been, until this time, a largely outspoken majority of Atheists who have been able to coolly interject at the inanity of the mind virus Evangelical Christians refer to as their religion. It has never been socially acceptable to speak out about religion until now. These are delicate times for such a new movement and yet it has the potential to tap those "Easter Catholics," and "Christmas Christians" in a way that Evangelical Christianity refuses to do - with logic and ration.

But, be it one end or the other, we must be cognizant that the "gray matter" which comprises so much of our nation would probably be much better left alone by both the Left and Right. This country tries so hard to convert all of the gray matter into black and white. What is going on with the Tea-bagging movement, the Evangelical psychosis, and the Atheist rise is all a byproduct of taking the middle and distributing it to either end of the spectrum.

The rationale behind someone saying "I never felt so great in my life as the time I proclaimed to the world that I was an Atheist," seems so similar in nature to the constantly heard mantra of the former Christmas Christian who says "It wasn't until I accepted Jesus into my heart that my life changed forever."

This raises an alarm bell in my head and I urge those who are still reading this to proceed with caution at the sound this is making. Is the isolation and distribution of moving from the middle to the extreme left or right the only thing that can make people feel liberated? It seems the proclamation of extremity is what is making people feel liberated but, in reality, they are becoming more assimilated.

The bottom line is to be wary of those who join hands for any cause - especially when they say it is a "life changing" event. Far too often, the middle has been duped and raped by the extremities of the left and right into believing that a conversion has taken place. In fact, the only thing that has taken place is forced assimilation, gray turning to black and white - and what better to describe religion than that?

[mchelle]

You raise some excellent points. It would be fantastic if everyone could respect the choices that others make without feeling the need to force them into sharing their beliefs. I don't understand why this doesn't happen as it is.

My best guess is that power corrupts and there is great power in numbers. Religious leaders know this. It could be that some atheists and agnostics - like myself - are almost frightened of what could happen if these numbers continue to grow. I've heard people talking about making Christianity the national religion in the U.S. or mandating religious education in public schools, etc. All of these religious influences might make some people believe that the only way away from them is to educate people on why religion is not the only way to live.

I think that we still have a long way to go as a society before equality is practiced and respect is given to those with beliefs different from us. There are some of us who practice this now but it seems as though the majority doesn't. It's quite sad.