Challenge Accepted

Earlier this week, my friend Jessica, a great contributor and supporter of the blog, suggested that I read Penn Jillette’s God, No! (Yes, he is the dude from Penn and Teller!) She recently purchased a copy and thought I would enjoy the read. I decided to buy the book and write a review.

On Tuesday, November 7^th, I left work and drove to Barnes and Noble, in Braintree, and purchased Jillette’s book. I returned to my job and immediately began reading the introduction. One of my uncles, who is a Christian, wanted to know what I was reading. I handed over the book and his first question was, “are you an atheist?” (He honestly asked in jest!)

I answered in the affirmative and he was a little stunned, but he has known me long enough to understand that I tend to find my own way in life. We discussed religion for a short time, but at the end of the day, we agreed that everyone is free to believe as they please. He did bring up an interesting book, which I agreed to read. I hopped back in the car and drove to the Barnes and Noble at the Prudential Center, in the Copley area. I called ahead and the helpful customer service associate placed a copy of Lee Strobel’s The Case For Christ on reserve for me. (Two Barnes and Noble booksellers in one day! Screw you, Amazon!)

***I hope to have my first novel published in the near future and I would greatly appreciate the assistance of the wonderful people at Amazon!***

     My uncle said that I am a bigger believer than he is. His rationalization is the fact that I am risking an eternity in Hell, by denying “god.” I guess that makes sense, but we all know that I have nothing to worry about. He did add that he hopes, for my sake, that I am right. (I thought that was nice!)

I am excited to uncover a new truth. Maybe Strobel’s tome is the beginning of my reintroduction to Christianity! I read some of Jillette’s book, but like most atheists, he makes the common mistake; he attempts to explain the fact that “god” doesn’t exist, with logic! (C’mon, you’re better than that Penn, you know dem religious folk don’t do no logic!) Jillette’s book is entertaining, so far. He includes great stories about his life as an atheist in the entertainment industry, and he creates his own ten suggestions, which is an atheistic approach to the Ten Commandments. (You’ll notice that my post, The Laws, is similar. I guess all great atheist-assholes think alike. **It’s interesting that I consider myself a Masshole, and Penn Jillette openly admits to the fact that he is an asshole in the book’s introduction!**)

***I don’t believe all atheists are assholes, but one can never be certain!***

     I will post my reviews of the two works in separate posts, next week. We’ll see if I become a more informed atheist or a born again Christian. Either way, I wouldn’t mind getting to know a new birth canal! (Is that too crass? Oh well!)

     In the picture below, you’ll notice that my Redtail Catfish is heading towards the atheist book. I guess fish can sense the truth!

     I look forward to posting the results of my spiritual journey! For now, I will leave you with something to ponder! I used several sources to produce the definition for the word, jealous. I think we can all agree that jealousy is a character flaw. Here are some results.

1. From Webster’s Dictionary Jealous: 1. Fearful or suspicious of being displaced by a rival in affection or favors.  2. Vindictive toward another because of rivalry.
2. From Webster’s Thesaurus Jealous: possessive, demanding, monopolizing, envious, watchful, resentful, mistrustful, doubting, apprehensive.  See also Suspicious.
3. From Dictionary.com 1. Jealous resentment against a rival, a person enjoying success or advantage, etc., or against another’s success or advantage itself. 2. Mental uneasiness from suspicion or fear of rivalry, unfaithfulness, etc., as in love or aims.
4. From Wikipedia Jealousy is a secondary emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, particularly in reference to a human connection. Jealousy often consists of a combination of presenting emotions such as anger, sadness, resentment and disgust. It is not to be confused with envy.
5. Quotes from Psychology today

• “The Most Destructive Passion–Jealousy has long been deemed the guardian of love. But more often it’s love’s downfall. We typically blame our partner for paying attention to another, but the real issue may be what jealousy teaches us about ourselves.”—Hara Estroff Marano
• “Crazy About You, or Just Crazy?–If I weren’t mad about you, I’d just be mad.”—Steven Stosny

 

You may be wondering, what the heck does jealousy have to do with anything? It is simple! Everyone has some experience with jealousy. People may either find themselves being jealous, or they may be the victim of a jealous person, but we all understand that the emotion is a complete turnoff. Shakespeare coined the term, “green-eyed jealousy,” in The Merchant of Venice and it has been used long since.

     Here is an interesting quote from the Bible. The speaker is “god;” he is delivering the second Commandment to Moses.

     Book of Exodus Chapter 20, verse 5 – “For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God…”

It appears that “god” is nothing more than a peeping-Tom, stalker! If there is a “god,” the one thing we all know, is that his eyes are green! You may want to reconsider your personal relationship with this being. (Seriously, if your friend was dating a guy like “god,” you’d tell her to run for the hills!)

**Remember, you can’t have jealousy, without lousy!**

     What is my favorite “god” song, oh yeah, “I love you. You love me. We’re a happy family…” No that’s not it; never mind!

Here is a challenge to everyone who reads this blog. For shits and giggles, find a young child and try to explain, by using logic and common sense, the fact that Barney is not real. Just be prepared to defend yourself against an all-out attack, filled with nonsense. (You’ll probably have to take the necessary precautions to prevent a future attack; you’ll most likely have a better understanding of Jihad, my friend!)

@PeteTeix617