WHAT'S IN A NAME?

"The Religious Curmudgeon isn't religious" bleated Robert in a comment on my last post.

Well, so what?

SO WHAT

RELIGIOUS
adjective
relating to or believing in a religion.
"both men were deeply religious and moralistic"
synonyms: devout, pious, reverent, believing, godly, God-fearing, dutiful, saintly, holy, prayerful, churchgoing, practising, faithful, devoted, committed
"he was a very religious person"

Well, so what?

It's true that I don't believe in a religion. I'm not deeply religious but I think that I am moralistic. It's fair to say though that I'm not devout, pious, reverent, believing, godly, God-fearing, dutiful, saintly, holy, prayerful, churchgoing, practising, faithful, devoted, and committed so maybe, dare I say it, that Robert is correct.

There's always a first time.

Yesterday some christians put a booklet in my letterbox.

This "diverse group of christian churches from throughout New Zealand came together to commemorate the 200-year anniversary of the arrival of christianity in New Zealand and the beginning of a 'hope-filled' bicultural partnership with Maori.'' 

Or so it says on the back page.

What a load of codswallop. I don't believe that 200 years ago the poorly educated, impoverished and narrow-minded christians were thinking of a 'bicultural partnership with Maori'. They were capturing souls, racking them up like kids did in that stupid Pokemon Go craze of a couple of years ago. That and 'collecting' the land that Maori lived on.

HOPE FOR ALL is the title and it is the fifth in a series. This 2019 booklet has the two themes of:

1. Our attitude towards the poor (charity) and 
2. Women's equality with men (a 125th anniversary).

OK, both of these are worthwhile but my worry is that these have been appropriated by these christians who present them as if it is only christians who can deliver charity and provide equality for women.

Bollocks!

Look don't get me wrong. I approve of most of the christians 'social' messages and actually live my life within their parameters but what really pisses me off is that anything good is appropriated by the christians and wrapped up in religious mumbo jumbo and, particularly with the catholics, history is reinterpreted to suggest that Jesus invented it all. They conveniently gloss over the fact that the churches appropriated Easter from pagan Brits (Eastron), Jews (Passover), Sumerians (Inanna) and many other cultures and religions.

OK I'm not religious.

SO WHAT!