Oh man. What is it about my face that inspires so many religious folks to hand me their insulting little pamphlets so often?
Is it the big eyes? The sarcasm? The over-the-top enthusiasm? Maybe the sugary sweet little girl voice?
At any rate, they seem to think I need saving. Sometimes my kids, too. At a parade Inari was given a Pamphlet about "Mr. Nice Guy" who was still going to burn in hell even though he wasn't a sinner because he had not yet accepted Jesus into his heart.
馃槺
My boy was 3-years-old at the time.
Today I got this one.
According to the criteria, I am definitely not getting in.
It starts with: First, you must accept that you are a sinner.
"For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God."
Well, yeah. I'm not a God, first of all, so let's stop trying to hold humanity up to a golden standard. Mmkay?
Back to the pamphlet.
Second, you must accept that as a sinner you owe a penalty.
To whom and what penalty?
"For the wages of sin is death."
And...
"The soul that sinneth, it shall die."
I need to ask a serious question of people. At what point in life did it become acceptable to attempt to bully and frighten people into your way of life?
Is there a reason fear is a tactic? Is there no positive way to address this, to encourage people to take up the religious mantle?
In my opinion it is to each their own. You can Catholic/Islamic/Hindu/Pastafarian whatever, I am happy you have something you are passionate about. I love you and your religious preferance doesn't matter to me.
But for the love of your god, keep your pamphlets to yourself. If one more person hands my child a picture of a man burning in Hellfire this mama might just snap.