Not even...

When Twila read the last line of my politics post she said, "You sound angry and despondent. But I guess you are." But I wasn't despondent, because I never had any hope. I was angry, but I'm much better now that I'm apolitical, and those Mitch McConnell nightmares seem to have gone away.

I never should have posted about politics, anyway, because my Golden Rule is to never discuss politics or religion. I mean, what's the point? It's possible to intelligently argue politics, I suppose, but most people are entrenched in their views. And religion? Well, "intelligent" is off the table when discussing religion. That's what "faith" means. Since I'm already dirty, though, this is my religion post.

Probably you should know that I was raised Catholic. As late as my senior year in high school I was considering becoming a priest, which shows the power of indoctrination. That year my principal, a Christian Brother whom I liked and respected, told me that I'd lose my faith if I went to a non-Catholic college. He was pushing for Manhattan or Notre Dame, but even in my fuzzy, religion-addled brain, I had to wonder why he was concerned about my being outside the Force. So I went to Hamilton and renounced Catholicism before the end of the first semester in my freshman year.

I used to have this thought: "The good news is that there is a God. The bad news is that he's dying." That was creepy, but it isn't difficult to imagine worse.

One of the other things I used to think about is Hell. It really sounds like a nasty place, worse than a cheap Indian hotel. Hopefully only the worst of the worst would go there. So I wondered, if I showed up at the Pearly Gates and St. Peter asked me whom I would send to Hell, whom I would choose. Whom would you choose?

My answer was no-one. Not terrorists, not Hitler, not Mitch McConnell, no-one. For one thing, I am in no position to judge anyone. The other thing is that an eternity of punishment is way too harsh for anything a human might do in a century on Earth. It's ridiculous. Even the United States prohibits that kind of torture. (Let's leave Dick Cheney out of this, for the moment.)

In fact, if St. Peter asked me that, I think I'd say, "Me." Because I wouldn't want to be in Heaven with a God who would create a Hell for his creatures. I cannot even imagine that. I'd rather be burning for all eternity and knowing that I was a loving person, instead of being in paradise with an evil god I hated.