To me, humanity was created in the image of Ted. Well, at least one crucial aspect of humanity was created in his image.
Ted was someone I met on a religious website a few years ago. He’s gone now, but his scent lingers on much like the scent of those good folks who wear so much perfume that you can tell they’ve been in a room up to 45 minutes or so after they left it. Ted left the website years ago, but his scent has yet to leave it. Folks still talk about Ted.
Quite unfortunately, Ted was one of those people who give Christians a bad name, for he was one of those who make notes in the margins of their Bibles. You know, notes correcting Jesus. “Sorry Dude, but the meek don’t inherit nothing.”
The only people on the website who loved Ted were those people who love to hate Christians. Which was ironic because Ted’s BIG THEME was that Christians are persecuted by every and all non-Christian on the planet. But it’s kind of hard to say his theme was true because Ted’s enemies loved him. At least, they were mostly the only ones who would speak to him.
One day Ted decided he’d had enough of me and my evil ways. “Sunstone, I know why you don’t capitalize God.” That came out of the blue. I wasn’t speaking to him.
Why?
“You hate God and want to demean Him in the eyes and mind of the world.”
That’s good to know, Ted, I’m always enthusiastic to learn more about myself. Here are links to three grammarians on when to capitalize “god” and when not to. Got to run! I just finished a portrait painting and I don’t want to miss a moment more of its drying process!
Strangely, Ted failed to get the hint. “Those links are to atheist websites, Sunstone, and even if they are not atheists, they don’t know what they’re talking about, and even if they know what they’re talking about, they’re wrong.”
Got to hand it to Ted, his logic was every bit as ideologically driven as the logic of that famous atheist, Ayn Rand. That’s to say, neither he nor Ayn ever much bothered to check their reasoning against reality.
Indeed, just about every human I’ve known well in my life now and then substitutes a falsehood they cherish for ideological reasons — substitutes the falsehood for truth, including me. And that’s why I’m convinced we were all created in Ted’s image.
“… they don’t know what they’re talking about, and even if they know what they’re talking about, they’re wrong.” I like that! It’s so succinctly bullheaded! Why use logic and reason when you can just throw out that phrase? I mean, how can anyone continue a discussion with someone who throws that out? It makes me laugh. BUT… I’ll have to remember that phrase! Useful with any debatable subject, not just religion! haha
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It’s a funny phrase, isn’t it? I’m pretty sure I got the idea something similar to it that people were using in real life.
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Unfortunately self righteousness is a serious mental ailment that inhibits critical thinking.
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“Inhibits critical thinking”. What an insightful observation, Terese!
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🙂
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