A Couple of Things

The news today is filled with things I’m thinking about.

1. A retroviral cause for MS and schizophrenia? If this pans out, there will be some important treatment options for folks. But it also weirds me out to start to think of how much of me is not actually “me.”

2. Atheist ministers. The guy who said he just lives now like there isn’t a god broke my heart. What was he doing as a Christian that he doesn’t do now as an atheist trying to be a good guy? I guess that’s the thing I see as being a big problem for American Christianity–not atheism v. Christianity, but that so many people feel like there’s a disconnect between doing what you think is good and right and doing what you think you’re called to do as a Christian. Now, I am not a Christian any more, but this… this troubles me. When I was coming up, we were taught to try to be better Christians, to understand God’s will better, because that was good and right and things that you knew weren’t good and right were just obviously not the Christian thing to do. And it’s not as if that approach doesn’t also have its problems, but my god, to get a glimpse of someone who seems to think that his job, as a Christian, was to not be a good person? Small wonder he became an atheist, but wow. I think religion, whichever you choose, should be a refuge and a source of strength, not a terrible burden. But that’s me. Take it for what it’s worth.