It's been a while....

So,

It's been a while since I posted anything, for that I apologize. It's been a busy few months what with football coaching (little league) and work getting in the way. Speaking of work, I transferred from one project I was managing to an account now that has me managing a group of agents that take calls raising funds for an Evangelical Christian organization. Even my boss and the CEO of the company I work for find this HILARIOUS.

The group spouts all this venom towards Atheists on a regular basis and here I am managing the group of people that answer their phones and drive donations to keep them talking their garbage. I'm good at what I do, we do well and the 'group' gets their millions. It's just ironic that I am helping them continue their campaign of hate and intolerance.

The most hilarious thing about this though is the callers themselves, they are so very deluded that it makes for some very entertaining listening. It never fails to amaze me the way the religious mind works, these people will call in, all fired up about whatever issue the organization is pushing that day and want to voice their opinions on how the country is going to hell, how terrorists are allowed to build churches or better yet how Atheists are ruining their "Christian Country" (Last I checked, the U.S was NOT Christian but rather built on the idea that the U.S would be SECULAR) -- see the founding fathers notes in history if you disagree. You know, disputing the Ground Zero Cross etc. that one always makes me laugh since it's a couple metal beams that didn't fall down and just happen to be intersecting. All the idiot Christians think it's a great sign from God. IF it were a sign from God, and that's a BIG IF, God must be a real bastard. What was he thinking? "hey let's kill 2000+ people and then I will leave a couple metal beams that intersect and all the believers will suddenly see that as a sign that I care!" Wow, and they swallow this crap...Anyway, when the agents ask these callers for a donation to support this organization the callers come back with "Well, I need to pray about it." and hang up. It's DAMN hilarious, they all want to support God and fighting these issues but have to ask GOD if he's ok with it?

Idiots!!!!

It's almost as bad as: "Hey I understand you need help, so I am going to pray for you." Why don't they just say " I know you're suffering but, hey FUCK OFF. I am not doing anything for you but hoping things get better." Wow.....

Prayer, Huh! Good God Y'all what is it good for?

Yesterday, my wife, son and I had the pleasure of having Sunday dinner with my Mother and Father in-law. As far as dinners go with in-laws it went well I think. No arguments and no 'faith promoting' exercises which actually surprised me.

Of course, before we could eat they had to have the obligatory prayer over the food. Normally, I take this in stride. It's their house and I am all about respecting everyone and their beliefs in their homes. I would never consider being disrespectful of their desire to pray over their food. It is their house after all, and they do respect my wishes to NOT pray in my house.

The prayer itself is what always gets me. In the prayer they took the time to thank God for the food, being healthy etc. What I find odd is this: They didn't thank my wife for cooking it, me for buying it, the farmers for growing it, the truck drivers for transporting it, the processors for canning it etc. None of those people were worth thanking, just God who did NOTHING in preparing it, growing it or bringing it to the table. I am confused by this thought process. The people that ACTUALLY put the EFFORT into it get NO credit while an imaginary friend that does nothing gets ALL THE CREDIT.

Correct me if I'm wrong but this doesn't seem the way things should be. Even Jesus in the Bible thanks the fishermen and farmers for their efforts, but folks can't do that now.

Not sure about that....

What the $!@#%

Last night, my wife invited her sister's family to go to dinner with us. While I am not always a 'huge fan' of going to dinner with her family. (They for the most part annoy me)-- although they are good material for my blog and my book.

We arrive and are waiting for them to arrive, after a few minutes, my wife the patient individual that she is --she's about as patient as a tick at a blood drive, calls her sister at their HOME number. Of course, they haven't left yet and they are already 10 minutes late. Normally, this isn't annoying but you have to understand first; I'm HUNGRY, my 11 year old is hungry and I wanted to go out to dinner, I just wasn't planning on having to wait to eat till her sister and family arrived. About 20 minutes after she calls, they arrive, fight with their 2 year old to sit down and behave order our food and of course make small talk till the food arrives.

Once the food arrives, my wife, myself and our son dig in. It's chow-time right?

Loudly and in her most annoying voice my wife's sister announces "Son, fold your arms!" she then leans across her husband and begins forcibly grabbing at her 2 year old. The kid of course begins his "aaah, aaah, NO, NO" routine, slapping her hands away and avoiding her. Frustrated I am sure, she then YELLS (In a CROWDED Restaurant) "We are SAYING A PRAYER, FOLD YOUR ARMS!" I swear, the entire dining-room was staring at our table. She then says loudly "Honey, say the prayer." Staring at my son "We are Praying now!" My son, stared and continued to chew on his pizza that he had ordered.

She nudges her husband who blurts out some quick and dirty little prayer, his face red as a beet, at the end of his prayer, his wife announces "AMEN!" then tells my son, "you can eat now, the food is blessed."

I, if it weren't for the fact that I love my wife and of course didn't want to make the scene any worse wanted desperately to punch that psycho directly in the forehead and then loudly apologize to the entire restaurant for her behavior.

Needless to say, I have some questions:

Since when did people pray loudly in restaurants? Is this a new phenomena or have I just been oblivious?

Is this some kind of new christian dogma that people are supposed to publicly display their belief in imaginary beings?

Am I wrong to be mortified and pity their kid?

What do you think?