Entry: The unhappy Humanist

Ok...anyone who's read my blog enough knows that I enjoy learning about different faiths and philosophies. Tonight, I was fortunate enough to spend some time with the Lowcountry Humanist Society. Those folks are pretty cool. They remind me a lot of the Unitarians. Great folks, all of them, and oh so ready to welcome. However, the point of this blog entry is not to talk about the virtues of Humanism or its practitioners, but to mention one who stood out as an antithesis among them.

Unfortunately, in the process of discussing with people the events leading to my being there this evening, one man took interest in what I had to say about my experiences with the Christians, the pagans, the Unitarians, etc. He made a derogatory comment about my having been with the KKK (or so he felt like mentioning after others had come up to listen in on the conversation). Obviously, he had made that part up, but he had made his intention clear. He was also interested to know what group I would go to next after I was done with the Humanists. So...my question is this...is it wrong of me to be so open about my lack of obligation to any one group when I go to check one of them out? Should I not mention that I'm going strictly as an academic exercise simply to expand my horizons and not to offer allegiance? Did I invite this on myself? If so, dang. If not, then this gentleman can SUCK IT.

The subject in question bore the tell-tale character template of so many atheists that I've had the misfortune of knowing. (Granted, I never actually asked if he was an atheist, but he certainly put on a good show if he wasn't). The conversation that came after his ridiculous introduction, while under the guise of curiosity, was conducted in the usual fashion of the atheist inquisitor. You know of whom I speak...the one who comes up to you, asks you questions about your philosophies, and simply does nothing but offer counter-points to everything you say. (sigh). Granted, not all atheists are like this, but the ones that are operate under the grand illusion that their employment of "ultimate logic" in their thought process gives them a privileged status among their fellow man. It's simply another form of blind faith, IMHO. I just never thought I'd see one turn his sights on an agnostic...especially one like me. :)

The idea of this post wasn't to knock Humanism or anything. I rather enjoyed my time with the group. The moral of this story is that EVERY group has an ass who is just waiting to make himself known. It doesn't matter if you're Muslim, Christian, Jew, Pagan, Hindu, Buddhist, or whatever. There will ALWAYS be those with the inflated sense of identity and self-realization. To all those out there who fit this mold, I offer you this advice....

"Sit down, shut up, and eat your d*mn food."