If I Were A...

[packbat]

Original to me, for once:

Most people have the same religion (or lack of religion) as their parents. That something this large in the life of an individual should even appear to be so much up to chance invites the question: what would you be like if you changed that one variable? And how would you interact if you met?

If I were a Christian:

• I would play Christian rock. (But possibly good Christian rock, if my church were liberal enough to give me my Joni Mitchell et al.)
  
• I would go on missions to third-world countries and donate generously to charity.
  
• I would play by the rules with a passion, and deplore the hypocrisy I see in others, also with a passion. (Probably to excess on both counts - I would still cross at the crosswalk were I the last person on earth.)
  
• I would debate theology for fun - possibly even go to seminary.
  
• The Man Who Was Thursday would still drive me nuts.

If real-me met Christian-me:

• We'd get in long arguments about the justifications of belief and foundations of morality.
  
• We'd exchange mixtape-CDs. I would be very nervous about putting anything anti-religion or anti-Christianity on them.
  
• He'd badger me to take up playing the piano again. I would promise, and then forget.
  
• He would be appalled that I could lose my Eagle Scout for being an atheist.

God bless, as he would say, and wind to thy wings, as I would reply.

Comments

[goblinpaladin.livejournal.com]

What's up with Thursday? I've never read it, except the bits in Deus Ex.

[packbat.livejournal.com]

I reviewed in on June 2nd, 2006 (last post on the page) (http://packbat.livejournal.com/2006/06/02/). My complaint in short: it sets up expectations and fails to fulfill them.

[goblinpaladin.livejournal.com]

I see. Yes, I imagine a spy novel that fails as a spy novel would be irritating.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I think, if I were in a Christian household, I'd probably wind up turning atheist, since empiricism is so deeply ingrained in me.

Of course, that's what my parents did, so I still can't get away from them ...

[packbat.livejournal.com]

I imagine there's a fair chance I'd do the same, but that rather defeats the purpose of the question, doesn't it? ;)

(That, and there are a lot of varieties of Christianity, and many of them accommodate themselves well to scientific evidence - witness [no pun intended] Fred 'slacktivist' Clark (http://slacktivist.typepad.com/). I particularly note his (http://slacktivist.typepad.com/slacktivist/2005/07/creationism_sna.html) four (http://slacktivist.typepad.com/slacktivist/2005/07/creationism_sna_1.html) Creationism (http://slacktivist.typepad.com/slacktivist/2005/07/creationism_sna_2.html) Snapshots (http://slacktivist.typepad.com/slacktivist/2005/07/creationism_sna_3.html) as evidence.)

"Moderate", rather than "evangelical".

[the-zaniak.livejournal.com]

I was raised Christian.

Oddly, "moderate"? Not the first word I associate with you!

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I pretty much wasn't.