Hell comes in many varieties, depending on who you ask. My own particular version, at least for this week, involved sitting at the table in my parents’ mobile home, while Jeannie yammered about Muslims. Owing partly to her ongoing indoctrination (namely, the “comparative religions” workshop she’s been attending, sponsored by her son’s orthodox church) she’s now taken to regurgitating half-baked tidbits she gathers from the instructor and other group members, sharing them with anyone who’s around.
As my dad worked on his breakfast and I tried to read the paper, Jeannie stood near the table, holding forth on people who believe differently than she does.
“The more I learn about Muslims, the more I realize how dangerous they are. It’s terrible! They want to take over the world, and make everyone live by their rules.” She informed us that Muslim men have a special fondness for “blond American women,” and after they marry and get them pregnant, they then take away the children because women in those countries have no rights.
I object, saying there are plenty of moderate Muslim people who lead ordinary lives and have no interest in taking over the world or marrying blond American women, but Jeannie brushes my point aside. “I know there are some like that, but their religion is all about converting everyone, even by force.”
Then, without transition, she’s on to the topic of atheists. “And an atheist—that’s something I could never be, I just couldn’t imagine.” She grimaces, shuddering. “They’re denying the spiritual element that’s part of everyone.”
I point out there are plenty of well-adjusted people who are either atheist or agnostic, and who are likely to be happy, highly moral beings. That only goads her to parrot a remark from an old philosophy teacher: “Agnostics are just atheists with no courage.”
Jeannie has always been vocal about her religious beliefs, and can’t imagine someone not worshipping a “higher power” as she does. Her anti-Muslim rants, however, started about 6 months ago, and have only been getting worse. While I agree that terrorists are evil and need to be stopped, Jeannie seems to feel that nearly all Muslims represent a terrorist threat.
I could have said other things in response to her tirade, starting with the fact that religion and culture are not always one and the same; oppression against women and minorities happens in many different countries, many of them non-Muslim.
To that I could have added that Christians have their own pretty atrocious history of oppression, including the destruction of whole cultures. How ‘bout them Crusades? And don’t forget the Inquisition.
Or I could have just suggested that, as a good Christian, she should pray for those poor beings rather than judging them.
But as usual, I let it go after my first remark, because even while it would be easy to expose her failure of logic (not to mention lack of compassion) there was no point in trying to enlighten her. Like a dog with a bone, she just wants something to focus on.
Knowing that doesn’t make it any easier for me to sit through her monologues; I have yet to master my dad’s ability to tune her out. What I could do, if I were so inclined, is to pray for patience and understanding, but I haven’t reached that point yet.
