ABF
Instead of learning how to "keep it real" in my church's college group, I like to attend my parents' Adult Bible Fellowship (ABF) class. It's Sunday School for grownups. Well, at least you'd THINK they're grownups by looking at them. If you were to observe their behavior, however, you'd think you're watching a documentary on Adult ADD. It's amazing to me that a group of highly educated men and women could have such a hard time passing a clipboard around the room. Apparently, it takes much more than advanced degree in engineering to figure out that, if you got the clipboard from the person behind you, it's supposed to be passed to the row in front of you. Actually, I really do like being in that class. It's far more interesting than learning about how to witness to my unchurched friends at school, of which I have absolutely none.
No, the real problem I have is with these adults who equate the ability to dissent from popular belief with spiritual depth. I know you know the type. I was sitting in front of a couple of them this week, which served as the impetus for this post. After nearly everything the teacher said, I had to hear the guy lean over to his wife and say, "I just disagree with that entirely." Thanks for letting us know, doofus. We don't care what you agree with, you pompous mouth-breather. If someone got up in front of the class and yelled, "Gravity is what causes things to fall!" and I yelled back, "I just don't think that's right!" I'd get the hairy eyeball from every single person in the room. You can't disagree with statements based on the tenets of our faith. Just because you've recently discovered this magic new talent you have for "disagreeing with things," you don't have to go bludgeoning us over the head with it. Guess what, queerbait. Your opinion is about as relevant as the Swiss army. Your wife probably doesn't even care what you think. Get a pair and learn to shut your ignorant mouth before someone like me breaks your jaw.
I also very nearly made a fool of myself when I met a new person in the class. She told me she's half Japanese, half German. Then, I met her husband, who is Italian. I came *this* close to saying, "Well, you're just the whole axis package, aren't you?" But fortunately, I was able to stop myself in time. For the most part, I'm able to control the ridiculous urges I have to say those types of things, but every once in a great while, one of 'em slips out. I'm just glad for the self control I had today, because I could have very easily made a new enemy. God knows I don't need any more of those.
No, the real problem I have is with these adults who equate the ability to dissent from popular belief with spiritual depth. I know you know the type. I was sitting in front of a couple of them this week, which served as the impetus for this post. After nearly everything the teacher said, I had to hear the guy lean over to his wife and say, "I just disagree with that entirely." Thanks for letting us know, doofus. We don't care what you agree with, you pompous mouth-breather. If someone got up in front of the class and yelled, "Gravity is what causes things to fall!" and I yelled back, "I just don't think that's right!" I'd get the hairy eyeball from every single person in the room. You can't disagree with statements based on the tenets of our faith. Just because you've recently discovered this magic new talent you have for "disagreeing with things," you don't have to go bludgeoning us over the head with it. Guess what, queerbait. Your opinion is about as relevant as the Swiss army. Your wife probably doesn't even care what you think. Get a pair and learn to shut your ignorant mouth before someone like me breaks your jaw.
I also very nearly made a fool of myself when I met a new person in the class. She told me she's half Japanese, half German. Then, I met her husband, who is Italian. I came *this* close to saying, "Well, you're just the whole axis package, aren't you?" But fortunately, I was able to stop myself in time. For the most part, I'm able to control the ridiculous urges I have to say those types of things, but every once in a great while, one of 'em slips out. I'm just glad for the self control I had today, because I could have very easily made a new enemy. God knows I don't need any more of those.
posted by Vaughan at
1:29 PM
5 Comments:
I can understand your annoyance at the man who disagreed. It frustrates me when kids I know make an incorrect statement, and after being shown that they're wrong because it contradicts with the teachings in the Quran (our holy book) still say they "don't believe that" or something equally ridiculous. I mean, if you believe the Quran is God's Word, who the hell cares what YOU have to say on the matter? I mean, what's your word against God's? Absolutely nothing.
Well, disregarding differences in religion, the root problem sounds very similar. God's Word vs. people's feelings. Too often though they seem to be repeating either what they heard from their parents or church and not doing any study or thought of their own.
Andrewy, I'll wait for your permission to start a tirade on Islam.
You don't really need my permission. Go ahead. If you really want it to be seen, however, why don't you put it on your own blog instead of as a comment on mine?
Because nobody reads my blog.
Well, I'm not encouraging following one's religion blindly, though at times it is a part of faith to do so. In a way, it can strengthen a person's faith to question the deeper meaning behind a certain rule. However, it's not always the case that people question religion to understand more about it, often they question and shift things just because they don't like what they're hearing. Disregarding a rule simply because you don't think it's true, even though you believe God says it is, is pretty contradicting.
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