tarkis's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- my son, the atheist My son announced to his very Catholic University English class that he was an atheist. Amidst the whispers and ooohhs... 2 very Fundamentalist Christians confornted him... The professor watched the scene unfolding with much interest. How can you be here.. how can you take such delight in working at the shelter... My son smiled... how can I not? he asked. I do not believe there is a god that will make everything better for me or anyone else... If you take the god out of the equation, then it is our responsibilty to be the best that we can be and to help all those that need it. There was silence, then... but atheists... you are bad people... again, my son smiled... so you say but until this moment.. until you heard the word atheist.. I was one of you.. helping the hurts to humanity... am I anyone different now because I only believe I have to do what I can to make things better than to rely on a god to do it for me? The professor stepped in smiling...the disgruntled fundamentalists fumed... I am proud of my son... but does he have to put this label on himself... this very word that strikes fear in people? I raised him Catholic.. I taught Sunday School... I was the director of our religious ed program... but in spite of all this.. he has followed my path. but I refuse to label myself... well, unless laughingly I call myself pagan. by the gods, I guess I should be glad he did not tell them he was pagan. 6:51 a.m. - 2005-09-20 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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