| Do people believe in god? There's all shades...
Well, yeah, of course we all know some people who do. We call them Jesus-freaks, zealots, nut-jobs. Behind their backs, of course. Because they're scary. Most of their attention is focused, not on god, but on anyone who doesn't subscribe to their particular flavor of religion. For some, going to church isn't an act of reverence or worship; it's saying, 'nyah, nyah, I'm better than you are...'
And then there's the people who definitely _don't_ believe in god, and don't you dare ever forget it, because god has no part in their life, and if the 'g' word ever comes up they will let you know that they don't believe in god. Repeatedly. As if it were the most important, defining thing in their life. Which it isn't, and don't dare even say that.
Then we have everyone else.
The people who go to church every Sunday because that's how they were raised, then sit through the sermon constructing a grocery list, and live the rest of their life in _this_ world. God doesn't have much power over someone like that, even if they say they believe in god.
The people who, if pressed, will say, in a general, non-commital fashion, that yeah, they guess there's a god. I guess. I don't really go to church though, maybe I should... Of course, they don't. Lawn's got to be mowed, man I was up late last night, I just don't feel so well today, I didn't even know it was Sunday, need to get ice, milk, eggs, butter....
The people who 'just' live. They live, and learn, and think. They decide that some things are important to them, and some aren't. They have the intelligence to make that distinction, and the courage to act on it. They decide they aren't nut-jobs trying to tell people how to live. They decide they aren't entirely rabid haters of men also trying to dictate to people how they should live. They come to the conclusion that they are too thoughtful to fool themselves, and too prideful to be wishy-washy.
This last category is most of the people I've ever met. I consider myself to be part of it. These people make the best neighbors, the best friends, the best lovers.
They don't try to tell you how to live.
They are stimulating, original, and interesting.
Maybe most importantly, when someone you love dies, they don't tell you that it was god's will. And when your cat dies, they don't tell you it didn't have a soul and isn't going to heaven.
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