Recently someone told me that they were God-fearing and wanted to get married in front of God. To clarify what I was hearing, I asked if what they meant to say was that they wanted/preferred to get married in a church. After all, if they believed in an omniscient, omnipresent God, anywhere they married, technically, would be in front of God… My early years were spent two doors down from a church and at a relatively early age, I attempted to combine reason with religion. My mother told me that God could see everything that I did. In my mind, he could see everything happening outside (there were no obstructions to his vision from above). However, I gave him the same limitations as humans when I decided he could not see through the roof. Thus, whenever I did something bad, I did it in the house using the roof as my cover (I was a merciless wall-writer). Reasoning didn’t just “happen” to spring forth from out of nowhere though. My mother and grandfather both were heavy Bible debaters amongst themselves or with people who would come over from time to time in order to discuss/debate the Bible. I even remember my mother being a champion in my eyes once when she debated a Jehovah’s Witness who came to the door with the ubiquitous Watchtower Magazine.
JW: Good afternoon, m’am. I’d like to talk to you today about Jehovah if you have time. Mother: Certainly, come in. JW: I’d first like to give you this copy of The Watchtower and discuss (current cover’s topic). Mother: I have no problems discussing (current cover’s topic) however, I will need you to make your case from this (big Bible sitting in the middle of the coffee table). JW: Well, m’am, Jehovah says blah, blah, blah (still reading from Watchtower) and it says right here that…. Mother: I understand you have your magazine, however, I read from this (big Bible sitting in the middle of the coffee table). Unless or until you can point to me where it says the same thing in THIS book, I will not be able to agree with what you are saying. JW: Thank you so much for your time m’am. Do you mind if I come back? Mother: No problem.
Needless to say, I don’t think that person or any others came back after that episode. Because there was so much debate going on while I was growing up, I do not debate religion with people. It’s like having a question that to the people answering, the answer is right to one person if he says yes and the answer is right to the other person if he says no. Knowing that, I tend to let religion happen around me. Ever so often, if I meet someone of an unfamiliar religion, I may ask questions. However, my typical approach is to let each person be. I’ve personally known people who come from Jewish, Muslim and Hindu backgrounds, learned about people who are Sikh and have read the names of countless other religions in passing (not sure I’ll ever meet a Zoroastrian or not). At times when I am with others from differing religious backgrounds, we just are. No debates.