Luke Warm: The one where I throw a little shade

On more than one occasion I've been greeted by that particular brand of in-your phase , I'm speaking my mind fwaaa attitude that Ugandans hold in the area of religion. People knowing that I once was found and now lost, take the opportunity upon seeing me at the mall, on the street , in the sauna and firing me with the old, "so...are you still atheist?"

The A word when leaving their mouths seems to carry with it an extra level of disdain usually saved for people that chew with their mouths open or professional puppy kickers. I don't really use it to describe myself because , like I always say, it's weird to describe yourself by what you're not-we don't have a special word for people who don't believe in fairies or don't play chess but, mostly because the word has become synonymous with "hating god or claiming we know Gods don't exist" when that's not the case. By comparison the word agnostic is a little more palatable . It seems to say to all camps on the religious spectrum , "I''m on a journey here. I haven't quite made up my mind, yet..." Never mind that technically we're all agnostic; just some of us believe but don't know with any certainty that there's a God and other's don't, perception is reality. And at least in Uganda, the A word just means-lost cause, enemy of God, hedonist etc.

I usually smile it off or make some joke about having become a Buddhist now or serving the many faced God from Game of Thrones, but once in a while I run into people that actively press the topic a little too long for comfort. Recently one just blurted out, "But where do you get your moral compass? This as I walked by in a mall with groceries and stopped for a quick chat after months of not seeing each other. It irked me not in itself but because it's the latest in people making snap judgments about me based on nothing more than just "You don't have an invisible friend you pray to so therefore you must be immoral"

The funny thing is the people that do this the most are they themselves people that repeat the mantra "Don;t judge. Only God can judge"a sentiment that is NOT biblical but very new age. They complain about their more straight edged counterparts making judgments on them because they drink alcohol in large amounts, fornicate and live their lives in such a fashion as to draw the ire of the God they serve on Sunday mornings. #JesusTurnUpTime.

These lukewarm Christians as the more devout call them are the ones who scream the word Grace the most and use it as a sort of magic word that allows them to live their lives however they deem fit but as long as they can claim Christ  they're good. Now this is not to say many don't have a sincere affection for God, they do. They just love their lives more. And who can blame them? I mean YOLO right ...right Jesus?










The thing irks me now is that it's the lukewarm Christians, the Laissez Faire ones that cast the most aspersions. That are snide and condescending while the people I expected it from seem to not be bothered by my lack of belief at all. If anything, they promise to pray for me or actively seek to hear me out. Almost as if they were so sure of their faith that the presence of someone who questions it is no real threat.


So I'm now working on a theory by way of allegory: Let's say you met someone who thought that Spain was in Africa. Despite your laughter , this person seemed to be serious and after you told them that they were simply wrong, they insisted. What would you reaction be? You might think them crazy or deluded but you wouldn't be angry at them. You wouldn't be concerned with their unbelief because, Spain is not in Africa everyone knows that. Their assertion moves you in no real way.

Now think of almost every argument on the internet. It revolves less around facts but about ideology. Because we're entitled to our opinions but not our own facts, people argue about things that are open to interpretation. the answer is not as clear cut.Most often people tied to a certain ideology are angered when that ideology is threatened. When something finds it's way between the cracks of doubt, they must drown it out completely. Rather than debate or hear the other person out, they might feel like they're on shaky ground so you lash out at them, discredit them.


I think that's what's happening. Like the Good book says, "would that you were hot or cold," 

but to be Lukewarm is dangerous.



It's annoying to both the hot and the cold. Trying to get all the blessings of being hot while being cold when it's convenient. Now far be it from me to push people to church, or to try and make people become even more superstitious..but for very selfish reasons, ones in which we can get along swimmingly, to learn that people as people not caricatures that remind you of the shakiness of your own ideology.  Either shit or get off the pot. Decide what you believe and be that and maybe you won't be concerned with grown ass people living their lives as they see fit.