Good Morning. Happy Fifth! I'm sure that those of you that didn't get a hurricane yesterday enjoyed your holiday. Well, ours was a disaster; many things from yesterday were postponed to today, and our local fireworks aren't even happening until tomorrow, but I digress.


With our cookout gone yesterday, I decided to stay in and make a vat of fish chowder. I had miscalculated some ingredients, so I had to run out to the market. (Unlike other holidays, I have no qualms about shopping on the 4th - it was essentially a rainy Saturday around here, but apologies to my retail brethren nonetheless.) I was also making apple pie, so I decided to look for some large-granule sugar to dust the top.

I was intently studying the cake decorating aisle when it happened. A gentleman approached me, out of the blue, and apologized for bothering me. He then asked,

"Do you believe in Jesus?"

I was so taken aback, it was all I could do to muster my restraint and bluntly tell him that I did not. By my inflection, I suggested that any further questioning along these lines may result in unpleasantness.

Look, I've personally met quite a few of you out there. Is there something about me that just screams ETERNAL DAMNATION!!!??

I have never been approached, proselytized, or otherwise recruited by a Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Shinto, Hindu, Sikh, or Ba'hai.

I have never been "witnessed" for Confucius.

I have never been handed a screed by a Wiccan, Rastafarian, or a Druid.

No member of the Falun Gong, Chongdogyo, Cao Dai, Oomoto, or Anito has volunteered to pray for my soul.

Brother John Frum has not invited me to join his cargo cult.

Nay, no other religion on Earth does these things. It's taken me a reasonably long journey to get here, and a near-death experience, but I'm rather comfortable with the prophet I've chosen to follow these days.

Of course, there is something written about this in The Book:

[109.1] Say: O unbelievers!
[109.2] I do not serve that which you serve,
[109.3] Nor do you serve Him Whom I serve:
[109.4] Nor am I going to serve that which you serve,
[109.5] Nor are you going to serve Him Whom I serve:
[109.6] You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion.

I'm kinda beyond the point of "Can't we all just get along?" and have moved inexorably towards "Leave me the fuck alone!!"

As always, your mileage may vary.