Dominant Religion
Something odd is happening in my comments sections today. I don't think it has anything to do with the Pay-Per-Post people, but it's remarkable enough to not necessarily be coincidental.
I've had two comments show up so far from folks who appear to be hit-and-run commenters with no email addresses nor websites listed, just their names. Jenni's totally left-field comment was attached to a thread from May, and was deleted because I have no idea what she was going on about - something having to do with me attacking rosaries which I don't recall ever doing. (I'm not even in the habit of discussing rosaries, since they're symbols of a religion which I don't practice. On the other hand, they do represent ritual, which fascinates me no matter the religion. I attended a funeral mass last week, and was utterly entranced by the ritual throughout which I thought was very appropriate and moving.) Harold Barnett's comment was attached to a post from back in January, and was about how some theory used to disprove the historical existence of Jesus was itself in doubt because the main figure in that theory was himself fictional. (That one I kept because I thought it interesting rather than confrontational; remember, blog comment sections are not "free speech zones" but rather the online equivalents of cocktail parties, so if I as the host perceive a guest to be rude, particularly a party-crasher I've never encuontered before who doesn't present any "paper trail," I see nothing wrong with showing them the door.)
I don't think anyone but me even noticed these comments. As I said, they were attached to posts from months ago, and I would imagine very few Pen-Elayne readers check in with my comments sections at all; I only saw them because I subscribe to the Pen-Elayne comments section via Bloglines. So, given that they're both apparently from folks who've never visited (or delurked) before, feeling a sudden need to leap at me in defense of some aspect of their religion that I never attacked, buried in the archives from months ago - well, I wonder what's going on. Is this something like radio and TV programs from decades ago just now making it to the outer reaches of our solar system? Have past posts of mine that have touched on religious matters just been archived at some holy search engine visited by devout believers prone to misinterpretation?
For the record, then: I blog about religion at times, particularly from a historical perspective (I love all those Biblical history documentaries), but don't tend to get too much into it, because I believe the practice of religion is like the practice of sex - a private matter between a consenting adult and his or her deity/deities of choice. As stated above, I also enjoy many of the rituals associated with religion (as well as those associated with sports, nations and other organizations) and often blog about certain celebrations. And events which happened to me when I was younger as a result of anti-Semitic prejudice contributed to who I am and what I believe in general today, so I will occasionally point out those injustices the same way I blog about other societal evils. But the actual liturgical worship aspect? Not so much. Because how or whether you worship God/Allah/"Bob"/The Great Cosmic Muffin/The Flying Spaghetti Monster is none of my business. It only becomes my business when you push your worship in my face, particularly if you expect me to then join in. I don't like second-hand religion any more than I like second-hand smoke. I have my own religious beliefs which suit me just fine - and which, unless I choose to discuss them, are really none of your business either.
Something odd is happening in my comments sections today. I don't think it has anything to do with the Pay-Per-Post people, but it's remarkable enough to not necessarily be coincidental.
I've had two comments show up so far from folks who appear to be hit-and-run commenters with no email addresses nor websites listed, just their names. Jenni's totally left-field comment was attached to a thread from May, and was deleted because I have no idea what she was going on about - something having to do with me attacking rosaries which I don't recall ever doing. (I'm not even in the habit of discussing rosaries, since they're symbols of a religion which I don't practice. On the other hand, they do represent ritual, which fascinates me no matter the religion. I attended a funeral mass last week, and was utterly entranced by the ritual throughout which I thought was very appropriate and moving.) Harold Barnett's comment was attached to a post from back in January, and was about how some theory used to disprove the historical existence of Jesus was itself in doubt because the main figure in that theory was himself fictional. (That one I kept because I thought it interesting rather than confrontational; remember, blog comment sections are not "free speech zones" but rather the online equivalents of cocktail parties, so if I as the host perceive a guest to be rude, particularly a party-crasher I've never encuontered before who doesn't present any "paper trail," I see nothing wrong with showing them the door.)
I don't think anyone but me even noticed these comments. As I said, they were attached to posts from months ago, and I would imagine very few Pen-Elayne readers check in with my comments sections at all; I only saw them because I subscribe to the Pen-Elayne comments section via Bloglines. So, given that they're both apparently from folks who've never visited (or delurked) before, feeling a sudden need to leap at me in defense of some aspect of their religion that I never attacked, buried in the archives from months ago - well, I wonder what's going on. Is this something like radio and TV programs from decades ago just now making it to the outer reaches of our solar system? Have past posts of mine that have touched on religious matters just been archived at some holy search engine visited by devout believers prone to misinterpretation?
For the record, then: I blog about religion at times, particularly from a historical perspective (I love all those Biblical history documentaries), but don't tend to get too much into it, because I believe the practice of religion is like the practice of sex - a private matter between a consenting adult and his or her deity/deities of choice. As stated above, I also enjoy many of the rituals associated with religion (as well as those associated with sports, nations and other organizations) and often blog about certain celebrations. And events which happened to me when I was younger as a result of anti-Semitic prejudice contributed to who I am and what I believe in general today, so I will occasionally point out those injustices the same way I blog about other societal evils. But the actual liturgical worship aspect? Not so much. Because how or whether you worship God/Allah/"Bob"/The Great Cosmic Muffin/The Flying Spaghetti Monster is none of my business. It only becomes my business when you push your worship in my face, particularly if you expect me to then join in. I don't like second-hand religion any more than I like second-hand smoke. I have my own religious beliefs which suit me just fine - and which, unless I choose to discuss them, are really none of your business either.
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