Listen here, y'all. For those of you who clicked on this for the sole purpose of arguing with me, don't. If you can hide behind the "That's just my opinion" bullshit, then so can I. If, you clicked on this because you agree with me, great. If you clicked on this because you don't agree with me but you just want to read this because you're curious, even greater. I promise to you, latter of the three options person, that if ever you have an article with an opinion different from mine, I will read yours.

Back to the subject at hand. Religion gets on my nerves* because people get consumed by it. It's a personal thing, it is not any of my business which deity you decide to pledge your unwavering faith and allegiance to. It is not any of my business how you spend your Sundays or if you have to wear skirts in order to prove your faith (Which honestly, seems a bit weird to me, but whatever, if you're into it, again, it's none of my business.) If you start talking to me about the abomination that is my tattoos, or how I will go to hell because I use birth control, then we're going to have a problem. If tattoos bother you so much, don't get one. If birth control bothers you so much, don't use it. "But I don't want to have birth control included in other people's insurance!" again, none of your business. "That's my tax money funding birth control!" Easy there Hobby Lobby, it's birth control, not posion. If you are so adamanant on me becoming pregnant with a baby I cannot afford just remember me when you pay me some of your tax money every paycheck because I need state assistance. And let's be real, if alter boys were alter girls, birth control would be very easily accessible. Isn't that right, Father?

Christianity is the more popular religion of America and it has way too much influence on government decisions. If you will recall the vocab word from your tenth grade history class, secularism, then you will remember that church is separate from state. The senate doesn't take a lunch break and a communion. Stop imposing your religious agenda on everyone because you think "it's the right thing to do." It's not. It's actually extremely arrogant to think yourself a savior to those around you. Especially when they didn't even ask for your help. It's also arrogant to think that some god, (whichever one you believe in) will answer your prayers while he continues to leave many others unanswered. It's arrogant to think that your god is the only one that exists, that everyone else is just stupid and wrong. That everyone that doesn't believe in your god is going to go to hell.

The concept of religion was originally created in order to answer questions that humans did not yet have answers to. There are literally thousands of creation stories. Native American tribes have a different version of how the world came to be, as do Norse people and Babylonians. All those Roman and Greek myths are stories of how things cam to be. Hawaii has it's own creation story. Just because some book says "and God so created the Earth" doesn't mean another doesn't say that Ghea and Uranus were the grandparents to Zeus. What makes yours so much more believable than that of the Greeks? If someone were to say that they were a virgin and got pregnant anyway, there is no way that you would believe them. But somehow when it's typed up and put in a book it's infallible? But only if it's your book?

"Gays are unnatural and are going to go to Hell for their sins." Other than the fact that that is such an archaic and stupid thing to say, if that's true, and gays are going to Hell, where there's going to be other gays. Oh no. What a shame. Non-heterosexual people must be so sad to hang out with Luci at some rad party filled with cool interior decorations.

"Jess, you're being unfair, not everyone is like that" Maybe I am being unfair, but don't pretend that you aren't either.

"And besides, Hell is a bad place, there are no rad parties, Lucifer is evil." I'd like to think that Lucifer is a cool guy that got the short end of the stick and no love from God or the angels. Now he's friends with all the gays and the atheists, so who's the real winner here? Besides, I've already RSVPed for tea with Luci, so at this point, cancelling would be rude.

Now don't take my cynicism as downright hatred. On the contrary, I find that religion can offer solace to those who struggle. It can give hope to those who thought they had nothing left. It gives people a place to belong, it gives them a community, a support system when things are toughest. Churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and everything in between can do great things for the world. Whether that be bake sales for a local charity donation, a new chance at life, or even just offer itself as a shoulder to lean on when you're too weak to walk yourself. I do not think that religious people are bad or stupid. Nor do I think religion in itself is inherently evil. I just think people have a tendency to get carried away.

In short, religion is like a dick, if you've got one that's great, but the moment you start whipping it out in public and randomly start shoving it down my throat is when we're going to have a problem.

*Mostly Christianity because that is what I am most familiar with, but the same concept can be applied to many different religions.