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I was in one of those very small historical society museums over the weekend, in a small (snowed in) Western Massachusetts village.
As I looked over field doctors' records from the civil war, pencil-scribbled birth and death certificates of old residents, all that sort of old stuff, I couldn't avoid a conversation taking place behind me.
An elderly-sounding gentleman (who was not, actually), speaking with a proper English accent, was decrying the decline of "The Cross" in Massachusetts. He bent the ear of the docent, who had the good sense (or training) not to engage a patron in a religious debate.
He "was outraged" at what had become of Massachusetts, and how it has become a laughing stock because of the gay marriage issue; and that the state was removing all signs of the proper teachings of Christ, "much to the detriment of us all!" (Much in contradiction of the facts, too).
The volume of his fire and brimstone was contained only by his respect for the distinguished museum setting, but he grew more intense by the word. He applauded the museum for "having the courage" to display ancient documents that mention God (as if museums are known for being big censors of historic documents).
But what floored me, and nearly made me burst in to the conversation and verbally pummel this pontificating preacher man, was his closing comment (just before he took a deep breath and thanked the woman for listening to his tirade)...he layed blame for the nation's, nay, the WORLD'S problems on the rejection of Jesus in favor of "whatever is the latest new-age phenomenon, like Islam."
Islam? Islam is a new age phenomenon?
What is so, so sad is that it really is not possible to get through to people like this. The massive void in his knowledge of the real world beyond his church will never be able to be filled as long as he remains "faithful." He will not question what his priest of minister says, and will likely not read a "real" newspaper that does not offer up the news through his Christian filter.
Yet, his kind will always be there to offer up their own ignorance as proof that every one else in the world is completely mad.
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