What is it with religion and me?

People have asked me, "What is it with religion and you". While I have some idea of why religion stirs up so much passion in me, but let me say first what it is not about. It's not about shocking people.

It makes me sound defensive, I know, but I am NOT out to shock people with my writings about God and religion. I realize that I might, but that's not my motivation. In fact, I would far prefer if what I have to say did not shock, but rather was seen as so obvious that people would say, "So why are you writing about that? Isn't it obvious?"

Anyway, some of the people in my life who love me have occasionally said that I "like to shock". Hence my defensiveness about it. Again, it's not about "shocking people" and I've thought a lot about it. Yet, I am willing to shock if I have to.

In truth, I'm highly ambivalent about the idea of criticizing -- let alone "shaking up" -- someone's Religious Faith." Yet I realize that I might, and that makes me squirm. Here we are dealing with the most important question in the Universe. Who am I to disturb the comfortableness of those who do not see it as a "question" but rather see their Faith as "the answer." Do I even have that right?

Fortunately for all of us, we have free speech in this country, so I guess I do "have the right." You of course have the right not to read it. (If the Church was in charge politically, as they were in the 16th century, they'd still be burning heretics and, of course, controlling what we read. Don't believe me? Then you'd better educate yourself. The Church changed only because they were forced to, not because they saw any reason to).

My decision to let go of Catholicism 40 years ago was an epiphany for me. It changed everything. I went from believing it was all true, to believing it was all bullshit, almost overnight.
One factor: I was angry at having been bullshitted all these years (just because some bishops in the 12th century decided that Mary was a virgin did not make it so).

Another: I could not imagine the idea of a God who gave us inquiring minds -- and then TOLD US WE HAD TO BELIEVE STUFF THAT MADE NO SENSE. Not even God can MAKE YOU believe something! True, you can pretend to believe, but would God want that? (An insecure God who wants to be "worhshipped" might!)

The idea that we "had to believe" (in the Transubstatiation for example) and if we didn't we'd be damned was not only illogical and ridiculous. It was mean-spirited!