CrossRoads Farm

Peace on Earth...

22 December, 2004 - 8:29 am

Are you doing your part???

One summer afternoon, years ago when I was living in Texas, I was sitting in a neighbor’s backyard and we were talking about religion. This is a subject that I try to avoid if at all possible because telling a Xtian you are a Pagan is a sure fire way to get rid of them. At least that has been my experience.

At any rate there we were - me, my neighbor and her husband chatting away about her church and somehow we came to the subject of Catholicism. And my Xtian friend said, “Those idiots – they give way to much importance to Mary. How can they actually believe the crap that they do is beyond me.”

I blinked at her. I hesitated, but not long enough for the rational part of my brain to keep my tongue still. Then I laughed and said, “Comments like that prove we will never have Peace on Earth.”

Needless to say that was the end of that relationship. I mean we were neighbors and all and our children went to the same birthday parties but by and large she and I were never involved in a conversation deeper than the weather.

Peace on earth is a fine catch phrase for the inside of your holiday greeting card but how do you think we get there. It isn’t some external force that will happen to mankind as a whole. I’ll go out on a limb here and suggest tolerance. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not suggesting we embrace the terrorists. There are behaviors out there that cannot reasonably be tolerated. What I am talking about is simple day to day tolerance of one another.

I’m doing my part. I sing hymns with my choral group. My kids went on a field trip a couple weeks ago to a Christmas Pageant. No, I am not kidding. But I would suspect that many of the folks I know are aware of my religious persuasion. The art group does. And I wear my pentacle to choral practice. I’m tired of keeping it a secret.

Just yesterday I was talking to Macker about pentacles. I tend to keep mine under my shirt when I meet someone new. Why? Because as Macker described it, there is a ‘recoil factor’. Apparently Xtians can’t stand the sight of pentacles. And, yes, I admit that is a broad generalization. Personally, I do not understand it. There is no recoil factor surrounding a Star of David, for example. And I don’t have a fit when I see a Xtian wearing a cross. Go figure.

So our sappy thought for the day is…Peace on Earth starts with you.

You dinks…*smile*

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