So Craig calls me earlier in the week and says Joe is trying to get hold of me. Wants to discuss a photo shoot of some sort. So I call Joe and he is cagy about what he wants done, and invites me over to discuss. Now I have the kids because it is holidays here, so we all went through last night after establishing that his own younger daughter would be there for company while we talked.
Weirdness....
It was all about catching up the thirty years we haven't seen each other. Joe was the first guy i ever wanked with lol. We were eleven, and it was in the bath at his house when I spent one night at his place. We also competed for the same gf at some stage, and there was some resentment for each other for a while. Joe needs to win. Every time, and in everything, always. I guess he disliked me cos he lost out to the German girl (who now lives four houses down from me and is a lesbian hahahaha!)
Ah well, so we just talked and talked and talked. he has become something of a shady character over time. I guess he was something o the school bully in his time - though as we discussed last night, even though I was the gay boy even in junior school, no-one ever picked on me. I just was never an easy target. My mouth was a formidable weapon - still is lol. It was the same in high school. I could hold my own, as long as it never involved violence.
As it turns out, he has become one of these 'born again' christian types, and although he tried on several occasions into a debate on Christianity (while smoking a joint and drinking a beer), I wasn't going there.
It's not that I am a-religious - I am anti the church going hypocrisy that goes with it. One thing we did agree on though, is that the Christ message (as it appears under different guises in various 'religions') is what is commonly known as the New Commandment - Love your neighbour as you love yourself.
I believe very strongly that 90% of our human issues today come from not following this simple edict. The secret though, is first to be able to love yourself. Without that ability, 'loving' your neighbour becomes hypocritical.
But that's just my thoughts.
And we never got to talk about the photo shoot.....
Happy Thanksgiving!
1 year ago
Oh... yeah... I'm expecting to have at least one conversation like this after I come out to my college friends. Way back when, one of them actually tried to save me for a few months. We went off, read from the Bible Sunday afternoons, I poked at things I always wondered about, he provided answers. We just sort of stopped doing it after a while, though.
ReplyDeleteAnd that was when he thought I was straight, and just didn't go to church...
argh.... I don't understand this whole evangelical movement - it's taking over the whole midsection of our country!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I like to think is that the people who love their neighbor as themselves and put it into practice without being overtly religious are the ones who will be pleasantly surprised to hear the words, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40 (New International Version translation)
ReplyDelete(n knows all this) but I respect everyone's right to believe in god but nobody's right to organise a church and hate all organised religion for much the same reasons, I guess.
ReplyDeleteI do so agree about 'loving your neighbour' though and constantly worry about people who say they're church types but who are most obviously love hardly anyone - except perhaps themselves.
Not sure it would be hypocritical to love your neighbour but not yourself. Just very lacking in self confidence, I think,