Ah, Religious Hypocrisy At Its Finest and How That Makes My Back Tingle...

I realize we're all hypocrites to a certain degree. We've all, at least once in our lives, said something or claimed to believe something and went against those words or morals. Some do this a greater frequency than others, there's no question, but we've all done this at least once. So, I'm not here to lay claim that I've never been hypocritical. I have. I don't believe I've done it very much, but I have been guilty of it before.

If there's one type of hypocrisy that drives me crazier than any other, it's when the holier-than-thou folks lecture, preach and shove their beliefs down others' throats, making themselves seem above it all and they then prove they're no better than any of us. I was witness to this again today.

First, let it be known that I am in no way religious. I could care less what a person believes, so long as they don't harm themselves or another in the name of their religion. So, with that in mind, here's the story.

Today, I heard about a bar in the Omaha area, the owners of which I know personally, that is having doubts about serving a man whom is a regular customer there. This is an older gentleman, who fought for our country, pays well at the bar, makes a decent living for himself and seems to be friendly with the people there. BUT, I guess his teeth aren't the prettiest to look at and the way he dresses makes him appear to be a bum, even though he's not. So, his presence there makes some people uncomfortable, even though he doesn't smell bad, he's friendly, he pays well and he fought for this country.

So, when I heard this story, I stood up for the guy. Two people told me that some people were complaining, that he didn't dress well enough and he wasn't appealing to look at, etc. These two people claim to be Christian, to believe and worship a man, whom, according to scripture, was the least judgmental person in the history of man. So, they claim to believe and worship this being, to want nothing more than to follow in his footsteps, yet they pass judgment on a man whom fought for our country in war, pays well and is friendly, just because his appearance does not please the average person? How hypocritical can one be?

So, what? Back when segregation finally came to an end, if a restaurant or bar was without any African-Americans for the majority of an evening, but at some point, one or more walks in to get served, should the manager or owner come forward and not allow them in, because some may not be comfortable with their being there? Yeah, that's moral and right. Not.

Shallowness bothers the hell out of me. What can we really tell about a person just from looking at them? We can tell if we find them physically attractive or not, but besides that? What? Can we tell if they're married? Single? Straight? Gay? Have kids? Work at a factory? Work at Wal-Mart? Enjoy video games? Collects bells? Watches the Chicago White Sox? Is a porn star? The only way we can get answers to these questions is if we sit down and talk to them. If we're uncomfortable with a person being around us simply because they may not appeal to us physically, then the problem is ours, not theirs. Would we ever want another to judge us in that manner? I highly doubt it, so why do the same to another? I don't want someone who doesn't know me in the slightest to judge me based on a quick glance. I would never want that and in turn, will never do that with regard to another.