My Atheist Friend
As far as I know, I only have one atheist friend.
I have many agnostic friends.
My friend who is an atheist—we will call him Joe. Joe has bipolar disorder; that’s how we bonded. He is also gay, and I think he is poly.
He once verbally walked me out of a panic attack on the phone by using some technique that he learned in therapy involving the five senses.
The last time I had a manic episode a few years ago, I once called him and told him about my body being possessed by an evil spirit. He is a scientist. He told me that he probably did not think it was an evil spirit. I don’t know what he said; I was manic at the time, but he made me feel better.
Do you want to know why? Because he cared and listened. He took my phone calls. He knew I was sick. We share a bond over manic depression. The mania, the dark depression. He is a wonderful, loving human being.
He’s also extremely attractive. If I want to convert him to anything, it’s got nothing to do with god.
I don’t see him that often, but he shows up for important events like my father’s funeral and my 50th birthday party. Of course, when he came to the funeral, he studied Sikh traditions. When he came to my birthday, he was the life of the party.
I am going to see him tonight for a party he is throwing, and I’m so excited!
Photo courtesy of Ali Heidarian via Scopio
Do you think I give a fuck that that man doesn’t believe in god?
Why? Why? Why do religious people try to push god on people? I have philosophical conversations with my agnostic friends all the time.
This is why people hate god and religion and even spirituality.
Jesus Freaks, out in the streets, selling tickets out for Gawd!
God has such a PR problem.
And I don’t even want to hear about supposed saints and enlightened people being celibate, and I don’t know, living in caves.
In Sikhism, you are supposed to live in the world and be of the world to connect with god.
Photo courtesy of Mykhaylo Palinchak via Scopio
I’m not planning on levitating any time soon.
I would like to learn yoga because of the mind, body, soul thing. But that’s about as holy as I’ll ever get.
According to my favorite book series, Conversations with God, the human body was not meant to drink alcohol. Sikhism says the same thing. I think Islam does as well.
I’m not ready to give up drinking. I don’t know if I ever will be. I’m not sure why. I should examine that.
Anyway, some of my friends humor me about my obsession with the Conversations with God books. Yes, I am obsessed with Neale Donald Walsch’s books. He is claiming in the books that he is having a conversation with god.
Obviously, I would like a book about that since I, too, believe I’m having conversations with god.
My dad once asked if I got the idea of having a conversation with god from Neale’s books.
I don’t know how to put it, but this wasn’t my idea. I didn’t wake up one morning and say, “You know what would be cool? If me and the big guy chatted, had a real heart-to-heart.”
This was not my idea. He started this.
Forget for a second about whether or not you think this is humanly possible. The god in Neale’s books is a god I can get behind. I mean, he is so amazing in every way that if it isn’t god talking to him, Neale Donald Walsch is an amazing man. Which he is, but he didn’t write the books; he was dictating what he said god was saying.
And that god is fascinating and beautiful.
I have studied these books for a long time, and they are the basis of my spiritual understanding after Sikhism.
Anyway, enough about that.
Like I said earlier, god talks to everyone; it’s just a matter of who’s listening. Conversations with God is a very grammatically correct interaction with god. Neale Donald Walsch is a very respectable man.
My dialogue with god is very different. That’s all I’m going to say about that. Perhaps it’s time for me to share some of those conversations.
Yes, every now and then I wonder what Joe will think of these ideas I have.
Maybe it’s all in my imagination.
Who cares if I’m making this all up?
You have to admit it’s still intriguing, isn’t it?
nina
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