Meditation 889
You are an original
by: JT
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The nearby Lutheran Church has a sign up:
YOU ARE BORN AN ORIGINAL
DON'T DIE A COPY
It struck me as being the wrong message for a Christian church - or for pretty well any religion. I looked it up as I had not seen this statement before and it turns out there's a book written by a Christian minister and motivational speaker titled You're Born an Original, Don't Die a Copy.
Now in the promotional material for the book (the part that is not trite platitudes*), it states: God created you for a specific, unique purpose. He has called you not to imitate someone else, but to become all that he wants you to be.
Really?
It strikes me that this is the opposite of what most religions are after. They don't want you to be original. They want you to fit onto a mould. They take Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, or whoever, hold them up as a shining example and insist you should do your best to imitate them. They give you a holy book and tell you to follow the instructions therein absolutely - well as absolutely as the particular denomination interprets the book. Whatever you do, don't ask questions and don't ever question religious authority.
Be an original? That's the last thing organized religion wants you to be.**
Notes:
* "Think about it: You're like a tea bag, not worth much until you've been through some hot water. Go out on a limb, that's where the fruit is. Leave everyone a little better than you found them. The doors of opportunity are marked "push". Don't spend your life standing at the complaint counter. You can't walk backwards into the future. The sky's not the limit" (from the Amazon.com Product Description)
** Apathetic Agnosticism is thoroughly disorganized. Please go ahead and be an original.