So many arguing over the pope, sins, bible tracts, gay... So many looking at life with so much hate.

Oh no. I actually care about this subject. Rant coming on.

If you wish to go strictly by ancient texts and holy books, women would not be permitted to direct their lives as men do, people of different races would not be given human rights, we would sacrifice animals in the street, and we'd follow so many other unenlightened rules. The world would become a war hell. And by the way, God didn't write those books; fallible humans did, inspired or not.

There are rules that show compassion, kindness and coexistence. These we should follow. When leaders of religion espouse rules they don't practice, we are being led by hypocrites. We should reject hypocritical leaders. The pope takes little to no action to protect children from his priests, no punishment to those priests. Simply relocation. The church then excommunicates those who do not attend service on Easter. Religious laws evolve, like any law. Enlightenment is a journey, not stagnant.

Jesus was arguably the most compassionate and tolerant to walk the earth. If we chose to follow him and not the leaders of different christian denominations, we would be wise. Let's work on that. No one will be converted to your beliefs if you hate them. Jesus knew that.

If you wish to spout one tract of the bible to enforce your dislikes and hatreds, be sure you know all of it. I know very few who do. Those same tracts could exact a hard punishment on you for your own "sins," including the one of judging another in place of God.

If we were still following the early christian laws, we would be marching into non christian lands to kill in the name of God. Oh, wait. We still are. And so are they. Next we will send our children into the "holy wars." Oh wait. We're already there, too. And so are they. How about the old rule: two wrongs don't make a right? Yes, sometimes we must fight to survive. But never to destroy those we currently see as enemies. Those enemies change with time. Enlightenment is hard work. We should all get to it. Stop mucking about.

And have you ever thought some gay people are annoyed at expressions of straight sexuality? We all need to learn compassion, coexistence, and kindness. When I see ANYONE expressing love, it makes me smile. Love and sexuality is a very human thing, no matter what your preference. All of us have much more in common than we have differences. Let's keep those in mind on the path to enlightenment.

Remember that we are always growing physically and spiritually. We are no longer children we once were. When we come together to discuss our beliefs and feelings, we are sharing the seeds of enlightenment. Sometimes that which grows to fruit is not what you thought it would be. Keep your mind fertile and your heart open.

Oh, and remember: A sense of humor about existence is a requirement, not baggage. Now I need to get back to work on my own journey of enlightenment. Now bugger off.