I was sitting in a coffee shop this afternoon, minding my own business and listening to audio lectures about critical care for pediatric patients... when an insane debate broke out between two other people in the coffee shop.
Originally, one guy had brought up that if there were two of every animal on Noah's Ark, why didn't the lions eat the other animals? It was a "food for thought" comment that didn't particularly spark any massive debate. The two people, who were clearly barely acquaintances, got their respective coffees and went to separate tables for quiet study. After a good laugh, I returned to study...
Then, one participant ran out of water in his trendy water bottle. Clearly, he needed a refill. As he returned from quenching his imminent thirst, he returned to the table where his acquaintance sat. Also sitting quietly, he had not intended to further their conversation from earlier with the exception of "see you later" as one of them exited the coffee shop. However, these hopes fell on deaf ears... but not really because I (along with everyone else in the coffee shop) also heard the debate which followed.
Within the first 30 seconds of the conversation, they establish that water boy hailed from Indiana and that the quiet student had the privilege of being born in Texas (my words, not theirs). The quiet Texan student was also Christian. From this point on, I will refer to them as Indiana and QC for "Quiet Christian." In the beginning, it seemed safe to assume that Indiana also practiced Christianity due to his extensive use of the Bible as basis for his conversation, but what happens when we assume?
Indiana began to berate QC for his Christian beliefs. The snowball was formed and began to slowly roll down a hypothetical hill. QC stated, over and over, "I have my beliefs, which you clearly don't agree with, so let's just agree to disagree and go about our business." Unacceptable. Who wouldn't spend at least 30 more minutes telling someone that the beliefs that they grew up with are rubbish?
About this time, the patrons of this coffee shop, myself included, began exchanging glances. You know the glances I'm referring to... the "WTF...OMG... this is happening? Is this real life?" kind of glances. We were in for a treat.
Indiana began to use the Bible to refute that Christianity made any sense. In true oxymoronic fashion, he made little sense with expert conviction. "I'm not a Bible scholar!" Indiana exclaimed when questioned on the verses to which he was referring. He further refuted Christianity by "proving" that the Bible states that all Jews have the right to kill anyone else because they are proclaimed as the "chosen people." Everyone knows that! Where did QC grow up that he didn't know common sense about Jews? The south? Oh wait, we are just getting to that. Indiana thinks that the South is the reason that Christianity is truly flawed and that, apparently, Indiana > Texas. I quickly bit my tongue to refrain from saying, "If Indiana is so much better than Texas, then go the fuck back." Instead, I gave them a glance... the kind that says, "Wrap it up or bring it outside."
Instead of wrapping it up or bringing it outside, Indiana said, "Oh, sorry" and moved a whopping 1 foot closer to his victim and proceeded to speak at the same level which can only be described as yelling.
Again, QC pleaded with him that they were not going to agree and that it would be more time efficient to cease. Nope. Indiana was out to prove himself. He needed the satisfaction of proving QC wrong. Next came the argument that humanity is a weak and pathetic existence if Christianity believes that all of their flaws can be pawned off on one person who is willing to die for them. Also, God is a sadistic killer and people who believe in free will are ignorant to medicine.
After another 20 minutes of roundabout oxymorons and paradoxical hypocrisy, I had to leave. It had been a train wreck from which I could not turn away, but the train wreck had already stolen 30 or more minutes from my productivity.
This post does not express my beliefs or lack there of. In fact, that would need another post of similar length to describe. Instead, I simply mean to share the insane ramblings of a self-entitled guy from Indiana who ruined my studying experience.
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