Perhaps it is my location in this ancient city, but it seems that everything I see these days is connected to religion. At first it seemed that religion was becoming a larger part of the public narrative, but I’m beginning to think that my eyes are just picking it out of the morass of information more readily than it used to. It is not unlike scanning a crowd of people looking for a familiar face. You don’t analyze the facial features of each person. Rather the mind is trained to pick out the tiniest detail of familiarity and focuses in on that. Thus (I have recently fallen in love with that word and use it in daily conversations), in every conversation, every lecture, ever page of news I see I seem to pick up on the pieces of religion more than anything else.

Case in point, while mindless scrolling through the Drudge Report one day I came across this inter-religious call to prayer.

It appears that nothing can be more important than putting aside our differences and beseeching the Almighty on behalf of excellent wave conditions.  Read the full article here.

Here’s another story I came across. It appears that thousands of faithful from around the country are making pilgrimage to Dayton, Tennessee. On the side of an old courthouse an image formed from a strange coagulation of dirt and mold.  It apparently bears an uncanny resemblance to one of the most famous men of history. This likeness has turned the courthouse into a type of shrine. Candles are lit, letters are read, and vigils are held throughout the night. People bring their children to touch the wall for a special blessing. True to the American dream, no opportunity for exploitation is wasted. Vendors have popped up seemingly overnight selling relics, especially pieces of a boat this man once sailed in.  It’s a shame they have to desecrate this scared place just to make a living.

Some people see the stain on the wall as purely a natural phenomenon, while others claim “It’s a miracle!” I’m not sure what to believe. There seems to be some strange power in it.  I wouldn’t mind getting a relic of the Beagle myself. The what?  The Beagle.  You know the boat he traveled.  You’re saying that this famous guy’s boat was named the Beagle?  Yep, pretty manly if you ask me. Some of his greatest thoughts were expounded from the decks of the Beagle. Yet I really doubt these relics are really part of the original. I mean, after 150 years, what really could be left of it?

I’m beginning to sense some confusion among my readers. Why is this sketchy blogger writing about beagles, relics, and only 150 years? I’m glad you asked.

It appears that this stain on the wall resembles none other that Charles Darwin himself. (Although some prefer to believe that it is a closer likeness to Stephen Jay Gould. Props for anyone who recognizes that name. Double props for anyone who has read some of his books) Yes, that’s right. Now the father of evolution even has his own faithful following of spiritually minded people. I have often heard people accuse evolutionists of being just as religious as anyone else. Theirs is rather the religion of science as opposed to the religion of God. Who knows for sure? In either case, this article should add more fuel to fires of controversy that pervade this topic. Find the original article here.

All in all, whether you like it or not, religion pervades our every existence…even if you don’t live in a place called the Holy Land.

On a side note, I just got my 5000th hit on my blog yesterday.  I don’t know if I have ever been so popular before.  Thank you to everyone who has made this special moment happen!

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