Monday April 22, 2002

Religion can wait for cake

Religious discussion and birthday cake do not mix. Yesterday was my mom's 50th birthday. We had a surprise party for her at my granmda's house. Most of the family was there, and I know my mom was happy to be able to hang out with her brothers and sisters. Only after an hour or so, the topic turned to religion. My mother, the fiercest Catholic woman you would ever meet, decided (yet again) that this would be a great opportunity to tell everyone that the Pope is excellent, stigmatas are real, and everyone not a practicing Catholic is in for some trouble on Judgement Day.

I was really proud of myself; I didn't say a word. It doesn't really matter, because I know my mom will never take anything I say seriously. I am, after all, a heretic who will spend many seasons in purgatory after I die. My aunts, though, took exception to her preaching, and since they don't really believe in God they played along and argued for a while. I left in the middle of the discussion. My life is not about Catholicism anymore, and I don't care to debate it with my mother. She wouldn't hear it anyway.