God and the US Are Out...

I guess the fat is in the fire. According to Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent of the UK Times On Line reporting the findings of Gregory Paul, the author of some kind of study somewhere:

"RELIGIOUS belief can cause damage to a society, contributing towards high murder rates, abortion, sexual promiscuity and suicide, according to research published today.
In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy and abortion in the prosperous democracies."

This Ruth Gledhill (why do these weird people always have weird names? Gledhill...-come on)is considered by the British as a really go-get-it reporter. And she says he researched this for over an hour so I'm sure he knows what he is talking about.

I must say, this is a bit unsettling to me, being a person who believes in God and His Son, Jesus the Christ. I have always tried to be good and not hurt anyone. Now I feel, to be really good, I must need to stop believing in God and anything else good. (Someone please explain to me how I can be good by stopping being good)

“The United States is almost always the most dysfunctional of the developing democracies, sometimes spectacularly so.”

Maybe instead of just forgetting about God, I should also leave this country since it is supposed to be the worse country of the developed countries. Maybe I should go to an undeveloped country and be really bad. Maybe then I will be good. Boy, this is some tough stuff!

“I suspect that Europeans are increasingly repelled by the poor societal performance of the Christian states,” he added.

I have an idea I'll have to go to a tribal area of South America or to the Pygmies of Equatorial Africa to be really good. Maybe a Muslim nation. They don't believe in a real God but I can't remember them being all that good either. I mean, I don't want to have to blow myself up or set myself on fire to be good.

I tell you, this is really the shits, trying to figure out how to be good and not believe in anything. Maybe I could worship President Bush or Al Gore or someone like that and be considered good. I guess the thing is, though, not to worship anyone is best.

I can just hear God ask when I get to the Pearly Gates; "Jim, have you been good?" And me answering,"Yes, since I stopped worshipping you."
It's just that I can't seem to picture what would happen next.

Screw it! This is too hard to figure out! I'm just gonna take a chance and keep believing in God and keep trying not to rush out and kill, rape or beat up anyone! I hope I'm doing the right thing! Please keep your fingers crossed for me. Thanks!

Later...