So, I’m sitting in my office listening to Warren Zevon sing ‘Carmelita’ on Spotify, and thinking about a conversation from Wednesday night.  I took my wife to Heidi’s Jazz Club in Cocoa Beach to celebrate her birthday, and we met some friends there — Janet and Phil, and Ted.

In between eating, dancing and drinking, the conversation inevitably turned to religion and politics.  They say that there are certain topics that any social conversation should avoid, but it seems that these days, religion and politics are invariably linked.

But I should have expected it.  I mean, Phil and Janet used to go to the same church we went to in Cape Canaveral.  And one of the reasons that we both left was that the pastor insisted on mixing his Trump-centered world view with the Gospel.  We have since found a new church where the pastor doesn’t cloud his preaching with his political opinions.

Our friend, Ted, hasn’t left the old church — and that’s fine.  Everyone deals with their situation in the way that’s best for them.  Unfortunately, during this conversation, he was caught in the middle.  You see, Janet has some very strong opinions both on politics and religion.  I agree with some, and don’t agree with others, but I don’t want the discussion one-sided and repetitive. That’s what these discussions tend to be.

If you believe something, or in someone, great.  Now tell me why, and give me a cogent argument as to why I should believe it, too.  Skip the name calling and rhetoric, and provide a credible source — if your source is the internet you may leave now.

And, no, the Bible — whatever Bible or holy book you may quote —  is not a credible source for anything.  A credible source is one that consists of a primary source (someone who actually heard, saw, or did something) and at least two independent secondary sources (sources whose reporting isn’t based on the primary source).

Of course, our discussions at Heidi’s met none of these criteria.  And I’m getting tired, not just of this, but of the constant nonsense on the internet, the TV, and everywhere you turn.  It’s all religion and politics, all supported by many opinions and very little fact.

Is it any wonder I spend my free time contemplating what happened before the big bang, before the universe was condensed into a grain of sand, then exploded into the everything we experience?  Before there was anything, was there something?  I strongly suspect that there was.  But that’s just my opinion.  I have no facts, no primary or secondary sources to back that up.  That is why what I write is fiction and I don’t try to pass it off as fact.

So if you ever Heidi’s on a Wednesday or Friday night (that’s when Steve Kirsner & Friends play) and you see me on the dance floor, please don’t start talking about religion or politics.  Talk about sex.  Sex is another one of those “forbidden” topics, but I’d rather talk about sex than religion or politics.

© Copyright 2017 by Kevin Fraleigh.