Getting Cross about them being cross about a cross

Religions in their purest forms seem quite magnificent and wondrous, but as with all things in life a section of mankind took this message and pissed all over it with selfish greedy desires so they can kill, rule, and be rich with the all mighty excuse that they were just innocently doing the Lords/Allah’s work.

But this blog post isn’t about religion itself, and whether religions are good, bad, stupid, clever, wise or foolish, it’s about what people should expect from others outside of their chosen religion. The BBC have kindly infuriated me.... sorry I mean informed me that 'Christians take 'beliefs' fight to European Court of Human Rights'.

To summarise the story briefly:

• Two Christians wanted to wear cross at work and weren’t allowed.
• Two Christians didn’t want to help/marry a gay couple got sacked.

The fact these people are Christians bares no meaning to why this pissed me off, they could be Muslim, Hindus, Buddhist, Sikhs, Rastafarians, spiritualists or any of the other major world religions and id have still felt just as annoyed. A belief is a belief, it is not grounded in any factual information so why should one persons set of beliefs be put before anyone else’s?

Having a belief in something can be beautiful, and if it helps you live a happier life and a kinder existence to those around you then hey it's a thumbs up from me! But if this belief causes conflict with your day to day general life then tough as that is your choice to hold those beliefs. I couldn't care less if you believed in the great and almighty power of the Teletubbies, if your employer does not think wearing a TV on your chest and an aerial on your head is acceptable work attire then you take it off or go get another job that does allow it.

I love tattoos, if I could then I would be covered from head to toe in them, and as my taste in tattoos tends to be Demonic/Goth id probably look quite scary to some people, but so what, if they judge me on first impressions without getting to know me then I’d rather not know them anyway. However my point for bringing tattoos into this is that the only two reasons I am not a walking piece of gothic art is:

1. I don't have the money to cover myself in Tattoos just yet
2. I would probably lose my job and find it very hard to get another one.

My skin is the one true thing I own and I should be able to do with it what the hell I want to, but the world we live in today is still far too narrow-minded to allow me to do this and also provide a living for my family, but I am not running off to the courts of human rights bitching and moaning about it, I just begrudgingly accept it and look forward to the day I win the lottery so Jacek Kuzminski at Oxford Ink can spend the next few months inking what remains of my skin!

Plus the sad fact is id probably lose my case simply because loving tattoos is not a religion or belief it's something that exists which can be felt and seen as well as dated as far back in human existence to as early as 3300 BC. Unlike the rights of someone who has a belief in a deity that no one to date has any actual evidence of their existence, just a few theories and interpretations that lead to wars and genocides..... but as my history knowledge isn’t faultless I am happy to stand corrected if an organised mass killing has taken place by those who have tattoos against the disgusting non believers of the inky art?

In short I’d be stood alongside anyone fighting for their right to hold a belief, and I like to think I am very understanding and respectful of peoples beliefs when presented with them in their home, place of worship, and even when they knock at my door with a leaflet on why masturbation will send me to hell, but come on world its 2012 lets grow a belief backbone and stop pandering to those who want to push none factual beliefs on others in their jobs, in our schools, and in any public environment where a conflict between reality and beliefs will occur.

I’m not an Atheist and I’m not Agnostic, but I’d rather live in a country that isn’t dictated to by some people’s confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof.  

Maybe I’ll start a campaign to get Ricky Gervais elected as Prime Minister so he can abolish the current bill of human rights in this country and work with Karl Pilkington to bring a new one in that is more in line with the modern world?....... not a bad idea for a show either.