A recent exchange between my wife, Krystal and her mother, Alma....
Alma: Krystal, you've got to listen to the word of God.
Krystal: I do! That's all I ever hear about from you and our family!
Alma: Well, I've got to hear about it from Muslims, too!
Krystal: Really, mom?!?! Name one friend of yours who's Muslim and talks to you about their religion.
Alma: Obama?
****FACEPALM****
They both laughed about it, which leads me to believe that Alma knows that what she said is silly. But, it really disturbs me to see her convincing herself of things she knows in her heart are not true, because the church has her convinced that GAWD wants her to stand up and fight against gays and taxes.
The sad part is, if Alma actually had some Muslim friends, she'd be a better person for it. She's terribly curious and is one of the few people I know who make me feel like they're REALLY listening when I talk to them. I know that broadening her horizons would be mindblowing. But, she must know this, too. Because, she and her sisters will go to amazing lengths to avoid even being exposed to ideas that don't conform to their religious beliefs. We once brought back some postcards from Thailand for Krystal's aunts. None of them would accept one from any of the Buddhist temples we visited, because they had pictures of a false idol on them.
Oh well, I'm sure that they're just as heartbroken that they can't help me as I am that I can't help them.
