I’ve never even heard of The Ball and the Cross so it’s great that revelife provides a rundown of the plot of G.K. Chesterton’s story. It sounds interesting enough to seek out.
It involves an atheist journalist and a Catholic who’s angry enough over what the atheist has written that he insists a duel needs doing. The atheist is simply tickled someone’s even bothered to get bothered by his articles (sounds like me, har!) and enthusiastically agrees. From revelife:
The two men are hampered in their efforts to fight their duel, however–firstly because duels are illegal, but also because every person they encounter tries to talk them out of it. “Religion is–a–too personal a matter… The most religious people are not those who talk about it,” says one. “…You ought to be more broadminded,” says another. And (while I won’t spoil the ending for you), as the two men flee from place to place throughout England searching for a quiet place to have their duel, they find that they are quite coming to like each other.
It is that which I love about atheists. They think that these questions of reality or existence are worth fighting for, worth arguing over. They think that it matters whether God is or is not.
I guess what ultimately gets me down is the fact that matters. Why? Why can’t a person just say, “I’m a Christian,” and another person say, “I’m an atheist,” and then both just get down to the business of living to the best of their abilities? Why does god-belief have to enter into any of it as a reason to get fired up and hotheaded? Let’s just play cards or something. I mean really. Do you have any eights? No? I’ll go fish then…
I guess I will have to read the story to see if I agree more with the passionate duelists or the apathetic public. My library doesn’t have a book by this name listed but I put holds on a couple Chesterton collections so hopefully it’ll be in one of those. If it’s not there maybe something else will be worth writing about instead. All is shiny and bright regardless.
I keep a blog not because I want to knock down religions like dominoes. I just want to be a voice and offer a viewpoint. Nobody has to agree with me. I’m not going to force anyone to dump years worth of (wasted?) devotion if they aren’t seriously prepared for the fallout that kind of decision can create. Don’t look to me for suggestions on how to do that. I’ve always been an atheist, unlike others.
I don’t think it should matter what people think about mortality and immortality and all that stuff so long as nobody’s getting physically hurt by it. Hurt feelings and offended hearts can heal, given patience and time and loved ones (and sometimes psychologists). But whether one buys the tales of heaven and hell or not, death is forever.
Death is forever.
Is the hope of winning this centuries old argument worth it? To either side?
I fervently hope not.
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edit 6:44am: Just found Black Sun Journal’s take on beliefs and rituals and look what got written:
Humans have performed rituals for all sorts of nonsensical reasons throughout history. Believe it or not, I’m OK with that so long as no one gets hurt…
The similarity just caught my eye while I was reading. Now I’ll finish reading that article. It looks like a good one.
Posted by 1minionsopinion
Posted by 1minionsopinion
Posted by 1minionsopinion 


