God is leaving the building

The firing squad is being mobilized for something I said to a friend recently, so I feel the need to argue it logically, from beginning to end. We were talking about Middle Eastern society, and I said that "religion is the basest unifier of people", and I qualified my statement with special regard to Islam that I consider to be a horrible religion, both brutish and binding, with dark truths that prey on people's hearts. Upon arriving home, I could feel the whiplash of my statement pulsing through my family, observant Jews who are very unified through their faith, and crashing their hearts. And it dawns upon me, there is still something intrinsically true to my statement; above and beyond the beauty and joy their congregations feed them, religion is a private relationship between oneself and the world. It is a meditative relationship which hinges upon a harmonious flow between oneself, and all of creation. That being said, there are social celebrations centered upon this relationship which are worthy of congregation, study to be done that works best in groups, but the heart of the matter, the point of my statement, is that there is so much more for human beings to come together around than religion, within their respective ethnicities and cultural identities. As a Jew, I find so much more to come together around within Judaism than seasonal holidays, however much I do enjoy the company of friends and family, however routine the ceremony may be, year after year. Yes, the ceremony and literature IS fundamental and valuable, but there is so much more. To put it simply; CULTURE, and it needn't be codified, but can be individually structured, just like faith ideally should be, from the vast assemblage of cultural foods, language arts, fashions, and all the other vast cultural arts, which some religious people shun due to their prohibitive lifestyles and mores.
Is religion base? Only when it is destructive, otherwise it can be an illuminating blessing for those who follow, and very noble, but my statement reverberates in my heart that it is still not the best basis for social interaction, for union amongst people. It is but one fruit of the great tree that is CULTURE, and I for one, want to see a full, and bountiful tree, lush with the beauty of my ancestors, which I seek to perpetuate. And to take the argument one step further, trees. Cultural springs from which we all may benefit and grow. One of the great benefits of being an American; take advantage people.
Finally, religion becomes base when it is abused. My mother says, everything in moderation, and this applies to religion as well. Besides for the great assumptions we make about the creator's intentions for us and this world, in religious observance, these practices may make robots of people, who, in extremity, adopt a mob attitude, and that is not a noble thing at all. God does not need arbitrarily disciplined armies; I can say in all certainty, that God just wants us to be a good and happy. Let's have a party over that. I'll make some really delicious, healthy food. Come. And let God watch. I bet he likes to watch us LIVE LIFE.

Spring in New Jersey

Our beautiful red tree, the graceful queen of our front yard, has blossomed her dazzling array of leaves. I can not begin to describe the feeling one gets when her grace blesses us with her bounty each spring, but I can try to show you. Ignite!
I grew up climbing this pretty tree, so it was only appropriate to take some pics from inside, cradled in her branches.
A little scene of graceful foliage above my branch.

Her canopy, with the sun and a nearby friend saying hello.
And look at this! When you jump down the ground is always a revelation, and look at what I noticed this time. We have tons of sprouts growing about her trunk. She's a momma!