To which I neither accept nor deny but which I present to simply stir the pot.

I see two possibilities - on the face of which, neither seems likely:
Mankind was "made" ... or mankind "just happened"

Could it be that "Eternal Life" is just another form of Hell?

The three religions of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Jews: It never happened
Christians: Yes it did
Muslims: Yes it did, but it was our guy, not yours

“History records the tragic fact that men have gone to war and cut each other’s throats because they couldn’t agree as to what was to become of them after their throats were cut.”

Christianity: 30% of world - 2.4 billion (about 1.4b Catholic)
Islam: 2 billion
Judaism: 15 million

non-religious: 1.4 billion

Matthew 12
[34] Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
[35] For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
[36] And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

I sometimes think all gods exist: they all sit in a cosmic tournament poker game, playing for souls.

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Most significant other (MSO) & I had a most unusual per-marriage relationship. I can't really say we "dated" in the usual American sense - although she claims we did a little. I never considered going out with a group of people a date, but she was a foreigner of a conservative culture so in her eyes, I guess we did.

But not for long.

I don't know what it was - I was in my early 40s and by some definitions, I'd been married twice before ... actually had recently broken it off with #2.

But the little voice inside my head told me to not hesitate; this woman was worth the full commitment - I knew it right away. Wasn't sure she did.

We were in Colorado. Being of vastly different religions - or the same one, depending on how "religion" is defined - and being as Colorado acknowledged common-law marriages, we got married in the eyes of the state.

Turns out the Feds don't recognize common-law when it comes to things like green cards and immigration processes.

So today is the day we went to the courthouse and got married for the Feds.

So today, Feb 13th, is one of our anniversaries. And it had nothing to do with Valentine's Day, it had to do with being Friday the 13th.

But we have three anniversaries.

Our family and friends wanted a "wedding", so a few months later at a nicer time of year, a friend of ours, legally empowered to perform weddings, not that it was necessary, married us yet again in the "proper way" - in front of friends and family. A good time was had by all, music included "They're Coming To Take Me Away" (yes, ghostsniper, it'll be on Tunes For Tuesday someday), and I heard the food was excellent - I didn't get any. And everybody went home happy.

Especially me.

Our apartment was full of guests, including parents ... and that one friend that gets too drunk. I was with him when he tried to check into the hotel he and his wife reserved. They took his money then denied he paid - and refused him the room. So he and his wife also spent our wedding night with us.

MSO and I spent our wedding night sleeping on the floor with the other lessor beings; parent sets getting the two bedrooms.

But the anniversary we celebrate is the first one, the common-law marriage where we both committed to each other some 25 years or so ago.

And it seems to still be working out. Wouldn't trade what I have for anything.

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I guess I've grown old and ... not so much cynical as ...

I passed on by.

But teens and 20s? I'd have stopped and spent a few hours doing what boys that age do at street carnivals.

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Spent a lot of time "living" in places like this. High end, low end - they all seem the same

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