Joe stood in front of the small crowd in Vancouverโs community hall, hands open like he was calming a storm.
โRelax, everybody,โ Joe said. โNo one is going to take your religion away, and nobody is forcing you to drink Kool-Aid. This is Vancouver. You can walk down the street and find a church, a mosque, a temple, a synagogueโwhatever you believe in. Freedom of religion is the deal here.โ
A few people laughed nervously.
Joe shrugged. โThis city has places of worship for everybody. Catholics, Buddhists, Sikhs, Muslims, Jews, Hindus. Nobodyโs coming for your soul. Thatโs between you and God.โ
From the back of the room, Tom Cruise raised his hand with a grin.
โWell thatโs a relief,โ Tom said. โBecause I love Scientology.โ
The room turned.
Tom continued proudly, โScientology calls itself the science of knowing. For me itโs about understanding the mind and spirit. So itโs nice to hear nobodyโs planning to outlaw it.โ
Joe nodded.
โExactly,โ Joe said. โThatโs the whole point. In a free country people believe different things. Some read the Bible, some read the Quran, some study Buddha, and some follow L. Ron Hubbard. Thatโs freedom.โ
Tom chuckled. โGood. Because I wasnโt planning on giving it up.โ
Joe laughed with the crowd.
โDonโt worry, Tom,โ he said. โIn Vancouver thereโs room for everybodyโs path to heavenโฆ or enlightenmentโฆ or whatever you want to call it.โ
- JUDAISM.
- CHRISTIANITY.
- ISLAM.
- HINDUISM.
- BUDDHISM.
- SIKHISM.
- ANIMISM.
- SCIENTOLOGY
- RASTAFARI
- SUBGENIUS
- DISCORDIA
- FLYING SPAGHETTI
- SATANISM
- JEDI
Joe leans back and shrugs.
โLook, in a free place like Canada, you can believe what you want. If someone wants to worship God, Buddha, nothing at allโor even Satanโthatโs their right. Nobodyโs forcing Kool-Aid down your throat.โ
He pauses and smiles a little.
โBut like the Qur’an basically saysโwhy would you worship someone who is your enemy?โ
Joe taps the table.
โIn Islam, SatanโIblisโis the one who deceives people, tricks them, and tries to lead them away from God. So the idea is simple: why follow the guy who openly admits he wants to ruin you?โ
Joe laughs.
โThatโs like cheering for the team thatโs trying to destroy your own house.โ
He shrugs again.
โFreedom means you can choose whatever path you want. But wisdom means choosing the one that actually wants the best for you.โ