Ben Ash - Reading Blog 1 - H.L. Mencken

While I haven’t ever really read any works by H.L. Mencken, I am a very big fan of the quotes of his I have found (many certain around religion, namely against religion). I think my favorite quote of his is “We must respect the other fellow’s religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.” This quote seems to exemplify my belief on religion. It is all personal. I will believe what I want and allow you to believe whatever you want. If everyone embraced this ideology, I firmly believe that situations like the Middle East, where religion is a key factor, would be tempered. When I am confronted by someone who promulgates their religion, however, I have a tendency to not be respectful at all. This is mainly due to the fact that I am rarely ever treated kindly by those who view my beliefs as a sin. Often, I am condemned to hell, and if that be the case, then I will have some fun on my way down. In the spirit of the Supreme Court Case of Roe v. Wade, my religious views can be summed up by saying “Keep your God off my body.”