Religious travellers.

Yesterday as I was on the bus back home, I noticed a couple of Latter Day Saints get on the bus.

They're a type of Mormon.

This wouldn't be the first time I'd acknowledged these types of evangelists before. 

In fact about six months ago, when I was in the bus station, I was talking to two sisters - one was German, the other American - and we actually had a nice conversation about anime, and various TV shows. I think that people forget that they're actually still just young people with interests, who also happen to have a religion that encourages them to travel the world and spread word. 

I actually find it fascinating, and excellent. They told me how even though God was at the forefront of their mind, they still were allowed to participate in regular young adult activities, like dating, and going the cinema, etc. I'm actually all for evangelists being able to travel the world, even if it is to spread faith, because it gives them an excellent opportunity to see more of what's out there and get a better grip of the world. 

Sure, it can get annoying for some when they talk to you. The whole having random strangers talk to you is hardly appreciated by quite a lot of the British public. But, in fairness, all of the people I spoke to, barely mentioned their religion at all - except in regards of when mentioning what brought them to the U.K. If it wasn't for the fact they had badges on with their name and church on, they'd have blended in with a lot of other tourists. 

I think, people seem to forget that there's a difference between someone screaming at you in the middle of a busy town that all single mums will burn in hell, premarital sexers will burn in hell, people who dye their hair will burn in hell, etc, and someone who just has a basic conversation with you, and hands you a leaflet at the end of it. 

The two guys who had got on my bus yesterday, had an A-Z map with them and no clear idea where they were going. They'd told me they'd only been in England for one day, so I'd shown them the stop they'd need to get off at, and advised that maybe they install a GPS onto their phones since the A-Z maps aren't always accurate to modern day routes. It was actually quite impressive that two lads, one nineteen years old, the other twenty years old, from completely different countries had the guts to just travel around in a country they'd never been before.

That idea terrifies me greatly, plus I'd have no one to do it with. So, religious or not I thoroughly support such a thing. It actually annoys me that a lot of people get angry with evangelists, if you're so comfortable with your own faith, or lack of faith, then what is the harm in listening to someone else talk about theirs? Are you really that insecure with your own beliefs that you're worried you'll get swayed? Do people actually truly believe that we can lose all our own morals, and who we are at the cure due to a religion? Because, I doubt that. Your morals, your choices, are based on you, and not a religion, cult, or anything - it's stuff you've decided to do, for yourself. Don't let anyone else make you think otherwise. If you're the sort who's worried you might do something just to fit in, or whatever, then you should probably look on to your own mental health. Your choice should be yours, always. 

Which brings me on to another thing, the absolute ignorance of people who are clearly so afraid to keep their mind open that they perceive having faith in a God, to be a form of mental illness. It's full on insulting. Sure, things like temporal lobe epilepsy, and alcoholism, and schizophrenia, can cause hallucinations -  but there's a massive difference between having hallucinations and just having faith in a God. We don't know what is out there, and yes, science and empirical based logic should come into making an informed decision, but there should also be an awareness that having faith is also very much a big part of human nature. How is it any different than putting faith in the people around you to come through? If believing in a higher being helps you to not go out on murdering sprees, and be a fully functioning human being who isn't a harm to others, then honestly what is the issue? You can't dictate to people what their beliefs are, any more than you can their ethics, or diet choice.