No, It wasn't that kick ass kind of road trip. You know, the kind you eat peyote in the desert and cant remember much of? It was the kind of road trip where you carpool to a faraway meeting for work, and do so with an architect. Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against architects, I have a BSAS, but in general, they are a talky bunch. I mean really talky, so imagine my surprise when I found my travel buddy and I had a swell time. That's right. Sometimes you have to give people the benefit of the doubt.
As we complained about the industry, our employer, the economy, and our atrocious state government, the time flew by, and we were at the site.
We agreed on a lot, even though she is a right-leaning very religious independent. As someone who has voted R more often than not, she was completely disgusted with Republicans, and most importantly Mark Kirk, someone she would have voted for, had he not gone apeshittastically running to the right.
Here's another crazy fracking tidbit, she's in favor of the health-care plan. Yeah Tea-baggers, just keep turning off right leaning independents, that will work quite well for you in 2010 and beyond.
Eventually, I turned off the filter that I often use at work. Working with mostly fundies, I have to watch what I say. I let it slip that a close family member is an ordained minister with a doctorate in theology. She inquired further as to my beliefs, and I told her that I was a humanist. When she pried a bit more, I told her about my moral compass, and eventually, that I was an Atheist.
I expected a lecture or at least some proselytizing, but I encountered the opposite. We talked about nearly every major religion, also some stupid ones like Scientology, and then she shocked me. She said:
A lot of religions only seem believable if you were raised with them. If someone who knew nothing of Christianity read the bible for the first time, they would think it was crazy, but I know that it is the meaning behind the words, not their literal interpretation. Jonah didn't live in a big fish, Adam and Eve probably never existed, and I don't see how the entire planet could flood. Even saying all that, I still believe.
I will no longer equate the crazies with religion in general. There are rational people who are also devout. There are people who lean right, who aren't corporatist theocrats.
Edit: to add the poll.
I learned a good lesson yesterday. I got to know someone I've worked with a lot, but never bothered to know.
Post Script: This was part of my FNBB last night, but for some reason no one opined as to anything not regarding beer.