Thoughts on organized religion

Hello everyone and to those of you celebrating, Happy St. Patrick's Day.  If you're tempted to try green beer, my suggestion is don't, unless you like mouthwash tasting carbonated urine.  Yum.

Anyway, Passover preparation are shifting into high gear because the holiday is next week.  Naturally, mom is back in her psycho mode.  This means I get totally put out for about three weeks.  I wouldn't be so down on this holiday or any other holiday, Jewish or otherwise, if it didn't seem like a huge nuisance.  Yes, cleaning, shopping, cooking, and other preparations need to be made but it just seems to always end up like one giant hassle.  Why can't mom or anyone else go about their chores calmly and rationally instead of like a bunch of psychotic lunatics?  Little wonder, I don't want to have anything to do with it.  I'm all for honoring the traditions and customs.  Some are actually quite nice and fun but when the method and means of their performance becomes more important than the actual deed I am out of here.  Simply put, for me it's more about the action than whether it's custom in a particular community to stand on one foot while holding a cup of carrot juice.  The point is to commemorate a particular moment or event not if the household is using a particular brand of food or drink.  I think this is why I've gotten so turned off to organized religion.  It seems less about the spiritual and intellectual aspects and more about the minutia of it all.  I remember reading a few months ago an author confessing that when he went to Catholic primary school how questioning of religious teaching was seriously discovered.  He went on to state that he admired how Buddhists and religious Jews were encouraged to critically analyze religious teachings.  He said that he and the other students were taught to accept things on faith and any questioning meant G-d was going to strike you down.  I almost laughed when I read that because I worked in an Orthodox Jewish school and live among religious Jews where accepting things on faith and offering a different point of view that challenges the accepted tenants of faith is considered heretical.  Hum, I may have to get in touch with this writer about this.  Anyway, my point is things like whether a tradition is honored one particular way or another is irrelevant to me, what's more important is the event is acknowledged in a dignified and appropriate manner.  I don't think G-d really cares whether if you use beeswax or paraffin candles, the point is you do it.  So back to Passover, all I can say really get ahold of yourself.  There's no need to cook enough to feed several armies or clean and re-clean.  Just do and it'll be good.