Pastor A

At least I have your attention… now of course I don’t think YOU are stupid – it would obviously be others… In fact, growing up in West Virginia, we were forbidden to even use the word “stupid,” so I apologize to my mother when she reads my post.

You ask, “So you think people are stupid?” In answer to your question, no, I do not think people are stupid. I know people are stupid. Sorry, mom.

First, let me explain what I mean by the word stupid. If you do not know any better, then you are ignorant. If you know better, then you are stupid. There is such a big difference. I will forgive you (for a while) for not knowing any better. The ignorant cannot really help being ignorant. But once you know what you are doing and do nothing about it, then would not that fall under the category of stupid? Is there forgiveness for knowing and not doing?

So you don’t believe me and are perhaps “offended” by my introduction today. Allow me the opportunity to prove it to you.

STUPIDITY FACTOID #1

We eat things we know are not good for us. We eat things that make us fat, clog our arteries, raise our cholesterol, and lots of other harmful things. Even after we are diagnosed with these problems and are told exactly what not to eat and what we should eat, we still eat the stuff that is bad for us! We continue to eat the stuff that will eventually kill us. Do you call that intelligent?

Perhaps an interesting comparison: we know that suicide is a sin. None of us would argue that statement. Why is it that shooting yourself and ending your life in a split second is a sin, but overeating, smoking, and drinking (which kills you over a 30-year span) is not? The end result is the same. It must not be killing yourself that is really a sin after all. It must be how long it takes to do it.

STUPIDITY FACTOID #2

People put things that are full of carcinogens and other toxins in their mouths or light them up and suck hot fire and smoke down into their lungs. Does that sound like an intelligent thing to do? No, it sounds pretty stupid. Then after being diagnosed with cancer, or emphysema, or some other death-causing problem, they are told that the only way to live is to quit smoking, yet many still continue to smoke. What is that really called?

Of course the simple thing to do is to sue the company that makes the cigarette because they made a product that gave you cancer. How smart is that? They did not give you anything. You willingly went out and spent your own money, stuck the cigarette in your mouth, and fired it up. You did it not once, but thousands upon thousands of times. You must have wanted cancer. The tobacco company printed the warning on the label telling you that you would get cancer if you smoked their cigarettes and you still bought them and smoked them anyway. We need people who will take responsibility for their choices!

Tomorrow we will look at #3 – if you are not too mad to return tomorrow!

Have a great day – make wise choices today – Don’t try today; DO today!