Religion: The view from the cheap seats...

How must it feel getting yourself appointed God's right-hand man on Earth? Do you find yourself wondering what God thinks of all that, or are you too busy deciding who else among your friends ought to accompany you to Heaven - assuming of course that any of you make it there when the time does come.
Do you ever wonder if you're being excessively presumptive in expectation of God's co-operation with all your devious little schemes, or are you simply too busy 'taking care of business' to give that a thought?

Religion, and God, and the various concepts thereof, predate the Catholic church by many millennia, and there's considerable evidence to suggest that Catholicism is simply a revision or update on the format and liturgy extant prior to its appearance on the scene.

The religion of the ancient Egyptians, for example, lasted much longer than this newer era has yet enjoyed, and I implied that the Catholics copied from it when they started Christianity. In Egypt, there were families of gods, such as Osiris, Isis, and their son Horus. Suddenly, we've got Joseph, Mary, and their son Jesus. In Egypt, each of the 42 nomes or districts or provinces had its chief god and its own traditions. Additionally, each city, town, and village had its own favorite god or goddess, and each individual household usually had its own home shrine to its favorite deity. Those big flashy temples whose remains still stand were the exclusive domain of the rich and powerful such as the Pharaoh and his court and their friends and relatives. The average Egyptian had to settle for worshipping his or her own deity or deities at home with their own little shrine, usually set up in the back room of their dwelling, away from the everyday hustle and bustle. So there were lots of gods and goddesses because preferences varied rather widely.

The Catholics came along, took a look at all that, and suddenly, we've got thousands of 'Saints' in place of all those regional, local, and household gods and goddesses.  What's the difference? Mostly semantics, it seems to me.
And I really want to know how any mere mortal convinces himself that he has the balls or the right to appoint himself or his pals as God's chosen few with the responsibility of deciding the eternal fate of the rest of us. Isn't that really usurping God's own authority and jurisdiction? It certainly looks that way to me from my vantage point of 80+ years of observation and study.

Like I mentioned above, God's older than the Catholic church - or any other, for that matter. God doesn't charge admission. You can communicate freely if you are in a suitably contrite, humble, and sincere frame of mind. No seat collection required. And gratitude is one of the most direct ways of contact, because God likes to hear us say 'Thanks' just as any of us would if we provided such gifts to
the unwashed masses. And that's my rant for today, Folks....