Overheard Conversations January 6, 2010
Posted by Matt in random.Tags: Conservative Christianity, curse of childbirth, epidural, insanity
5 comments
Let me preface this by saying that I don’t generally eavesdrop on work conversations, but because we all work in cubicles, it is next to impossible not to overhear things being said in a normal tone of voice. That being said, today I heard one of the craziest things I’ve been privy to in some time and I just have to share it. I’m not going to give any names, so I’ll just call the two men J and A.
A is a young man who was an intern in the fall, but, after graduating from college last month, is now a full-fledged employee. A is our local proselytizer and his demeanor epitomizes the conservative Christian stereotype. Because his cube is adjacent to mine, I regularly hear him railing against gays and abortion while reading carefully selected Bible verses to unseen people over the phone. He has run a lunchtime Bible study that I have never been officially invited to, probably because of a past interaction that went something like this.
A (bubbling with enthusiasm because he had just found out I went to church): Hey, Matt. Can I ask you a question?
Me: Uh, yeah.
A: When did you get saved?
Me: Well, I’m not that concerned with salvation. I think there are far more important issues to deal with than whether or not I’ve earned some sort of heavenly reward.
I seem to recall that he was speechless after that exchange and he has rarely approached me since then. Of course, my Barack Obama bumper sticker was also a tell-tale sign that I was lost anyway and that I most likely was too busy eating babies for lunch to study the Bible. Nevertheless, we inhabit two different worlds and I’m fine with that. He’s a nice guy and everything, just probably not somebody I want to hand out with.
Today, though, I overheard his conversation with another coworker, J, and was completely stunned.
A is married and recently learned that his wife is pregnant with their first child. On this day, he and J were talking about the pregnancy and the upcoming birth, and I was minding my own business, crunching numbers as I always do when I heard the following exchange.
A: I’ve decided that we are going to have the baby naturally, with no epidural or anything.
J: Really? And she agreed?
A: Yeah, pretty much. I just think back to the curse that God put on Eve in the Garden of Eden and I think we shouldn’t try to get around it. God said there would be pain in childbirth and she needs to experience that. Otherwise we would be going against the will of God.
I almost wanted to stand up in my cube, look him in the eye and say, “You are a moron and your wife is going to hate you.” But I didn’t. I’ll just let him figure that out for himself.
