"your posts just for the delightful sarcasm and extraordinary humor!" A4

I'm the "straight man", JS is the wit.

PM!
"there's something religious about it." JS

Why hyper-scrutinize that JS?
It's not an issue for them. Why should it be an issue for you?
If you fuss over minutae; you're certain to find something to squabble about.
But lookit the fun you'd be missing?

I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing by the railing, about to jump.
I ran over and said "Stop! don't do it!"
"Why shouldn't I?" he said.
I said, "Well, there's so much to live for!"
He said, "Like what?"
I said, "Well... are you religious or atheist?"
He said, "Religious."
I said, "Me too! Are you Christian or Buddhist?"
He said, "Christian."
I said, "Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant?"
He said, "Protestant." I said, "Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?"
He said, "Baptist!" I said, "Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?"
He said, "Baptist Church of God!"
I said, "Me too! Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you reformed Baptist Church of God?"
He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God!" I said, "Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915?"
He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!"
I said, "Die, heretic scum", and shoved him over the railing.


JS,
The things that unite us generally overshadow the things that divide us.
At some level of minutae, you're certain to find issues over which you disagree with virtually everyone, including your S.O.

Don't sweat the petty stuff.
And don't pet the sweaty stuff.


Enjoy the activities. Enjoy the personalities. Forget the ideologies. Frankly, ideology has never come up in any church picnic I've ever attended.

JS:
One of the members of our unitarian church was a wealthy farmer; corn and apples.
He owned massive amounts of land for a Southern New York location.

He'd invite us in Autumn to collect wind-falls in his apple orchards. We'd take large sacks (paper shopping bags) full of delicious (I know) fresh apples.

We'd also play "hare and hound".
We'd separate into two groups. The hare group would depart, and lay a trail with excelsior (New York State's / the empire State's motto is "Excelsior"). Then the hound group would track the hare group, and try to find them.
Much like -hide and go seek-, but lots of fun in a huge area, near a big lake like that.

We'd also play ball games, and other fun stuff.

Bottom line JS, there are all sorts of fascinating stuff in this cosmos. Einstein's theories of Relativity, computer technology, politics, etc.
But people, persons are the most interesting of all. They're endlessly entertaining, enlightening, amusing; much as this thread demonstrates.

Try a picnic. Enjoy the salad.

PS
It needn't be a religious organization.
I've lived here over a decade.
I've been driving past the local American Legion post for over a decade.
I never knew much about it. http://www.legion.org/
I had assumed it was an organization of heroes.
But it turns out, they make a membership exception for people like me. So I'm a member now.
I've been going to the meeting. It's a mixed bag. But it's an interesting exposure none the less.

"Whenever you start posting dictionary quotes, we know you've been bested." captainkbt