CONFRONTING RELIGIOUS FANATICISM

Untitled Part 1

Confronting Religious Fanaticism

A triadic NOVELization exploring the orthodoxic ills

in Western Religions.

An Eye for an Eye (4)

Black Hearts & Hungry Bears (220)

Ira Neebest and The First Coming (425)

Prologue

My name is Ira Neebest. I am sixty years old and live in San Francisco, far from Tucson and St. Louis and much further from New York City. All three of these cities figure heavily in the story I am about to divulge, a true story I might add. On the one hand, it is not exactly in the vein of Mary Poppins. On the other hand, it is not nearly as dark as ... say Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. This is the story of my family, three generations worth, and yes, about me, Ira Neebest. If you say my name quickly you just may come up with Irony Best, that is, the best of irony, and I assure you that is the case, as you will come to see.

The first Act of this story centers around my mother, Rebecca Goldshein Neebest, and my father, Leonard Neebest, along with their parents and Rebecca's aunt and uncle; the second Act focuses on my wife and life partner, Natalie Perrogi, her very good friend Sam Grassly, and her grandfather Harry O'Brien; and the third and final Act of this story centers around me, Natalie, and a very dear friend, Soma Nole. Everything I'm about to disclose is either firsthand, second hand, or in small part third hand. In order to make this three act story more readable, I have taken the liberty of placing much of what I have to say in the mouths of my parents and my wife and to a limited extent some others. Regardless, I vouch for each and every detail that is printed on these pages. Now, let us turn to a brief summary of things to come.

My mother along with six siblings were born in Jerusalem. Her contribution to the story chronicles a back and forth journey between Jewish Orthodoxy and Secularism. Rebecca Goldshein was born a Hasidic Jew in Jerusalem but found it impossible to understand the demands her family and their religion placed on her. My father's story involves his atheist upbringing and his intense love for Rebecca. Indeed, the two, my mother and father, may not have had what might be called a marriage made in heaven, but it was a love affair that rivals Romeo and Juliet.

Inasmuch as atheism is highly prevalent in all three acts of this story, let me be clear. I hesitate to use the term 'atheism' because there are some people, probably most people, who assume the term refers to the steadfast conviction that there is no god. This could not be further from the truth. There is no one on earth who seriously holds that conviction, even if they say they do. Who of us mortals could possibly know if one god, two gods, or many gods even exist ... or not? What I mean by atheism is more a way of life than a strict adherence to a matter of fact. I cannot say if the God of Abraham is real or not. Nevertheless, I live my life as if there is no God of Abraham or any other god including Zeus and his fellow Olympians, and I live as if there is no afterlife, no heaven or hell, no second chances, and no Judgement Day. To that extent I consider myself an atheist.

The second Act of the story centers around my wife Natalie and the journey that took her from Soda Springs Idaho to a Marshalltown Iowa as she ran away from her past, from an abusive impoverished childhood. It was only much later that she became a self-assured adult and nationally recognized painter and then a victim of hate lying in a comatose state, all because of a novel I wrote. This act also deals with Sam, Natalie's 'savior' in so many ways. A retired priest and lawyer who by chance, or not, met up with Natalie at a diner in Marshalltown. If not for Sam, Natalie might not have become the wonderfully magnificent person she is. Indeed, if not for Sam, she might be languishing in prison to this day.