Perhaps where the atheist (and any other person of reason) is most correct in their criticism of Christianity resides in how Christianity is less about conviction and the seeking of Truth and more about finding a home to feel welcomed. It's about convenience. Christianity is not about personal development, contemplating truth, wisdom, and revelation; it is about feeling good about yourself, getting compliments and praises from those around you, and participating in community events and in church services. Most churches do not encourage personal critical thinking skills (especially against the establishment of Christianity itself); most churches, rather, encourage cognitive and behavioral conformity to the idiosyncratic teachings of their pastor or minister. Perhaps the greatest criticism laid at the feet of Christianity is inferences drawn from the evidence offered from Christian people.
Person 'A' says, "God has shown me a great Truth, and He has put on my heart the desire to fulfill His word. I must begin my own church and teach people according to the inspiration that God Himself has given to me through prayer and through the personal relationship that I have with Him. What I do henceforth is to live God's Truth as He has revealed it to me. I shall dedicate all the days of my life in service to He who died for me and my sins."
Person 'B' says the precise same thing as person 'A.' With just as much personal conviction, with just as much reference to Biblical passages, with just as much weight on their heart to accomplish God's will, person 'B' sets forth to proclaim God's Truth.
Now imagine that the teachings of person 'A' conflict with and contradict the teachings of person 'B.' -- How can this be? Did not God inspire them both? Was not God the provider of inspiration? You hear it all the time from people who claim to be doing God's work. God, apparently, wants you to help fund your church's youth ministry to India or to South America. God is putting it on your heart to purify his Church; God wants YOU to revitalize His church. After years of reading the Bible, we can conclude that polygamy is okay -- no wait, after years of reading the Bible, we must conclude that polygamy is forbidden. Well, our church believes that the Eucharist is the real embodiment of Jesus Christ through the bread and the wine -- the bread becomes his flesh, and the wine becomes his blood. No, this is incorrect. Nothing really happens during the Eucharistic celebration -- it is nothing more than a ceremony to recall historical events; no hocus pocus happens.
Well, our church believes that children should be baptized. Oh. Well, our church teaches that children need to reach the age of reason before they are allowed to be baptized. Our minister wants us to attend church twice a week: on Sundays and on Wednesdays. Well, our church says that once a week is good enough. Our church teaches about the existence of purgatory 2 Maccabees 12:46. What? We don't have Bibles with that book in it. Our Bibles are real and yours are "of man."
---
Do you see? I don't care who's right and who's wrong. People have been killing one another for centuries in order to determine which school of religious thought best encompasses God's will. Everyone who disagrees with one another also claims that their point of view is best, the most correct, and is what God really teaches while at the same time, condemning those who have different points of view. How arrogant of Christians.
You're not worshiping "God."
You're worshiping "Yourself" as "God."
Hey, that's a nice golden cow you have there. Did "God" tell you to make that too?
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Atheism is self-deism
An atheist does not believe in God.
It is my opinion that everyone believes in a God of one sort or other; in the case of the atheist, the God they believe in is themselves. Atheism has a long laundry list of "reasons" why believing in God makes no sense whatsoever, and the appeal is made at one time or other to the lack of "proof" for God's existence (which makes me scratch my head and tilt my head like a puppy does when it hears a strange noise). You see, proof is a function of the ideological framework which interprets the proof in the first place. If I wanted to prove that 2 + 2 = 4, then the framework for evaluating this particular assertion would be mathematics. If I wanted to prove that dinosaurs existed, I would be appealing to paleontology's established framework. And if I wanted proof of God's existence, I would refer to religion. But "religion," from the atheistic perspective (and from some religious perspectives) signifies more the folly of less intelligent human beings than it does prove God's existence. Actually, "proving" God's existence in scientific terms is a flawed enterprise from the very beginning since "God" belongs to the domain of "faith." In most cases, the atheist wants proof of God's existence in scientific terms.
One popular remark I've heard from friends and from the popular culture at large is that God is something that can't be seen, and therefore does not exist. In other words, this is the whole "I'll believe it when I see it" school of thought (which is flawed). The human eye perceives (rather poorly, I might add) the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. We know that there is more to the electromagnetic spectrum than visible light such as X-RAYs, gamma rays, microwaves, and ultra violet radiation. Our sun, which is a giant thermonuclear explosion in space that collapses on itself due to its huge mass, emits all kinds of invisible radiation which cannot be seen (directly) through the human eye. We infer that something "unseen" exists because of its effect on the surround space (which is how scientists postulate the presence of black holes). When we put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and begin to cook it, we cannot see the microwaves directly; but because the popcorn begins cooking, we can infer that microwaves exist because of their effect on the bag of popcorn. Using similar logic, we can infer that God exists because of all the wars and human squabbling that has been done in his name throughout history!
Hahaha. I jest, I jest. But seriously, though. I consider myself to be a person of faith, but I totally understand how some refuse to believe in God for whatever their personal reason is. For some people, atheism is a living rebellion to the value system of hurtful parents. For others, atheism is like the Socratic gadfly for those who believe every word coming from any person claiming that "God has put something" on their heart. Look, I know that religion has been used to achieve personal agendas from the beginning of time (if I wanted to convince people that it is "God's Will" that I philander with others, then I'd write a "Book" and say the inspiration for it came to me in a vision too!) ; and I know that some people use religion as an excuse to refute scientific evidence (and these people piss me off too). From my point of view, evolution and science are all part of God's plan. Did you read that? I said that evolution is part of God's plan.
In any case, religion (whether that religion is that of a God found in a church or a God found inside one's self) is a personal choice and a personal relationship, and it should be kept that way -- personal. Yeah, I know. I'm writing a blog for the whole world to read and I'm not following my own advice on keeping personal things personal. But you know what? I'm not a militant when it comes to getting others to believe in God. I'm not a Bible thumper or a Bible thrower. I have my personal way of looking at things, and I'll share my insights with others when the moment is right. It's not for me to judge the sexuality or the personal choices of another human being -- I'm not God, I don't claim to be, and I don't want to be. In Matt 5:45, it is written that God lets the rain fall on EVERYONE, and the sun shines on EVERYONE (though I must admit, I don't understand why).
It is my opinion that everyone believes in a God of one sort or other; in the case of the atheist, the God they believe in is themselves. Atheism has a long laundry list of "reasons" why believing in God makes no sense whatsoever, and the appeal is made at one time or other to the lack of "proof" for God's existence (which makes me scratch my head and tilt my head like a puppy does when it hears a strange noise). You see, proof is a function of the ideological framework which interprets the proof in the first place. If I wanted to prove that 2 + 2 = 4, then the framework for evaluating this particular assertion would be mathematics. If I wanted to prove that dinosaurs existed, I would be appealing to paleontology's established framework. And if I wanted proof of God's existence, I would refer to religion. But "religion," from the atheistic perspective (and from some religious perspectives) signifies more the folly of less intelligent human beings than it does prove God's existence. Actually, "proving" God's existence in scientific terms is a flawed enterprise from the very beginning since "God" belongs to the domain of "faith." In most cases, the atheist wants proof of God's existence in scientific terms.
One popular remark I've heard from friends and from the popular culture at large is that God is something that can't be seen, and therefore does not exist. In other words, this is the whole "I'll believe it when I see it" school of thought (which is flawed). The human eye perceives (rather poorly, I might add) the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. We know that there is more to the electromagnetic spectrum than visible light such as X-RAYs, gamma rays, microwaves, and ultra violet radiation. Our sun, which is a giant thermonuclear explosion in space that collapses on itself due to its huge mass, emits all kinds of invisible radiation which cannot be seen (directly) through the human eye. We infer that something "unseen" exists because of its effect on the surround space (which is how scientists postulate the presence of black holes). When we put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and begin to cook it, we cannot see the microwaves directly; but because the popcorn begins cooking, we can infer that microwaves exist because of their effect on the bag of popcorn. Using similar logic, we can infer that God exists because of all the wars and human squabbling that has been done in his name throughout history!
Hahaha. I jest, I jest. But seriously, though. I consider myself to be a person of faith, but I totally understand how some refuse to believe in God for whatever their personal reason is. For some people, atheism is a living rebellion to the value system of hurtful parents. For others, atheism is like the Socratic gadfly for those who believe every word coming from any person claiming that "God has put something" on their heart. Look, I know that religion has been used to achieve personal agendas from the beginning of time (if I wanted to convince people that it is "God's Will" that I philander with others, then I'd write a "Book" and say the inspiration for it came to me in a vision too!) ; and I know that some people use religion as an excuse to refute scientific evidence (and these people piss me off too). From my point of view, evolution and science are all part of God's plan. Did you read that? I said that evolution is part of God's plan.
In any case, religion (whether that religion is that of a God found in a church or a God found inside one's self) is a personal choice and a personal relationship, and it should be kept that way -- personal. Yeah, I know. I'm writing a blog for the whole world to read and I'm not following my own advice on keeping personal things personal. But you know what? I'm not a militant when it comes to getting others to believe in God. I'm not a Bible thumper or a Bible thrower. I have my personal way of looking at things, and I'll share my insights with others when the moment is right. It's not for me to judge the sexuality or the personal choices of another human being -- I'm not God, I don't claim to be, and I don't want to be. In Matt 5:45, it is written that God lets the rain fall on EVERYONE, and the sun shines on EVERYONE (though I must admit, I don't understand why).
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Is Christianity Anti-Christian?
Christians agree that there is one God and that Jesus Christ is God made flesh. Indeed, to be considered a Christian, one must follow the teachings of Christ. But while this Truth appears to be self evident, it is also the ultimate problem. And this problem permeates the world around us.
The origin of this problem is that the teachings of Christ are mediated through humans and through human systems of information processing, which are all flawed and contaminated with sin from the start. In other words, that which is sinful claims to be able to process that which has no sin. And with this as the premise, we begin our exploration.
Take a man or a woman who believes that God has put a message upon their heart; with utmost conviction, that particular man or woman begins the process of fulfilling heaven's message. Be it to actualize a life in the service of the Church, or to organize a community around a set of truths of principles, something burns deep in the breast of the one whom God calls. And the feeling to satisfy this unseen motivation cannot be stopped or detoured. The spirit moves and brings with it the flesh.
Take yet another man or woman who has heard the beckoning of the Father (John 6:44). With a spirit set a fire from the mouth of God, that man or woman pursues and chases the the One who has sent the message. With utter conviction, they act in a manner they know will honor the Father who sees them in the privacy of their heart (Matt 6:6).
Now that I have your attention, let us talk about division (Matt 3:24). If there is but one God who sets the hearts of humanity on fire with the Holy Ghost -- if there is but one God who touches the hearts of these whom He beckons in the first place -- there should be no contradiction among those who hear His one voice. Notice that I used the word "contradiction" which means:
One Church claims that God motivated them to act in such-and-such manner and to adopt so-and-so teachings, while another Church acts, believes, and teaches in the opposite for the same reasons. It boils down to this: if God has been identified as the primary motivator, and if there is no contradiction to be found in God (1 John 1:5), how can there be contradiction among the hearts that people have claimed that God has touched? Is God to blame for Christianity's contradiction or are we humans to blame for it? It is easy to see that the structure of some versions of Christianity are built upon a selfish foundation -- a fundamentally un-Christian foundation.
And it is certain that a testament to this division is that each Church will justify their creation with being commanded from God. Each split, each division of Christianity occurs because the one doing the splitting believes that he or she is acting according to what God has placed upon their heart. Here, then, God is no more than a reflection in the mirror in our minds -- and perpetual contradiction is proof.
The origin of this problem is that the teachings of Christ are mediated through humans and through human systems of information processing, which are all flawed and contaminated with sin from the start. In other words, that which is sinful claims to be able to process that which has no sin. And with this as the premise, we begin our exploration.
Take a man or a woman who believes that God has put a message upon their heart; with utmost conviction, that particular man or woman begins the process of fulfilling heaven's message. Be it to actualize a life in the service of the Church, or to organize a community around a set of truths of principles, something burns deep in the breast of the one whom God calls. And the feeling to satisfy this unseen motivation cannot be stopped or detoured. The spirit moves and brings with it the flesh.
Take yet another man or woman who has heard the beckoning of the Father (John 6:44). With a spirit set a fire from the mouth of God, that man or woman pursues and chases the the One who has sent the message. With utter conviction, they act in a manner they know will honor the Father who sees them in the privacy of their heart (Matt 6:6).
Now that I have your attention, let us talk about division (Matt 3:24). If there is but one God who sets the hearts of humanity on fire with the Holy Ghost -- if there is but one God who touches the hearts of these whom He beckons in the first place -- there should be no contradiction among those who hear His one voice. Notice that I used the word "contradiction" which means:
con·tra·dic·tion [kon-truh-dik-shuhn]While there are differences in interpretation of God's influence, there should be no contradiction between essential and fundamental meanings and teachings. Rather, at most, each interpretation should bring attention to a particular nuance of the larger Truth expressed by the one God through many human tongues. But we know from experience that this is not the case at all.
- the act of contradicting; gainsaying or opposition
- assertion of the contrary or opposite; denial.
- a statement or proposition that contradicts or denies another or itself and is logically incongruous.
- direct opposition between things compared; inconsistency.
- a contradictory act, fact, etc.
One Church claims that God motivated them to act in such-and-such manner and to adopt so-and-so teachings, while another Church acts, believes, and teaches in the opposite for the same reasons. It boils down to this: if God has been identified as the primary motivator, and if there is no contradiction to be found in God (1 John 1:5), how can there be contradiction among the hearts that people have claimed that God has touched? Is God to blame for Christianity's contradiction or are we humans to blame for it? It is easy to see that the structure of some versions of Christianity are built upon a selfish foundation -- a fundamentally un-Christian foundation.
And it is certain that a testament to this division is that each Church will justify their creation with being commanded from God. Each split, each division of Christianity occurs because the one doing the splitting believes that he or she is acting according to what God has placed upon their heart. Here, then, God is no more than a reflection in the mirror in our minds -- and perpetual contradiction is proof.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
We thank God with Golden Cows: the frailty of the human heart
Both the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) in the New Testament and the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament provide direct teaching about the human heart. The Book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament can also be said to teach about the human condition, however, because this particular book holds such a special place in the landscape of my interior world, I will dedicate more to it in later entries.
What Luke 16:19-31 and the Book of Exodus hold in common is that direct demonstration of the supernatural cannot change the human heart from its imperfect and fallen intention. While priests, ministers, and pastors frequently draw lessons about life after death from this passage in Luke, and while it can be said that Exodus establishes and communicates God's favor upon the Hebrews, few have concluded that each Biblical segment teaches how humanity's heart has the potential reject all things and truths, even when delivered from supernatural hands.
The story of Exodus is the story of how Moses led the Hebrew people from slavery in ancient Egypt. In this Old Testament account, Moses used supernatural phenomena to convince Pharaoh to free the Hebrews. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and did not relent his position even in the face of plagues until the last one had passed (Exodus 7-11).
Plagues of the Old Testament
What Luke 16:19-31 and the Book of Exodus hold in common is that direct demonstration of the supernatural cannot change the human heart from its imperfect and fallen intention. While priests, ministers, and pastors frequently draw lessons about life after death from this passage in Luke, and while it can be said that Exodus establishes and communicates God's favor upon the Hebrews, few have concluded that each Biblical segment teaches how humanity's heart has the potential reject all things and truths, even when delivered from supernatural hands.
Luke 16:19-31[19] "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. [20] At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores [21] and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. [22] "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. [23] In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. [24] So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' [25] "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. [26] And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' [27] "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, [28] for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' [29] "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' [30] " 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' [31] "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "Imagine someone you knew has died and has been dead for several days. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that this person was deceased. Now imagine their deceased body reanimates in order to deliver a warning message to you after a few days. Aside from the initial shock and terror from such an event, doubt and discredit will fill your mind shortly thereafter. "This can't be real -- I must be imagining things!" No matter how profound their message, no matter how convincing their message, it is destined to be dismissed. Such conclusions can be drawn about the person or the people who were impervious to hearing Truth in the first place; doubt, discredit, and dismissal is not fertile soil for the seed of Truth to grow. In this parable, Jesus taught that those who cannot or who will not hear the Truth in the word of God expressed through the Bible or expressed through the Prophets (Luke 16:29) will also not hear the expression of this Truth even if it comes from the mouth of someone who was known to be deceased (Luke 16:31). A supernatural phenomenon does not help those who are unwilling or unable to hear Truth in the first place. For those who are willing to hear it, a supernatural phenomenon is not necessary in the first place.
The story of Exodus is the story of how Moses led the Hebrew people from slavery in ancient Egypt. In this Old Testament account, Moses used supernatural phenomena to convince Pharaoh to free the Hebrews. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and did not relent his position even in the face of plagues until the last one had passed (Exodus 7-11).
Plagues of the Old Testament
- The Plague of Blood
- The Plague of Frogs
- The Plague of Gnats
- The Plague of Flies
- The Plague on Livestock
- The Plague of Boils
- The Plague of Hail
- The Plague of Locusts
- The Plague of Darkness
- The Plague on the Firstborn
While we know that these supernatural events had little to no effect on Pharaoh's heart, we also know that the Hebrews witnessed these events too. The Hebrews saw how God moved against Egypt. The Hebrews also witnessed the miracle of the pillar that stood between them and Pharaoh's pursuing army. In addition, the Hebrews participated in the Crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:1-29). In other words, the Hebrews themselves both witnessed and were involved in God's miracles that set them free. There could be no doubt in anyone's mind that something supernatural was happening.
And how did the Hebrews thank their God? Exodus 32:4. Even in the face of miracles, humanity's fail heart moves against God. How much farther shall we fall having not seen the grandeur of these miracles and supernatural events? Sometimes, even knowing Truth and being a part of that Truth cannot save us from ourselves.
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