When it comes to making big decisions in our lives: having children, getting married, changing careers, etc. we tend to take our time weighing the pros and cons. Lately, I've been asked if I'm going to buy a new car. This starts a flurry of questions in my head (if I do end up deciding to buy a car): What kind of car should I buy? A gently used car? A brand-new car? Does the car have good gas mileage? Can it handle rough terrain well? Is it a car that will last? How big of a car do I need? These are all questions I should have answered before I decide what kind of car to buy. These questions are not based on my emotions, they are legitimate questions every potential car buyer asks themselves. Yet, once you get to the dealership something strange usually happens. Unless you are properly prepared, you don't get to ask all those questions you had about your potential purchase. The car salesman immediately greets you with a warm smile and friendly demeanor and soon enough you're doing a lot of listening and not a lot of asking.
When I was religious, I found myself in the same position as a potential car buyer, if I had questions they were dismissed with responses such as: "It's God's will" or "Just pray about it & God will answer all your questions", and one of my personal favorite useless responses "You're not supposed to question God". To which I would always ask more questions. If God gave me a brain that is naturally curious about the world, then why am I not supposed to ask questions? Am I supposed to be obedient no matter the consequences? That sounds like a god I don't want to have a relationship with. I was taught that the best results occur through cooperation and mutual respect and not subordinancy. For this reason alone, I am a doubter in this all-powerful God that so many speak so highly of.
Yet, that does not mean I will be a doubter for life. Most freethinkers at one point or another in their life were religious; some very deeply so. I have found that most freethinkers are ones who listen to all arguments, are most willing to change their minds, and suspend belief in anything until rational justification and evidence are presented.
The conversations I have had with religious people usually end up involve people being offended. This blog probably offends some people but you don't have to read it. As much as I have the choice to not listen to the believers. I have found that a lot of believers out there don't read my blog just because of the topics presented inside. If you're entire worldview is based upon saving my "soul" from eternal damnation wouldn't you want to know what I believe and why as an insight to my moral code, my personality, and my beliefs in general? This is why I read blogs of people from the other sides of the religious spectrum. When you talk to someone that is open-minded, then your conversations can be mneaningful even if no one changes their mind in the end. Yet, if you go into a religious discussion not willing to change your mind, then why listen to the other side at all?
I have changed my mind many times when it comes to matters of faith or lack thereof. How many times have you?
Friday, August 26, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
God Bless America? What about the rest of the world?
I was at work today having a chat with a co-worker and we were discussing his hat, which had the blue UK emblem on it. While this was something we had in common (I am an alum and he is a fan), he immediately followed up our discussion by saying that UK is "God's country". I thought about that a bit deeper as he walked away. It took me back to a conversation I had many years before.
When I had just graduated college, I moved back home and became a substitute teacher. Income was sparse so I began driving my dad around to make a few extra bucks. My relationship with my dad has not always been the best as we only speak probably about once a year, but during that time I saw him weekly and not having him around growing up (my parents divorced when I was 5) we had some interesting and sometimes weird conversations. One time I was with him, we were talking and we came up on the subject of God. It wasn't a particularly deep conversation, but he brought up something I had never thought about up to that point.
He said, "You know how people say "God Bless America?"
I replied, "Yeah, you hear it a lot."
He said, "God created the whole world and even John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world..." Isn't it a little weird that you hear people in the US say God Bless America? Shouldn't they say God Bless the World?"
I said, "I guess it does seem pretty arrogant, to think that God only cares about this country and not any others."
How many times can you recall someone saying "God Bless America"? In America, especially amongst the political right you will find that we are bombarded with messages saying America is "God's Country" and "God Bless The USA". Now while I could start up a discussion about how national pride is way overblown in this country, and is a primary reason for people saying the United States is "God's Country", I won't go into it except for mentioning it here.
So, what about the rest of the world? Why do we (supposedly) have it so bad that people ask God to bless us? Last time I checked, living in the United States in the financial definition of "poverty" is nowhere near living in real poverty in Africa. Last time I checked, people living with HIV in America have access to medication that people inflicted with it can live for decades after being diagnosed, while thousands in Africa die of AIDS every day.
Now to be fair, there are churches in the US who do a lot of good doing missionary work in impoverished lands around the world. On the contrary I don't agree with spreading some of the harmful the doctrines of Christianity, such as not using barrier devices to stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (a proven way that actually prevents the spread of STDs).
To my next point, I want to propose a hypothetical situation. Let's say there is a twelve year old girl in an impoverished nation who has no access to electricity and has not been educated (it's more common that one would think), I tell her that she needs to tell me the name of five American professional baseball teams or else she will be tortured for life. Most likely she has no idea what baseball is. Am I a bad person for proposing this? I hope the reading of this paragraph has told you that I am probably a sick individual for suggesting such a situation.
Now I am going to apply this to a Christian belief using something I like to call logic. Most Christians would say that accepting Jesus into your heart is the only way to get into heaven. So, is someone who does not know anything about Jesus going to hell? I've actually heard people in my life say yes to that question, which to me is quite disturbing. Does everyone who has never heard of Christianity go to hell even if they were rasied in a completely different religion? How can God punish someone for something they don't even have a sliver of knowledge about? It just seems so unfair, or maybe religion and the idea of hell is just a ploy to scare and intimidate people into following into a set of ideas without letting them think for themselves and making their own choice.
In conclusion, ever since that conversation with my dad I have came to this conclusion:
Whenever someone says "God Bless America" (or the like) in this country, it somehow reeks of an overblown sense of pride that permeates our society. Like the famous quote says, "Two hands working do more than a thousand clasped in prayer."
When I had just graduated college, I moved back home and became a substitute teacher. Income was sparse so I began driving my dad around to make a few extra bucks. My relationship with my dad has not always been the best as we only speak probably about once a year, but during that time I saw him weekly and not having him around growing up (my parents divorced when I was 5) we had some interesting and sometimes weird conversations. One time I was with him, we were talking and we came up on the subject of God. It wasn't a particularly deep conversation, but he brought up something I had never thought about up to that point.
He said, "You know how people say "God Bless America?"
I replied, "Yeah, you hear it a lot."
He said, "God created the whole world and even John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world..." Isn't it a little weird that you hear people in the US say God Bless America? Shouldn't they say God Bless the World?"
I said, "I guess it does seem pretty arrogant, to think that God only cares about this country and not any others."
How many times can you recall someone saying "God Bless America"? In America, especially amongst the political right you will find that we are bombarded with messages saying America is "God's Country" and "God Bless The USA". Now while I could start up a discussion about how national pride is way overblown in this country, and is a primary reason for people saying the United States is "God's Country", I won't go into it except for mentioning it here.
So, what about the rest of the world? Why do we (supposedly) have it so bad that people ask God to bless us? Last time I checked, living in the United States in the financial definition of "poverty" is nowhere near living in real poverty in Africa. Last time I checked, people living with HIV in America have access to medication that people inflicted with it can live for decades after being diagnosed, while thousands in Africa die of AIDS every day.
Now to be fair, there are churches in the US who do a lot of good doing missionary work in impoverished lands around the world. On the contrary I don't agree with spreading some of the harmful the doctrines of Christianity, such as not using barrier devices to stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (a proven way that actually prevents the spread of STDs).
To my next point, I want to propose a hypothetical situation. Let's say there is a twelve year old girl in an impoverished nation who has no access to electricity and has not been educated (it's more common that one would think), I tell her that she needs to tell me the name of five American professional baseball teams or else she will be tortured for life. Most likely she has no idea what baseball is. Am I a bad person for proposing this? I hope the reading of this paragraph has told you that I am probably a sick individual for suggesting such a situation.
Now I am going to apply this to a Christian belief using something I like to call logic. Most Christians would say that accepting Jesus into your heart is the only way to get into heaven. So, is someone who does not know anything about Jesus going to hell? I've actually heard people in my life say yes to that question, which to me is quite disturbing. Does everyone who has never heard of Christianity go to hell even if they were rasied in a completely different religion? How can God punish someone for something they don't even have a sliver of knowledge about? It just seems so unfair, or maybe religion and the idea of hell is just a ploy to scare and intimidate people into following into a set of ideas without letting them think for themselves and making their own choice.
In conclusion, ever since that conversation with my dad I have came to this conclusion:
Whenever someone says "God Bless America" (or the like) in this country, it somehow reeks of an overblown sense of pride that permeates our society. Like the famous quote says, "Two hands working do more than a thousand clasped in prayer."
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