I would propose that: everyone has a god. Whatever you desperately submit to, whatever thing, idea, faith, etc. it is that you serve with your thoughts, actions, words, and decisions, that is your god. It could be your personal interpretation of an idea of a god outlined in a religion, it could simply be a goal you have for yourself. Sort of like ''no one can escape the workings of faith,'' although not everyone follows a religious faith, religiously.
But is there a God? To me, yes. Can this be proven beyond any shadow of a doubt? No. Can it be disproved? No. Does that make me an agnostic?
Faith is a decision, independent of comprehensive intellectual evidence; therefore, faith in God and ''proof'' are mutually exclusive. Isn't agnosticism basically a given, then?
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
I Want to Hug Every Gay Person--Ever
Today, someone told me ''homosexuality is a detestable sin.''
Even if that is true, what sin wouldn't be ''a detestable sin?'' (to God, I mean) Which sin shall I abstain from that I might earn myself eternal life?
Are we not all trapped by a sinful nature? I don't see the point in separating ''them'' from me by treating them as though they have a disease to be ''cured from.''
So, if it is a sin, it still harms nobody. Not like lying, stealing, murdering, or smoking. If it hurts no one, how is it my business, whatsoever? Am I God's CIA agent?
And about making it illegal for gays to marry, that's just full-on backward movement for conservative Christians. Did Jesus say ''the greatest commandment of all is this: vote against same sex marriage and make sure you fulfill the law TO THE LETTER, and make your governments into a theocracy because I'm coming to reign here on earth right now. Let's break all the bruised reeds and snuff out all the glowing cinders.'' I see you scratching your head. Jesus said ''the greatest commandment is to love your neighbour as yourself.''
No Christian will likely have any success telling a gay person ''God hates homosexuality.'' So how is it going to win anyone over if they try to pass legislation that removes the rights of gays to marry?
Love, or legislation? Decisions, decisions.
I think I need to find a gay church...
Then, a conservative gallie said:
'Matthew 7:21-23 not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful ... See Moreworks? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Luke 13:5, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
1 John 2:4, "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
Some people may believe they will go to heaven, but they will not because they are not doing God's will. In order to know Jesus, we must keep his commandments.
It is true that we can't control all our thoughts. But there are certainly things that we can control. The Bible says we should have self-control in our lives. That is the Fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
To which I responded:
Even if that is true, what sin wouldn't be ''a detestable sin?'' (to God, I mean) Which sin shall I abstain from that I might earn myself eternal life?
Are we not all trapped by a sinful nature? I don't see the point in separating ''them'' from me by treating them as though they have a disease to be ''cured from.''
So, if it is a sin, it still harms nobody. Not like lying, stealing, murdering, or smoking. If it hurts no one, how is it my business, whatsoever? Am I God's CIA agent?
And about making it illegal for gays to marry, that's just full-on backward movement for conservative Christians. Did Jesus say ''the greatest commandment of all is this: vote against same sex marriage and make sure you fulfill the law TO THE LETTER, and make your governments into a theocracy because I'm coming to reign here on earth right now. Let's break all the bruised reeds and snuff out all the glowing cinders.'' I see you scratching your head. Jesus said ''the greatest commandment is to love your neighbour as yourself.''
No Christian will likely have any success telling a gay person ''God hates homosexuality.'' So how is it going to win anyone over if they try to pass legislation that removes the rights of gays to marry?
Love, or legislation? Decisions, decisions.
I think I need to find a gay church...
Then, a conservative gallie said:
'Matthew 7:21-23 not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful ... See Moreworks? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Luke 13:5, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
1 John 2:4, "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
Some people may believe they will go to heaven, but they will not because they are not doing God's will. In order to know Jesus, we must keep his commandments.
It is true that we can't control all our thoughts. But there are certainly things that we can control. The Bible says we should have self-control in our lives. That is the Fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
To which I responded:
The Wrath of God? Really?
The wrath of God? Really? Is God just itching to dump out his wrath on us, that he's held out on for sooooo long, but boy, when it's time, he's really gonna let us have it? Does God hold a grudge? Really...?
My two cents:
''Wrath of God'' is a misnomer. It's not that God is so angry with us that He plots out his revenge on us, carefully guarding his hidden hurts to keep himself cold hearted enough to stick to his plan of ''delicious retaliation.'' ''The wrath of God'' and even the saying ''vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.'' Really don't gel well with the idea that ''God is love.'' Does love take pleasure in seeking vengeance, satisfying an ''itch'' to ''fix someone's clock?'' These things might seem comforting to those who ''need'' to feel that they will be avenged, but can such an ''itch'' even exist within perfect love?
I propose that: ''the wrath of God'' is just another title for what some call ''karma.'' Karma isn't ''a bitch,'' any more than the combination of one atom of sodium and one atom of chlorine to form a molecule of NaCl is ''a bitch.'' Karma is just what happens. If you eat bad food, you will get sick; not because God is punishing you or taking out his frustrations on you.
The presence of karma that ''pulls no punches'' is essential to a reality in which our free will is 100% free--free from uninvited divine influence to force us, or even to sway us to any degree, to abstain from things that will harm us.
And to harmonise with the bible, not necessarily with organised religion: God doesn't force people to be christians, He lets them believe whatever they want. One theologian put it like this: ''where does a 600 pound gorilla sleep in the jungle? --ANYWHERE he wants! Man DOES have sovereignty, but if he's smart, he'll hand it right back over to God.'' God doesn't force us to do, say, choose, or believe anything. He lets us learn on our own, so that the choices we make are entirely ours. How else can there be a ''test'' in it, upon which we are ''graded'' at the end of our lives? ''Sparing'' us from the consequences of our own choices would be a subtraction from the freedoms we have as beings with a free will. ''Free will'' would be a joke, and karma would be the punchline. This principle of karma is described in the bible, as it relates to consequences of our choices; and it operates in our lives.
So then, the most important ''commandment'' is to love and exalt as the ultimate example of living: love itself; and in turn, to emulate the nature of love towards those within the scope of our influence. One cannot do this if one does not see ''love'' as ''God.'' ''No one can serve two masters.''
Is God vengeful? Is he just *itching* to really let some people have it?
My two cents:
''Wrath of God'' is a misnomer. It's not that God is so angry with us that He plots out his revenge on us, carefully guarding his hidden hurts to keep himself cold hearted enough to stick to his plan of ''delicious retaliation.'' ''The wrath of God'' and even the saying ''vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.'' Really don't gel well with the idea that ''God is love.'' Does love take pleasure in seeking vengeance, satisfying an ''itch'' to ''fix someone's clock?'' These things might seem comforting to those who ''need'' to feel that they will be avenged, but can such an ''itch'' even exist within perfect love?
I propose that: ''the wrath of God'' is just another title for what some call ''karma.'' Karma isn't ''a bitch,'' any more than the combination of one atom of sodium and one atom of chlorine to form a molecule of NaCl is ''a bitch.'' Karma is just what happens. If you eat bad food, you will get sick; not because God is punishing you or taking out his frustrations on you.
The presence of karma that ''pulls no punches'' is essential to a reality in which our free will is 100% free--free from uninvited divine influence to force us, or even to sway us to any degree, to abstain from things that will harm us.
And to harmonise with the bible, not necessarily with organised religion: God doesn't force people to be christians, He lets them believe whatever they want. One theologian put it like this: ''where does a 600 pound gorilla sleep in the jungle? --ANYWHERE he wants! Man DOES have sovereignty, but if he's smart, he'll hand it right back over to God.'' God doesn't force us to do, say, choose, or believe anything. He lets us learn on our own, so that the choices we make are entirely ours. How else can there be a ''test'' in it, upon which we are ''graded'' at the end of our lives? ''Sparing'' us from the consequences of our own choices would be a subtraction from the freedoms we have as beings with a free will. ''Free will'' would be a joke, and karma would be the punchline. This principle of karma is described in the bible, as it relates to consequences of our choices; and it operates in our lives.
So then, the most important ''commandment'' is to love and exalt as the ultimate example of living: love itself; and in turn, to emulate the nature of love towards those within the scope of our influence. One cannot do this if one does not see ''love'' as ''God.'' ''No one can serve two masters.''
Is God vengeful? Is he just *itching* to really let some people have it?
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I thought it was by faith, not works, that no one may boast.
Indeed, which of my righteous acts (which are as filthy rags) will get me into heaven?
I like that verse from Luke that you used.
Luke 13:3 says the same thing as 13:5. I think it's quite fitting, actually. It's talking about some Galileans whom Pilate had put to death while making a sacrifice. Jesus asked them ''Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, since they suffered such things? I tell you no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.''
In this instance, Jesus is referring to a physical catastrophe, not hell. The notion at the time was that those who suffered a particularly harsh calamity were guilty of a more serious sin. Jesus is not denying that calamities can be the fruit of certain sins; but more importantly, Jesus was challenging the notion of those present that they were morally superior to those who suffered such calamities.
1.) According to the classical christian interpretation of the bible, any single sin, no matter how small or grand I may think it as (and what's it matter what I think, anyway. It's not like God's begging me for MY opinion), earns me an eternity in hell.
2.) Sooner or later I'll have a sinful thought that will earn me hell.
So, really, I'm not morally superior to homosexuals. Surprise, surprise. No matter how much abstaining from evil I THINK I'm doing, I still can't live up to God's commands. This is the crux of Christianity: that I'm not good enough to do it on my own. Those who thought they had earned their salvation through their superior obedience to the law were most sharply rebuked by Jesus.
So, what you're saying is that I'm going to hell, too, since I can't stop sinning, just like gays?