This video is just completely disturbing to me.
Essentially, churches in the US send missionaries to Africa to teach the “good news,” which apparently includes the parts about “Witches.”
Priests take this message to the pulpit and scared parents who just want to get to heaven drive nails into their children’s heads, pour hot liquid on their head and tie them with rope, ’cause they (the children) are Witches, doncha know?
I’m gonna have to do some additional research…..expect to hear more.
Here are some simplified questions (about the Judeo-Christian Religion(s)) that I have pondered – - and although they are simplified, they are legitimate, none the less.
Is god omnipotent, omniscient, etc.? If so, why would a god create a man and woman and knowingly set them up for failure – - with the whole tree of knowledge? And if god just creates and steps back to let free will occur, and STILL knows what’s gonna happen, isn’t he still settin’ them up for failure? If he sets up the creation part and then steps back and let’s free will take its course, he’s not really all knowing then, correct?
Oh, and I can already hear some naysayers out there: Those are just lovely stories. And I submit: Use any situation NOW in the same place – - and see if it makes sense? How can life be god’s will AND free will? Why would people pray for an outcome to something if god doesn’t mess with people’s free will – - and if he is really got his fingers in the honey pot of life, how can we then have free will?
Then, if it is clear that the humans can’t possibly follow one simple rule, why would he then curse them and send them out into the “real world” without some direction? (You know, those rules that he later gave to Moses?) Did he really think that these twits, with additional curses, could possibly please him with absolutely no guidance? So, years go by – - and god gets madder and madder, ’cause his peeps simply are not doing life the way he wants – - and so, in grief god decides to destroy all that he created, ’cause he was sorry for doin’ it. Why? Why would a god be sorry about anything – - he knew, yes? And besides, how could god be SORRY – - that would mean that he was wrong, correct?
Well, so after god throws his temper tantrum – - and let’s Noah live, why doesn’t pass along the rules this time? I mean, if you are gonna destroy almost the entire planet, why not give some guidance. Seriously, at this point, you would think that he would really get that the humans aren’t too bright. (But, it might explain why humans were made in his image….)
More disappointments – - this time they (god was speaking in plurals again – - what’s up with that, anyway?) scatter the people all over the world. Nice – - more set ups. Same questions as before.
Then we have lots of lust, bumpin’ uglies, pimpin’ of your kin, screwing your kin, intoxication, and attempted murder (or act of faith). More set up by god? If you KNOW what the guy is gonna do, why on Earth would you subject a child to the horror of seeing his father almost kill him? What kinda sick shit is that?
I know, I know, lovely stories not to be taken seriously. But wait, so this is the kind of thing I want to say, “Eh, it’s just an interesting story about a god who is fuckin’ around with his people…it’s not really “true” …..no matter, it makes for good book sales and therefore, I should endorse this guy?”
Lots of boring shit and then we get to this guy who talks to a burning bush. If I was telling you I talked to a burning bus, you’d think I was schizophrenic…..but, not Moses. Nope. He is totally normal. Yackitty-Yak with a burning bush, thrown down some plagues and bring in ten new laws – - oh, wait, those were just the top ten, not the whole list. Shit, was there a Letterman back then, too? What’s the deal with the ten on rock and then the other 400 plus not so much put in stone?
Blah, Blah, Blah…..fast forward to the end of the OT. God says that he is gonna send a prophet, Elijah before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the lord. This is just a lead into a massive amount of questions……
So, did Elijah come along and no one thought it appropriate to make note of that? Again, if god is all knowing – - why not let his peeps know that he is gonna send his boy down – - Jesus, Joshua….whatever. Same difference. And why dreadful.
So, at some point, did god just decide he needed some Prozac to calm all of those jealous and hateful tendencies? Did he just decide, fuck those Mother Fuckers, they aren’t doing it right either……and it’s not as if I didn’t give them clear instructions to follow. I gotta make this shit easier, otherwise none of these bastards will make it to Heaven? Which again makes me question the “higher power” label. But, anyway.
So, he hems and he haws and comes up with this brilliant solution…..I am gonna impregnate a chic who is kickin’ with Joseph and of course I will let him know vis-a-vie an angel that his homegirl wasn’t whoring around on him, that she was merely a vessel for kid. (I’m thinking that he mighta known that Joseph would puss out on this….or perhaps he got something for getting stuck with a virgin, who after giving birth to baby jesus would certainly not have a virginal, tight who-who.) Anyway, so why didn’t the Angel/god tell Mary to name this kid Elijah….it woulda made this whole process quite a bit more simple. And why did Mary, after being told to name the baby Immanuel, did she name him Jesus/Joshua? Damn those non-listening, non-mindful, heathenous humans.
Why would god allow Jesus to tell the people that he didn’t come to change the laws? Doesn’t that mean that the laws from Moses are still applicable?
Why would Jesus insinuate that the laws are still to remain when clearly god has new ideas for the next set of of possibles? Why make it confusing – - ’cause essentially, there is only one unforgivable “sin” and so long as you don’t commit that….you are golden. Jesus talked about cutting off appendages rather than sinning – - and yet, talked about getting forgiveness just for asking. So god basically put in a sort of escape clause – - you aren’t REALLY suppose to break the rules…..but, if you do and you ask for forgiveness, you get into heaven. What a great deal – - and SUPER EASY!!! I wonder, if you ask for forgiveness up until the last day of your life – - are you only then judged for that last 24 hours (’cause when you ask for forgiveness the slate is wiped clean, yes?) Plus, when you get judged…this god is merciful and great, so really there shouldn’t be anything to fear, right?
Even if you didn’t ask for forgiveness ever, when faced with judgment, all you need to do is ask for forgiveness, ’cause Jesus died to take the edge off the anger from his old man, right?
Does everyone get judged or only the Christians? If it’s only the Christians, it should be super efficient, ’cause all you need to do is fast-track it all by asking god to forgive all your sins and poof, it’s all forgiven. And all of this greatness comes at the small, small price of $19.99….oops, of confessing Jesus.
So, Hitler gets in and Dahmer gets in…..Charlie Manson gets a free pass…..Dennis Rader is in…..Yup, David Berkowitz (Son of Sam), also in……..Mmmm hmmm Karla Faye Tucker…….the list goes on and on. But, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway, Benjamin Franklin, Elizabeth Cody-Stanton, Helen Keller, Charles Schultz, Mark Twain……all denied.
So, in loosening the “reigns” and making it super easy to get into heaven, you have to make some concessions….manly acknowledging that there will be a whole lotta riff-raff that make the cut.
I am aware that it appears that I may be on a bit of a roll, here; however, honestly, I have been pondering this particular blog for quite a while now. As a matter of fact, this was going to be my “Intro” to the Religious Discussions Blogs. (At this point though, I am glad it didn’t turn out that way!!)
Bible
The Bible is a collection of books, an anthology, if you will. I would guess that it is not just a collection of “books” per se, but a collection of things that the editors chose to include. (“Hey Pete, this section is super boring….take these back and hand me the pages that talked about Lot bangin’ his daughters….now that is some juicy stuff.”) Not every “Bible” is the same: Some do not include the same “chapters” (the Jerusalem Bible {http://www.catholic.org/bible/} has twelve additional “holy books”); Some are not arranged the same (the Tanakh {http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Bible/jpstoc.html} is arranged differently; Some have interesting vernacular (the King James Version {http://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/kjv/} has thee’s and thou’s that were not spoken back in the day). So who’s is right?
Translation
The book that is so revered, this Bible, which we have already seen has been added to, removed from and twisted, is also subjected to translation upon translation.
Several years ago, I put together my End of the Year Newsletter in American and then, in order to include my German family, I had it translated. When my family read it, they were….hhhmmm…I’m not even sure what the right word is…but, I will say that they just assumed that since I was in the University that I had used terms that were of “an educated mind.” LOL!! Although that is what was relayed to me tactfully, I would have to guess that they thought I was a nutcase. Here’s why: At the beginning, I said something to the effect of, here is life in our neck of the woods. Stop. Re-read that sentence. Now, imagine not knowing what that term means and just translating each word as it is. (How does my neck and the woods have anything to do with my life???) Then, later I described the shenanigans of my kids. You know I meant children – - but, “kids” translates into “goats.” Hhhmmm.
Just using my simple newsletter as an example, how is it possible to translate words and meaning that many times and still end up with the ABSOLUTE word of god? How can we look at this book for mere allegorical ideals, let alone practical every day guidance?
You might be thinking: Why is she trippin’ about a word here, and a comma there? Actually, I am most concerned about the Christian “Messiah” – -whose Hebrew name is Yahushua – - and whose name has been mistranslated/misinterpreted over and over (Joshua, Iesous, Iesus, Jesus). What if the name is not the only thing wrong?
Questions about Puttin’ it All Together
Prior to the decisions to put books together in order to form an anthological work that would later be revered as “Holy,” people would tell stories by ceremonial fire dances, pictures on walls, word of mouth, etc. As anyone who has played the kid game, where you tell the first person a ’secret’ and pass it down the line, can tell you, the end result is never the same as the original. How can the information be accurate if it started as “stories told by Papaw” and then written on various things in various languages to be translated over and over. Whose to say that this whole Christian thing didn’t come from some smart-ass punk who bet that he could get a good story goin’? (“Hey Pete, I bet you my foreskin that I can tell a doozie of a story tonight at the “Tell a Killer Story ‘Round the Campfire-A-Thon.”)
As many of us can attest, especially during this election, some very ignorant people have no problem passin’ on a lie or two. At least now we have Snopes (www.snopes.com) for those pesky liar-liar-pants-on-fire ignoramus’.
How did these folks, back in the day, fact-check their information?
Someone recently asked me what my definition of a Christian was. The short answer was: 1) Almost every “religion” has a standard by which to live and for the Christian religion, that standard is the Bible. 2) If someone were to claim this belief, it seems to me that the only way to do so was to believe the entire book AS IT IS WRITTEN. 3) However, belief is not enough, the claimant would have to follow the book (ie. to obey the rules set forth in it).
Today’s discussion/question:
What is your definition of a Christian?
If students, in the United States public school, were forced to participate in the Muslim practice of prayer (or ostracized by opting out), parents would be UP IN ARMS about 1) The separation of church and state and 2) discrimination against the christian population.
How is removing the requirement of reciting The Pledge of Allegiance hurting ANYONE in public school?
If you want your children to learn to recite the Pledge, what is stopping you from doing so in your own home?
What’s your take?
P.S. I totally forgot to post a link to where I received inspiration for this post: Here it is.
I actually had an idea forming for my first religious topic; however, those ideas have been trumped by an extension of yesterday’s “home school Mom” event.
Before I go forward, I want to note that I was not (nor am I) arguing about political stance(s). This is NOT about politics….it IS about TRUTH.
As a quick overview:
Yesterday, one of the Mom’s in the homeschool group that I belong to made a remark about Obama being a Muslim and further commenting that he has {dangerous} “ties to the Middle East.” I explained to her that the information she was touting was FALSE and that she really needed to fact-check before spreading malicious rumors about people. When I got home, I sent TWO fact-checked emails debunking the information that she was spreading. This morning I received her response, which in part says: “My belief stands and I should have used those words….my belief.” and “To the best of my abilities, I won’t talk to you about Obama or religion.”
So, essentially, even though she KNOWS the truth, she will CHOOSE to believe the lies….and will continue to discuss lies with others. By holding on to the untruth, and protecting her pride, this person is breaking one of the ten commandments: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” {Exodus 20:16} However, the Bible also says, “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” {1 John 2:4}
She is not the only Christian I know who will stubbornly hold on to untruths….and mislabel those untruths, “beliefs.” When someone is no longer able to argue with “logic,” in order to maintain the belief system, the person must stop communications, and the fastest way to do so, is to pull the “belief card.”
What’s more important: the “belief” (pride) or God’s Word? Are you able to keep the “belief” (pride) so long as you just ask for forgiveness each time you believe a certain lie? How is that possible?
The above was just an example of the vicious cycle that I had a hard time justifying….if I learned a truth and it was in direct conflict with the Bible, and yet ignoring the conflict was also in direct conflict with the Bible, how do you decide what is right and what is wrong??? Does it really matter?
