The Omni Fallacy of God (Part I)

According to those that believe, God is the great superlative in every category.  He is all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful, and he is everywhere and everywhen.  But based on what the Bible and your neighborhood church teach, these can’t all be true.

God created humanity, according to the Bible, but man is a completely flawed creature or so the churches would have you believe.  Did God create a flawed being on purpose or was it the best he could do, or didn’t he realize the flaws existed?  If he didn’t know, he isn’t omniscient.  If this was the best he could do, then he isn’t omnipotent.  If he did it on purpose, he isn’t omnibenevolent ; creating a flawed being doomed us to much pain and suffering . 

Some would argue that it was a loving gesture to create humanity with so many imperfections because only through suffering do we learn life’s lessons and finally come to appreciate what God has to offer.  I could possible buy that if the suffering were not so extremely different from person to person and if it eventually ended in a positive manner for everyone; however, this is not the case.  This supposedly all-loving god will banish you to an eternity of torture in a flaming Hell simply for not believing.   If even a mere mortal such as me finds that scenario totally reprehensible and insufficient in compassion, then how could this all-loving god find this an acceptable result.  Clearly he is not all-loving.

And what about being everywhere and everywhen?  Think about that for a moment.  If he is omnipresent, then he is right there with you through every moment of your life.  He is there when you are born and when you die.  He is there when you have sex or take a shower.  He is there when the drunk gets in his car and drives away.  He is there when moments later the same drunk plows through a sidewalk full of school children.  He is there for every beating by a bully, every rape of a child, every plane crash, every terrorist attack, and every murder.  He is there when every horrendous act occurs, but does nothing to stop them.  Nothing.   This is all-loving?  Of course, you will hear the argument about not interfering with our free will, but then these same people will talk of miracles – times when he clearly interferes.  You can’t have it both ways.  He either interferes or he doesn’t and an omnipotent god should be able to figure out a way to step in and help without affecting our free will; if he can’t he is not omnipotent.  If he choices not to, he is not all-loving.

If he is not all-loving, all-knowing, and omnipotent, then he is not a god.

The Fallacy of Absolute, Objective Morality and the Stench of Mercy

Many “persons with religious delusion” talk of an absolute, objective morality and this perfect moral compass is, of course, established by their God.   Absolute morality is an illusion and objective morality is incompatible with their description of their God.   Let’s take the second point first.  If God is the author of this perfect set of moral rules, then it is not objective; it is subjective and totally at the whim of God.  God could just as easily say that rape and murder are good as he could condemn them.   Some would argue that God would not be so arbitrary and that God can only do good, but if God can only do good, then he is not omnipotent as it is claimed.  There are then things that he cannot do.  Morality cannot be objective and God omnipotent at the same time; the two are incompatible.

If morality were absolute, then whatever applied to us, would also apply to God; if it did not, it wouldn’t be absolute.  Here is where God’s morality really starts to show its true colors.  In the “Ten Commandments”, it states: “ Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13), but there is no clarification.  Does this mean to absolutely not kill anything, ever?  No other humans, no animals, no plants, etc.?  It is not very clear, but let us assume that it only refers to other human beings.   Is this an absolute moral imperative?  Can we not defend ourselves?  Can we not kill in times of war?  Obviously, God does not hold this to be an absolute moral law because he not only commands the destruction of whole societies, he kills everyone on the planet (almost) all by himself.  He also established the laws for stoning people to death for such minor offenses as picking up sticks on his “day of rest”.  

The “Ten Commandments” also require that we “honor our mother and father” and yet Jesus would have us turn on our own parents as these two verses in Matthew demonstrate:

10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Clearly, setting a child against the parent is not honoring them.  God, or his alter-ego Jesus, clearly seems to be able to defy the very rules (the framework of absolute, objective morality) that they themselves created - so much for absolute morality.

There are various other instances throughout the Bible where it is clear that morality is not objective, for example, women are not treated equally in many cases, so the application of this morality is not absolute or objective, but subjective relative to the parties involved.

What happens if you violate these so called moral imperative laid down by this capricious God?  You will find that God’s justice is just as fluid as his morality.  God does not operate on a concept of justice, or so I was told by my Christian friends, he works through mercy.  Viewing the Bible and seeing the reprehensible character of God, it makes perfect sense.  God is all about power and mercy functions from a place of power, by definition.  Only those that wield power over you in some manner can show you mercy.   Mercy is an egotistical demonstration of power, of strength over weakness, of advantage over disadvantage.  It is ignorance that mistakes it for compassion.  It is most definitely not compassion.  Compassion works through empathy and an attempt to truly understand the plight of person to whom it is shown.  Mercy is purely selfish.  It is the granting of leniency as a demonstration of power and false sympathy.

If God truly operated on a basis of absolute, objective morality, then it would include an objective and unbiased evaluation of our “sins”, our transgressions.  Such a review would be guided by fairness, punishments that fit the crimes.  Similar acts of aggression or mistreatment of others would be viewed in an equal manner with similar requirements for rehabilitation and reconciliation.  There would be no bias based on what you believed or didn’t believe, but you would be judged solely on what you did or didn’t do.  However, according to my Christian friends, I am wrong to think this way.  I am mistaken to believe that the mass murderer that turns to God on his deathbed will be judged more harshly than the generous, compassionate atheist.  All that matters to God is belief in Him and only through that will He show mercy.  Well, I prefer justice to mercy.  Fairness is attuned to objective morality; mercy is just the false charity of thugs.

If believing in a merciful God, rather than a just God, is a requirement of Christianity then I am glad that I am not a Christian.  If, in the end, it turns out that a God truly does exist, the just God will understand me and at least I will have my day in court.  If a merciful God exists, then I will proudly march to the gates of Hell and plot his demise.

Don't Mistake Passion for Anger

Many people think that outspoken atheists are angry, bitter people that lead depressing, miserable, unfulfilled lives.  Sorry to disappoint.   We are well-adjusted, productive members of society with normal home lives and the normal level of ups and downs, anger and compassion, just like everyone else.  What you are doing is confusing passion with anger.  

We are very passionate about what we see as an inappropriate and often dangerous mix of religion and politics, or religion and science, or religion and medicine, etc.  We are very passionate about calling out injustice, ignorance, and absurdities that cause physical, mental, or emotional harm or limit the rights of others.  In writing, it often looks like anger.  Even in discussion, passion can get the best of all of us and appear as anger, but passion it is.  We cannot sit by silently and watch others negatively influence the lives of others...it is out of comPASSION that we speak.

I am not angry just because I vehemently disagree with you, but if I think your actions are causing harm because of willful acts rather than simple ignorance, then yes, in that case you just might be right - anger it is.

I Don't Hate Myself Enough To Be A Christian

Humanity is inherently weak, unjust, selfish, prejudiced, and evil; at least that is the tune sung by many Christians, both pastors and laity alike.  Without constant supplication to a god to help us stay on track and his subsequent violation of our free will and the laws of physics (how else can he do it?) to answer our prayers, we would succumb to our supposedly baser instincts to steal, rape, and murder each other.

We are wicked; born inclined to "sin", with no ability to control ourselves.  Without a god, we would be immoral and purposeless - a meaningless mass of worthless flesh uncontrollably driven to self-gratification with no care for others.  

I don't know about you, but to me this is an awfully depressing view of humanity and one that I just don't accept.  I have a purpose without god; whatever purpose I choose for my life.  I am not depraved and indifferent to others, an uncontrollable sinner, but rather a responsible member of society.  I do not need a god to define my morality, especially one that is depicted as so despicable and immoral in his own holy book.  And I am constantly looking at ways to improve as is most of the rest of society.  Most of us are not killing, raping, and stealing; we are just trying to get by in life, protecting our families and causing no one undue harm.  I believe in the inherent goodness of humanity which is borne out everyday in simple acts of kindness to strangers and the ability of societies to work together to solve problems despite differing opinions.

If I have to believe the Fundamentalist Christian view of humanity, well, I guess I'm just not depressed enough or have low enough self esteem to be a Christian - I don't hate myself enough to be a Christian.

Political Correctness is Highly Overrated

Being “politically correct” is highly overrated and often inappropriate.  When you tell me about your wonderful day in church or the moving sermon or the church picnic, etiquette dictates that I should smile, nod my head, and allow you to drone on…and for the most part I would agree.  I am not one to attack every religious utterance, especially when it is clear that the person has no hidden agenda, despite how boring and nauseating it may be to endure it.  However, when you move on to my personal life or when you start to talk about influencing law, children’s’ education, and the rights of others, I have no qualms, in fact, I feel it is my duty, to tell you in no uncertain terms that your ideas and your religion are full of bull.

Being “politically correct” or polite is fine in short, casual conversation, but extending to other arenas is simply irresponsible.  I don’t care if it is your personal religious conviction and that I may hurt your feelings; if what you are peddling is harmful in some way to others, I will not hesitate to tell you how despicable your viewpoint is.  The truth, no matter how raw and uninviting, is preferable to allowing harmful lies to continue.

So, although I support and will defend your right to free speech, if you preach anti-gay rhetoric, or abstinence-only programs, or creationist dogma, or any other misinformed vile dogma, don’t expect a free pass.  We have become a country where speaking out against certain topics has become taboo and religion is the prime recipient of this attack-free zone.  But some religious beliefs, when turned into actions, are dangerous and immoral. 

Homeschooling your child or sending them to some religious school just so you can propagate hatred and ignorance should not be tolerated.  I am not condemning all home schools or religious schools, as some are actually good at most aspects of education.  But those parents that shield their children from scientific truths in favor of religious dogma or continue to trot out homophobic doctrine in place of equality and compassion, I have no tolerance for these.

Just a quick rant.  More on each of these later.

Samson: The First Suicide "Bomber"

Samson is depicted as a hero in the Bible, particularly in children's stories, but he appears to be less than heroic in his deeds.  If Samson represents Biblical morality, I will look elsewhere for my morals and my heroes.

Judges 14:
Samson sets up a bet with his bride's people in the form of a riddle.  The family, angry that they could not solve the riddle and feeling that they were being robbed,  threatened Samson's wife until she extracted the answer from Samson.  Samson understandably gets angry with the people, but instead of harming them, he goes to another town, kills 30 people, and uses their clothes to pay his debt.     

"19And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle."

Does this sound like the actions of a hero or a brute?

Judges 15:
Next, Samson returns to the house of his bride and finds that her father has given her away to another.  Again, Samson vents his anger at the wrong people.  Instead of harming the father in some manner, he destroys the crops of the Philistines.

4And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.

 5And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.

This results in retaliation from the Philistines who also attack the wrong party as they blame the father and daughter and burn them.  Samson seeks revenge and slaughters many of the Philistines.  The Philistines seek revenge and Samson kills another thousand with just the jawbone of an ass.  All of this death and destruction could have been avoided if Samson had just been a man and walked away.  Instead, he plays the violent hothead and continues the cycle of violence.

Judges 16:
After all that killing, eventually Samson goes out of town for sex with a prostitute; another mark of a hero.  He falls in love with Delilah who wants to know the secret of his strength.  He is foolish enough to tell her, loses his locks, his strength, and is captured by his old buddies the Philistines.  They gouge out his eyes, but for some strange reason keep him in prison long enough for his hair and his strength to return.  Silly Philistines.  Here is where Samson gets to become the first suicide "bomber".  While tied to pillars, he requests as is granted the strength from God to destroy the temple, which contains thousands of people, not just his captors and he commits suicide in the process.

 27Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.

 28And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

 29And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.

 30And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

This is pretty much all that is said of Samson in the Bible.  Based on the information, he started a chain of events with his uncontrollable anger that resulted in the deaths of his wife, father- in-law, thirty innocent citizens, thousands of Philistines soldiers, and thousands more Philistines of unknown status or relationship to the damage done to him.  What a pity he didn't take an anger management class instead.  But, of course, none of this would have been possible without God giving him his extraordinary strength.

Samson is a Biblical hero often used in Bible Studies for children.  Here is an example:  www.essex1.com/people/paul/bible42.html .  If you notice, none of Samson's uncontrollable anger is ever mentioned.  His role in the death and destruction is glossed over and the comments at the end of the story give kids the impression that committing suicide while taking out your enemies is a good thing, possibly even Christ-like.

Enemies Far and Near

Just as Christianity was a physical danger to those in prior centuries that did not subscribe to its beliefs, so now is Islam.  In many books of the Old Testament, a barbaric, vengeful god that commands the extermination of non-believers is depicted.  The New Testament simply delays that punishment until the afterlife.  The Quran follows in the footsteps of both.

Their attitudes towards women, infidels, and homosexuals, to name just a few, may vary in practical application, but not in their conceptual foundations and both are dominated by submission to the often unethical demands of their gods (or god, depending on who is interpreting the relationship between Jehovah and Allah).
        
Many are concerned about the violent face of Islam that we see in terrorist attacks, honor killings, and barbaric punishments of Shari'a law.  Their fears are legitimate, we should be concerned, as these  activities are sanctioned by Islamic leaders and the Quran itself.  Christianity went through it's most violent period several hundred years ago, prior to airplanes, nuclear arms, and lethal biological weapons.  Imagine what the Crusades or Spanish Inquisition would have been like had Christianity had access to these tools of terror during its adolescence as Islam does today.

While Islam is arguably the more present danger, what would it take for Christianity to follow suit.  What would it take for Christianity to become more terroristic or to enforce its own version of Shari'a Law?  Some would say both have already begun with the evangelization of the armed forces involved in unnecessary wars, the ever increasing entanglement of religion into politics with the focus on electing Senators, Congressman, Governors, and Presidents that support Christianity in its more fundamental forms, and the overtaking of school boards by fundamentalists making decisions about sex and science with little understanding of how either one works.

Make no mistake.  We are in a battle to protect our freedoms and our lives, but it is not just the obvious external struggle with fundamentalist Islam.  The conflict also wages internally on a more subtle level with fundamentalists that claim to follow Jesus.

Which Is More Moral, Mercy Or Justice?

Mercy: the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment.
Justice: the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness.

If a man commits terrible crimes like rape or murder, or even lesser offenses such as theft or assault, but at the end of his life recognizes the error of his ways and comes to sincerely repent before the Christian god, he gains entry into heaven.  This is claimed by Christians to be evidence of their god's mercy.  You cannot earn your way into heaven; God must grant his mercy.

However, if another man has lead an exemplary life, one without crime and full of compassion for his fellow man, but simply cannot see any reason to believe the fantastical tales of the Christian religion or their savior, he does not gain entry into heaven, but faces an eternity of punishment.  No mercy here; and no justice in either outcome.

Of course, the Christian may say that all have sinned and any sin is abhorrent to their god, so both men are equal in the eyes of their god.  The one man receives mercy because of his honest acceptance of Jesus.  That's right.  It doesn't matter how heinous your crimes or how trivial your missteps, they are viewed as equally reprehensible to God. I find it disgustingly laughable that the being directly responsible for the deaths of millions, perhaps billions in the Bible finds even the most gentle, compassionate, and honest citizen of this planet too sinful to accept.

Of course, he can accept the good person, the rapist, the pedophile, even the mass murderer, if they pay the right price; absolute belief in God and along with it their intellectual freedom as well as their sense of fairness.  Turn over your life and place complete faith in a being that has demonstrated that he is far worse than you and you can be forgiven anything, but live a good life of reason and compassion and deny this being and there is nothing that will save you.

There is no justice in this Christian view of God.  In fact, it looks more like a religious version of organized crime's protection money scheme: "Pay me now, with your unquestioning faith, or something bad might happen and neither one of us would want that now would we?"

Free Speech in Opposition To Religion - As Long As It's Not Mine.

The ACLJ (The Angry Christians League of Justice) is all fired up about the UN “Defamation of Religion” Resolution and so am I.  I agree with them that this would be a bad idea.  It limits free speech which is the cornerstone of our Constitution.  They want to remain free to attack Islam as much as they want – and they should be able to.  Heck, I’ll even join them in that fight. 

But this same group also supported the PERA Act ("Public Expression of Religion Act") which essentially would have silenced advocates of Church - State separation.  PERA would have made it prohibitively expensive to bring a lawsuit for violations of Church – State separation due to the requirement to eliminate reimbursement for court costs when the plaintiff actually won the case!  It would have denied people the ability to bring lawsuits when their rights were violated because they would have to pay for court costs even if they proved that their rights had been violated.  It, in effect, would have removed their ability to speak freely about certain religious issues.  Fortunately, this bill never became law.

I would find it laughable, if it wasn’t such a serious subject.  Essentially, the ACLJ is fine with limited disagreement with Christianity, but oh boy don’t you dare keep us from bashing Islam.  It’s hypocrisy at its finest.

Outraged!

Over the past few years, several cases of children dying because their parents prayed instead of seeking medical help have come to the public's attention (e.g., Madeline Neumann, Kent Schaible, Ava Worthington, and Neil Beagley).  If this wasn't bad enough, now the court is showing it's favoritism to religion by handing down slaps on the wrist instead throwing the book at these monsters.  Instead of giving them the 25-year prison sentence that they could have (should have) received, the court handed down a sentence of six months in jail (to be served one month a year) and 10 years' probation.


This is absolutely ridiculous and gets my blood boiling.  If this were anybody else they would have put them away for as long as possible, but put religion in the mix and suddenly they back off.  Why?  Why does this country continue to show deference to religious systems that allow such cruelty?  Religion has not even proven itself to be real and yet we have to tiptoe lightly when the subject comes up and respect the beliefs of others.  Well I don't.  I don't respect any belief system that would allow such stupidity and suffering.


For once I find myself wishing that Hell were real because these parents and the judge that sentenced them belong there.

Right to Life?

According to a Pew Research Center Forum Survey, 74% of white, evangelical protestants think that abortion is morally wrong.  However, another survey from Pew, indicates that the same percentage, 74%, of white, evangelical protestants support the death penalty.  It seem ironic to me that the "Right to Life" group is so heavily in favor of taking life.

I know that these are not exactly the same people (i.e., some anti-abortionists are also anti-death penalty), but the trend is clear among this group - the right to life only applies to the beginning.  Sure, the people sentenced to death were found guilty and the fetuses are innocent, I understand that.  But with the number of death row inmates that have been set free because of new DNA evidence that shows that they were not the guilty party, I would think that we would be a little less diligent in carrying out executions or supporting them.  What ever happened to "judge not lest ye be judged" or "turn the other cheek"?  I am not suggesting that these prisoners should not be tried and convicted just that the viewpoint of the white, evangelical protestants is inconsistent.  Why do they not support life equally?  It seems that protecting the lives of the living is less important to them than  protecting the lives of those yet to be born.

What Sacrifice?

SACRIFICE
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Allowing innocent substitutes to be sacrificed and blaming subsequent generations for the crimes of their ancestors is a commonly accepted practice of this just and loving god.

So god makes the rules, doesn't want to enforce the rules, but can't change the rules because that would not make him look too godly.  So he concocts this bizarre arrangement to sacrifice himself to himself to appease himself.  If we decide to look at this rationally and do not accept the validity of a substitute sacrifice or doubt that god actually sacrificed anything, this loving god sends us to eternal torment.  Nice huh?  Give us a rational mind and then punish us for using it.

And what exactly was sacrificed?  Jesus was God, after all, and was resurrected just a few days later.  A day of torture (and you knew it all beforehand because you arranged it all) an eternity of bliss sitting beside, er - yourself?

Does any of this convoluted story sound like the work of an all-knowing, all-loving god?  Does it make any sort of sense?  It doesn't to me. If we are to believe the Bible, then this vengeful, bloodthirsty god of the Old Testament suddenly felt sorry for us and tried to give us a way out - a crazy, nonsensical way out - but a way out nonetheless.  But if we don't accept it, he rapidly goes back to his old ways, actually worse ways because Hell didn't exist in the Old Testament.

I don't know if any gods exists or not. I am extremely doubtful.  I don't see any logical reason to believe, but I could be wrong.  But if a god exists, he certainly cannot be as described in the Bible; at least one would hope not. This 'sacrifice' story is just one of several issues in the Bible that do not depict a being that is even close to being what I would consider "God-like".  If I am more ethical and rational, then it is not a god.

The Character of God: The Book of Job

The Book of Job is often held up as an example of God’s mercy and goodness. If only we believe in God and do not turn from him even in bad times, we will be rewarded with God’s grace and mercy. After all, in the end, after everything Job had been through he did not turn from God and God rewarded him as described in Job 42:12-17.

42:12 So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.
42:13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.
42:14 And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch.
42:15 And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
42:16 After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.
42:17 So Job died, being old and full of days.

But let’s examine this “mercy” and “goodness” from God a little bit more.

1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

According to Job 1:1, Job was “perfect”, “feared god”, and “eschewed evil”. And God being all-knowing, would know that this was because Job was truly a good man and not just because he had been successful. However, God goes along with Satan’s plan to test Job – he actually gives his permission for Satan to do anything he wishes as long as he doesn’t actually kill Job. Anything.

1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
1:11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
1:13 And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:
1:14 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:
1:15 And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
1:16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
1:17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
1:18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:
1:19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

Matthew Henry’s commentary on the above is as follows:

Job's afflictions began from the malice of Satan, by the Lord's permission, for wise and holy purposes.

Satan brought Job's troubles upon him on the day that his children began their course of feasting. The troubles all came upon Job at once; while one messenger of evil tidings was speaking, another followed. His dearest and most valuable possessions were his ten children; news is brought him that they are killed. They were taken away when he had most need of them to comfort him under other losses. In God only have we a help present at all times. (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, BibleGateway.com)

Malice of Satan? God clearly gave his permission to Satan to do these horrible acts against Job. While Satan may be malicious, God is clearly no better as he allowed an innocent, pious man to be punished in the worst way possible – by the loss of his children. For any parent, this is a fate worse than death. But God has no problem with it and Henry states that it is for “wise and holy purposes”. Wise and holy purposes? How does this show wisdom or holiness? God already knew the final outcome as he knew Job’s heart and mind; Job was already “god-fearing”. Did God do this to teach Satan a “wise” lesson? If so, couldn’t he have done it in a manner that didn’t require the deaths of Job’s children? There is no shred of wisdom or compassion shown by God in this story.

Henry says “In God only have we a help present at all times”. Excuse me? Help at all times? God not only didn’t help Job, he authorized the whole thing. With friends like that, who needs Satan?
Since Job refused to rebuke God, Satan and old Jehovah tried again.

2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
2:2 And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
2:3 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
2:4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
2:5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
2:6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
2:7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
2:8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

So after additional God-sanctioned torment, Job still refuses to turn away from God. And his reward?

42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
42:11 Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.
42:12 So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.
42:13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.
42:14 And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch.
42:15 And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
42:16 After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.
42:17 So Job died, being old and full of days.

Notice Job 42:11: “and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him”. This verse gets it right: the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. The rest of the chapter goes on to indicate that God had blessed Job more at the end of his life than at the beginning. Matthew Henry’s commentary on chapter 42 explains further:

In the beginning of this book we had Job's patience under his troubles, for an example; here, for our encouragement to follow that example, we have his happy end. His troubles began in Satan's malice, which God restrained; his restoration began in God's mercy, which Satan could not oppose. Mercy did not return when Job was disputing with his friends, but when he was praying for them. God is served and pleased with our warm devotions, not with our warm disputes. God doubled Job's possessions. We may lose much for the Lord, but we shall not lose any thing by him. Whether the Lord gives us health and temporal blessings or not, if we patiently suffer according to his will, in the end we shall be happy. Job's estate increased. The blessing of the Lord makes rich; it is he that gives us power to get wealth, and gives success in honest endeavours. The last days of a good man sometimes prove his best, his last works his best works, his last comforts his best comforts; for his path, like that of the morning light, shines more and more unto the perfect day.

“His troubles began in Satan's malice, which God restrained”; what restraint? The fact that Job wasn’t killed is supposed to be restraint? Apparently our families are worthless in God’s eyes; as long as we stay alive to worship him, which is all that matters.

“God doubled Job's possessions. We may lose much for the Lord, but we shall not lose anything by him.”. Job lost everything of importance by God’s will. And apparent as long as you end up with a new family in the end, the loss of the old one is no big deal.

I have read several commentaries, posts, and other explanations of the Book of Job, but no matter what anyone says, I still do not see how this shows God in a good light. In my opinion, it shows God as an accomplice to murder, destruction of property, and biological attacks. It illustrates how God is willing to do anything to prove that the only thing that matters is worshipping him. Job’s life, his pain and suffering, meant nothing to God; all that mattered was showing Satan, that Job would be dumb enough to still cling to God. And to God, what’s the big deal, a little inconvenience for Job, after all he restored it all in the end (except of course his kids, he had to get new ones. He sure showed that Satan, didn’t he. Now pay up Satan, you lost the bet. What was the wager anyway? Oh, yeah, that’s right, God was playing with our lives.
Fortunately, I don’t believe in God or Bible as any sort of revealed truth about God; it’s just another big book of fairy tales. But for those who do believe in it, how can you possibly think that God is good or just or merciful in any meaningful sense of those words?

The Character of God: The Flood

The Flood

For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

(Genesis 7:4)

Why?

 “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.”

(Genesis 6:5-7)

Were the animals evil?  Why would god destroy every living thing on the planet just because mankind was wicked?  Why not just destroy mankind?  I can think of no legitimate reason for killing everything, except perhaps god acting out of pure rage, not thinking clearly of the consequences.  Rage? God? Yes.

“for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me”

(Exodus 20:5)

I think this clearly shows that god, as described in the Bible, is certainly capable of jealousy and rage.  After all, in the Exodus passage above, he is punishing those that haven’t even been born for the “sins” of their fathers.  At the very least he is demonstrating his capacity for injustice.

We have all heard of the flood and Noah’s ark and in Sunday School and elsewhere they try to make it “cute” for kids.  You know, a little wooden ark, with a giraffe, some sheep, etc. - a warm and cuddly scene.  They never really explain exactly what the flood would have been like.  Think about it – rain for forty days and nights.  Water would be rising steadily and after awhile, people would begin to panic.  They would be climbing onto buildings, but the water would continue to rise.  The disabled and the elderly would be unable to climb and so succumb to the waters.  Children would see their parents, grandparents, and friends frantically trying to keep their head above water only to lose the battle and drown before their eyes.  Dead bodies of animals would float by the rooftops and trees that the tentative survives were desperately grasping.  Children would die; pregnant women would die along with their unborn children – so much for god being against abortion.  Imagine the fear and agony involved with drowning.  Have you ever been underwater in a pool and no longer able to hold your breath, but not yet close to the water’s surface?  A sort of panic sets in.  Now imagine that terror magnified by the site of your spouse and children drowning next to you as you realize that you too will not survive.  Imagine what your children would be going through and imagine this whole thing spread over the entire population of the planet, including all of the animals.  The scene is unbelievable horrific.

And yet, this is the method god supposedly chose to punish humanity (and everything else) for being “wicked”.  But why punish humanity, if he was ultimately going to let them die?  If he was unhappy with their behavior, why not just instantly annihilate them?  Why all of the pain and torture?  Oh, that’s right, I forgot, I was talking about the loving god of the Bible.

Injustice

The Story

Several years ago, Mike Baker and his family were the victims of a home invasion. An intruder bludgeoned Mr. Baker and his wife, Cathy nearly to death, tied them to chairs, and forced them to watch while he brutally beat and then raped their twelve-year-old daughter, Megan. The intruder, let’s call him Mister X for his real name is immaterial to the story at hand, then slit Megan’s throat and stabbed her parents repeatedly. Megan died almost immediately; her father later that night. Despite her severe injuries; however, Mrs. Baker managed to survive, but was in the hospital for weeks and took years to fully recover physically; mentally, she never quite did.

Mr. X was found a few days after the incident, arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison; he was acquitted on a technicality during an appeal and released. Mr. X continued his antisocial behavior through a string of burglaries, armed robberies, auto theft, and other various criminal activities which culminated in the murder of an elderly woman for the $2.35 in her purse. This time, Mr. X was convicted to life in prison and there were no appeals. Mr. X spent the rest of his life in prison, dying of pancreatic cancer just five years into his sentence.

Dolores Wise was the Baker family’s neighbor, but wasn’t home at the time of the attacks. She was out doing what she normally did on Thursday nights – volunteering at the Senior Center. After the attacks, Mrs. Wise helped the Baker’s other family members to make funeral arrangements, with transportation to the hospital, and kept them all well-fed. This wasn’t anything new for Mrs. Wise. Her entire life she had always tried to help whenever she could whether at the animal shelter, or with the local blood drive, or soup kitchen to name a few. When Mrs. Baker was able to come home from the hospital, Mrs. Wise spent a good portion of the day helping her to eat, bath, and keep the house. She read to her, cooked meals, and took care of errands like grocery shopping and paying the bills. She did this almost everyday for three years until Mrs. Baker eventually died from unseen consequences of the brutal beatings – or perhaps grief.

In the last few months of his life, Mr. X was bedfast, and so he did a lot of reading and thinking, in particular the Bible. He started to think back on his life and all of the things that he had done and the pain that he had caused. Two days before he died, Mr. X accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

After Mrs. Baker’s death, Mrs. Wise had a lot of free time on her hands, so she went back to the volunteer work that she had enjoyed so much throughout the rest of her life. She continued to work with at the Senior Center, the animal shelter, the soup kitchen, and other miscellaneous activities. A few years later, Mrs. Wise died after suffering a stroke. As she was near death, she though back on her life and how fulfilling it was, how full of love, hope, and joy. Now, Mrs. Wise knew that she only had one life to live, that there was no heaven or hell or afterlife of any kind. She firmly believed that no gods existed and that with this one precious gift of life that nature bestowed upon her, that she must live it to its fullest – and she did. Mrs. Wise died a non-believer secure in the knowledge that her life had been one well spent.

As chance would have it, Mrs. Wise and Mr. X died on the same day and were taken to the same funeral home. Dale Wheaton was the funeral director and while his wife Leah was at work, their ten year old daughter Emily stayed in her dad’s office at the funeral home.

Pastor Halton arrived at the funeral home at the request of Mr. X’s sister, Pat. When he arrived, he inquired about Mr. X and seeing Mrs. Wise’s name displayed, inquired about her as well. He was particularly curious as to why only three people were present in the viewing room for Mr. X, while Mrs. Wise’s room was filled to the brim. Mr. Wheaton explained about the life of crime that Mr. X had led and all of the suffering that he caused. Only his sister, her husband, and Mr. X’s brother had bothered to show up. In contrast, he explained, Mrs. Wise was generous and warm – loved by all who new her.

Now Emily, being the curious creature that she was, couldn’t help but eavesdrop on her father and Pastor Halton. Emily listened intently to what they were saying trying to keep hidden. Pastor Halton told Emily’s father that surely such a woman deserved a first class eulogy and wanted to know which minister would be conducting the service. “None” said Mr. Wheaton, “Mrs. Wise was a non-believer, an atheist”. Pastor Halton was somewhat taken aback; he couldn’t believe that a woman of such integrity of character and moral principles was an atheist. “It’s a shame”, he said, “that she didn’t come to God before she passed”.

Suddenly Emily burst out from her hiding place and dashed forward, inserting herself between her father and Pastor Halton.

“Why did you say it was a shame, Pastor Halton?” Emily asked.

“Because, now she won’t be in heaven with Jesus.” Pastor Halton answered.

“But she was good.” Emily implored.

“It doesn’t matter, Emily. She turned away from God and now must spend eternity separated from him.” Pastor Halton explained.

Emily asked, “Separated? Where? In hell?”

“Yes, Emily. It’s sad, but just” stated Pastor Halton.

“What about Mr. X?” Emily asked.

“Well, as I understand it, witnesses say that he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior before he died, so he will share eternity with God.” Pastor Halton explained.

“So he was wicked and goes to heaven, but Mrs. Wise was good and spends eternity burning in a lake of fire?” Emily asked with incredulity.

“That’s correct Emily. If we believe in God, we are rewarded by his Grace, but when his children turn from Him, He must punish them for their transgressions.” Pastor Halton explained.

“Daddy” asked Emily “you would never leave me or hurt me just because I couldn’t believe in something would you?”

“No, Emily. You are my child and my love is unconditional” said her father lovingly.

Emily hugged her father tightly and then turned to Pastor Halton.

“I want to be just like my dad when I grow up – and like Mrs. Wise.”, said Emily.

Pastor Halton shrugged and walked over to Mr. X’s family. He talked with them for a while and then left – never stopping to pay his respects to Mrs. Wise.

Commentary:

The Bible talks about what happens to those that do not follow God/Jesus:

Matthew 25:41 (Jesus speaking to people at final judgment), ...Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

Revelation 20:12, 15, And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life...And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Matthew 10:28, And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Luke 12:5, But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which AFTER he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Matthew 18:8, 9 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
Does your church teach this? How can a god be just if he sends good people to hell and cruel people to heaven? Does an epiphany at life’s end negate a life of evil? Does the lack of one negate a life of compassion and generosity?
Can you be truly happy in heaven if your family is burning in hell? If you think you can, if you think it’s even acceptable to be put in this situation, then, I feel truly sorry for you. Sorry and disgusted. How anyone can worship a god that is so heartless is beyond me.
Wake up, people. Most of you are more moral than the bible that you cherish and more moral than the god you defend. Act like it – through off the cruel god of this bloodthirsty religion. Stop propagating this twisted man-made fairy tale. Think long and hard about what your religion truly means and above all – Think for yourself.

God Says: Humanity Sucks

On my way to work this week, I was listening to a preacher on the radio. He said what I have heard many other preachers say many, many times, but every time I hear it, it makes me sick. He was talking about how all of us have sinned, how all of us are incapable of reaching the kind of perfection that god demands of us, and how we all fall short of the glory of god. See Romans 3:23.

It's the typical view that humanity is worthless, vile, immoral, and incapable of goodness with out the grace of god. The view degrades humanity to elevate god. It takes away all of the compassion, knowledge, art, science, etc. that man has cultivated for good over the years and gives the credit to God. It denies the fact that despite setbacks, humanity has clawed its way passed many obsolete notions (in some places) and outdated moral norms and is trying to trend the path towards increased compassion and decreased selfishness. But religion is happy to leave us with our greed, anger, cowardice, and cruelty and deny our better nature by assigning it to God.

God supposedly created us in his image, created us as we are - incapable of being perfect - and then blames us for this. I despise this part of religion probably more than anything else.

God created us, created us prone to "sin", incapable of meeting his standards, and doomed to eternal punishment for it. But he has a way out, if only we believe that setting his son (himself) up as a blood sacrifice - a human sacrifice - as a substitutionary atonement - for our shortcomings. If we pay the ransom, belief in God and Jesus and they whole warped concept of justice that He provides, we get the "prize" of spending eternity with this jerk. Fortunately, He does not exist. He is a creation of Man. It's too bad Man has such low self-esteem that it has to create God's to make us feel even worse.