When it comes to God, my view is truly from the cheap seats.
Why does this topic come to mind today?
There is this TV personality in some Arab nation (I don't recall where) who is in trouble for practicing Black Magic. He had this show where he would go on television and predict people's future. Then when he went to this Arab country, he was arrested and is now sentenced to death.
I think most of us would be appalled to read such a thing. "Who are these people that would do such a thing? Certainly they must be some backwards society, like those that once worshiped Zeus and his bunch. they must be ignorant."
I think they are practicing what they believe; just like we do.
We go to church (I don't anymore but maybe you do) and they tell us that if we don't do such and such, we will go to hell. Or, God wants you to do this and not that. The list of rules supposedly handed down by God to his select few to pass along to us is vast.
To all of this I say, "Have fun with your fantasy. If it makes you feel good, then believe whatever you want. Who knows, you may be right." I doubt it. I think that there are so many beliefs that one of the following must be true: (1) We are all wrong or (2) One of us is right and the other 6 billion are wrong or, and I think this is the one, (3) We are all right.
Think about it. Do all of the members of any religious organization believe exactly the same thing? I mean exactly. Take someone and give them 10,000 actions and have them place them in the order God would place them so far as being good or bad. How many times will you have to do this before any two people place all 10,000 things in the exact same order. To do so would mean they believe exactly the same thing about those 10,000 items.
So, we all have our own beliefs in spite of possibly similar affiliations.
A woman once passed along something her grandmother had once told her. Her grandmother said, "There is only one true church and I am the only member." I like that.
I have heard the argument that there is room for us to be true believers so long as we follow a few universal truths. Let's take the biggest no-no, Thou Shall Not Kill.
If this is an absolute, then to even allow a killing to occur that we could have stopped makes us guilty. When a lawyer sues a doctor for his own gain (in spite of his avowed higher goal) and that doctor raises his rates and the insurance company raises its rates, a people with preexisting conditions are not given the care they need so they die, let's say, 5 minutes earlier than if they had perfect care. Did that lawyer kill that person?
I say he had a role.
I am not saying he will go to hell. I am saying if someone believe in universal laws, those laws passed down by God, then they must believe that the lawyer is guilty and off he goes to hell sooner or later.
Others may say, well he can confess and be forgiven. I think we feel better when we confess but I doubt God gives out Get Out of Jail Free Cards. There is either going to be an accounting or not.
When I look at the situational hypocrisy of congress, I can't help but think of organized religions. They tell me God doesn't approve of birth control but he forgives repeat pedophile priests. Really. I think I first began to question that type of logic when I was around 6 or so.
Now, there are those that will read this and get angry. Why? I think that anger comes from fear. I think they will be afraid that I am right.
Right about what? I can believe whatever I want. I can write whatever I want. I can change my mind whenever I want. That is the gift of God. That is what I believe...at least for now.
