Religion
| ‘‘Faith.....Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel.’’ |
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— Ambrose Bierce |
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Religion |
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1. Do you consider yourself to be a rational person who arrives at decisions and beliefs based upon evidence?
2. Do you believe in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, Allah, God, or Brahma?
It’s impossible to answer yes to both questions above. If you believe in a god, where’s the evidence of his or her existence? I’ve heard people say ‘‘Well, someone must have made the world!’’, but if that’s true, who made God? It’s more plausible to believe that the universe has always existed than it is to believe that some hypothetical third party always existed, and it doesn’t require a leap of blind faith. ‘‘Faith’’ by the way, is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as: ‘‘2(b). Firm belief in something for which there is no proof.’’ It’s difficult to disprove something that doesn’t even claim to be provable in the first place, so I won’t bother.
The reason you believe in God (if you do), is because that’s what you were taught as a child, and you haven’t questioned that teaching. In our normal daily lives, we tend to not believe things at random without some substantiating evidence because to do so would be detrimental to our ability to survive in the real world, and yet we do not apply that same test to the teachings of our youth.
You might say ‘‘Because it says so in the Bible (or Torah, Koran, or whatever).’’ The Bible is just an early attempt by people like you and me to record the history of a small section of Asia bordering on the Mediterranean Sea from about 4000 B.C. to 100 A.D. There is an excellent book by Isaac Asimov called ‘‘Asimov’s Guide to the Bible’’ that goes into great detail about the people and events that occurred in this region during biblical times, and relates chapters and verses of the Bible to specific events. It’s written in a casual but very informative manner. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in biblical history. Be sure to check out pages 38-41 which contain a likely explanation of the ‘‘Great Flood’’ which covered the flat lands of Sumaria around 2400 B.C.
I suppose it’s comforting to some people to believe they will be immortal, but I think it’s about as likely that a person will go to heaven as it is that they will be beamed up to a spaceship when they die. Also, I’m puzzled as to why Christian’s even believe in an afterlife, since the Bible clearly states there isn’t one.
Ecclesiastes 9:4: For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.I submit that virtually no one truly believes in God, for to do so without strictly following each and every directive of the church would be to risk eternal damnation in the fires of Hell, yet no one actually adheres completely to the teachings they profess to believe. Besides, what if you’ve chosen the wrong church? You’ll be in deep trouble when judgement day comes! I for one certainly would not want to be governed by such a bloodthirsty and vengeful being as the God described in the Bible. For example,
Ecclesiastes 9:5: For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Ecclesiastes 9:6: Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
1 Samuel 15:3, the Lord commands, Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
Ezekiel 9:6, the Lord commands, Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women:...Some of what the Lord plans to do to sinners on the day of reckoning:
Isaiah 13:16: Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
Isaiah 13:17: Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
Isaiah 13:18: Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.
Hosea 13:16: Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.That last Biblical quote is so gruesome they probably couldn't even show it on TV! Christians always say ‘‘God is Love’’, but it sure doesn’t seem that way judging from the Bible. In fact, the Bible specifically states that you must hate everyone, including yourself to be a Christian:
Luke 14:26: If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.Religious people certainly hate those who seek truth and knowledge. Among other innumerable acts of hatred, Christians have:
The United States was founded more for freedom ‘‘from’’ religion than for freedom ‘‘of’’ religion. If you doubt this, please read ‘‘The Founding Fathers Were Not Christians’’ by Steven Morris, or ‘‘The Faith of our Founding Fathers’’ by Dean Worbois.
Besides, if ‘‘God is Love’’, then why have so many wars been fought and people killed in His name? Christians have been at war with someone almost continually since the birth of Christ. Here’s a brief summary:
References:
1. G.C. Kohn, "Dictionary of Wars", Anchor Books, 1986
2. D. Eggenberger, "A Dictionary of Battles", 1967
Incidentally, the dictionary defines bastard as ‘‘a person born of parents not married to each other.’’ Clearly, God and Mary were not married to each other when Jesus Christ was born. Doesn’t that make Jesus a bastard? I personally think there's nothing wrong with being a bastard. The only reason there is a stigma attached to being a bastard is because of the church and its requirement for ‘‘Holy’’ matrimony. In Deuteronomy 23:2, the bible says A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD. Talk about holding a grudge...!
Actually, Mary was married to Joseph at the time of her pregnancy. Adultery occurs whenever a married man gets someone other than his wife pregnant, or whenever a married woman becomes pregnant by someone other than her husband. Clearly, God and Mary were adulterers and by getting Mary pregnant, God violated his own seventh commandment in Exodus 20:14 ‘‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’’ Mary herself is blameless because she presumably had no say in the matter. In fact, whenever a woman is made to become pregnant without her consent through force or deception, we call this rape and throw people into prison for it. In addition to being an adulterer, God is also a rapist!
In many ways, God is viewed in the same way as politicians and government bureacrats are viewed because none of them are expected to abide by their own rules and it's perfectly acceptable for them to say ‘‘Do as I say, not as I do.’’ With that in mind, I sent a letter to the Reverend Jerry Falwell recently, hoping he can clear up some of the ambiguities present in Biblical scripture. To read that letter, and Mr. Falwell's reply if there is one, please click ‘‘Falwell Letter’’
Speaking of politicians, did you know that by legislating the separation of church and state, politicians are simply abiding by the word of God? In Matthew 6:6, God commands that you must go into a closet to pray: ‘‘But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.’’
I find that the older I get, the warmer I like it. By the time I die I'll probably be looking forward to Hell.  |
| ~ Ron Dotson |
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