Thoughts and Prayers: The Religion Thread

The largest church in my town was demolished last week. It was brick but not architecturally significant, or particularly old, having been built just after World War 2. It had been vacant for some time, in fact, I can't remember ever having seen someone in it in the 20-plus years I've lived here, or even when the last time I saw a light on inside. I don't even know if it was a diocese sold it -- to developers for a small mixed-use complex.

That leaves 20 other houses of worship, or one for every 1,000 residents.

 

Ah, but how many bars are there?

[/oldcliche]

 

There are zero standalone bars in my town, and just two restaurants with bars. We're arguing over CBD right now.

 

If abortion is wrong, this must be right.

 

I thought they all just got stoned and told J-Dog to make more wine. Darned Oxford Study Bahbul...

 

J-Dog Must have been stoned all the time or at least hitting the wine like it was water. Dude had the power to cure disease and did it maybe 4 or 5 times in 30 years . Had the power to resurrect the dead and did it only once, and that was for a good friend.
Allegedly died for everyone’s sins, not original sin however, but within 3 days, everyone was a sinner again. Bad god.

 

I'm starting to see the wisdom of Deism/The Absent Clockmaker. In scripture, God demands we act in accordance with His command that we love one another and exercise as close to complete and unconditional compassion as we can. We are told we cannot love him if we do not love each other without limit. Yet there are so many passages where we see examples of God's anger. We see he smites humans for trying to do the right thing (1 Chronicles 13:9-12) refuses the offerings of those whose material issue might be seen as comparatively meager (Genesis 4:4,5.) As so many people before me with far more insight have asked, I see suffering past and present and wonder, "Where is God's compassion for these people?"

When ministers tell people it's "all part of God's plan," I wonder if they believe it or even think about what they're saying and to whom. When they tell people who have walked away from abusive family and say they will never feel Christ's love because they can't afford everyone the same, I wonder if they have even tried to develop any insight into lives that are different from their own. The shy person in the room isn't angry or withholding anything. They're just shy, and yes, they have plenty to offer.

I have no answers beyond what works for me. Anymore, I'm losing faith in people and it's getting harder to move beyond human constructs to see what is true and good. Friends follow different avenues to touch whatever gives them a sense of awe, makes them feel alive... They have their own paths to follow and it is not up to me to say what is right for them. Whenever I encounter someone who tries to muscle their own beliefs into the hearts and minds of another person, they make their own choices seem so... so inadequate? Detoothed? Disempowered? (Mission trip grifts turn me into a short, female version of Tommy Lee Jones.) I think the Dalai Lama has it right when he says we need to know ourselves and simply be the best people we can be without wondering if we're good at whatever path (or none at all) we've chosen.

 

Also bears repeating that J-Dawg also couldn’t hit a curveball.