RELIGION: Ticket to Heaven or Hell on Earth?

 

Your Brain on Religion

I am not now a member of any religion.  I was raised as a Christian protestant, studied the Bible, went to church.  But something about it always bothered me.  It seemed too simple and too unfair.  The Bible quotes Christ stating "No one comes to the Father except by me."  No Jews, Buddhists, Hindus or other faiths.  That seemed unfair, as some of these faiths were thousands of years old.

To be a Christian you believed that Jesus was the Son of God, or even God himself in the flesh, and you would go to Heaven when you died.  If you did not believe in Jesus you would go to Hell and suffer incredible agony forever, no redemption possible, no do-overs.  Secretly, without telling my parents, I rejected both the concepts of Hell and the exclusivity of salvation though Jesus Christ.  I believed in God, but not the angry God of the Bible.  After a few years I stopped attending church.

To me. dogmatic religion felt like putting your brain in a small confined cage.  Every spiritual or philosophical or scientific question had to be interpreted through the lens of religious doctrine.  An example is the Near Death Experience, where various experiencers were scolded by their clergy or priest, who asserted that such experiences are delusions created by demons.  A total cop-out, in my opinion.

The drawback to religion is that it is a set of ironclad beliefs figured out by other people in other epochs, that were then set in stone; their beliefs were deemed sacred and inviolable.   You don't get to use your own brain to figure out what is true or real, because that has already been decided, so don't bother thinking for yourself.  Any questions, ask Galileo.

Today I tend to believe in an afterlife as indicated by many thousands of Near Death Experiences.  That includes the existence of an immortal soul, the "you" part that does not die with the body.

I also tend to believe in reincarnation.  I say "tend to" because I prefer to leave my mind open for new facts that may arise.  I reserve the right to change my mind and not be too dogmatic in my beliefs.  

Quote of the Day

“To trust the God of the Bible is to trust an irascible, vindictive, fierce and ever fickle and changeful master.”

— Mark Twain

Or put another way, man made God in man’s own image.  

Why Religion Sucks

I like Jesus, the man and philosopher.  His birthday is worth celebrating every December 25th.  Nevertheless, I have serious problems with Christianity.

In a nutshell, the story of Jesus is this:  God made man as a human being, with certain traits, needs, desires, and temptations.  But God didn’t like his imperfect creation.  When humans do human things, also called “sin,” like adultery, fornication, lying, etc, then humans must be punished by being thrown into Hell, a Lake of Fire, and suffer ghastly torment for all eternity.  In other words, God is punishing us for his mistakes.  Seems a bit harsh and unfair to me.

To escape this punishment, you must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he was raised from the dead, and that he died for your salvation, I.e., the remission of your sins.  Believing all this is problematic for me, since it happened 2,021 years ago and they didn’t have videotape, newspapers or keep great records back then.  Of course, you may believe on faith, and faith isn’t as weak as atheists would have you believe.  Faith is just another way of knowing, sometimes at least.  

Somewhere in the New Testament it says that “there is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood.”   So Jesus had to suffer a horrible death for things he didn’t do, to satisfy this God’s bloodlust and desire for revenge.   What kind of monster god is this?  Not one that I choose to believe in.   

I am not, however, an atheist.  Have no fear:  you are already an immortal soul and you don’t need saving.  I prefer the eastern theory of birth and rebirth, the soul learning more with each incarnation until it may escape the cycle of reincarnation and remain in Heaven.  When wise people are referred to as “old souls” this is what they are referring to.  

Don’t agree with me?  You don’t have to.  No one knows for sure what our time in this realm really means.  Hopefully, we will eventually find out.

Religion and the Nature of Reality

What’s It All About Alfie?

My grief over the death of my dog, Bogie, has me in a strange but contemplative mood.  

What is the nature of our reality?  Why are we here?  How are we here?  What happens to us when we die?

Philosophers have contemplated these questions for thousands of years.  If God wants something from us, what is it?  Why hasn’t He been more clear and transparent about it?  Yeah, yeah, we have the Bible.  I’ve read it and the questions remain.  I have problems with the Christian tale and promise of salvation.  I may go into it at some point, but I have no desire to undermine anyone’s faith.  I am not on a crusade to destroy anyone’s religious beliefs, with the exception of Islam and certain Christian sects that kill people through ignorance and fanaticism.  Like Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example.

Stogie Stuff: Windows 10 and H.L. Mencken

Yesterday I upgraded mine and my wife's laptops to Windows 10.  It was fairly easy to do, and free.  I like the Windows 10 format; it's zippy, boots up and shuts down a lot faster than Windows 7.  Also, the learning curve for the new format seems fast and easy. 

Lately I have been interested in the writing and thoughts of the famous, early 20th Century muck-raker, H.L. Mencken.  Mencken wrote highly controversial pieces in the 1920s and 1930's.  He was a libertarian and an atheist.  Although I don't share his atheism, I find his writings about religion to be insightful and often humorous.  I am currently reading the Kindle version of "H.L. Mencken on Religion," a collection of his essays on the subject.

Sometimes Mencken's conclusions are the same that I previously grasped on my own.  For example, how religions tend to ensconce rules into a needless permanence, and continue obeisance to those rules long after the rules no longer make sense.  Mencken writes, echoing thoughts of Nietzsche:

1.  Every system of morality has its origin in an experience of utility. A race, finding that a certain action works for its security and betterment, calls that action good; and finding that a certain other action works to its peril, it calls that other action bad. Once it has arrived at these valuations it seeks to make them permanent and inviolable by crediting them to its gods. 

2.  The menace of every moral system lies in the fact that, by reason of the supernatural authority thus put behind it, it tends to remain substantially unchanged long after the conditions which gave rise to it have been supplanted by different, and often diametrically antagonistic conditions.

Perhaps the best example of this is the Jewish and Muslim prohibitions on pork.  When the ancient Jews created that prohibition, there were sound health reasons for it.  Pigs carried a variety of diseases that could be passed onto man through his diet, trichinosis being the most obvious example.  However, modern methods of raising farm animals and of curing and cooking the meat make these risks of small consequence today. 

Another example is ritualistic slaughter, a practice that shames both Jew and Muslim, in that it is unnecessarily cruel and painful to the animals being slaughtered.  The original requirements of ritualistic slaughter were based on reasons of health.  Only freshly killed animals should be eaten, in order to avoid food poisoning, and steps were laid out by which this was to be accomplished.  However, modern means of slaughter affect nothing of any consequence in the meat produced.  The old ways should give way to better, more modern ones.

Phil Robertson and Gay Stuff: Stogie's Deep Philosophical Discussion About Same

Phil Robertson of "Duck Dynasty"

Phil Robertson, patriarch of the family featured in the TV series "Duck Dynasty" is under considerable fire this week.  Seems he was interviewed by GQ magazine, and asked his opinion about homosexuality.  Since Roberston is a devoted Christian, his opinion was bound to enrage many gays and gay organizations.

What is the Christian opinion?  It is that homosexuality is a sin, a violation of the laws of God, and practitioners thereof are going to Hell.  Roberson also questioned whether a man's anus is a preferable choice to a woman's vagina when making whoopee.  How dare he!

The religious abhorrence to homosexuality is based on a long tradition, dating back to the legend of Sodom and Gomorrah, where God is said to have destroyed these cities and killed everyone therein, for their widespread practice of gay sex.

Polygamy, on the other hand, was practiced by many Biblical patriarchs with nary a word of disapproval by God. However, very few Christians would defend that practice in today's world.  The point is this:  time passes and things change.

Here's my take on the whole thing, and I doubt anyone will like what I believe.

1.  Gay people are not going to go to Hell, because Hell does not exist (in my opinion).  Even if it did, I doubt God would give two hoots in Hell who someone sleeps with.  I know at least one gay couple (one of whom is an in-law) who recently married in California, and I have no doubt that they sincerely love each other.  Their 19 year relationship is based on a lot more than lust and sex.  They make each other happy and are harming no one.

2.  Still, I view this gay couple's sexual orientation to be something of a tragedy, or at the very least, a disadvantage  They will never know the joy of children.  I am not totally repulsed by their relationship, but I do view it with a vague aversion.  It's like a bad smell, however faint, that is always there.  It won't kill me, but I don't find it pleasant either.  However, neither of these gays is obligated to live his life to please me or anyone other than himself.  Personally, I like both of them and enjoy their company.  I do not socially ostracize them; however, I have a very leftwing, pro-Obama sister, and I do not associate with her -- because her political orientation thoroughly disgusts and offends me.

3.  I am not a Christian fundamentalist, and I don't really care who said what in the Bible.  So please don't quote scripture at me.  The problem with established religion is that it is an ideology that is frozen in time, it offers absolutes and is never updated for new paradigms, values or standards. Strict adherence to religious texts is like putting your brain in a small cage:  it is never allowed to stray beyond fixed boundaries.  However, I recognize that many Christians don't see it my way, Phil Robertson being one of them.  My advice to him would be:  don't pronounce religious judgment on gays, because you do not speak for God and do not know what path the Almighty has assigned them, or for what purpose.

4.  Phil Robertson has a right to his opinions and his religion.  Leave him alone.  I absolutely support Robertson's right to freely and truthfully express his opinions, as long as they are not hateful (and they were not). If you don't want to know his opinions, don't ask him to express them.  Severe social ostracism and loss of employment for holding non-leftwing views is not acceptable and we should not tolerate it.

5.  Homosexuality is the orientation of a decided minority of citizens, and heterosexuals naturally find it unnatural and even disgusting.  Therefore, gays should respect the sensibilities of the vast majority, by not practicing affectionate or romantic displays in public.  Likewise, Hollyweird should stop rubbing our faces in the glories of gayness, by over-representing gays and over-emphasizing gayness in movies and TV series (like "Glee").

I smoke cigars, and many people find the smell offensive -- so I do not smoke them in public places or near other people who might object.  If I can be sensitive to the sensibilities of others who may not enjoy cigars (the rotten bigots), so can gays about their sexual orientation.  It is simple manners, folks.

6.  Homosexuality exists and has existed for millenia.  It isn't going away.  Gays will not become straight, no matter how mean we are to them.  So the obvious solution is "Live and Let Live."  Gays should not be discriminated against in employment, bullied, denounced or punished.  Leave them alone.  Anything else is self-defeating and self-destructive, particularly to the goals of conservatism.

That's the way I see it, anyway.  If you disagree, I really don't care -- none of us has the power to see the whole truth.  Feel free to disagree, and we will still be friends.

The Shallowness of Atheism

I really don't care what anyone believes about God, as long as they believe it peacefully and do not attempt to impose their beliefs on me through coercive means.  "Coercive means," for purposes of this discussion, include using Congress and the courts to subvert the First Amendment.

Atheists, however, are particularly annoying in their religious beliefs.  Yes, atheism is a form of religion, as it is believed on faith -- a negative kind of faith, but faith nonetheless.  To know whether God exists, one would have to be God himself.  Man's comparatively minuscule intellect is insufficient to answer the question.    Therefore, many of us believe, on faith, that there is a higher power and a higher purpose to our existence.

Atheists, on the other hand, insist that God does not exist, that God is a myth and religion a delusion.  They are actually rather impatient, even intolerant with those who disagree.  After all, the question is entirely clear to them, and they assume that their personal clarity on the issue should be shared by all.  In this regard, they are no different from any fanatical sect who insists that theirs represents THE ONE TRUE RELIGION, that all other religions are doomed to fail and only they are possessed of God's grace, acceptance and enlightenment.

I recently saw a video by the atheist Pat Condell, whose anti-Islam rants I love, haughtily insist that "there is no God."  He knows.  His is "the one true religion."

Atheism is similar to color blindness, and atheists are like color-blind fanatics insisting that green, red, blue and yellow do not exist, and that those who see them are delusional.  Atheists are entitled to their beliefs, but I wish they would stop wearing their religion on their sleeve and trying to push it off on everyone else.

Is Mormonism a Cult? Well, Yes, But So What?

  

Joseph Smith

I read in the news that Newt Gingrich fired a campaign staffer for saying that "Mormonism is a cult."

That was an impolitic thing to say, for sure.  Mormons tend to be good Americans and are a conservative lot, as a whole.

But is it true?

Yes, it's true.  The Mormon religion has very little resemblance to traditional Christianity.  It was started by one Joseph Smith in the 19th century.  Smith was just one of many false prophets to invent their own religion for power, wealth and booty.  (Girl booty, I mean.)  The falsity of this man and the incredibly stupid fairy tale he devised should be obvious to anyone with a brain.  Basically, Jesus appeared in America after his stint in the Holy Land, and did something with the two different races on this continent, one being the American Indian and the other a race of Roman-like characters who were wiped out by the former.

Smith, like Muhammad, was advised of this alternative religion by the appearance of an angel.  The Angel Moroni (Italian for "morons") appeared to Smith, whereas the Angel Gabriel (Arabic for "What a Schmuck") appeared to Muhammad.  Apparently, neither of these famous prophets noticed that the angels had hoofs for feet and a tail.

Mormons are nice people, but their religious beliefs seem incredibly stupid to me.  Why is there no archaeological evidence that the Roman-type race ever existed?  It is an obvious fairly tale that strains credulity to the breaking point.  But so what?

As Thomas Jefferson once noted, the fact that other men have a different religion than I, or no religion at all, doesn't harm me.  It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.   So Mormons, have your fun, believe your beliefs -- it's no skin off my nose.  Since Mormons aren't practicing jihad or blowing up trains or sawing off heads, I don't mind.  What I like about Mormons is their strong family values and community and cultural ties, which however they were instituted, are a very good thing.  In spite of their dubious origins, I have a lot of respect for the people of this faith.

Mormons' punishment for following the faker Smith will be incredulous laughter when they get to heaven.  Peter will welcome them at the Pearly Gate with tears running down his cheeks from mirth as he chokes out, between guffaws, "What on earth were you thinking?"  But he will let them in.

I'm not sure what God will do with Joseph Smith, however.  Maybe reincarnate him as a toad.  On the other hand, Smith might win the all-time Tall-Tales or Whopper contest.

An Over-Reliance on Religion

I noticed this comment over at Lucianne.com.  JD wrote:

Off topic, but…

When you get down to the nitty gritty it isn’t about the fraud in the White House, it isn’t about increasing the debt ceiling, it isn’t about obamacare, it isn’t about the gop’s 2012 presidential candidate, it isn’t about the TEA party, it isn’t about rising gas and food prices, it isn’t about homosexual marriage, it isn’t about American Idol or who wins dancing with the stars or who gets thrown off a make-believe-island, it isn’t about the NBA playoffs, it isn’t about the 2012 NFL season, it isn’t about Putin, it isn’t about China, it isn’t about Imadingdong, it isn’t about BHO getting OBL, it isn’t about oil, it isn’t about Turkey going over to the dark side, it isn’t about the United Nations, it isn’t about what the Palestinians want, it sure isn’t about allah.

It’s about the God of the Holy Bible.

After 50 plus years of pursuing the pleasures of the flesh and caring about this world, I, for reasons I can’t explain, actually picked the bible up and read it. I mean, I really read it and continue to do so…at 20 AM when I can’t sleep…read a chapter or two when I’m brewing coffee before going to work…read a couple of chapters during lunch….read all of Matthew and other books on Saturday morning. Then repeat.

My conclusion: what a kick in the teeth. If the bible is a fake then nothing to worry about. If it’s real then hang on, because we are in the biblical end-time and things are going to get interesting.

My advice is to listen to that little, quiet, easy to ignore, voice inside you.

My small, quiet voice within has spoken and it said "this guy is a self-indulgent ass."  Some people use religion like a drug, to shut out the world and its problems and the need to fix them.  It is the ultimate cop-out, the consummate drop-out, the supreme denial of responsibility, all with the imagined blessing of God.

Left the barn door open?  It's not about losing your horse...it's about God.  Kids playing on the freeway?  No problem, just read another chapter in the Bible.  Wolf at the door?  Just open the door and beat the beast senseless with a large volume of the Bible.  Or quote scripture at him until he dies of boredom.

Here's a better thought, JD:  God helps those who help themselves.