Christianity Creates its own Hell
By Don ~
I had an experience with I believed was the Holy Spirit when I was 18. I immediately stopped using drugs and changed my life.
That is why I believe there is something or someone out there, or maybe it is just our spirit getting in touch with our roots. The church gave it a name and for lack of anything more certain, I joined the church and drank the Kool-Aid.
After 45 years in the church I started asking questions that neither the Bible nor scholars could answer adequately. I was always told to just accept some things by faith.
That is what con artists say.
I first started studying the concept of hell, because as a pastor I felt I should be able to preach on it. But after two years of study, I determined that it is not a biblical concept and goes against the idea of a loving god.
I then began to realize how much fear and control the church and religion exerts on people by threats of punishment and torment. So I thought, "If they got this wrong, how much other stuff is in error?"
Then my daughter died, and I lost any fear of what god could do to punish me for stepping out of line, and I began to question everything.
I now see that preachers are pompous, self-righteous know-it-alls who hang on to the power of the pulpit because it gives them a rush and a sense of purpose, but they are liars and self deluded power mongers. (I know because I was one of them and traveled in the company of such men. )
"Scholars" argue over points and write books for the rest of us "less educated" followers, but none of it has any real basis. Thousands of variations of Christianity exist, all based on post-it-notes that self-proclaimed experts say they can interpret and prove their authenticity, or not. But these are just people who studied someone else's research and bought into it, and then come off as experts on God, when really they are just experts on someone else's research and conclusions. An entire society has been built up around these assumptions and most of the "truth" is built into the culture and no-one dares challenge it lest they be burned at the stake.
Another "point" of contention for me was all of the unanswered prayers I had over a lifetime of service to god. Thousands of unanswered prayers.
I was told to keep trusting even in the face of zero evidence that god was listening, because that is what makes him happy. I was told to tell god how great he is even when I suffered loss and he seemed absent from my life. I have had miracles happen occasionally and randomly -- and I think stuff happens to and for everyone sometimes when they yearn for it enough -- but I honestly cannot trace them back to the god of the bible or because I was doing anything particularly righteous at the time.
We are asked to add 2 plus 2 and get 10, but tomorrow it may be 9 -- there is no consistency to this religion and little dependability of its invisible leader. In any other arena if we were told to do something for a reward, and reward never came, we would abandon that pursuit.
How can I or anyone continue to represent this god or try to give him good PR in the light of his poor performance?
The concept of god has always been a specter, an icon used to represent the unknown and our desire to connect with a creator or a loving father. That would be nice, but I think I will keep looking because the one I was pointed toward has done a piss poor job.
That is why I believe there is something or someone out there, or maybe it is just our spirit getting in touch with our roots. The church gave it a name and for lack of anything more certain, I joined the church and drank the Kool-Aid.
After 45 years in the church I started asking questions that neither the Bible nor scholars could answer adequately. I was always told to just accept some things by faith.
That is what con artists say.
I first started studying the concept of hell, because as a pastor I felt I should be able to preach on it. But after two years of study, I determined that it is not a biblical concept and goes against the idea of a loving god.
I then began to realize how much fear and control the church and religion exerts on people by threats of punishment and torment. So I thought, "If they got this wrong, how much other stuff is in error?"
Then my daughter died, and I lost any fear of what god could do to punish me for stepping out of line, and I began to question everything.
I now see that preachers are pompous, self-righteous know-it-alls who hang on to the power of the pulpit because it gives them a rush and a sense of purpose, but they are liars and self deluded power mongers. (I know because I was one of them and traveled in the company of such men. )
"Scholars" argue over points and write books for the rest of us "less educated" followers, but none of it has any real basis. Thousands of variations of Christianity exist, all based on post-it-notes that self-proclaimed experts say they can interpret and prove their authenticity, or not. But these are just people who studied someone else's research and bought into it, and then come off as experts on God, when really they are just experts on someone else's research and conclusions. An entire society has been built up around these assumptions and most of the "truth" is built into the culture and no-one dares challenge it lest they be burned at the stake.
Another "point" of contention for me was all of the unanswered prayers I had over a lifetime of service to god. Thousands of unanswered prayers.
I was told to keep trusting even in the face of zero evidence that god was listening, because that is what makes him happy. I was told to tell god how great he is even when I suffered loss and he seemed absent from my life. I have had miracles happen occasionally and randomly -- and I think stuff happens to and for everyone sometimes when they yearn for it enough -- but I honestly cannot trace them back to the god of the bible or because I was doing anything particularly righteous at the time.
We are asked to add 2 plus 2 and get 10, but tomorrow it may be 9 -- there is no consistency to this religion and little dependability of its invisible leader. In any other arena if we were told to do something for a reward, and reward never came, we would abandon that pursuit.
How can I or anyone continue to represent this god or try to give him good PR in the light of his poor performance?
The concept of god has always been a specter, an icon used to represent the unknown and our desire to connect with a creator or a loving father. That would be nice, but I think I will keep looking because the one I was pointed toward has done a piss poor job.
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