Well, it seems the "end of the world" has once again come and gone. While the faithful are busy trying to rationalize their cognitive dissonance, reality continues -- as it always does -- forward. I am both enraged and saddened at Harold Camping for the casualties left in his wake of fear-mongering, and simultaneously filled with schadenfreude for the dumbfounded scratching their heads in disbelief.
Let's face it, none of raptor-ready halfwits are in any kind of "shock" right now. When the mind is addled with such a lack of critical thinking, it can come face-to-face with contrary or antipodes information and still assume it was right all along. The double-think involved is seen any many other areas of theistic ideology...it's like a staple or a necessity for it. In fact, I'd be amazed if I could find one of these May 21st people who would say, "I truly believed the world was going to end, and when it didn't I realized there was something deeply wrong with my thinking."
One can wish. Next up to get bitch-slapped by the world when it sticks around: the Mayans.
-STA
(Typed while listening to Ænema)
Showing posts with label appeal to emotion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label appeal to emotion. Show all posts
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Put Down Your Old KJV Red Letter, The Good Book Just Got a Whole Lot Better
The Holy Bible. It's been translated into 2400 languages and over 300 English translations alone, but when you get right down to it, they all contain the same boring, outdated, hard-to-get-through dry text.
But not any more!
How Many Meters in a Foot?
Now there's a way to read about the loving power of the Ultimate Father-Figure in Kyle Holt's "The Bible in Rhyme". Yep. Rhyme.
How many ten-year-olds can stand to sit through a dreary sermon that involves phrases like: "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
Ugh. Can't you feel your eyes glazing over?
Now take a gander at this little ditty from Genesis 3, with rhyme:
You can't help but try to sing it as you dance and smile, reading about God's wonderful forgiving spirit. Be sure to pick up your copy today, and get your kids involved! They'll have a great time learning how to regurgitate doctrine while beginning a long-lasting emotional attachment to ideas that make them feel good. 'Cause come on, I dare you to read this and not feel good:
(From page 7, Genesis 9:18 - 11:32. And remember kids, the perfect word of the Living God contains ZERO contradictions or errors because it was inspired by a god who does not author confusion!)
I dread how they sugar-coat the Numbers conquests.
-STA
But not any more!
How Many Meters in a Foot?
Now there's a way to read about the loving power of the Ultimate Father-Figure in Kyle Holt's "The Bible in Rhyme". Yep. Rhyme.
How many ten-year-olds can stand to sit through a dreary sermon that involves phrases like: "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
Ugh. Can't you feel your eyes glazing over?
Now take a gander at this little ditty from Genesis 3, with rhyme:
"Never will your kind view Eden again.
All are shut out for your cognizant sin.
Man, you shall toil and work in the earth.
And woman, your pain will come giving birth.
You’re banished! Get out! All three of you go!"
Then God set a guard at the Tree of Life so
we’d not be let in, but always we’d know
that this was how woman and man fell so low.
You can't help but try to sing it as you dance and smile, reading about God's wonderful forgiving spirit. Be sure to pick up your copy today, and get your kids involved! They'll have a great time learning how to regurgitate doctrine while beginning a long-lasting emotional attachment to ideas that make them feel good. 'Cause come on, I dare you to read this and not feel good:
Though everyone knew of the things God had spoken,
the men muttered angrily, "Our God is broken!
Why worship Him? Can He not see our power?
We're greater than Him. Come, let's build a tower
and show Him that He should be worshiping us."
But God saw their plan, and was filled with disgust.
"Man never changes, so I must change him."
So he twisted their tongues and confused all of them.
And he scattered mankind, confounding the rabble
and that's why it's called the Tower of Babel.
(From page 7, Genesis 9:18 - 11:32. And remember kids, the perfect word of the Living God contains ZERO contradictions or errors because it was inspired by a god who does not author confusion!)
I dread how they sugar-coat the Numbers conquests.
-STA
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Divine Slang, or How "Soon" Means "A Really Long Time"
You Better Watch Out...
When I was a Christian, I was swept up into the idea that I was living in the "end times". The Son of Man would be flying in on clouds of glory, probably in just a couple years. This was back before Y2K, and so we all thought that sounded like a date Jesus would pick. So we all got ready, prayed, and stayed awake, fearing and waiting. And waiting.
And waiting...
Okay, so not the turn of the century. That's fine -- but it will be soon! Just look at all the wars, earthquakes, death, pestilence, and hardships around the world! Kids are listening to heavy metal and cutting themselves! You can't leave your front door unlocked anymore! The world is turning to shit! The end is neigh!!!!!!!!
It wasn't until I escaped Christianity that I realized this was an ongoing thing. Really. Since the dawn of Christianity, believers have been claiming the end of the world was just around the corner. I love browsing the website "A Brief History of the Apocalypse" whenever I hear a doomsday preacher on TV or read an end-times blog post. The phenomenon of predicting the end of the world is almost as old as the world itself.
Back In 5 Mins --J.C.
Examining the bible without my Jesus goggles, I started to understand things a little clearer. Things like Jesus's quotes in Matthew. "Immediately after the distress of those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken'... Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door...I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened...I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes...For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
That's a pretty clear indication that Jesus expected to return within his follower's lifetime. I find it both amusing and startling how every generation thinks of itself as the quoted "this generation". I guess it makes since to want to be "the generation" that gets to see Glory coming.
Even the apostles of Christ felt similar sentiments. James (5:8) instructs his fellow believers to "be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." In fact, a lot of the New Testament is full of this sort of "be ready to go" language.
"For in just a little while, 'He who is coming will come and will not delay'." -Hebrews 10:37
"The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." -Romans 13:11
"...time is short...For this world in its present form is passing away." -1 Corinthians 7:29
"The end of all things is near." -1 Peter 4:7
Dude, You are Soooooooo Fuggin' Late!
The looming threat of Judgment Day is held over believers by one another and by themselves. The other day I drove past a peeling, weather-worn church sign and I though, It never crosses a Christian's mind when they have to pay for a brand new billboard that says, "Jesus is coming SOON!" when the old one is decrepit and broken and has been sitting there for the past 20 years. Let's face the facts, people: Jesus promised to return soon and very soon, and that was nearly 2,000 years ago. I'm not really sure why Christians need to keep that sense of urgency, though it may have something to do with the fact that their god died 2000 years ago (if he ever really existed in the first place). Otherwise, it's a moot and unostentatious ending.
-STA
When I was a Christian, I was swept up into the idea that I was living in the "end times". The Son of Man would be flying in on clouds of glory, probably in just a couple years. This was back before Y2K, and so we all thought that sounded like a date Jesus would pick. So we all got ready, prayed, and stayed awake, fearing and waiting. And waiting.
And waiting...
Okay, so not the turn of the century. That's fine -- but it will be soon! Just look at all the wars, earthquakes, death, pestilence, and hardships around the world! Kids are listening to heavy metal and cutting themselves! You can't leave your front door unlocked anymore! The world is turning to shit! The end is neigh!!!!!!!!
It wasn't until I escaped Christianity that I realized this was an ongoing thing. Really. Since the dawn of Christianity, believers have been claiming the end of the world was just around the corner. I love browsing the website "A Brief History of the Apocalypse" whenever I hear a doomsday preacher on TV or read an end-times blog post. The phenomenon of predicting the end of the world is almost as old as the world itself.
Back In 5 Mins --J.C.
Examining the bible without my Jesus goggles, I started to understand things a little clearer. Things like Jesus's quotes in Matthew. "Immediately after the distress of those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken'... Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door...I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened...I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes...For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
That's a pretty clear indication that Jesus expected to return within his follower's lifetime. I find it both amusing and startling how every generation thinks of itself as the quoted "this generation". I guess it makes since to want to be "the generation" that gets to see Glory coming.
Even the apostles of Christ felt similar sentiments. James (5:8) instructs his fellow believers to "be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." In fact, a lot of the New Testament is full of this sort of "be ready to go" language.
"For in just a little while, 'He who is coming will come and will not delay'." -Hebrews 10:37
"The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." -Romans 13:11
"...time is short...For this world in its present form is passing away." -1 Corinthians 7:29
"The end of all things is near." -1 Peter 4:7
Dude, You are Soooooooo Fuggin' Late!
The looming threat of Judgment Day is held over believers by one another and by themselves. The other day I drove past a peeling, weather-worn church sign and I though, It never crosses a Christian's mind when they have to pay for a brand new billboard that says, "Jesus is coming SOON!" when the old one is decrepit and broken and has been sitting there for the past 20 years. Let's face the facts, people: Jesus promised to return soon and very soon, and that was nearly 2,000 years ago. I'm not really sure why Christians need to keep that sense of urgency, though it may have something to do with the fact that their god died 2000 years ago (if he ever really existed in the first place). Otherwise, it's a moot and unostentatious ending.
-STA
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Why And How To Worship God
In recent talks with theists I've once again come across the question of what I would do if "God" showed up to me. While that is a big discussion in itself, another aspect arrives from contemplating the question: worship. Why should we worship a reveled God, and what exactly does it mean to worship it?
Brown-Nosed And Rolling Over
Assuming the God in question is the all-powerful creator of everything, several factors reveal themselves in this scenario (at least to an armchair psychologist), the first of which is fear. We are naturally (be it by evolution or intelligent design) submissive to those with greater power than our own. We create hierarchical social structures and our treatment of others reflects our perceived level of dominance of them, among other things. From an evolutionary standpoint, it's a survival mechanism. Sure, we could all just fight to the death but that would help anyone, especially ourselves. So we push as far as we can, gaining and giving as much as beneficially possible. Therefore, should a mighty creator being suddenly plop down and begin issuing edicts, we'd most likely obey out of fear and a desire to live and remain unharmed.
The other side to this is the protection such a being would offer. Just as the tiny fish seek protection and food from a shark, so too would many humans begin to suck up to the regnant deity. True, some may also seek companionship and an honest exploration of the previously unstudied. But I think that most would simply bow out of fear and respect to power unlimited.
Here I Am, Now Entertain Me
That might be the why, but what about the how? What does it mean to worship a being? Is it unquestionable love and veneration? Is it reverence in the form of consent? I wouldn't expect to automatically love any being just out of awe, surprise, or fear. Love is earned. I might be able to respect the deity's authority and powers, but love is an entirely different ball game.
I suppose too that it would depend on the demands made by the god. Will it stand before us and proudly exclaim, "Bow down to me or be crushed!"? I'm willing to bet that the best form of "worship" would be the actions, words, and behaviors that the god did not ask for. Many people may solicit the being to gain protection, companionship, a freedom from responsibilities, or to share in the power. I would rather worship (and be worship by) beings that love or respect me enough to want to make me happy -- not out of fear of punishment or hopes of reward -- but just out of the goodness of the heart.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Find Out What It Means To Me
I can hear the religious people now, "But that's just exactly what God wants! He wants you to love him out of your own free will, and he wants to be worshiped by you and share his glory with you." I'm sorry, but it would depend on the character of your God. If, as I've said before, the deity is the actual Yahweh from the Old Testament, I wouldn't worship him if he threatened me directly to my face. Might doesn't make right. I don't care how powerful it is or how much right it has to me as its property, being my creator and being stronger than me doesn't give it the prerogative of my respect, honor, love, worship, or even acknowledgment. The content of its character and its actions toward others determine where it would sit in my book. I'll obey the might only if I accept its justifications for the requests it makes, and only if its standards meet those worthy of devotion. The Gods of people today do not warrant my respect, and they are not worthy of worship by anyone, including you.
-STA
Brown-Nosed And Rolling Over
Assuming the God in question is the all-powerful creator of everything, several factors reveal themselves in this scenario (at least to an armchair psychologist), the first of which is fear. We are naturally (be it by evolution or intelligent design) submissive to those with greater power than our own. We create hierarchical social structures and our treatment of others reflects our perceived level of dominance of them, among other things. From an evolutionary standpoint, it's a survival mechanism. Sure, we could all just fight to the death but that would help anyone, especially ourselves. So we push as far as we can, gaining and giving as much as beneficially possible. Therefore, should a mighty creator being suddenly plop down and begin issuing edicts, we'd most likely obey out of fear and a desire to live and remain unharmed.
The other side to this is the protection such a being would offer. Just as the tiny fish seek protection and food from a shark, so too would many humans begin to suck up to the regnant deity. True, some may also seek companionship and an honest exploration of the previously unstudied. But I think that most would simply bow out of fear and respect to power unlimited.
Here I Am, Now Entertain Me
That might be the why, but what about the how? What does it mean to worship a being? Is it unquestionable love and veneration? Is it reverence in the form of consent? I wouldn't expect to automatically love any being just out of awe, surprise, or fear. Love is earned. I might be able to respect the deity's authority and powers, but love is an entirely different ball game.
I suppose too that it would depend on the demands made by the god. Will it stand before us and proudly exclaim, "Bow down to me or be crushed!"? I'm willing to bet that the best form of "worship" would be the actions, words, and behaviors that the god did not ask for. Many people may solicit the being to gain protection, companionship, a freedom from responsibilities, or to share in the power. I would rather worship (and be worship by) beings that love or respect me enough to want to make me happy -- not out of fear of punishment or hopes of reward -- but just out of the goodness of the heart.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Find Out What It Means To Me
I can hear the religious people now, "But that's just exactly what God wants! He wants you to love him out of your own free will, and he wants to be worshiped by you and share his glory with you." I'm sorry, but it would depend on the character of your God. If, as I've said before, the deity is the actual Yahweh from the Old Testament, I wouldn't worship him if he threatened me directly to my face. Might doesn't make right. I don't care how powerful it is or how much right it has to me as its property, being my creator and being stronger than me doesn't give it the prerogative of my respect, honor, love, worship, or even acknowledgment. The content of its character and its actions toward others determine where it would sit in my book. I'll obey the might only if I accept its justifications for the requests it makes, and only if its standards meet those worthy of devotion. The Gods of people today do not warrant my respect, and they are not worthy of worship by anyone, including you.
-STA
Monday, November 16, 2009
Wedding Hells
I recently attended a wedding reception and there was one thing that bothered me (enough to sit down and rant about it today). And no, it wasn't the "blessing" that was given before people ate the buffet. A song was sung to the newly-weds; a narrative offering advice on how to stay together. A line in the song suggested, in effect, when times get tough to turn to God and he'll fix it.
Bad Chord
I'm finding several issues I personally have with the otherwise great original song. First off, like so many other theistic pronouncements, it assumes that a) the speaker's God and the audience's God are the same, and b) that the audience even has a God. It's akin to singing a poignant song about real-life things such as love and marriage, then including a line about finding leprechauns grading gold at the end of rainbows. It kills the mood of the song and makes you look small-minded.
Keep-Away
The biggest beef I have with it is the idea itself. Let's look at it from both the viewpoint of the believer and the atheist. First, the former. Using the idea of the Christian God, one may easily see how seeking His guidance is obviously the route to take. He is all-knowing, after all. According to their theology, God has a plan for everyone. Thus, when a couple's marriage is on the rocks, a quick voice-mail up to the clouds and all should be well. But how many Christian marriages fail, even with the fervent prayers of not only the betrothed but often times their families and friends as well? If the answer is as easy as asking God what to do, and getting the sense that the answer is "be kind to and TALK with each other", then why do over half of all theistic unions fail?
Assuming God does exist with all the superpowers generally attributed to him, it goes without saying that such a being is, for lack of better terminology at the moment, a giant prick. In fact, those reading this right now, be they theist or atheist, are probably more moral and ethical than the Christian deity. For how many of you would, if you knew the answer to healing the hurting hearts of two people, would refuse to administer your aid until asked? Would you wait to poor out your miraculous blessings upon the hungry until all of them sought your help? Would you withhold a cure that would strike leukemia from a dying girl until not just the girl asked for it, but her family, the whole ward floor, the entire hospital, town -- or continent -- agreed you could?
It Takes Two -- Me and You
Since I am one of the millions who do not subscribe to such egotistical bullshit, I will say that the obvious course of action is not to turn to some imaginary friend to fix your martial issues, but instead turn to each other, the flesh-and-blood human being with whom you committed your life to. Seek the problem at its source. Talk with each other. Listen to each other. Find out what the hell is going on and do not cower from it. If you need to involve beings from outside of yourselves, turn to your family, your friends. I'm sure there's at least one person every married couple can talk to (we all had at least one witness, right?). Find the bug. Hunt it down like a heat-seeking missile. The point is that the answer is within you; it's not going to come from some mysterious force outside of you. Both of you -- whether you knew it or not -- took the necessary steps to fall in love. It's going to take both of you again to stay that way.
And if he's reading this, let the songwriter know that this is in no way an attack on him directly. He's one of the best and most upstanding guys I know, and a wonderful friend. The contention is merely with the message and wording of his outstanding and touching song -- a small disputation, yet one I think worthy of mention.
-STA
Bad Chord
I'm finding several issues I personally have with the otherwise great original song. First off, like so many other theistic pronouncements, it assumes that a) the speaker's God and the audience's God are the same, and b) that the audience even has a God. It's akin to singing a poignant song about real-life things such as love and marriage, then including a line about finding leprechauns grading gold at the end of rainbows. It kills the mood of the song and makes you look small-minded.
Keep-Away
The biggest beef I have with it is the idea itself. Let's look at it from both the viewpoint of the believer and the atheist. First, the former. Using the idea of the Christian God, one may easily see how seeking His guidance is obviously the route to take. He is all-knowing, after all. According to their theology, God has a plan for everyone. Thus, when a couple's marriage is on the rocks, a quick voice-mail up to the clouds and all should be well. But how many Christian marriages fail, even with the fervent prayers of not only the betrothed but often times their families and friends as well? If the answer is as easy as asking God what to do, and getting the sense that the answer is "be kind to and TALK with each other", then why do over half of all theistic unions fail?
Assuming God does exist with all the superpowers generally attributed to him, it goes without saying that such a being is, for lack of better terminology at the moment, a giant prick. In fact, those reading this right now, be they theist or atheist, are probably more moral and ethical than the Christian deity. For how many of you would, if you knew the answer to healing the hurting hearts of two people, would refuse to administer your aid until asked? Would you wait to poor out your miraculous blessings upon the hungry until all of them sought your help? Would you withhold a cure that would strike leukemia from a dying girl until not just the girl asked for it, but her family, the whole ward floor, the entire hospital, town -- or continent -- agreed you could?
It Takes Two -- Me and You
Since I am one of the millions who do not subscribe to such egotistical bullshit, I will say that the obvious course of action is not to turn to some imaginary friend to fix your martial issues, but instead turn to each other, the flesh-and-blood human being with whom you committed your life to. Seek the problem at its source. Talk with each other. Listen to each other. Find out what the hell is going on and do not cower from it. If you need to involve beings from outside of yourselves, turn to your family, your friends. I'm sure there's at least one person every married couple can talk to (we all had at least one witness, right?). Find the bug. Hunt it down like a heat-seeking missile. The point is that the answer is within you; it's not going to come from some mysterious force outside of you. Both of you -- whether you knew it or not -- took the necessary steps to fall in love. It's going to take both of you again to stay that way.
And if he's reading this, let the songwriter know that this is in no way an attack on him directly. He's one of the best and most upstanding guys I know, and a wonderful friend. The contention is merely with the message and wording of his outstanding and touching song -- a small disputation, yet one I think worthy of mention.
-STA
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Look Busy
I drove by a church sign today that read, "Jesus is Coming, Look Busy" and I don't know how I'm supposed to take that.
What do they mean by "busy"? Like, busy helping the sick and the needy, or busy washing your car? Does a person reading the bible look busy to Jesus?
The other reason I don't get it is because of their implied message. If you're a child at a rowdy slumber party and your friend says, "I hear mom coming, act like you're sleeping!", or you're at the office and someone says, "Here comes the boss, look busy!" then I can understand the ruse, but it just doesn't work for theology. Are they suggesting that their all-knowing deity won't notice you're "looking busy" because you know he's coming? (See Pascal's Wager Flaw #4)
As I drove on I wondered, should Christians be the kids who are up too late and are fixing to get in trouble, or should they be the dad who sits up until 1:00 AM waiting on his teenager to come home? I for one (if I actually believed he really WAS coming) would be the like the angry parent just waiting to bust Jesus' ass for being so goddamn late.
-STA
What do they mean by "busy"? Like, busy helping the sick and the needy, or busy washing your car? Does a person reading the bible look busy to Jesus?
The other reason I don't get it is because of their implied message. If you're a child at a rowdy slumber party and your friend says, "I hear mom coming, act like you're sleeping!", or you're at the office and someone says, "Here comes the boss, look busy!" then I can understand the ruse, but it just doesn't work for theology. Are they suggesting that their all-knowing deity won't notice you're "looking busy" because you know he's coming? (See Pascal's Wager Flaw #4)
As I drove on I wondered, should Christians be the kids who are up too late and are fixing to get in trouble, or should they be the dad who sits up until 1:00 AM waiting on his teenager to come home? I for one (if I actually believed he really WAS coming) would be the like the angry parent just waiting to bust Jesus' ass for being so goddamn late.
-STA
Monday, September 10, 2007
An Exercise In Reason
"Jesus died for you, man!"
That's a phrase you'll hear all the time from Christian proselytizers (by the way, since my small town sits in the 'Bible Belt' of the southern U.S., I will most often be writing about the nation's leading religion: Christianity. Please understand that most, if not all, of my claims against a belief in supernatural entities can freely be applied to any religion. If you don't see how, send me an email and let me know!)
Not only is this phrase an "appeal to emotion", an attempt to make the listener feel bad, but it also makes no sense. That's right, I said it: It makes no sense.
HE'S ALIVE!
Think about it. I'll using the standard Christian beliefs as a framework, and this is very important -- this is from their own belief structure. Jesus is God...and is his son (I know, it's crazy). God created the world like it is. Don't try to tell me that it was Adam and Eve's fall that made the world like it is, because a) God created Adam and Eve, and b) he *knew* it was going to happen even before he started the whole 7-day creation. God has everything the way it needs to be according to his 'plan' or else it wouldn't be as it is. That's what omnipotent means. Therefore, in order to save humanity from hell (which he too, made), God sends his son Jesus (himself) as a sacrifice (to himself) to save humanity from torture (from himself). Not only that, but he waited for thousands of years to do it!
Your head stopped spinning yet?
Now that we have this kooky structure established, we can answer the basic question. What exactly did Jesus give up? He came to earth, died for a long weekend, then got to be God again and judge humanity for the rest of eternity! Who wouldn't want that? Christians, you sing it yourself: "He's alive!" What did he sacrifice? Even if he died for two weeks, he still came back to life. What kind of sacrifice is that?
Christians will try to hem and haw their way out of this bug-nutty story, but it's the foundation of their very religion. They'll say something like: "Jesus died so that we could all live." Again, what about those before Jesus? And why does God have to have some psychotic way of fixing a problem (which an omnipotent creator shouldn't have in the first place), when he could just, oh I don't know, LET IT GO? He could just snap is wrinkly, Caucasian fingers and forget the whole thing. He supposedly made us this way, how could he not know, and how could there be a problem in the first place?
The end result is that he gets to go right back up to heaven and send people to hell, and we're left with an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God framing his own lesser creation.
What a dick.
Good thing the whole story's not real, or we might need to start picketing. There's plenty more absurdities with trying to conceptualize an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent "being" in the first place, let alone the thousands of contradictions and ridiculous claims within the religion and texts of Western Christianity, which I'll get to in good time.
-STA
That's a phrase you'll hear all the time from Christian proselytizers (by the way, since my small town sits in the 'Bible Belt' of the southern U.S., I will most often be writing about the nation's leading religion: Christianity. Please understand that most, if not all, of my claims against a belief in supernatural entities can freely be applied to any religion. If you don't see how, send me an email and let me know!)
Not only is this phrase an "appeal to emotion", an attempt to make the listener feel bad, but it also makes no sense. That's right, I said it: It makes no sense.
HE'S ALIVE!
Think about it. I'll using the standard Christian beliefs as a framework, and this is very important -- this is from their own belief structure. Jesus is God...and is his son (I know, it's crazy). God created the world like it is. Don't try to tell me that it was Adam and Eve's fall that made the world like it is, because a) God created Adam and Eve, and b) he *knew* it was going to happen even before he started the whole 7-day creation. God has everything the way it needs to be according to his 'plan' or else it wouldn't be as it is. That's what omnipotent means. Therefore, in order to save humanity from hell (which he too, made), God sends his son Jesus (himself) as a sacrifice (to himself) to save humanity from torture (from himself). Not only that, but he waited for thousands of years to do it!
Your head stopped spinning yet?
Now that we have this kooky structure established, we can answer the basic question. What exactly did Jesus give up? He came to earth, died for a long weekend, then got to be God again and judge humanity for the rest of eternity! Who wouldn't want that? Christians, you sing it yourself: "He's alive!" What did he sacrifice? Even if he died for two weeks, he still came back to life. What kind of sacrifice is that?
Christians will try to hem and haw their way out of this bug-nutty story, but it's the foundation of their very religion. They'll say something like: "Jesus died so that we could all live." Again, what about those before Jesus? And why does God have to have some psychotic way of fixing a problem (which an omnipotent creator shouldn't have in the first place), when he could just, oh I don't know, LET IT GO? He could just snap is wrinkly, Caucasian fingers and forget the whole thing. He supposedly made us this way, how could he not know, and how could there be a problem in the first place?
The end result is that he gets to go right back up to heaven and send people to hell, and we're left with an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God framing his own lesser creation.
What a dick.
Good thing the whole story's not real, or we might need to start picketing. There's plenty more absurdities with trying to conceptualize an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent "being" in the first place, let alone the thousands of contradictions and ridiculous claims within the religion and texts of Western Christianity, which I'll get to in good time.
-STA
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