Dear Internet Diary,
Question:
Is it possible that your unbelief in God is actually an unwillingness to submit to Him?
They just couldn't ask this question honestly. What they're really asking is, "You are lying, and you aren't an atheist at all, just a rebellious child."
As this question comes from a Christian organization, I would have to be suicidal to not "submit to Him." What wacky sado-masochists with their submitting to this Jealous and Vengeful god. "He is so big, he is so powerful! Gosh! You just don't know what he is capable of! Better be smart and bow down before him in the hopes that it will please Him and he won't kill you! Come on! I'll show you! Just bend over like this, be sure to cover your face like this..."
Gross.
Anyway, to answer the question, no. It is not possible that I believe in god. I have thought about it a great deal, and there is nowhere in my brain that I am harbouring a secret belief in this ridiculous Giant Wizard that likes to kill people by manipulating nature and the universe to do things that work fine without Divine Intervention. An earthquake is very good at destroying buidings, and has never needed a giant hand to get it going.
No, it is not possible that I will believe that this Judeo-Christian God exists. The scripture says that this God is all-good. It also says that this god will toy with some scary demon action-figures it made and cause them, at the "end of all things," to cruelly slaughter everyone on earth through disease, poisoning, burning, ripping apart, stabbing, and crushing. Then this God will call what he does to his toys "war," which is ridiculous, because we already know it could never be any kind of fair fight. He will take his toys and throw them in the fire like the crazy neighbor kid that blows up his GI Joes. Since I am intelligent enough to know that contradictions don't exist, I can say that I do not believe in this god, as well as positively avowing that I know for a fact it does not exist.
If that doesn't answer the question, there's nothing more to be done. But I'm sure I'll be answering it again and again.
But thanks for listening, diary.
6 comments:
Ever wonder where the whole "bow your head and pray" thing came from? It seems that proto-man was susceptible to the same brainfart that causes babies to freak out over "peek-a-boo". It has to do with messing with object constancy. The baby really doesn't know that your face is coming back when you cover it with your hands. Ancient man was impressed when someone seemingly appeared from nowhere, or a food offering disappeared while the gaze was averted. Now you see it, now you don't. Maaaagic! The thing is, there's still a piece of our brain that reacts to this legerdemain even while the forebrain discriminates against it. If something startles you momentarily, the primitive part of the brain is engaged before the higher functions rationalize the situation.
That's interesting. And here I was thinking sinners should cover their faces to protect them from "God's Love."
When I think about it, it seems like a person might feel like, when he closes his eyes, that he is going "someplace else," that place being undefined and therefore special. In the bible, God is said to live "in the darkness." Maybe closing one's eyes to "see" (the back of the eyelids) the dark is like looking at God. Are you saying that people cover their faces in prayer to maybe hide in shame from God? Or other people? I only ever see the "cover your face" thing in Jack Chick tracts and on tv. In my old church, we just clasped hands.
Some interesting food for thought in your comments. A hypnotist will most often ask the subject to close the eyes. This step is not absolutely necessary, but does facilitate putting the subject in a hypnotic (or hypnogogic) state. (sleep... sleep... Feel guilty. Now feel better. Now pay me for making you feel better.)
In my church, we were also into the clasping hands thing, but also trained to look down (bow one's head). This coupled with the raised dias and alter contraptions that one sees in most churches is a holdover from all manner of ancient services (rites) during which, while supplicants were urged to avert their gaze, all manner of "magical" changes were taking place on stage. This kind of "magic" would hardly impress anyone over the age of five today, but times, and the people who lived in them were simpler then.
Christianity is not the only religion to have these "don't look now" hold-overs in their services. In the Jewish temple, the faithful turn to the back wall during part of the service, and in the mosque, the nation of Islam spends quality time with their foreheads to the ground.
That makes a lot of sense. I do not know what happened during prayer-time in church of old. So you're saying this kind of hijinks went on during bowed-heads? The priest removed something or changed something, and the congregants thought god came and did a magic trick? I was thinking more like, "don't look up; you aren't worthy of looking at God when He walks through. When you close your eyes He comes."
I suppose they work together. It's like leaving cookies and milk for santa claus! Leave the plate, go to bed, and in the morning, they will be gone! Logic!
Yes, that's exactly what happened. I seem to recall that an altar with a gimmic was once discovered, leading to the conjecture that the "offerings" were removed (and later consumed by the priests) during the services, presumably when no one was looking so as to make it seem mystical. I am writing a book that might never be finished, but I will devote a whole chapter to the pre-monetary societies entitled, "God wants half a chicken".
That "God Almighty" action figure is so cool!!
BTW there are Jesus and Moses talking dolls that will soon be available in stores. I kid you not!
http://www.boston.com/news/local/
articles/2005/03/17/
talking_dolls_designed_
to_teach_children_scriptures/
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