As an athiest, I don’t like to bash religion, which I think is mostly benign, but it does sometimes seem like the believers in a benevolent omnipotent god are promoting hate in roundabout ways.
Some weeks back, I overheard a news story about the earthquake in Turkey. They were talking about how a small family (mother, baby and grandmother) had survived the collapse of their building (their couches had provided space for them to lay) and were found alive after a day or two. They were interviewing a man who was some kind of cousin or something and he said it was a “miracle” – that God had specifically saved them. I was shocked – over 300 people died in that Earthquake and this man was saying it was a “miracle”? I’m glad those 3 survived, but that’s a small relief, nothing close to an act of god – unless, of course, God is (mostly) hate and destroyed hundreds of people. Calling a tragedy a miracle simply because it was less than 100% deadly is promoting hate.
The other recent thing that struck me was that I found that the Salvation Army believes that homosexuality is not a choice, but that it is a sin and homosexuals must not act on it. I already knew they opposed homosexuality, but what surprised me was that they realized it is not a choice and still opposed it. So, basically, God chose to torture some people with a sexual attraction that is sinful and must be avoided at all cost, while others may freely enjoy heterosexual sex (within context of marriage) as they desire. So, again, God chooses to hurt some and please/save some. That’s not benevolence; that is hate.
I never could countenance the idea of some omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent god – it just doesn’t make sense in our complex world. While I can see how some people might choose to ignore or rationalize all the suffering in favor of some pleasant dream, I can’t see how some stoop to incorporating random suffering into this concept – a benevolent God who crushes some (literally or figuratively) while saving others? No, that’s just hate.
I can imagine that there’s some divinity in all of us – a spark of creation. That life is precious and that death is part of what makes life precious. But there can’t be some benevolent conscious being pulling strings above our heads, affecting all that happens in this complex and often tragic world, a being who afflicts so much and yet is the ultimate positive. A force of good would not wreak random tragedies – it would not punish innocent children by having them be born poor, without healthcare or an outlier of normal cultural and legal protections (e.g., transgender) – it would not elevate other children by having them be born into riches or normal (e.g., able, cis-gendered, heterosexual) and have the world tipped in their favor.
I think this talk of miracles and people born into sin is just another way of people justifying their own privileges. This way, they can take credit for their incredible luck, without having to feel responsible in any way for the disadvantageous effect their privileges might have on others.
- No need to worry about all the gay kids who are bullied and commit suicide; God wanted us to be heterosexual.
- No need to worry about those crushed by acts of nature – God specifically saved my family.
- No need to worry about those struggling with 3 jobs and no healthcare – God gave us trust funds and a two-house, two-parent-plus-butler-and-nanny family.
Yes, we can feel sympathy for the poor suckers who are spurned by our God, but we, we are special – God has special plans for us. He gave us such wonderful things and we deserve them. There is no kyriarchy – we who have power and privilege were simply meant to.
twisted by faithful
slaughter equals miracle
divine mystery
