Religious whatnot that makes me crazy

[jan_andrea]

None of this is aimed at anyone in particular. It's just some stuff that's been bothering me for a while.

"God never gives us more than we can handle." First off, on what are you basing that? I mean, seriously? People who die of cancer... god figured they could handle that, or something? Chemo and radiation were going to make their lives better, for the few months or years they had left? Women who are raped? Children (children, for fuck's sake!) who are abused or molested... that's okay with God, because he figures they can handle it? And don't give me that  "free will" bullshit. Either everything happens because of free will, in which God has *nothing* to do with it and can't possibly measure out exactly how much you can handle, or he's got a hand in EVIL THINGS happening to children. Because, damn it, no three-year-old can *handle* being sexually abused. No toddler can *handle* being beaten by his parents. Either bad shit happens because it just happens, or God has an immensely fucked-up sense of right and wrong and people's limits. Being abused as a child doesn't make someone a better person later -- if they happen to become better people, it's despite, and not because of, their abuse. Living in poverty doesn't teach valuable lessons; it's overwhelmingly likely to make your life nasty, brutish, and short. "God never gives us more than we can handle" to me sounds like code for "Suck it up, it's not getting any better and we're not going to help, either, because that would endanger our cushy lifestyle." That's just asinine. A corollary: "God never closes a door without opening a window". Yeah. Especially if the window is on the second floor. All the better to jump.

Tithing. I am all for giving to good causes. I do it myself. But if you're having to make the choice between a decent place to raise your children, feeding said children, and giving 10% of your income to your RICH CHURCH, where does the reasonable choice lie? Yes -- when your circumstances improve, give to your heart's content. But if you're below the poverty line, for fuck's sake, your children's health (and yours!) is more important than your church's hypothetical (and likely nonexistant) hold on your cash! If you want to, give until it hurts... but if it already hurts without giving, what on earth are you thinking?!

The persecution complex. Believe it or not, if you're a Christian in America, you are *not* being persecuted.
Persecution is:

• Being stopped from practicing your religion at church.
  
• Facing threats of death, injury, loss of housing or jobs, etc. for practicing your religion.
  
• Antipathy from the populus as a whole for your wacky beliefs. 

Persecution is not:

• Being stopped from forcing your religion down other people's throats in public life.
  
• Threatening *other* people with the loss of their jobs, etc. for practicing their religion (or lack thereof).
  
• Antipathy from a very small, politically powerless portion of the populus.
  
• Having *your holidays* as default calendar holidays.
  
• Being the only religion whose adherents have ever been elected President
• And so forth.

You can't have your version of the Ten Commandments placed in courtrooms? That ain't persecution. Can't lead a prayer over the loudspeakers at a public school football game? Not persecution. Because, you are still free to carry a copy of the 10C on your person at all times, should you be so inclined. You can print up a million copies and pass them out on street corners. No one is stopping *you* or *your church* from expressing yourself. At a public function, you can break off into a little cluster and say your own little voluntary prayer -- no one is stopping *you* or *your church* from doing so. What the REST of us want is to live our lives without YOUR faith funded by OUR tax dollars. Would you like it if a section of the Quran were posted in courtrooms? Or if a Muslim prayer were recited at a public school game (to the exclusion of all others)? No? Well, now you know how we feel. Stop your whining.

"It's all part of God's plan." Seriously, you guys have to get your story straight. As far as I can tell, either God has a plan (in which case there is no room for free will), or God is one sick fuck (remember that Holocaust? Was that God's plan, or did he just stand aside and let it happen because oh well, free will?). It's that old problem of evil, and it's not going to go away as long as you guys claim that God is omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient. Pick two, because you can't have all three.

Whew.

I think I'm done for now.

Comments

[avalera.livejournal.com]

Here! Here! (Or is it hear! hear! I feel like a dope for not knowing) Anyway, it just bugs the shit out of me when people wah wah over not being able to pray before an event or whatever...

Why do they assume that everyone is O.K. with that? What audacity.

(And I'm a total nitpicker, but when someone sneezes I say "Salud!" instead of "God Bless You" because who am I to assume they believe in god or whatever?)

[jan-andrea.livejournal.com]

I think it's hear, hear -- it used to be "Hear him! Hear him!" but got shortened.

Audacity is an excellent word!

I say "gesundheit". "salud" is good, though -- and easier to say :)