Good only wins when good people make it so. I don't believe in "God", certainly not the deity celebrated by the evangelicals. How could an omnipotent, compassionate God watch idly during a war? How could an omnipotent, compassionate God watch idly as 7.5m families and 12m single adults fell into poverty? Sure, since 76m families and 48m single adults got out of poverty, it's an overall net positive, but what compassionate God values that?
"What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray." (Matt 18:12-13 NASB)
Therefore we must admit that such a compassionate deity cannot be some omnipotent clockwork-maker, that our actions are required to enact the Will - and our inaction enables evil. Logically, therefore, anyone who believes in the God of the Bible must "become like the compassionate atheist", and act as if there is no God.
"And they will know we are Christians by our love." But where is the love in calling rape victims "whore!" in front of a pregnancy crisis center? Where is the love in denying that inequality even exists in this nation? Where is the love we are instructed to show to even our enemies when a woman mourning a shot child is told that police lives matter more?
Actually, that reminds me... Did you know that turning the other cheek was culturally significant to the Romans? That it was actually malicious compliance and not passive acceptance? The Messiah instructed His Jewish peers to insist on equal treatment (other cheek), to force the Romans to break the law (a mile farther, shirt off your back), and other acts of civil and not-so-civil disobedience. That is a deity I can believe in with confidence and pride.
But I have been betrayed by the inaction of Christians. When I needed help, when I needed love, guidance, and protection, I faced judgement ("Everyone else did it just fine. If you had actually tried, you would have succeeded."), abuse ("I'll give you a reason to cry if you don't stop acting like a victim!"), and ultimately rejection ("Maybe living in a homeless shelter will teach you to value what you have!"). The Holy Spirit of the Bible was not acting in the people who had power over me. We do not worship the same God. And I am fine with that. Why should I give any energy to a deity whose worshipers justify murder and war, kidnap children, and attempt to eliminate diversity in ethnicity and culture, ultimately, a deity whose sins outnumber my own? I would rather burn in hell for eternity than even chance contributing to further suffering.
(although as an aside I feel compelled to indicate that despite the literal truth of my previous assertion, I actually believe any "hell" is momentary, as a compassionate God would not undeservedly torture - but the logic of a "sinless" deity indicates that when all imperfection is rejected, "sinful" but basically good souls must be either passed along to other deities, if existant, or simply painlessly destroyed - and, if truly compassionate, the same fate awaits the blasphemous logician as awaits the child whose only sin is ignorance.)
Instead I give my energy and devote my actions toward the very idea of compassion itself, compassion and love for their own sake and their own reward, and let the chips fall where they may - any deity who shares my values will forgive me for not calling them by name. And perhaps that is the reason we don't know it in the first place.
Consider this: the miracle of the bread and fish would not have happened without preparation (someone, or a few people, brought bag lunch) and generosity (they gave away their own bag lunch to feed others). The Messiah relied on both of those actions for that particular miracle. If no one had brought bag lunch, all trusting the Messiah to feed them, I'm sure He would have called fish up to the surface of the water - a compassionate act. But we show respect and affection by asking for someone else's compassion and service only after putting in some effort of our own - even if that effort is simply a bag lunch. Our choices create our consequences - not only how we are judged, but also what opportunities we create for the Work.
Comments
Post a Comment