The Meat of the Word

Okay, so I haven't made any blog entries in a while, but the other day coming home from the doggy beach just South of me I was so blown away by *what I had witnessed that I actually felt compelled to go back the next day to photograph it so that I could write a piece on it.

*the website and Pastor have been intentionally obscured.

So, there you have it folks; being a good person is not enough. No, really....being a good person means jack', at least as far as one worldview is concerned. I am elated that this particular church makes no bones about it; it's refreshing to see church folk calling a spade a spade instead of skirting the issues whenever something about Christianity elicits feelings of discomfort or cognitive dissonance. And being a former believer, I know first hand that the doctrine of "hell" elicits both, as does Christian morality. The relationship between the two things isn't quite what one would expect. Be moral and avoid "hell", right? No...WRONG.  Again, it's not about behavior or being a good person. These things are not enough.

So, given that Christianity makes good use of the whole "carrot and stick" approach to persuading good behavior, at the end of the day it's not even about behavior; it's about having the right belief and the fear of not having it. 

While on the one hand I'm pleasantly surprised to see a church not beat around the bush on this topic, on the hand I find it to be an utter insult to humanity that any belief-system would attempt to put the thoughts that a man may or may not have in his head over the actions or behavior of that man. In other words, what we're essentially talking about here is a mind-crime; that is, it is thought to be a crime and an outright affront to God to not harbor the belief that pleasing God should be put above all else, including human behavior, and by extension, even morals. Whereas this church and its Pastor would surely say that to have the correct thoughts in your head is not only a blessing but a requirement, not only do I find the notion that thoughts mean more than actions to be despicable, but in a worst case scenario I contend that it could actually end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy. Yes, y'all, let's teach a child that he or she is not trustworthy and can't accomplish anything good on his or her own, then.. oh, let's be all shocked and dismayed when that child turns out to be an underachiever later in life, or even worse. Perhaps this could explain why the incarcerated end up "finding God"? But I digress.

So if teaching a child that he or she is rotten to the core isn't bad enough, let's go ahead and really confound things, shall we? Yes, let's make it interesting and get the child to believe that even if he or she could somehow manage to behave and treat his or her friends and family with kindness and respect, we turn around and say, good job, but so the %$#@ what? 

It sounds cruel, does it not? Well, tough cookies, because being "good" means nadda when it comes to Christian doctrine, and New Covenant Church knows this. New Covenant Church is keenly aware of the doctrine of "original sin", and let's face it, this is exactly what Christianity and it's totally bankrupt "moral" system boils down to---this whole idea that humankind is inherently "evil" and is in need of the "cure". Okay, well, perhaps "cure" isn't the right word, because you're never really cured. More like off the hook. Excused. Pardoned. Your "sin" is swept under the rug due to something called "substitutionary atonement".

But again, this church is really just being honest. Christianity is not about being moral (vs immoral). It's not about loving your neighbor as yourself (vs hating them). You could blow your neighbor's brains all over the lawn for no reason at all and still make it into heaven. That is, if you die with the right thoughts in your head. Good behavior and good intentions? They mean NOTHING; it is belief that matters, specifically, to possess the belief that you are broken and fall short of what biblegod expected of you and that your only hope in life is faith in Jesus.

Did you catch that? You are expected to be what you can never ever be, and if that isn't insane enough, you deserve to be punished if you don't accept the "get out of jail" card, which of course is analogous to accepting "Jesus" as your lord and savior, etc., etc. Yes, this is what gets you off the hook from receiving what every one of us presumably deserves, starting from the second we exit the womb. And yes, I'm referring to an eternity in hellfire. 

To illustrate the utter lunacy here, I like to use an analogy that I've used in the past, which is a hypothetical in which you toss a goldfish into a fish bowl and then blame it for being "wet". It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? Welp, that's because it is ridiculous, and likewise, so is this whole idea that we are inherently flawed, or in godspeak, "sinful". And why? Well, because of a one-time poor decision made by what we are to believe were the first two human prototypes, "Adam & Eve".

So, in the words of the late, great Christopher Hitchens, we were created sick and commanded to be well. And I reiterate, this is a morally bankrupt system. All the sermons about "Commandments" and "absolute morality" you heard growing up? It's all smoke and mirrors---it's a diversion tactic meant to obscure the reality of what Christianity is really all about at the end of the day, which ironically has nothing at all to do with one's behavior, but everything to do with having the correct beliefs.

Now, as a disclaimer I have to put it out there that there is a very slight chance that when this church advertises that "Being good is not enough" that they have something entirely different in mind. But I have to sort of doubt it, given that in mission statement no. 15 on their website, they write....

15. WE BELIEVE...A Final Judgment Will Take Place for those who have rejected Christ. They will be judged for their sin and consigned to eternal punishment in a punishing lake of fire.

There's that word "rejected". Okay, what about those of us who are simply unable to honestly believe that Christianity is true? Does God want us to lie to ourselves? Wait....is it even possible to knowingly lie to yourself? And by the way, does the Christian reject Allah? Or like me, do they simply lack any belief that such a being exists?

 These are the tough questions. But nothing that a little faith can't overcome, right?

Memories of Autumn

The following was copied and pasted with permission from the author just as it appeared on social media.

From my memories:

I keep wanting to write on my blog, then, I think what is the point? Life is this big shithole. We get a few days of happiness and a million days of sorrow. Even the best, most popular, wealthy, beautiful among us wither away and end up under the earth, buried, forgotten. How long will it take to forget me when I am gone? And, honestly, I don't balme anyone for forgetting me. I don't deserve to be remembered. What did I do with my "precious gift"? Not much really. I spent those few happy days laughing in the sun, pretending they would never end, ignoring the looming darkness on the horizon. I survived through each of those million shitty days, crawling on my hands and knees through the mud and the shit, reaching...food...water...shelter...I spend all my time trying to keep those wrigley things in my hands, (I have dropped one or the other so many times) but that's it. I never did anything great. I let myself down. I let my family down. I made everyone uncomfortable with my transparency. I turned everyone against me with my awkward personality, my inability to talk small, my bluntness. I'm sorry. I don't know what else to be except myself, I can't pretend to be what everyone wants me to be. I am a terrible liar, a terrible actor. I can't be anything, but real. I asked God to help me, but I guess He isn't listening. Maybe he hates me, too. Then, I hear a trombone echo through the house like a little sad, but hopeful seed that is trying to bloom through a heavy cement lot. It is beautiful. A trombone...my daddy, the musical genius' (until God took away his hands and feet) favorite instrument. I feel proud. I can hear him learning. The sound of learing sounds so good. I can hear his soul. I am proud. I peek in his room, I watch his eyes, his face, His cheeks swollen like a bullfrog's jowls. I see passion and contentment in those eyes. His face is relaxed and playful, the way any child is when they think they are alone. I feel a stabbing pain in my heart. In my mind, I pray. Oh God, don't let them snuff him out! Don't let the teachers and opportunity givers in his life look him over because he's poor, because his parents are fucked up, because he is of color, like they so often do, like I have seen over and over in my life. God, don't let them make him bitter. Let me forever be the umbrella covering his head, please, God. These young'uns are all I have. Life sucks. People suck, I can't leave them here alone with the small minds and spirit breakers of this world 

~ Autumn Lynn Rigney 

 The reason for the repost is because so much of this written piece resonated with me, and in a few ways the author's sentiments about life, sentiments which are clearly transparent and heartfelt, remind me of the days when I was "on the fence" about God's existence. 

So, the author wants to write a new blog entry but she wonders what the point would be? Been there; done that. A few posts back I even touched on this very subject; that is, if everything we do, feel, and say ends up in the abyss of nothingness, then yeah, asking what the point is actually is a fair question. It can all fall on deaf ears. At least while we're alive it can.  

But she makes a fair point---in a few short generations after we're gone, even any remaining memories of us will fade away, too. All that will be left is stories about us and anything we might have created while alive..e.g.. music, books, artwork, movies, etc. This of course would include anything we might have published on the World Wide Web..e.g...blogs.

And yes, the ratio of happy days to sorrowful days can take the wind out of a person's sail fairly quickly, although, some would argue that it's all relative and that it mostly boils down to simple perspective---that it's not about what bad things happen to us, but how we react to those things that counts. Well, okay, sure..... sometimes. 

The author is right though; that is, it doesn't matter how popular, wealthy, or beautiful we are, because we all end up the same. But curiously, this does not generally fit the profile of a person of faith. No, because a person of faith has convinced him or herself that some of us definitely do end up better off than others. Not because of wealth or popularity, but because of belief. If you have the right beliefs floating around in your head? You're good to go. And this should be a no-brainer, should it not? Well, sure it should, provided we can just choose what to believe or not believe.

I won't pretend to know where the author stands, but I think it's a safe bet that if she's a person of faith that she is now experiencing doubt and skepticism. Maybe even cynicism? And if so, so what? Doubt is a normal reaction anytime ideas or even real events cause cognitive dissonance. Skepticism? Skepticism weeds out error.  And cynicism? Isn't it warranted sometimes? A parent tells his or her child that they are coming home, but 10, 20, 30, 40 years later the parent is still a no-show? How could this not make a child cynical?

While I am sad to read that the author feels alone and fears she will be forgotten, I'm glad to hear her at least mention a few things that give her life meaning here and now, even if it's just memories. Because this is where the true rewards are; that is, the only ones that we can know for sure we have. Let these memories be the umbrella that covers Autumn's head.

Yes.


Okay, I typed "Yes", because, sure, while I agree that it's totally possible that someone can convince themselves that someone they know or are acquainted with is a bad person; and while I agree that it's also possible that their reason for doing such a thing could be an attempt to not have to deal with the guilt or responsibility of the hurt that they might have caused the person they are pretending is bad, I would say that this is just a little too simplistic. Rarely is life as simplistic as the authors of our favorite memes and inspirational quotes would like to make it.

It seems to me that it would be careless to not consider all of the variables in instances when internet quotes attempt to deal with interpersonal relationships, especially if a meme is being directed at a specific person, say, on social media. For starters, what if the person who presumably feels guilty about the thing or things that they've done to someone else is in fact not pretending? Is it not possible that both parties in a falling out can be "bad"? Of course, this is loosely assuming that everyone agrees on what "bad" means. I mean, rarely is someone inherently a "bad" person, and if they are, it's usually a mental disorder..e.g...a defect that causes them to be amoral. At least an immoral person knows when they've acted immorally. But I digress...

Queue the "Two wrongs don't make a right!" quote. And fine---I agree that two wrongs don't make a right. All day. But what about a situation in which both parties feel wronged about something the other did? Could it not just be that there's no need for pretending on anyone's part? What if one party, despite feeling wronged, longs for reconciliation, while the other doesn't? Or wait, what if the person who did the wronging doesn't want reconciliation? And another possibility; what if one party feels that a trespass was on such a level of egregiousness that the subsequent damage it caused is irreparable?

Whether it's a friendship, a romance, or a business venture, it seems that there is some level of commitment required.

Trust.

As a lot people will likely attest, once trust is gone it's usually very hard to get back, and in the rare instances where it happens, it takes a tremendous amount of work to maintain it. Is it worth all that work? I'm thinking that this is up to the individuals involved. Some people just may not want to do all that work, and sometimes that's okay. It could be that what is coming is better than what is gone <3