False gods, Part II.
Just in time for church!
Read Part 1 here.
Evangelicals will pass off the OT (Old Testament) as that was then/this is now/the new covenant, as if the OT God was merely grumpy and slammed down endless laws the Jews couldn’t fulfill because of original sin. That’s why we needed Jesus — the scapegoat driven into the desert after being poked, spit upon and tortured. Pastors will stick with the NT (New Testament) for the most part, unless a story or law is needed to solidify a moral point (slavery, treatment of women, the gays, etc). Most of the time, the OT God is ignored because that God is tricky and threatens job security. Pull Him out for an appearance now and then — but straight back to casting because Jesus — he’s the One now.
It’s necessary to re-examine the God I inherited through fearful parents who thought they were doing right, saving me from hell.
Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it. Prov. 22:6.
If you show autonomy, intelligence or the slightest doubt over what you are being taught — then you are a backslider. You learn very quickly to NOT go against the shoulds, especially if you live with an angry father, the earthly embodiment of our heavenly Father. No doubt allowed — only faith. Faith in the unseen mystery and absolutely no statements such as:
Why are there NO originals of the Gospels but copies upon copies upon copies that eventually became the NT — yet Biblical inerrancy is still claimed?
Which gospel was written first? (Most Christians couldn’t answer this.) The writer of Mark didn’t know Jesus. Nor the authors of Matthew, Luke or John. All were written nearly 100 years after Jesus died from oral stories passed from generation to generation. How accurate was that game of telephone? Mark was the 1st book, then Matthew/Luke and John much later. The Pauline epistles were the earliest.
Matthew and Luke borrowed heavily from Mark and the “Q” book, embellishing as needed for their agenda. John had a completely different take.
Why are there numerous depictions of the virgin birth, resurrection and Jesus sightings — and they contradict each other?
Why was The Gospel of Peter included in the original canon (see Serapion) and later rejected by the Orthodox Fathers? Why were select books chosen for the NT and even more cast aside?
Which NT books are widely considered forgeries? (I’ll let you look that one up.)
Where is the concrete evidence of the exodus? Moses? No outside source has been found. Call me crazy but you’d think at least one Egyptian scribe would mention 2 million slaves escaping town and crossing the Red Sea.
Why was Jesus a footnote and one of many “Messiahs” rather than a well-known prophet at the time?
Was Jesus misunderstood as a heavenly Messiah — when he may have been an earthly one come to defeat the Romans and set up his kingdom on Earth?
How much of the historical Jesus is real — or myth?
We drink and eat the body of Christ and yet deny that we worship human sacrifice. Please explain.
I spent 23 years in an evangelical church, private Christian schools from 7th grade through college, studied Greek and Latin. My questions aren’t original. Not ONE pastor ever broached these contradictions, though they learned the same facts in seminary. Why? Doubt. It might initiate a search for truth. You are a false prophet and lead people astray by questioning the authenticity of the Bible. How dare you examine your religion! Devotion is so much easier.
Do Christians spend as much time dialing into an examination of their beliefs from a historical-critical perspective as say . . . a Yelp review for dinner and a movie?
False gods need you to ignore facts and blindly worship. NEVER question them. They need you to have an apocalyptic mindset so that terror thrums in the background because you never know when Jesus will return. They need you to indoctrinate (sacrifice?) your children even though you might not believe what you teach them about God. I mean, if they don’t have religion, they may be immoral and do bad things! What will we tell the religious grandparents and our church friends?
Imagine saying this to your child every night before bed: You’re bad, bad, bad but it’s not your fault. We all are sinful but Jesus takes away your sin but you have to accept him or you’re going to hell. Your friends are going to hell. Your animals aren’t going to heaven, either. Oh, you’re a girl? You started it all. You can’t be a pastor or teach men. Just look pretty and keep your mouth shut.
Outrageous! you’d say. I’d never say that to my kids!
Children remember. I sat through all of those services. But I’m not afraid of Dad anymore.
Put it all under the microscope. The God of pre and present Christianity. The whole, gory mess — not just Jesus. Jesus is easy. Give me the outlandish prosperity gospel and the human sacrifice found in the Eucharist. The excluded books, hatred of women, the maniacal love. Give it to me and I will hand back my questions and doubt. I’ll see through the myths and legends, amazed at boldfaced lies to prove a point. I’m not afraid to call out false gods and sweep them off my altar. The embellishment of the Gospels, the myth of the Exodus, the bold mistranslations used to harm others, including Jesus. Rather than dust off God, I’m throwing Him out — like the records once burned by Christians when Amy Grant turned “secular” and sang Baby, Baby.
I thought my religion was built on solid rock but it’s paper thin. I still have a thing for Amy Grant, though.
Myth and legend are powerful forces. So is tribalism and fear of hell. When it’s drummed into a soft, impressionable mind, it lodges there like a virus, erupting in all sorts of mutations.
It takes courage to examine the sickness of faith and still retain enlightenment.
To stand in nakedness when all of what you once believed is gone; when you have the wisdom to destroy your false idols without the dread of hell — then you’re on the road to discerning God.
At least one can hope.