An Answer to a Friend

My friend, Misty posted a blog that ended with the question: Do we have to give up the person God has helped us come to be, to become the person Christians think we should be?

She's my friend and I dig her, but this is a stupid question. The easy answer is NO, but the first half raises an eyebrow. Did God really help anyone become anyone?

If someone scored a touchdown then kneels and prayed to thank God, did he really help him score? Does God watch football?

If someone becomes a bigillionaire and thanks God, was it God's fault and not the wise investments or lottery that got them the bigillions?

Did God make crackhead Phil into a crackhead?

God is an easy excuse. If he exists, (statistically there is a 54 percent chance that he does) why would he single out individuals for success and/or failure? The answer is he wouldn't.

As small children we are indoctrinated with some bastardized version of a religion that keeps growing farther and farther from the original focus to the point where it has become an excuse for judgementalism and bad behavior.

A perfect example is Fred Phelps and his whole whack job family that stage "Christian" demonstrations outside the funerals of fallen soldiers because they actually believe that God is allowing our soldiers to be killed to teach us a lesson about homosexuality.

Christianity is WAY too convenient. You can fuck up all you want to, say you're sorry, and all is forgiven? How quaint, and what an excuse for bad behavior. If you actually believe that the world was condemned to hell for all eternity until Christ paid the price for everybody, then every breath should be in thanks and awe for lifting such a heavy burden. We all know that NO ONE does or is even capable of that.

Why?

Because most Christians are only "good Christians" when it's convenient. Living according to Christ's teachings is hard stuff. Turning the other cheek never happens. Loving one's neighbor never happens. Christ didn't condemn and judge others he just loved them.

Misty, you should be proud of yourself and your accomplishments. You should continue down the path YOU have chosen. If you choose to believe in God, then do so and do it well. Just don't buy into all the shit that his followers will force-feed you. "Hate the sin, love the sinner" is one of the biggest pieces of bullshit that they can give you. In Christianity there is no room for hate.

Use your logical mind. If there is a God, it makes sense that he is capable of a compassion that we cannot possibly comprehend. As long as you don't go out of your way to make him look like an asshole then you're doing better than the throngs of mindless followers that go around hating gays, and casting judgment to make up for their own transgressions.