Saturday, December 20, 2008
Shouldnt the question be, Why Evil, not How?
I wonder if it is possible to take a look at the early beliefs of Christianity and be Logical? I find it interesting that the basis for "Original Sin" is taken from a Jewish story and Jews dont believe in Original Sin. So lets see what Adam and Eve are guilty of.
Genesis 2:16-17
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
So let me get this straight, if Adam hasnt eaten from the tree yet, how can he have any knowledge of good and evil? It seems to me he is being judged while not having been given the proper skills to know the difference. That seems blatantly unfair. But lets back up for one minute. Adam is doing ok, but God thinks he should have a playmate, obviously God would know if Adam is lonely(so much for perfection in the company of God), so Eve is now created. Now again I would like to point out, these 2 individuals are with God in a Garden of perfection, they have everything they need, BUT they desire something more, even though they were explicitly told not to take it.
Genesis 3:2-3
"We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
So here we have God saying dont touch this tree or you will die, but how in the world can we expect them to understand the consequence of that act if they still dont have the knowledge of Good and Evil? Isnt that the same as telling a baby to not do something without giving them the skills to understand why? Now even more shocking than not having the proper information on Good and Evil, it also seems God created them with desire for something other than what they have. Wow this is pretty Logical so far.
Ok now it gets really Freaky. Here come the Christians to add something to the story that wasnt in the original, because of what Adam and Eve have done, all the successive generations of humans will be blamed for it, hence "Original Sin". So let me get this straight, because of something my great, great, great........grandfather did(who by the way, didnt understand why it was wrong), I now get blamed for it also. I have no choice in the matter, I am guilty by default. Doesnt this logic get more impressive as we go? This interpretation of the story and its affects on people who believe(and indirectly the ones who dont) is just so profoundly Unjust.
But wait it now gets even more "Logical". Jesus is now to be the "messiah" that the Jews foretold of and he would take the stain of original sin and save us all. Forget the fact that the Jews dont believe it, it becomes Logical because Christians say it is. The really interesting part about this is, not only is Jesus the Messiah, hes also God incarnate. At this moment I think we may want to back up a little bit. The original story concerning the Messiah has no reference to him being "God Incarnate" in fact, this is Blasphemous to the Authors and followers of the 1st story. So here we have one group of people, taking another groups story and then re-telling it the way they think it should be read, regardless if that is not the way it was intended!
This is sooooo convoluted. Mind you I never was very Logical.
So let me get back to the title of the post. Do any of us "know" why Evil seems to be present in the world? I dont need to know the "How"
Genesis 2:16-17
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
So let me get this straight, if Adam hasnt eaten from the tree yet, how can he have any knowledge of good and evil? It seems to me he is being judged while not having been given the proper skills to know the difference. That seems blatantly unfair. But lets back up for one minute. Adam is doing ok, but God thinks he should have a playmate, obviously God would know if Adam is lonely(so much for perfection in the company of God), so Eve is now created. Now again I would like to point out, these 2 individuals are with God in a Garden of perfection, they have everything they need, BUT they desire something more, even though they were explicitly told not to take it.
Genesis 3:2-3
"We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
So here we have God saying dont touch this tree or you will die, but how in the world can we expect them to understand the consequence of that act if they still dont have the knowledge of Good and Evil? Isnt that the same as telling a baby to not do something without giving them the skills to understand why? Now even more shocking than not having the proper information on Good and Evil, it also seems God created them with desire for something other than what they have. Wow this is pretty Logical so far.
Ok now it gets really Freaky. Here come the Christians to add something to the story that wasnt in the original, because of what Adam and Eve have done, all the successive generations of humans will be blamed for it, hence "Original Sin". So let me get this straight, because of something my great, great, great........grandfather did(who by the way, didnt understand why it was wrong), I now get blamed for it also. I have no choice in the matter, I am guilty by default. Doesnt this logic get more impressive as we go? This interpretation of the story and its affects on people who believe(and indirectly the ones who dont) is just so profoundly Unjust.
But wait it now gets even more "Logical". Jesus is now to be the "messiah" that the Jews foretold of and he would take the stain of original sin and save us all. Forget the fact that the Jews dont believe it, it becomes Logical because Christians say it is. The really interesting part about this is, not only is Jesus the Messiah, hes also God incarnate. At this moment I think we may want to back up a little bit. The original story concerning the Messiah has no reference to him being "God Incarnate" in fact, this is Blasphemous to the Authors and followers of the 1st story. So here we have one group of people, taking another groups story and then re-telling it the way they think it should be read, regardless if that is not the way it was intended!
This is sooooo convoluted. Mind you I never was very Logical.
So let me get back to the title of the post. Do any of us "know" why Evil seems to be present in the world? I dont need to know the "How"
Friday, December 12, 2008
Crystal Ball, Crystal Clear? For those of us who like the Question.
This post was inspired by my internet friend Doug at Freestyle road trip. Ive recently been following several blogs that seem to have similar threads. It seems the whole bunch of us are all wondering the same thing and with that wonder we all seem to profess to have a crystal ball, or at least the desire to get one. Its funny reading from atheists, Jews, Christians, Deists and many more, that we all have the same wish. To at least have a glimpse of what its all about. This song is for Doug and his Mid life questions. Happy 40th Doug.
I used to like to walk the straight and narrow line
I used to think that everything was fine
Sometimes Id like to sit and gaze for days through sleepless dreams
All alone and trapped in time
All alone and trapped in time
I wonder what tomorrow has in mind for me
Or am I even in its mind at all
Perhaps Ill get a chance to look ahead and see
Soon as I find myself a crystal ball
Soon as I find myself a crystal ball
Tell me, tell me where Im going
I dont know where Ive been
Tell me, tell me, wont you tell me
And then tell me again
My heart is breaking, my bodys aching
And I dont know where to go
Tell me, tell me, wont you tell me
Ive just got to know
Crystal ball
Theres so many things I need to know
Crystal ball
Theres so many things Ive got to know,
Crystal ball
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Are we so Bad that we need to be Saved?
After several recent conversations, it got me thinking(again). Are we really such bad people that we need to be "Saved". I mean ,like really, do the majority of us continually do crappy stuff to each other, everyday all day long? I like to think that my fellow Human has just as many Good moments as they do bad, and if that is the case then why do many Christians feel the need to see themselves as inherently bad? Im wondering fellow bloggers, do you see yourselves as inherently bad or good?
Hope you like the vid. ;)
Hope you like the vid. ;)
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