Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Is God mean?

I'm in the middle of read The Sparrow right now, science fiction filled with religion, totally my kind of book. It was talking about missionaries going to place they knew they would get killed, beaten, and tortured and being driven by the idea that it is better for them to endure that in hopes that the people they are trying to "save" wouldn't endure eternal punishment from God. I just had to put the book down for a moment and ask "Is God really that mean? Are the missionaries more compassionate and loving because they are willing to again and again be tortured for the sake of someone else?" How completely messed up is that?

I'm not a nice person. I do mean stuff to people. I won't let you know what those things are just in case someone reading this is someone I've been mean to, but trust me, it happens. Anyway, the little stuff I do doesn't seem like it deserves eternal punishment. What about eye for an eye? I'm rude when I'm tired and then deserve "weeping and gnashing of teeth". There seems to be something seriously wrong with this kind of theology.

Why did we create such a hateful god?

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