What if every student had to take an unspecified
required class as part of their education? No class name, description, or
teacher listed.
Upon walking in, students see hundreds of various
textbooks, and sit down, expecting the teacher to show up. No one comes. After
a week, the students start to get annoyed, “we must be here every day, why
doesn't the teacher have to be?” Students flip through the textbooks, and read
the ones they like. For months, students start bicker and argue that their book
is the correct one.
On the last day, the teacher walks in and says,
“I've been watching all along.” He sends the students with the correct book out
to a celebration, and sets everyone else on fire.
Question for you: Is this fair?
I don’t think so. If this actually happened, it
would be a worldwide story, an epidemic of outrage and demands for change.
This happens everyday, but is never a story in the
media.
Religion.
Note: Blue Rectangles is
not a faith blog. Not at all. I may do one more post on popular verses and
sayings that are misinterpreted. It’s exasperating!!!!!
We continuously argue and fight over what book and
beliefs are the correct ones. People go to war to prove they’re right. People
say you are going to (their version of) hell if you don’t believe what they do
and don't practice faith exactly the same way.
Or some tell you that you can't join them because
of this or that.
I wasn't allowed to attend Sunday School, and thus
the church, because I was disabled. Spoiler: I'm still disabled.
I admit, I know some about Christianity, Buddhism,
and atheism. I know nothing beyond those. I did attend church as a young kid,
but too young to remember any of it. I don't think I would have enjoyed going
anyway. I don't know what I believe either.
Most faiths have some sort of heaven, judgment/purgatory,
and hell. Plus an indulgence system. I'm going to talk about Christianity for
the rest of this post.
If you do this long list of things and don't sin,
you get to go to heaven. Jesus took all your sins, so sinning is ok. If you ask
for forgiveness, you’ll be saved. You have to convince enough people to join
you. Do everything priests, pastors, reverends tell you to.
Else, you are going to hell. At least, that is what
we’re told.
Is this the truth? I don't know.
Does this make sense? Not to me.
A.
Genesis 3 and stories of God killing about
sin and punishment.
B.
Genesis 1 and many books are about
goodness, forgiveness, and love. Jesus.
I think every Christian believes in B, that Jesus
is the heart of faith. Let's say B is truth.
As much as I take comfort in believing people go to
hell, I don't believe hell exists. Hell doesn't make sense.
We are children of God. God loves his children, and
made the world to his likeness and in his image. He rested on the seventh day
because all was perfect. If we turn our backs on him and disobey, he will
always welcome us back. The Parable of the Lost Son is an example. He knows
every thought we have and every action we make, and yet he still wants us to be
with him.
Jesus is 100% man and God, and never sins. We were
supposed to die for our sins, but out of love, Jesus was sent to die in our
place and take all our sins. His only son sacrificed for us. “Forgive them
Father, for they know not what they do.” That's huge. But before death, he
performs miracles and heals people.
Jesus also fulfilled the covenants, the agreements
with man and God, a partnership. The first is with Noah, to never flood the
Earth again, and Noah has to do nothing in return. God promises to be faithful
despite knowing we won’t be. The second, third, and fourth are two-sided with
Abraham, Israel, and David. All of these fall apart.
God fulfills all these partnerships with himself,
through Jesus. He’s part of Abraham and David’s family, and is an Israelite
that obeys. We failed, but he still fulfills his promises.
I don't know if a higher power exists. I’ll
question this all my life, and I am ok with it. If he exists, I believe there
is a judgment period of some sort. It's a very common belief that God will
judge whether we go to heaven or hell. I see two major flaws in this thinking.
First, if we all see judgment day, and God knows
all, then weren’t our fates determined the moment he made the universe? How
does this fit with his gift of free will? He says we can repent and redeem
ourselves. Is it truly free will if our fates are set long before we have life?
Why bother repenting and asking for forgiveness? Then why do we have to stand
before him on judgment day?
Second, hell doesn't exist.
Instead, I think there is a neutral and peaceful
place after death but before heaven where the judge is ourselves. A place we
can think, reflect, and feel all the /emotions we buried over our lifetimes. A
place we face all the things we avoided and see the pain and happiness we
caused. A place to heal and forgive. And a place where you can sit beside God/Jesus
and talk whenever you like. There's no time limit. You are his child. His one
desire is to be with you, listen, love, help, and support you. He will answer
every question you ask. Only you decide when it's time to move on, and
reconnect with everything you lost. Friends, family, pets, childhood,
innocence, the list is endless.
Question for you: Why
would God do all this for humans and then send people to hell?
I pretty much have dreaded, for any reason, going
in a church or talking to a pastor my entire life. I am still iffy about
stepping in a church, since I apparently don't belong. Will I be welcomed and
accepted? Are all people accepted under this roof?
I may be a member someday, I may not. I'm more
drawn to the community aspect. A hip church leader/pastor would be a must.
:)
I never ever have conversations about faith. They almost always turn into a persuasion battle, and I don't like being told what to believe about any topic. I don't like telling people what they should believe…well, mostly. Plus, people think they know what they're talking about, when they don’t. Quite annoying!
Feel free to let me know
what you think! Here, Facebook, the contact me form, anything. By owl.
Whatever.
Housekeeping Rule #6 from my
Introduction post: If you want notifications about new posts, let me know! I’ll
post on the Blue Rectangles Facebook Page too. You can also give me contact
info under “Contact Me” if you want some other type of notification (email,
text, tweet, snapchat…etc). No BCC crap from me!
