A potential roadblock to heaven
Cornerstore Epiphanies
Tiffany Oliver
Issue date: 10/30/09 Section: Opinion
Currently, I am surrounded by a lot of people who are pushing the idea of a higher power and God, trying to pressure me into believing that there is one all-seeing, all-powerful god that controls everything. Now, I have never been a religious person, and have never been to church, or read large parts of the Bible, so one should not take me as an authority on the topic. However, I have always had trouble believing that a God exists and somehow controls each person's life, or at least is aware of everything happening in everyone's life.
There is nothing wrong or unsettling with people who choose to believe in God or practice a religion, as long as they are not killing in the name of that god or religion. My roadblock is when people blame or credit God for every bad or good decision they make. It is improbable that one god can be completely aware of everyone's struggles, and at the same time is capable of either making choices or guiding people through every problem that ever occurs. If God exists, he is a very interesting creature. He creates man; man destroys himself and the world. I doubt a holy being would create such a corrupt creature, a creature which finds means to destroy his own species and then readily destroys others. You don't see lions working in crystal meth labs or selling deadly objects to other lions to make a few bucks.
Why would a god be satisfied with the whole human being experiment, anyway? It seems to me that man has only regressed, not evolved. Man is more complex, dangerous, deadly. Cavemen worried more about surviving, hunting, and gathering than starting wars with other cavemen about which god is the right one. Certainly no God would want to be the subject of murderous wars. If there is a higher power, he has neither the time nor the desire to guide every individual to the right decision. Rather, he guarantees that every person always has a choice, one of which is better than the other.
Choices allow man to make the right or wrong decision, and only the individual can choose how to live life. I believe that there is some sort of karma-driven force, and that man can attain spiritual nirvana independently of organized religion, and that practicing religion is the only way for some people to force them to be good people. However, "good" people are capable of doing the right thing even if they do not go to church or pray, while some people need religion's guideline on how to be a "good" person. If that is what religion is, then it is a positive force.
However, too many people attribute every action to a god instead of claiming responsibility for that action. The concept of heaven and hell makes it easier to accept death, because if your life on earth is undesirable, then at least there is someplace where you stand a chance to be rewarded. Salvation makes reality acceptable, because the world is a backward place where good people do not always get what they deserve, and bad people can live an indulgent life.
Too many are over reliant on religion and God to the degree where they may not accept responsibility for their own surroundings, or they attribute every "sign" in the world to the workings of a higher being. It seems that it may just be a human tendency to create these signs, and blaming signs on something else makes it easier to accept. Religion is not evil or bad, as it helps more people than it hurts. I simply believe that man underestimates himself.
There is nothing wrong or unsettling with people who choose to believe in God or practice a religion, as long as they are not killing in the name of that god or religion. My roadblock is when people blame or credit God for every bad or good decision they make. It is improbable that one god can be completely aware of everyone's struggles, and at the same time is capable of either making choices or guiding people through every problem that ever occurs. If God exists, he is a very interesting creature. He creates man; man destroys himself and the world. I doubt a holy being would create such a corrupt creature, a creature which finds means to destroy his own species and then readily destroys others. You don't see lions working in crystal meth labs or selling deadly objects to other lions to make a few bucks.
Why would a god be satisfied with the whole human being experiment, anyway? It seems to me that man has only regressed, not evolved. Man is more complex, dangerous, deadly. Cavemen worried more about surviving, hunting, and gathering than starting wars with other cavemen about which god is the right one. Certainly no God would want to be the subject of murderous wars. If there is a higher power, he has neither the time nor the desire to guide every individual to the right decision. Rather, he guarantees that every person always has a choice, one of which is better than the other.
Choices allow man to make the right or wrong decision, and only the individual can choose how to live life. I believe that there is some sort of karma-driven force, and that man can attain spiritual nirvana independently of organized religion, and that practicing religion is the only way for some people to force them to be good people. However, "good" people are capable of doing the right thing even if they do not go to church or pray, while some people need religion's guideline on how to be a "good" person. If that is what religion is, then it is a positive force.
However, too many people attribute every action to a god instead of claiming responsibility for that action. The concept of heaven and hell makes it easier to accept death, because if your life on earth is undesirable, then at least there is someplace where you stand a chance to be rewarded. Salvation makes reality acceptable, because the world is a backward place where good people do not always get what they deserve, and bad people can live an indulgent life.
Too many are over reliant on religion and God to the degree where they may not accept responsibility for their own surroundings, or they attribute every "sign" in the world to the workings of a higher being. It seems that it may just be a human tendency to create these signs, and blaming signs on something else makes it easier to accept. Religion is not evil or bad, as it helps more people than it hurts. I simply believe that man underestimates himself.
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