A Fragile Deity
It may be flattering to think that Thor, Odin, or Zeus, or the God of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam (or any of their thousands of sects), can’t get along without me. But I’m afraid I’m not their guy.
This isn’t to pick and choose amongst the constellation of deities claiming sole place– that’s your business, not mine. It’s just to suggest that a deity who can’t cut it without your help or mine may not do us much good when we really need assistance.
Zealots in America are busy passing all kinds of laws to protect themselves, their kids, and their God from anything which might offend their dainty sensibilities, while in Pakistan the allegation of blasphemy is all it takes to let you decapitate a neighbour or boss who has annoyed you. Pakistan at least doesn’t suffer the hypocrisy of claiming the separation of church and state.
There’s nothing new here. Since the beginning of time we’ve taken it upon ourselves to slay all the Amalekites, or pagans, or infidels (reserving for ourselves such of the women and cattle as struck our fancy), all in God’s name. We take little kids away from their families, because God wants them to grow up as Christian Whites. And today we sow discord amongst friends and families because God doesn’t like vaccines or gay people. And we do so piously, claiming we are just doing God’s work.
This is not a screed in favour of atheism, which after all is only another untethered faith choice. Nor is it to support agnosticism, which has just as many intellectually lazy adherents as any other belief.
Perhaps it’s just to wonder what ever happened to the teachings of the man who showed up two thousand years ago and said “my kingdom is not of this world”, “render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and render unto God the things which are God’s”, implored us to turn the other cheek, and when he was betrayed and led off to certain death, told his excited friend to put away his sword.
Kris Kristofferson probably got it right when he sang (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmJU-T4brPk) , “Reckon we’d just nail him up if he came down again.”
Sad to say, isn’t it?