| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Bob Dog" |
| Date: |
03 Nov 2003 07:51:47 AM |
| Object: |
A William Edelen essay, "Deleting god" |
While digging around for something else this evening, I ran
across this little gem from the ever reasonable William Edelen.
Read and enjoy. (I edited this for line length, not content.)
http://www.williamedelen.com/sep212003.html
Bob Dog
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DELETING GOD
William Edelen
September 21, 2003
Blessed are the Atheists...Agnostics...Deists...Mystics...
Humanists...Free Thinkers...Taoist...Buddhist...and all others
who do not have an archaic, primitive God in their mind/brain.
Blessed are they for they do not believe that a God is on
their side.
Blesses are they for they do not participate in holy wars,
Jihads or Crusades.
Blessed are they for they would never be martyrs for the
"glory of God"
Blessed are they for they do not condemn others as heretics or
infidels.
Blessed are they for they do not conduct inquisitions nor
slaughter millions of women as "witches"
Blessed are they for they do not participate in sectarian
violence, or harass little Catholic school girls walking
through their neighborhood.
Blessed are they who do not twist biblical words to condemn
homosexuality as a sin, nor to condemn a woman's right to
choose.
Blessed are they who would never say that a terrorist act is
God's punishment against those who do not believe or think
as they do.
Blessed are they who know that the only hell that exists is
right here on earth created by man. And that it is in man's
hands alone to create a heaven here on earth through
intelligence, empathy and love.
Blessed are they who do not trust a fantasy "God" to save
humanity from its follies.
Blessed are they who realize that the United States is NOT a
religious state, but a secular state that allows all belief
systems, including freedom from any religious beliefs.
Who are these people I am blessing? They are everywhere around
you...nurses...doctors...teachers... business men and women...
lawyers...mechanics...farmers...ranchers...police...housewives
.....students... the military...(yes, I knew many Marines who
were atheists or agnostics) They are often afraid to speak out
about their belief for fear of the radical, psychotic insanity
in our society equating God with patriotism.
Many surveys on "Religion and Public Life" indicate that there
are around fifty million citizens in our society who are "free
thinkers" and not associated with any religious tradition. They
are indeed the "silent majority."
Following many lectures on this subject I have been overwhelmed
by people saying to me..."thank you.. thank you for giving me
the courage to come out of the closet and speak freely about
what I actually believe..which is none of the Christian
brainwashing stuff." And today,"Jews without God" is one of the
major movements in humanistic Judaism.
To clear the cobwebs of a biblical God out of the human brain
is no easy task. It means cleaning out all of the brainwashing,
indoctrination and ministerial cliches and giving your head,
mind and spirit a fresh start. A recent book review of "A
Spiritual Response to the Attack on America" brought out the
fact that most of the essays were the usual cliches filled
pablum. Like, you know, God gives us free will...God was there
loving the survivors...and all of that theological ministerial
mush and gobble-de-gook. Only one essay got to the heart of the
issue by Episcopal Bishop John Spong who wrote "The Theistic
God is Dead".
The "God" being presented to us was a mish-mash of meaningless
images. A God who loves the families left behind....A God who
was on the last thoughts of the murderers as they drove their
planes into the buildings...A God for America who now demands
"justice" and wants to help us bomb them back into the stone
age. "God Bless America" is a song still being played on almost
every radio station ad nauseam.
Are you aware of the fact that the song is a prayer for only
orthodox Jews and Christians. This nation has close to a hundred
million citizens that are neither Jews or Christians and who do
not believe that there is a "God" "out there" to bless America.
The centuries are sick with a God made in man's image and
imagination who shares the same nationalistic pride...arrogance
and ignorance...whether it be the countries of Islam...Israel
or America.
My opening paragraph was "Blessed are the atheists...agnostics...
deists...mystics and so forth." There is no primitive God "out
there" in any of these perspectives and yet many of them stand
in awe before the incomprehensible mystery that saturates the
entire cosmos, even as do I...A Mystery that has nothing to do
with an archaic, primitive biblical, superstitious "God" who
"blesses us".
"Standing in wonder before this Mystery" wrote Einstein "is the
source of all true art and true science."
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