Sent
to The Star, Johannesburg, Mon 18/10/2010 23:30
Elise D van der Pijl (Star Letters, October 10 2010)
does not believe that the followers of what she calls "God's Word"
over the centuries have been mislead by myth. Arlene Chaperon (also October 10) is offended
and maintains the Bible is the Word of God.
Indeed, over much of recorded history, mankind
has believed in gods. Not just one god. Hundreds. With divergent points of view. Which, if any, was right?
If you are a Christian and believe that Christ
is "the light, the Truth, and the way" and that no man comes to the
Father but through him, you aren't allowed to believe with the Muslims that
there is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet. Your three gods are also inconsistent with the
Jewish belief that "the Lord our God, the Lord is One".
Yes, there is a slight-of-hand by which
Christians claim a three-is-one god, to appear monotheistic, but I have yet to
find one who will lend me three hundred Rand and accept repayment with one
hundred since three equals one.
If you are a Christian, a majority of the
world's population thinks you are wrong. A Muslim? The majority of the world disagrees
with your beliefs. Likewise for Hindus,
Jews, Pastafarians*, name any superstition you like.
How come you had the luck to find (usually to be
born into) the one true religion, and everyone else is headed for damnation?
Why is it that no religion's followers are
blessed more than those of any other? How come your reward comes only after death, unverifiable
by any objective means?
It is more likely that all religions are false;
political creations used to manipulate the gullible.
Van der Pijl and Chaperon have personal
relationships with their god. People of
religions around the world commune in many ways with their diverse gods. This can involve altered states of
consciousness of all sorts. Trances,
self-hypnosis, mass hysteria, etc. seem very convincing to the participants. They show what the human physiology is capable
of. And how powerful self-delusion and
wishful thinking can be. They do not
prove that there is a god.
Reality check: If gods, capable of creating the
universe, exist and want contact with us, why do they not manifest in physical
form? Why not have residential and
postal addresses, telephones, e-mail, and Facebook pages? Where are their superhuman ambassadors to the
UN and the nations? Surely this would
settle the controversy?
No. If
superior beings exist, as yet undetected by science, they do not seem concerned
about our welfare nor care whether we worship them or not. Stop living in fear of myths, and start living
a life of freedom!
* Pastafarians = The Church of the Flying
Spaghetti Monster. Not to be confused
with Rastafarians.
No comments:
Post a Comment