Who the hell am I to question the scriptures?
I went to mass for Easter. I went for the sake of Mrs. Wife and The Daughters. It’s important to them and I respect that. I even went to communion. 8-Year Old Daughter is receiving her first communion in May and I wanted to set a good example. I’m glad I didn’t burst into flames when the host touched my tongue. That would have sent the wrong message.
Even though I left the church years ago, I still try to keep an open mind and listen hard to the readings and sermons. This was a portion of the gospel reading:
God raised him up the third day, and gave him to be revealed, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen before by God, to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
Acts 10:40-41
If Christ wanted to pave the way for mankind to embrace Christianity, he should have shown Himself to the masses, not just a chosen few. If you had been there, would you have believed them? Would you have taken their word for it? “He’s not dead. But only we’re allowed to see him.” That’s too convenient.
The night before Easter I was watching the annual broadcast of The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston. (What a ham.) Marking a doorway with lamb’s blood to avoid the wrath of the Angel of Death made no sense to me. Why would they need to do that? If the Angel of Death is an omnipotent spirit, wouldn’t it, by its own supernatural power, know which houses were Hebrew and which were Egyptian? Isn’t doing something worldly like smearing blood on the door superfluous? It's a good thing the Egyptians didn't catch on or it would have blown the whole operation.
And commanding Abraham to slay his son to prove his devotion is sadistic and cruel.
I don’t understand any of it. And I attended a parochial school! It all boils down to a very simple equation; you either believe or you don’t.
Even though I left the church years ago, I still try to keep an open mind and listen hard to the readings and sermons. This was a portion of the gospel reading:
God raised him up the third day, and gave him to be revealed, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen before by God, to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
Acts 10:40-41
If Christ wanted to pave the way for mankind to embrace Christianity, he should have shown Himself to the masses, not just a chosen few. If you had been there, would you have believed them? Would you have taken their word for it? “He’s not dead. But only we’re allowed to see him.” That’s too convenient.
The night before Easter I was watching the annual broadcast of The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston. (What a ham.) Marking a doorway with lamb’s blood to avoid the wrath of the Angel of Death made no sense to me. Why would they need to do that? If the Angel of Death is an omnipotent spirit, wouldn’t it, by its own supernatural power, know which houses were Hebrew and which were Egyptian? Isn’t doing something worldly like smearing blood on the door superfluous? It's a good thing the Egyptians didn't catch on or it would have blown the whole operation.
And commanding Abraham to slay his son to prove his devotion is sadistic and cruel.
I don’t understand any of it. And I attended a parochial school! It all boils down to a very simple equation; you either believe or you don’t.
posted by The Unbearable Banishment at
11:33 AM
13 Comments:
I don't.... cuz it doesn't make any sense to me either.
And I won't go to church except for weddings and funerals... heathen that I am. ;-)
It's all a test of your faith, you see (a test I failed).
No offense, I don't think you are doing yourself any favors keeping an open mind. Religion poisons everything, and as I teach my kids-- all you can do is decide what you believe, and I don't think you can base that on what everyone and their mother forces down your throat.
Was that harsh? Oh well.
... and I don't believe either
while in puerto rico, i had the pleasure of watching "The Ten Commandments" dubbed in Spanish. He's a ham in any language, but Yul Brenner is tasty in a skirt.
THAT is the extent of my commentary on religion. i got nuthin'...
Och... each to their own. Freedom to believe is what it's really all about. May your own god go with you.
On the other hand, I always wonder why nonbelievers go through the motions with Christmas presents and Easter eggs? Why go through the added expense and stress to commemorate a meaningless day?
Ponita: I go because it's important to my family. And I try to get involved but the words bounce off my thick skull.
PG: Our faith is tested every day. I'm sure you pass with flying colors when it matters.
FGIS: I agree that religion has been an incredibly destructive force in humanity. But it's not ALL evil. I helped my mother tremendously.
Nurse: That seem to be consensus here in the comment section, but not out in the real world.
Daisy: Yes, if I was a gal or gay, I think Yul might be my type.
Jimmy: That's exactly how I feel. If it helps you and you're not hurting others, embrace whatever you need to embrace.
HIF: I've always participated in Christmas for it's secular celebrations. The whole town lights up. Dare I say? Christmas has, in some ways, transcended religion.
A few weeks ago my 17 yr old son told me he was an atheist, and although I myself am not, I'm fine with that. But yesterday at lunch the kids were talking about someone converting to LDS, and I said that I would be very disappointed if they did that because it would mean that all of my parenting in teaching them to think for themselves failed.
That's what I think of organized religion.
we do what we need to for those we love, sugar. miss daisy still wants her paschal lamb on easter, but i drew the line at mint jelly! :~D xoxoxo
(there was a part of me that almost let her eat the PEEPS cake, but i served her the real dessert!)
Cat: I had an LDS girlfriend for a while in Phoenix. They think that after Christ rose from the dead, he appeared in South America. :O
Savannah: I saw that peep cake on your site. It should be in MoMA on a pedestal.
You believe it, you don't, or you stay the hell away from all of it and never have to make up your mind either way.
Ahh, the good life :)
It's all a bit much isn't it. I mean, the guy had a lot of good things to say, which most of his followers don't bother to pay any attention to, so I've got respect for him for that. But the virgin birth and resurrection? Come on.
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