I was reading some comments on a news report about the bomb threats at a Texas university today and someone made a comment about violence and Christianity. The most popular discussion on this news report was about the one comment made which I cannot remember or even find now as it got lost in the stream and don’t really feel like scrolling. I’m not to discuss the comment anyhow, but it get my gears turning about my struggles with the idea of God’s violence and how Christianity is a threat in itself and quite violent. Believe in this or else you will go to hell and burn for all eternity in pain and suffering and have the evil devil rule over you. In the “End Times,” God gives Death permission to slaughter 25% of the earth’s population by "sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." How is it that people think to justify their religion they must use fear and violence? (Revelation 6:8) and how is it that a God can manipulate vulnerable people into this kind of stuff?
For years I lived in guilt and fear. As a child I laid in bed every night silently crying and praying for God to save me. I said the “sinner’s prayer” over and over even though I had done nothing wrong. I never wanted to be “left behind” I didn’t want to be tortured for all eternity. I wanted to make sure I was always right with God.
Also as a child I was presented with cute fun pictures to color and hear stories like Noah’s Ark. Genesis 6 & 7 Unhappy with the wickedness of man, God killed every living thing on the planet except Noah’s family. Men, women, infants and animals drowned in unimaginable terror and agony. God KILLED because he was unhappy, ugh why wasn’t that emphasized over the miracle gathering of 2 animals.? Actually all of Exodus is basically God taking more pleasure from violence: from hardening Pharaoh’s heart and planned his “mighty acts of judgement.” The plagues of blood, gnats, frogs, flies, hail, killing livestock, boils, killing every first born, allowing Joshua to kill the Amalekits, According to God’s law, it was wrong to beat a slave to the point of death. But if the slave survived and got back up within a few days, the beating wasn’t punishable, because the slave was the property of the master. (God endorsed slavery and the beating of slaves.) and 32:27 After seeing the golden calf, God commanded the Levites, "Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor." 3,000 were slaughtered, and God was pleased and my tongue confess and knee shall bow?
But It’s a good thing Matthew 8:12 Jesus warned of eternal torture in hell, "into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." So praise him!
John 6:53-66 Jesus said to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Despite the metaphorical tone, many disciples were uncomfortable with the idea and chose to walk away.
Ephesians 1:4-5 Despite all of Jesus’ instructions to accept him as savior, Jesus also says God "predestined" those will be saved according to His pleasure.
I’m so tired of all the contradictions, threats, and violence and hearing “ya just gotta have faith.” It’s almost like some type of odd organization to keep people with the same mind set and it’s cult freaky.
“Imagine a world with no religion. Imagine no suicide bombers, no 9/11. No 7/7, no Crusades, no witch-hunts, no Gunpowders Plot, no Indian partition, no Israeli/Palestinian wars, no Serb/Croat/Muslim massacres, no persecution of Jews and ‘Christ-killer’, no Northern Ireland ‘troubles’, no ‘honour killings’, no shiny-suited bouffant-haired televangelists fleecing gullible people of their money (‘God wants you to give till it hurts’). Imagine no Taliban to blow up ancient statues, no public beheadings of blasphemers, no flogging of female skin for the crime of showing an inch of it.” -Dawkins
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