I found an article (iReport) on CNN that I really enjoyed reading. It spoke to many of the same feelings I have, although not as a parent, about God. As a child, I believed in God not out of his ability to be rational or fair, or out of love, but out of fear of what would happen to me if I failed to do so. I was taught that God was behind every bush and corner, and we never knew when he would spring out and cast us into Hell for any minor transgression. Growing up led me to the realization that God is no different than the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, or Jack Frost. It's just that somewhere along the way, our ancestors forgot to inform us that God was a similar imaginary figure. God may not be such a terrible concept, if he wasn't so violent and full of malice. God teaches hate, and makes those who do hate bold. If only everyone could agree to simply love and accept each other unconditionally. I tell children that everyday: Simply accept each other as we are. (I think there may be a hymn about that.)
I did not write nor do I own the following material. It is available, as of the date of this blog's publishing, at: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-910282
God is a bad parent and role model.
If God is our father, then he is not a good parent. Good
parents don’t allow their children to inflict harm on others. Good people don’t
stand by and watch horrible acts committed against innocent men, women and
children. They don’t condone violence and abuse. “He has given us free will,”
you say? Our children have free will, but we still step in and guide them.
God is not logical.
How many times have you heard, “Why did God allow this
to happen?” And this: “It’s not for us to understand.” Translate: We don’t
understand, so we will not think about it or deal with the issue. Take for
example the senseless tragedy in Newtown. Rather than address the problem of
guns in America, we defer responsibility to God. He had a reason. He wanted more
angels. Only he knows why. We write poems saying that we told God to leave our
schools. Now he’s making us pay the price. If there is a good, all-knowing,
all-powerful God who loves his children, does it make sense that he would allow
murders, child abuse, wars, brutal beatings, torture and millions of heinous
acts to be committed throughout the history of mankind? Doesn’t this go against
everything Christ taught us in the New Testament?
The question we should be asking is this: “Why did we
allow this to happen?” How can we fix this? No imaginary person is going to give
us the answers or tell us why. Only we have the ability to be logical and to
problem solve, and we should not abdicate these responsibilities to “God” just
because a topic is tough or uncomfortable to address.
God is not fair.
If God is fair, then why does he answer the silly
prayers of some while allowing other, serious requests, to go unanswered? I have
known people who pray that they can find money to buy new furniture. (Answered.)
I have known people who pray to God to help them win a soccer match. (Answered.)
Why are the prayers of parents with dying children not answered?
If God is fair, then why are some babies born with heart
defects, autism, missing limbs or conjoined to another baby? Clearly, all men
are not created equally. Why is a good man beaten senseless on the street while
an evil man finds great wealth taking advantage of others? This is not fair. A
game maker who allows luck to rule mankind’s existence has not created a fair
game.
God does not protect the innocent.
He does not keep our children safe. As a society, we
stand up and speak for those who cannot. We protect our little ones as much as
possible. When a child is kidnapped, we work together to find the child. We do
not tolerate abuse and neglect. Why can’t God, with all his powers of
omnipotence, protect the innocent?
God is not present.
He is not here. Telling our children to love a person
they cannot see, smell, touch or hear does not make sense. It means that we
teach children to love an image, an image that lives only in their imaginations.
What we teach them, in effect, is to love an idea that we have created, one that
is based in our fears and our hopes.
God Does Not Teach Children to Be Good
A child should make moral choices for the right reasons.
Telling him that he must behave because God is watching means that his morality
will be externally focused rather than internally structured. It’s like telling
a child to behave or Santa won’t bring presents. When we take God out of the
picture, we place responsibility of doing the right thing onto the shoulders of
our children. No, they won’t go to heaven or rule their own planets when they
die, but they can sleep better at night. They will make their family proud. They
will feel better about who they are. They will be decent people.
God Teaches Narcissism
“God has a plan for you.” Telling kids there is a big
guy in the sky who has a special path for them makes children narcissistic; it
makes them think the world is at their disposal and that, no matter what
happens, it doesn’t really matter because God is in control. That gives kids a
sense of false security and creates selfishness. “No matter what I do, God loves
me and forgives me. He knows my purpose. I am special.” The irony is that, while
we tell this story to our kids, other children are abused and murdered, starved
and neglected. All part of God’s plan, right?
When we raise kids without God, we tell them the truth—we
are no more special than the next creature. We are just a very, very small part
of a big, big machine–whether that machine is nature or society–the influence we
have is minuscule. The realization of our insignificance gives us a true sense
of humbleness.
I understand why people need God. I understand why
people need heaven. It is terrifying to think that we are all alone in this
universe, that one day we—along with the children we love so much—will cease to
exist. The idea of God and an afterlife gives many of us structure, community
and hope.
I do not want religion to go away. I only want religion
to be kept at home or in church where it belongs. It’s a personal effect, like a
toothbrush or a pair of shoes. It’s not something to be used or worn by
strangers. I want my children to be free not to believe and to know that our
schools and our government will make decisions based on what is logical, just
and fair—not on what they believe an imaginary God wants.
