Well I finally decided that I had to write about my opinions
about “God bashing” that seems to be very common in Social media. Particularly
people seem to be against Christianity and Jesus a lot.
If you feel so strongly about shouting out your propaganda
about Atheism you should definitely spend time to understand what is it that
you are opposing. Without knowing something how can you say that it is wrong?
If you don’t know enough of something and you take a very conclusive stand
against it then that just shows your sheer ignorance.
Please note that I will not take the side of believers or
atheists in this write up. As a person who feels strongly that I am indebted to
God for my existence and for all the blessings in my life. As a person who
believes that suffering is a way for you to prepare yourself. Kind of like you
go to the gym to suffer for a little while to make yourself stronger. Kind of
like the soldier who endures a harsh training to face a battle.
I still question my faith every now and then. I do not go to
some one who does not believe in God and tell him that he is a fool because I
simply have not proof to convince him that God exists. Everyone has to seek out
God for himself no one should force it on anyone. Whatever religion someone
chooses to believe I don’t go around telling him or her they are wrong and I am
right. I don’t think that is any of my business. If I do that I would be a
complete idiot.
Powerful people have used God and religion to mobilize
people for their own selfish interest. That’s when all the nasty things happen.
A group of people gathered to pray for the greater good of humanity couldn’t be
that bad of a thing, in fact is its great, its awesome. Look at mother Theresa
and all the other people like her. But there are people out there who have
selfish interests. There has been since the beginning of time. They will use
any means like religion, caste, skin color, nationality, and language, even
Democracy for evil purposes.
We cannot throw the baby out with the bath water. Just
because so many bad things happen in the name of religion does not mean that we
should stop that. I am 100 percent sure that much more good has come out of it
than the bad.
All religion is half spiritual and half man made. As such
there are flaws in the practices it follows, such as stoning to death. I cannot
quote for other religions but Jesus clearly opposes these acts where he tells
people to throw a stone if they have no sins and they are perfect (John
8:1-11). "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (mark
2:27)” He simply points out the mis-interpretation of what God intended man to
do in his name.
Another standard argument people seem to have is there is so
much suffering in this world hence God does not exist. Well Jesus and most of
his disciples were killed. They suffered a lot, they knew they would suffer and
they had no absolute plan to enjoy a luxurious life. I always wonder why they
did that. If they did not have a convincing reason to spread the word of God,
why would they do that? Has is been mentioned anywhere in the Bible that there
would not be suffering or that you will have a luxurious life if you are a
pious Christian? Absolutely not!! In fact it is just the opposite, it is
predicted that Christians will suffer a lot. They will bear a cross but the
cross will be just big enough that you will be able to bear it.
Don’t for a minute think that I can prove to anyone else
with 100 percent certainty that God exists. Don’t for minute think that I don’t
question my faith every once in a while. But I take refuge in my God and I feel
strong in his grace. Who are you to tell me that I am a fool? Who are you to
tell me that I am wrong? Can you prove that I am wrong? You cannot. So don’t
judge others by your standards.
When the US dollar was printed they wrote: In God we trust.
I just love that they wrote that, they didn’t write in Jesus we trust. They
were good people who believed that every one should have the right to practice
whatever they believe.
We all need to accept that people who believe in God can be
offended when some one goes on a spree of God Bashing in an obscene and vulgar
manner. A fruitful discussion or a debate is another question. Where every one
gets to voice their opinions in a very civil manner then it is fine to have a
debate or an argument.
If you ask me is there God, I will say yes there is and he
has a purpose for me. I know that I would have died much earlier in my life had
there not been any purpose. The purpose may not be very glamorous. It may just
be that I will raise two kids and be a caring father to them. Maybe he has a
bigger purpose for me but it is not for me to decide what or when.
Death is a very sorrowful experience. The mental agony when
a near or dear one passes away is un-bearable. I can’t imagine the pain when
that occurs in a man made tragedy. I hope no one has to have to deal with it.
We had an aunty near our house that was certain of her death. She was a
believer in God till the very end. People like that give us direction I wish my
faith were as strong as hers. Just because there is suffering we cannot
conclude that God does not exist. When God himself suffered, we definitely
cannot say that.
Bible is neither a history book nor a science book. Don’t try
to find flaws in that based on science. It has been written over the ages so
that the word of God may be passed on to generations. Some of the things
written in it may be interpreted by people over time for their own gain and in
fact even to hurt other people.
We should not seek a very simplistic explanation for such a
complex topic. I definitely do not have the knowledge to explain, argue, or
write about God. But what I have written here is just so that all my Atheist friends
should stop mocking Jesus because that is not fair to me or to other people
like me.
I would like to conclude with the title of the famous book. Which
every one should read. “I’m OK you’re OK.
