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Primitive religion is not believed, it is danced!

Arthur Darby Nock

Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
And only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Elizabeth Browning



Friday, June 10, 2016

Looking for the worst

what is it about us
that we want to believe the worst about other humans,
and about the Sacred

one prominent (and very conservative) theologian wrote

“God does not punish innocent children for the sins of guilty parents.
There are no innocent children.”

Ok, the first part I can buy
but the second?
Juxtaposed to the first it implies

all children deserve to be
and are
punished
they are unclean, dirty ,sinful

sorry, not my children
not yours
there are innocents in the world

and God is not one who delights in catching people doing things that
may not be good
and punishing them

I don’t believe it

but so many want that kind of God
just as they want a presidential candidate who
will take power and use it on others
a bully

why do we advocate for brutality
why are we so quick to believe the worst
why do we wallow in the failures of others

if Jesus taught us anything
it was that this is not how we are to think
or behave

we are to see
and believe the best of others
we are to love them into being the best they can be
we are to love ourselves
into being our true selves

this God of anger and retribution
who almost salivates over the chance to condemn and punish?  Not God

the tendency to judge others, to look for the worst
to quickly believe the worst
this way we have of rejoicing when others fail and fall
this bloodthirsty desire to see God administer justice?

Not Godly
At least not
From where
I
stand

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