credit to the cartoonist whose name I seem to have lost.
To the faithful, God seems to be whatever they want Him to be. Of course the problem is when they insist we must want Him, and we must want Him to be whatever they want Him to be. Then there is their claim that their God is love, peace, compassion and understanding, yet if we look at most of the violent troubles in the world we find that they split down religious lines. Where did all that love, peace, compassion and understanding go?
Within the Christian faith, interpretation of the Bible, (God’s sacred words) seems somewhat arbitrary. Women can be ordained, women can’t be ordained, Priests must be celibate, Priests needn’t be celibate. Some Bishops can find Biblical support for their belief that homosexuality is abhorrent and a sin. While other Bishops find support for their belief that same-sex love is a gift from God. However most have abandoned the Bible’s recommendation that neighbours who work on the Sabbath should be put to death. (Exodus xxxv – 2). Why are they selective, on whose authority do they uphold one recommendation yet abandon another?
Perhaps the Bishops could clarify this position. Since they have all arrived at their conflicting beliefs through the same sacred words of God, what are the criteria for interpretation of the sacred words of God, for spotting the Holy Spirit in action, recognising sin and recognising gifts from God. Or are their ways of reaching their conflicting conclusions as mysterious as God’s?
As rational human beings why do we need an infallible higher authority, shouldn’t we take responsibility for our own rules and actions? This would mean we are responsible for what we do and can’t hide under the banner of “doing God’s work” or “carrying out God’s words” With so many religions to choose from and each with its own infallible being at the top it is simply a case of our infallible being is more infallible than your infallible being. What is more the faithful are quite prepared to kill to prove this absurdity. Isn’t it time we stood up and said, “No Gods, no Masters and therefore no slaves.”
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