Seven more ways to not go to heaven.
March 17, 2008
The Vatican has taken the world by surprise once more with a burdensome batch of “social sins.” Is this really the time to be dealing with seven more ways to disappoint the deity that created us? Are these new sins realistic and consistent with today’s society?
The blog click here describes the new list of wrongdoings as a positive indicator that the Catholic Church is changing with the times. That while these sins will not lead a person to hell, avoiding them would help “foster community.” Mention is made of the infamous seven deadly sins: pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, and sloth. According to Catholic doctrine if someone dies without having confessed for one or more of these transgressions, the sinner will go to hell. So what is the objective of being aware of these offenses, if doing them won’t lead to eternal damnation?
The previously referenced blog lists the seven social sins are:
1. Bioethical violations such as birth control
2. Morally dubious’ experiments such as stem cell research
3. Drug abuse
4. Polluting the environment
5. Contributing to widening divide between rich and poor
6. Excessive wealth
7. Creating poverty
Not everyone however, has expressed their undying support for what seems like the Catholic Church’s attempt to regain its notorious power over the lives of its community of believers. Across the years people have responded negatively to the incarcerating shackles imposed by the leading Christian infrastructure of the world. And with this new redefinition of what is right and wrong, countless people are questioning whether the attempt to acclimate to the changing times is just a ludicrous charade. But even if they do believe this sham whole-heartily, aren’t most of these new sins hypocritical, inconsistent, and unattainable?
The first sin on the list is the only one that proves itself legitimate, consistent, and feasible. The other six should be subject to a case by case basis rather than being labeled objectively by a narrow-minded standard. Stem cell research has been determined to be wrong. There are two kinds; Embryonic and Adult. Opposing embryonic research makes sense; what about the adult one? There is no logic in condemning that which will offer a saving grace to individuals, who are suffering in this world due to incurable conditions and sicknesses.
Drug abuse is now a sin? So let’s be consistent and label anything we abuse as wrong. It is not enough to simply say using drugs is amoral. By implementing that logic we would have to say that alcohol and cigarettes, even when used in moderation, are sinful in nature. And we know that is not possible given the trivial consumption of these substances.
Polluting the environment is also a sin! This statement leads the cynic to pose a humorous question: unless the Pope drives around in his Pope Mobile with something other than gas as his fuel source, isn’t he sinning?
The remaining “social sins” are in more than one way interrelated. If we are lavishly rich, we are doing something wrong; good job Bill Gates and Carlos Slim, you are bad people. When poverty is created, as is the case in every form of government, we have officially failed God; the economy is to blame. If and when a bigger gap is made between the rich and poor, the one responsible for this has broken the Vatican’s rule; thanks a lot wretched Capitalism.
These rules are perhaps evidence of a Church attempting to renovate the outdated morality of a 2,000 year old religion. Perhaps the right intentions are present, but logic certainly is not. Nothing in life, not even a monotheistic God, is within black and white terms. There is always a grey area and this is what the Church has failed to see after thousands of years of existence. Some see these new set of sins as a harmless whim of the Vatican that can be easily disregarded. Others however, see it as strict fundamentalist view on how to please God. A view that is meant to dictate the life of the believer.
The days of old have long since past, so please don’t try to bring them back.
So you want to refute God’s Plan?
March 10, 2008
There are some people who attempt to put down the idea of a God, but merely come off as uninformed and condescending. The blog: http://lormarie.com/2008/03/10/what-do-you-mean-its-a-part-of-gods-plan/#comment-138 presents a truly unique way of discrediting the so called“impossible” plan of God by way of a snobbish video. It labels all who believe in a deity as not normal and unintelligent. If those who so gallantly hurl mud at the immaculate veil of faith were truly interested in understanding this “plan”, they would spend more time opening their ears than running their mouths. So just try this one time to listen…
It is imperative to note that the sole thing attacked in the before mentioned blog is the book “The Purpose Driven” by Rick Warren. In it Warren makes his point clear: God makes no mistakes; everything he does is for a reason and not by mistake. Since this statement failed to appease the atheist mind set, it received disparaging remarks. How can someone believe that there is a perfect plan? Wouldn’t that implicate that all bad things that happen are God’s doing? Doesn’t the belief that he controls our lives take away from the view that humans have free will?
The important thing to consider is that to prove the existence of an intangible deity and his ultimate plan; one must prove quite substantially that he is real beyond reasonable doubt. But is it so farfetched to find meaning in all that happens in life by way of a loving God; is it really so befuddling? It is only logical to reason that there must be a higher being that created mankind. No one denies that evolution or the big bang may have in fact taken place. The only point argued on the side of the believer is: however the world came to be, God was the one to make it happen. Sounds reasonable, maybe even practical.
The previously discussed blog categorizes the belief in a God as naive because his supposed plan is hopeless and impractical. Many wise men of faith would have their discontent heard, if such ignorance was expressed in their presence. Just because it is said that God has a greater plan for each individual does not mean that man lacks free will. It simply means that God knows all that will happen, and he tediously prepares tests that are expected to be passed. Humans have the option to pursue what they desire; no one in the world can force them to do otherwise, not even God. But in every failure there is success lurking within. God’s greater plan says that when one door closes, others open up. Many attempt to scapegoat their creator for all the evil that is present. Is this really a just side to be advocated? We are the ones who choose to do wrong, and confine ourselves to a life of solitary despair. So if it is by our choice that we are in the lions den, why do we let out a shout of distress?
What about those who are innocent and pristine? Why are they living amid so much treachery and suffering, if they are God’s faithful servants? Viktor Frankl put it best when he said “To live is to suffer, and to survive is to find meaning in that suffering.” Men of great character and fortitude evolve from the trying times that nearly broke them into debris. They can help individuals, who have lost all hope, in ways that those yet to be tested cannot. Ultimately suffering helps give everything its worth. We cannot have good without bad or happiness without anguish. In the same way “What we attain to easy, we esteem to lightly.” So our suffering makes us savor each drop, each second of beauty that much more.
No rational man wants to live a life without meaning. No man wants to feel that his life is of no consequence. He wants to know that his life has an objective, not that he is merely a mechanic being acting by chance and nothing more. When all strength and hope has been lost let us remember: “People do not lack strength, they lack will.” This all means nothing however, if we fail to conceive this simple truth for ourselves.
The ultimate choice given to a person is what to do with the time he has been given, so don’t count the days, make the days count.
God exists? How can I be so sure?
March 10, 2008
For hundreds and hundreds of years the notion of a monotheistic God has been the cause of peace and war. It has been the foundation of religious fanaticism, that at certain points in history has disrupted otherwise peaceful times. However, the faith of the “believers” is one to be admired and respected. They have based most of the norms of society on the morality that their revered deity expects of them. The mere belief of this God has conquered most of the world in its entirety. Is this almighty creator fiction or reality? A being that created man or a being that man created?
By nature man wishes to know the answers to three simple questions: who created us, why were we created, and when were we created? These questions are asked due to the simplicity of their state of nature in the midst of a complex world. Whether or not a person goes on his entire life believing that he was created by a higher being is not imperative to know in this instance. The point is clear: man wishes to understand his mandatory existence.
Skeptics of the existence of God offer truly legitimate reasons for their train of thought. How can we be so naïve and ignorant to worship a supernatural being, that we cannot prove to exist by scientific means? What makes the myth or legend of a monotheistic God any different from the ones belonging to a genre of cultures? Even if he did exist, he can’t be as wise and just as countless generations have made him out to be. There is too much suffering and injustice for anyone to believe that ludicrous lie. If he is so great, why doesn’t he help those who need him? If he is so just why doesn’t he buoy the spirits of his faithful followers with the eradication of all evil? The humblest of his servants, living admiral lives of piety, undergo constant tribulations. It would seem the more you believe in the preposterous idea of a God the more you miss out on the beauty of life. It is absurd to say that “the first shall be last, and the last shall be first” when all a person has seen is the eclipse of the sun caused by the back of his “Savior.” If you exist, if you’re real, answer this one question: why do the good die young?
To refute some of the points raised by the “cynics” many believers create metaphors that help explain the existence of anguish and suffering in the world. In http://theroadleasttaken.wordpress.com/2008/03/10/god-and-the-barber-a-forwarded-email/ a very peculiar story was presented. It tells us that a man went to the barber to get his hair cut. Both engaged in a conversation on God; the barber claimed he did not believe in a supernatural being because he saw countless poor people in the world who needed God’s help but never received it. The customer, trying to avoid a heated discussion, said nothing and left after he got his hair cut. Upon walking outside the customer stumbled on a man sitting on the floor with long hair and an overgrown beard that needed trimming. The customer then went back to the barbershop and told him that he did not believe in barbers. When the barberasked him why, the customer responded that there were countless people in the world who need hair cuts and trims but never got them. The barber responded that it was their job to come to him and not the other way around. And so the customer reasoned that God works in the same way; there is anguish and suffering for those who fail to find him.
The preceding story is very clever but evidently has many holes in it. The message was that the only reason people suffer and undergo tribulations is due to their failure to find and follow God. This misleading implication shows much inconsistency. There are countless people who ardently pray and follow the footsteps of their creator. They live to please their God in anyway that is humanely possible. They believe, follow the creed, and do good deeds. Why then do they suffer the same afflictions as those who choose to walk in their own footsteps? A test of faith? It seems like a test given by a teacher, who does not want his students to pass. On that note, why even take the class if you’re not going to pass?
God is man’s tendency to fill in the blanks of his existence. It is his defense mechanism coping with the fact that the human race is all alone. No matter what we hope to be true, reality always wipes out any trace of deluded fantasies. The modern world has proven time, and time again, that it refuses to admit an old narrow-minded view of life into a modern era.
