Someone once said that “In the beginning, man created God in his image.” This is true – “He” is our own invention. He explains all that we do not understand. He gives meaning to life for those who cannot handle meaninglessness.
But I think we went too far. We gave Him too much power. Since He supposedly knows all, He sees the future and the past. And since He knows the future, He knows our fate. And since He knows our fate, nothing we can do will change that fate. So we have no choice. Our lives are predetermined. We are not free.
This is predestination – I’m sure I’m mucking it up, as theologians are very good at making the simple complex, having nothing better to do. But in creating such an all-powerful God, we reasoned ourselves into a corner.
But how are we to know if we are saved or damned? I do not know. I suppose those well-dressed people sitting in the front pew presume to be chosen. They might be in for a surprise. But if indeed when we die we are dead and stay dead, then there are no surprises in store for anyone. Zombies aside, Wulfie.
Anyway, this conversation came about over pizza and beer last night. We finally concluded that we need a new God, one not so powerful. My God knows the past and the present, but not the future. So when something like Katrina happens, he says “Dude … did not see that coming!”
This new God cannot penetrate the skull barrier. He doesn’t know what we are thinking. We have total privacy. And as life unfolds before us, we are gloriously surprised, because we don’t see things coming either. And so we are truly free.
And, when we die, he lets us be dead – no cloud sitting, no harps, no eternal fires or accordions. Just let life happen, and death too. Enjoy the ride.
Piece of Mindful 
Interesting. I’ve had discussions of a similar variety (though not with a call for a new God, lol) with friends.
My personal belief is that though He may know of a storm’s passage, we have free will to react how we choose. So instead of predestination (and fate), we have fore-ordination. Ie. we may be called to certain actions, but it is still our decision on carrying them out.
I also believe we are put where we are so that we can have experiences that will help us grow…
As a mom, it can be hard to watch your children suffer and struggle as they figure things out, but if we constantly do it for them and bail them out when they fail, then they will never grow as individuals.
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Well that explains GW.
You’ve drawn a false dichotomy, Ripley. Above all, parents have to be involved. The first thing a child has to learn is to have confidence in the parent. Sometimes that does indeed mean doing for them or bailing them out. This is precisely why the ‘God as parent’ model fails.
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Have you ever tried to make this point to a believer? It doesn’t seem to register. In my experience, anyway.
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I have, actually. I correspond infrequently with an extreme fundamentalist. His name is Jim T, and he is insulated from everything. Unreachable. That’s part of the power of religion, but also a statement about many of our fellows – that they need simplicity, certainty, and have to follow some thing, some one.
So the best kind of religion is that which fosters goodness and shies away from overt thought control. That would be, in my mind, anyway, Judaism.
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Judaism is of this earth, this world. Judaism is judicious, dialectic. If Zionist Israel would convert to Judaism, basic humanity throughout this world would be well-served.
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I kinda like the idea of eternal fire, goes better with this saying.
“Build a politician a fire and he’ll be warm for a day.
Set a politician on fire and he’ll be warm the rest of his life.”
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Thought for the day. Thank you.
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