Morality - Standing Before God, Revisited

I wrote a short version on this topic recently, and I am not sure this is better, but it is more thorough!

It confounds me that anyone would stand up for a character, fictitious or not, who took the general concept of the Underworld (believed in Pagan times) and turned it into a fiery inferno called Hell where people burn for eternity, burning these people simply because they do not in their hearts think it is right to worship such a man/god named Jesus or the horrid god of the Bible - again real or not.  

As religious people, your faith demands you worship these examples of badness, and in your book, people such as my wonderful mother, my gentle father and I get to burn for eternity.  You think you are doing right by following commands and converting as many people as possible to try to keep them from the flames of Hell.  I can understand your sincerity in this.  But are you really acting in a moral manner when you try to convert people?  I think not.  You are too busy conforming to a sick god and getting everyone to obey, an avoidance technique, rather than addressing and rejecting the biblical god.

Christians often tell me they pity me because I will have to beg God for mercy to keep out of Hell.  However, you and they miss the point.  If we are punished for our morals and conscience by Jesus and the Biblical god, and you overlook how horrible these two characters really are because you are conditioned to think they are wonderful and are taught you must follow rules to get the afterlife you want, then who really has the good morals?  Who stands up to injustice, real or fabricated?  Who sticks to his/her conscience even though Hellfire is threatened?

I think the whole concept of worship is wrong.  What does worshiping someone say about your own self-worth?  Imagine yourself punishing your own child because he said in good conscience he just could not worship you day and night.  Would you burn him for eternity because he said that?  

I ask that you examine this honestly and do not make excuses of “God is an angry god too,” or “He gave you a chance.”  I have heard those before and they do not excuse this God’s evil behavior.  

Let us look at what you tell me once again: “I pity you because you will have to stand and be judged in front of God and you will be begging for mercy.”  I don’t doubt, if your religion is true, that I may beg.  I will probably be a bit defiant at first and ask a question or two, but this Christian god is evil and I will be very frightened and I will cry and feel so bad that I was wrong, - not smart enough - and I might beg to be saved from the flames and eternal burning of skin.  Does that make you feel better if you are right?  If so, you miss the point that this concept of Hell is evil.  Countless good people while on earth would be begging to save themselves from punishment, and will be sent to Hell because they did not profess love and servitude to an unlovable and unbelievable character, or because they did not believe in worship, blind faith or submissive slavery.  It is not a matter of whether you are right or not – it is a matter of why you worship and profess love to these despicable two entities (Jesus and God) who are torturers.  I do not think we should be commanded to worship anything – we can be grateful and thankful without being required to worship anyone.  If you like traditions, you can perform them because you want to – not because it is demanded. 

Your excuse to brush off the torture by saying, “It is your choice – you have free will” does not excuse the punishment.  I, with this brain which cannot think differently, have no free will, and with my upbringing, I can not excuse the concept of Hell, nor can I worship because it would be dishonest of me. Can you see why I would not be moral if I try to make myself believe in this God and Jesus so I can be rewarded at death?  I do not see that as moral and I do see that as wrong.

Again, would you burn someone for eternity and think it is justified because you are “All loving - but angry too?”  Would you burn someone for eternity because “You gave him many chances” and he didn’t change his mind?  Why would you worship someone because they commanded you to do so?  Why would you worship someone who you knew would let you watch your parents and friends burn in Hell from your view in Heaven?  That is sick beyond belief!  Why would you worship someone whose morals are less than yours?  You would not do the things your God does. 

The obvious answer is that you must change your concept of God.  You do try to do that by ignoring all the evil parts of the Bible where God commands swords be driven through pregnant women.  You make excuses for Jesus when he yells at his mother and kills a fig tree and drives pigs over a cliff and belittles his followers and separates them from their families - and threatens Hell.  You ignore those parts or excuse them because you want your religion to be better than it is written.

I think it is fine to make your own personal religion better than what exists.  It is all about improving as humans on this earth.  It is those who drag the ancient religions along that hold us back as a species.  If you would like to believe in a god that somehow started everything; that is fine.  If you believe in goodness, that is fine, and that is not really religion – most of us do believe in goodness, and it is healthy for survival anyway.  If you want to be thankful, that is fine.  We all are thankful we are here and want to appreciate each day.  But do not think your god will solve problems on earth.  Just look around with honest eyes and you know solving world problems is up to us, and doing so is part of morality.  It would be great if we could solve such problems without dividing into tribes.  As long as your religion does not contradict reality – as long as it jibes with science, it will not hold us back as progressive, good humans.  I no longer personally can envision a god like that, because a god just does not make sense with the world that I see, but there was a time when I did believe in a sunny god, back before I understood how the world is set up, with all its pain and misery.  I will not mind if you believe, as long as you keep your beliefs out of schools and government. 

Do you fear that you will fear death without the Biblical religion?  Why?  You have no control over death – it happens to every creature – and you did not ask to be born.  We are just here for the ride!  Let’s make it a good one!  Ditch the Biblical god!  Create your own good beliefs, or just ditch all gods all together!