God's Slave

[Samdango]

This is something I wrote the other night.  I posted it in my blog on myspace hoping to get any kind of feedback.  It got a lot of views but nobody said anything.  I was a bit angry at the time and looking up some information on the internet I decided to rant.  Since I'm new, figured I'd share to give an idea of what goes through my mind  

It's absurd to think only 33% of the people who walk this earth(Christians) will be the only people to see god in all his glory.  That's 4,423,490,198 living who are damned to an eternal lake of fire.  Let's not even think of those who have already seen their time here on this earth.  Even more absurd is that the people who make up that 33% can't even agree on how a person gets to heaven.

 
Some Christians believe a strict practice of prayers, confession and baptism will ensure your soul an eternal seat in the heavens.  Others believe being saved by a man who preaches "the gospel" is the one and only way to salvation.  Let's take a look at a few of the different denominations and sects in the "Christian" belief system.


In North America alone, there are over 1200 Christian organizations with an estimated 30,000 worldwide.

 
There are eight main segments of these originations:

    * Roman Catholic
    * Eastern Orthodox
    * Oriental/Assyrian Orthodox
    * Protestantism
    * Restorationists
    * Anglican Communion
    * Pentecostals
    * Others(we'll call these "non-denominational", "bible" or "gospel" churches

 

Three wings, much like polictics, separate these orginations:

    * Conservative: Fundamentalists,  Evangelical Protestants, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodoxy and other  such varied groups as the Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Unification Church, etc.
    * Liberal: Evangelical Lutheran, Progressive Christianity, Evolutionary Christianity, United Church of Christ, United Church of Canada, etc.
    * Mainline: American Baptist, Presbyterian Church, United Methodist Church, Episcopal Church, etc.

 

Fifteen major families show even further separation:

Adventist Family

Baptist Family

Christian Science-Metaphysical Family

Communal Family

Eastern Orthodox Family

European Freen-Church Family

Holiness Family

Independent Fundamentalist Family

Latter-Day Saints Family

Lutheran Family

Messianic Judaism

Pentecostal Family

Pietist-Methodist Family

Reformed Presbyterian Family

Western Liturgical Family

 

It would take months if not years for me to research the many differing theological beliefs within these Christian families.  However, it's easily observed that they all differ from one to the other.  These are not small differences I speak of.  If you took one person from each family and put them all in a room together it would make for one hell of a reality tv show.  Yet, they are all Christian.

 
How do we as people who read the same book fall into these categories?  How do we hold one person's or one church's opinion higher than the other?  How do we know who's right?

 
Influence from family and friends play a major role in what we choose to believe.  We all want to be accepted and want to be a part of something.  We avoid disappointing those who love us, we want to help those we love.  Most are born into these systems of faith, facing outrage and/or abandonment if they choose to take a different path.

 
Fear of death, questioning our existence.  Since the beginning of man, it has been the big question: "How did we get here?".  For the most part, I think we all love life.  There are too many joys to experience, too many places to visit, too many people to meet.  With the little time we have here, it sure would be a waste for our lives to burn out and our bodies return to the earth.  The fountain of youth, it's a silly idea isn't it?  So silly in fact, that we've been searching for it for more than 500 years.  It's a scary thought to think that if we die, no longer will we be able to experience the emotions we hold so dear.  Emotion drives us to dream, to hope, to hate and most importantly to love.  We want to live on forever.  Free from disease, hardship, persecution, and pain.

 
So what's the second biggest question?  "Why are we here?".  It's difficult to go through life thinking you have no purpose.  With no purpose it's easy to loose focus on what is important to you, what's important for society.  We need to have fulfillment in what we do and who we are.

 
IGNORANCE

Unfortunately the first people of the earth started with nothing.  They didn't have access to the endless volumes of information we have now.  Raw, uninformed emotion fed their desire, drove their action.  As life built on itself we began to discover things about life and started to find a common goal.  It's to bad selfishness and greed have all but destroyed a peaceful, improving, happy civilization.  Instead we wage wars and destroy life in the name of capitalism and religion.

 

 
To explain:  It enrages me to think a person built of the same mortal flesh and blood believe they are superior because of a belief system they are a part of.  I challenge any  Christian to actually take a look at the world around them, shutting out all influence, all persuasion,  all fear and have a mind of your own.  If only for a short time, take in as much information you can.  LOOK at everything in your world.  LOOK at everything behind us. LOOK at where we are going.  Wake the fuck up.  Do the math.  Put it ALL together.  There may not be ONE answer.  Challenge EVERYTHING.  Question YOURSELF.  Break yourself down to the weakest point within you and fall the fuck apart.  Only then can you begin to accept things as fact.  Only then will you have a mind of your own.  Read closely because what I'm about to say is the most important part.  Keep it to yourself.  Others may not know what you know.  Others may not want to know what you know.  Others may abandon you.  Only in a safe forum where free thinking is welcomed can you share your knowledge.  Why?  Because it's recognized as still being your opinion, as being an individual.  It's NOT pressing your mind onto others in a manner to persuade them.  It's NOT passing judgment.  We are all different and we should have the FREEDOM to possess our own thoughts.  Differences are important.  They bring enlightenment to who people are.  Being an individual is scary.  So scary, I know but a handful, and that's just sad.

 

Happiness is the only good.  I want us all to be happy.  Life is too short.  Call me crazy, but I don't want to go on forever.  I find it selfish to seek eternity.  I find it ridiculous that I'm a slave.  According to you, the Christian, I can either have faith and forever enjoy heaven, or not and forever be imprisoned in hell.  What kind of a life is that?  It's not natural.  Not here on earth, not in some spiritual afterlife.  You all can't even agree on the meanings of a single book.  Being told I'm going to heaven or hell by another man is laughable.

 
My name is Samuel and I am God's slave.


One last thing.  What I've said here is a fraction of what I think.  It's aimed at those who think I'm crazy for thinking there may not be a god while the system they choose to let run their lives is so fundamentally ridiculous they'd be crazy to not take a look for themselves.  If you support my convictions and applaud my individuality, I love you too.  I realize this is nothing short of a long rambling, but I may continue to work on it until I have a solid, collective, understandable piece.  Recent events have encouraged me to pursue answers and understanding about this thing we call life, even if I'm the only one to gain anything from it.  After all, it is the pursuit of meaning in my own mind I'm after.  Not yours.

[susangail]

It's absurd to think only 33% of the people who walk this earth(Christians) will be the only people to see god in all his glory.  That's 4,423,490,198 living who are damned to an eternal lake of fire.  Let's not even think of those who have already seen their time here on this earth.  Even more absurd is that the people who make up that 33% can't even agree on how a person gets to heaven.

Exactly. I agree. But when you're on the inside of Christianity (like I used to be) you can see these facts and still not see it.
 

If you took one person from each family and put them all in a room together it would make for one hell of a reality tv show.  Yet, they are all Christian.

That would be hilarious! I actually know someone whose mom is Catholic and whose dad is Seventh-Day-Adventists (two churches that especially hate each other) Somehow, they are still married, though his church doesn't recognize them as married....

How do we as people who read the same book fall into these categories?  How do we hold one person's or one church's opinion higher than the other?  How do we know who's right?

It's religion. It's one ginormous (it's actually a word now!) game of "I'm right, you're wrong. Believe what I do or DIE!!!" But again, a Christian won't see it that way until they're out of it all (if they ever do get out of it, that is.)

Influence from family and friends play a major role in what we choose to believe.  We all want to be accepted and want to be a part of something.  We avoid disappointing those who love us, we want to help those we love.  Most are born into these systems of faith, facing outrage and/or abandonment if they choose to take a different path.

So true. If you're born into it, you have next to no choice what you believe. I can relate to this completely. I poured myself into my church because that's what I was supposed to do and I thought it would please my dad. Me and him don't have the same relationship we used to since I told him I'm an atheist.

Fear of death, questioning our existence.  Since the beginning of man, it has been the big question: "How did we get here?".  For the most part, I think we all love life.  There are too many joys to experience, too many places to visit, too many people to meet.  With the little time we have here, it sure would be a waste for our lives to burn out and our bodies return to the earth.  The fountain of youth, it's a silly idea isn't it?  So silly in fact, that we've been searching for it for more than 500 years.  It's a scary thought to think that if we die, no longer will we be able to experience the emotions we hold so dear.  Emotion drives us to dream, to hope, to hate and most importantly to love.  We want to live on forever.  Free from disease, hardship, persecution, and pain.

I think this fear of death is one of the things that turns people toward religion. Life has "meaning" when someone tells you what your meaning is. Death isn't as scary if you have heaven to look forward to.

So what's the second biggest question?  "Why are we here?".  It's difficult to go through life thinking you have no purpose.  With no purpose it's easy to loose focus on what is important to you, what's important for society.  We need to have fulfillment in what we do and who we are.

Again, another reason, I think, people are attracted to religion. I personally think we make our own purpose.

Unfortunately the first people of the earth started with nothing.  They didn't have access to the endless volumes of information we have now.  Raw, uninformed emotion fed their desire, drove their action.  As life built on itself we began to discover things about life and started to find a common goal.  It's to bad selfishness and greed have all but destroyed a peaceful, improving, happy civilization.  Instead we wage wars and destroy life in the name of capitalism and religion.

I think the first people were far better off. Ignorance can be bliss in some circumstances I guess. The religion of love seems to cause a lot of war. I find that ironic.

 

To explain:  It enrages me to think a person built of the same mortal flesh and blood believe they are superior because of a belief system they are a part of.  I challenge any  Christian to actually take a look at the world around them, shutting out all influence, all persuasion,  all fear and have a mind of your own.  If only for a short time, take in as much information you can.  LOOK at everything in your world.  LOOK at everything behind us. LOOK at where we are going.  Wake the fuck up.  Do the math.  Put it ALL together.  There may not be ONE answer.  Challenge EVERYTHING.  Question YOURSELF.  Break yourself down to the weakest point within you and fall the fuck apart.  Only then can you begin to accept things as fact.  Only then will you have a mind of your own.

This is exactly what it took for me to get out of it. But if you would have given me that challenge a year ago, I probably would have laughed. It's really like trying to talk to a brick wall.


Good job. I love it!
Happy posting!

[susangail]

sorry posted twice....

[myleviathan]

Challenge EVERYTHING. Question YOURSELF. Break yourself down to the weakest point within you and fall the fuck apart. Only then can you begin to accept things as fact.

This breakdown is absolutely essential in the search for truth, especially for someone who used to consider themself a slave of God. Not capital cased Truth, like in the gospels, but the lower cased, sober truth. I found your rant to be very organized and well thought out, which is pretty amazing for a rant. Word.