God

NOTE: I think it generally goes without saying that anything *I* say is just that, me saying it, but because this topic is potentially a shit storm waiting to happen I wish to make it clear that this blog is only *my* opinion and Creator's Edge Press has sweet-fuck-all to do with it. There, I said it :D

Holy balls, am I *really* starting out my second post (well first really since the 'first' was more of a coming soon kinda deal) on such a balls of fire topic? You bet your sweet bippy I am! After all this is Ranting Ash's blog, no? Therefore, I shall rant!

                                                    DISCLAIMER
Note, this is going to feature some light slamming of Christianity, if that is likely to offend you or piss you off DO NOT READ FURTHER, we'll pretend this post doesn't exist and go about our lives with whatever relationship we currently have intact, k? I mean there's that whole politics and religion leading to squabbles thing, so, yeah, don't read. You've been warned!

Now, so you can kinda know where I'm coming from, this is my experience with God in very broad strokes (I don't have the patience to write up my autobiography regarding religion for one post and I am positive that no one but a paid shrink would like to slog through it.)

I grew up 'Christian' with a strong smattering of Messianic Judaism (a contradiction in terms if ever there was one :P) but I never really bought into it. I mean, I'd say the words, even debate concepts correctly (that is, from the correct perspective for the audience/people I was with, meaning Christian) but I never had faith. Ever.

I couldn't really see how I was ever going to 'find' it and I really don't think it's possible to force someone to have faith in any god or religion, you can force them to claim faith and worship but real faith can't be created that way.

So, here's why I don't think I could ever have had faith in the Christian God. We've got God, YHWH, Allah, whatever you wanna call the Abrahamic God. Now, he's omniscient and omnipotent meaning he is everywhere and he knows everything, right? (reminds me of that Christmas song about the peeping tom Santa that knows if you've been naughty or nice *shudders*).

                                                      DETOUR
Dictionary.com's definitions of omniscience and omnipotence:
Omniscience: 
1. having infinite knowledge or understanding
2. having very great or seemingly unlimited knowledge
Omnipotence:

1. the quality or state of being omnipotent

2. (initial capital letter) God
I'm not sure WTF is up with the second definition on Omnipotence, as it's not really defining anything, but it's interesting.                                                     
                                                     END DETOUR

So, omniscient omnipresent God decides, for whatever reason, to make some human beings. He then makes them imperfect - if he's omniscient and omnipotent then IMO he *had* to know we'd be fuck ups, had to. So he makes us, gives us rules, that he  knows we're going to break and, when we inevitably fall, he makes us feel like crap for it. Then to tie things up in a neat bundle of angst and guilt he threatens to torture us forever if we don't love him for it, after all he created us, we owe him.

How the hell does that work? Seriously, sadistic much?

Then there's old testament God Vs. new testament God. God sets up all kinds of laws and rules that are really hard to follow and we fail in major ways (cow idol anyone?), so, God sends his only son, or if you are into the trinity deal himself-as-his-son, down to live with us shit goes down and suddenly we have a new way to get into his good graces etc.

So basically he acts like a psychotic boyfriend that gets counseling and feels really bad about the past but keeps threatening to beat us if we don't love him. Yeah. Awesome.

Now, I realize I'm not a theologian or biblical scholar etc and I'm likely glossing over or misinterpreting gobs of info, but, here's the thing. So is everyone else. I seriously doubt my ten second interpretation is that rare or inaccurate when applied to a general audience. By all means if I'm full of shite let me know but from the people I've spoken to and interacted with - not all were raised in an Abrahamic faith but most if not all were raised in Western cultures which are very much roughly based on Christianity at least- it's at least a popular perception if not an accurate one.

I'll smite you, blame you, & smite you again!

So, no I don't have faith in what appears at best to be a mentally deranged somewhat sadistic deity. BTW how is it that an omnipresent/omniscient God changes his mind about how to interact with his creations and decides to 'go easy' on them? That right there is weird.

So then, what am I? Am I an agnostic? (For the purposes of this post I am very very VERY loosely defining an agnostic as a person that believes in a higher power but is uncertain as to its nature or its interest in humanity as a whole.)

Am I an atheist? (Again loosely defined as someone with no faith in any deity or spirit, just humans doing human things to each other and their planet)

Well, no.

I'm a Neo-Druid. For now.

Ha ha if you could only see your faces now!

I know it's ridiculous  right? Well religion *is* ridiculous. I tried being an Atheist and it didn't work for me, I tried agnosticism and, again, didn't work for me. I feel nothing toward Christianity, Judaism, or Islam and their God.

Buuut I do feel a pull toward Neo-Drudism. Wacked

So, in conclusion, religion is nutso, the Abrahamic God is kind of a dick, and I'm a freak. (as if you didn't know).

Note: A close friend looked over this prior to my posting it and pointed out that some folks might get all heated because I didn't capitalize the pronoun 'he' in relation to the Abrahamic God. The reason for that is that he's not my god. If he were I might've capitalized it or I might not depending on my audience. If I were writing a post or paper on my deity I probably would capitalize the appropriate pronoun 'cause that's an audience and setting that may expect it and be confused or offended if I didn't. This isn't. And, honestly if THAT detail is what you find offensive or controversial in this post, I pity you.

UPDATE: See a follow-up to this post regarding some of the fallout.