So, continuing my post from yesterday's intense reading of 1 Samuel 1-25.
There has always been something that bothered me about the teachings of Christianity that never quite made any sense to me. The idea that God doesn't create obstacles or do bad things, that is to say the things that we perceive as bad or wrong. It somewhat always made me feel like I was back in Jr. High reading from my American history book, which always had something omitted or whitewashed, so that it everything that we read about America would seem OK.
Example: In the bible God commands his people to slaughter women, babies and children all the time. Now if we found out the President order his men to slaughter women, babies and children, we would say that was wrong. But for some reason when we read it in the bible we are suppose to be Okay with that. Well, all I can say is, I am not OK with that and yes, I think it is wrong.
Example 2: 1 Samuel 18:10, 16:14-16, and 16:23. "But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him." "And Saul's servants said 'Behold now, an evil spirit from the God troubles thee." "And it came to pass that when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take up his harp and played: so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed."*
I have found that whenever this is mentioned at church, someone always gives a whitewash answer like, "Hey, it was God's will and he knows best." Now, I can accept that but to that I must add, that if you say that this is God's will then you must accept that God's will, may not always be on the side of what we perceive as right or good. Sometimes it is God's will to have evil done. Alternatively, we must at least concede to idea that God does orchestrate disaster and obstacles of evil in our way to sometimes get a message across. Not every bad thing that befalls you is the devils fought or done by some rogue demon. Some of these evil deeds are actually God's doing.
I will concede that no matter what, the Creator, being of greater intelligence and broader scope, is able to see the greatness in the sacrifice or in the evil deeds. And it is in this reflection that I find some comfort. However, I wonder sometimes. If we deny the fact, that God has control over all (good and evil), than do we learn the lesson he has placed in front of us. In addition, by deny it, are we only destined to have to repeat it? In my spiritual beliefs, I believe in a God of love and harmony, but that is in a bit of contradiction with the God that I read about in the bible. As I said this is where I differ with Christianity.
*The outcome of this evil spirit being upon Saul is that it leads him to jealousy against David, whom he tries to kill several times, but when David resists the urge to retaliate he and Saul both learn a lesson about restraint and second guessing what you may think is right. In this case, what you may think is God's will. (You'll find the conclusion later in 1 Samuel 24: 8-21)
Therefore, what I take away from the first installation of 1 Samuel is to question what I believe God wants from me and to measure it right. Because why God may have the ability to control both evil and good, I probably should stay focused on the path of good, because crossing the fence to evil may be a pathway from which I cannot return.
Today’s exercise is for me to practice restraint and to refine humility in myself. To know that, even when I feel my actions are justified I may still want to question if they are good or right.
As someone who was raised Catholic, I am as familiar with the Bible as any common religious person, which is to say much less than you but maybe more than people who never really go to church. I am no longer religious, for many reasons. My Catholic upbringing gave me an image of God that in my childhood mind seemed oddly similar to Santa Claus. I think it's the white beard and timelessness. Needless to say, I don't really "believe in God."
ReplyDeleteAs an adult, belief has been replaced with ideas. My idea of a Creator is an all encompassing energy, the Universe, Everything. When it comes to Good and Evil, I think it is all the same, it all comes from the same place; a never ending duality that teaches us lessons that we, as human beings, can only learn in this three-dimensional existence. We have free will to choose our actions that inevitably effect ourselves and others, good and bad.
I don't know what happens when we die, but I do think that pain and joy, Good and Evil, both have an equally important place in our lives and without one, we could not know the other. I like that you ask questions because the only thing I feel to be true is that asking questions is the point.
I'm impressed with your in depth analysis. The Old Testament is always daunting for me. I've always focused more on the New Testament. I believe there was a reason Jesus was sent to "reteach." Once you get there, the focus changes from the God of damnation to the God of love. It's an important shift in religious thought. One that true Christians (I believe) should focus on. It's the whole "He who has not sinned cast the first stone" mentality.
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