The Bible: Commentary and Controversy

…is there a devil?

One of the oldest truths we know is that there are two sides to everything. An equal and opposite reaction to every action. Can’t have hills without valleys, sadness without happiness, good without evil. Yin without Yang. Else how could we recognize anything for what it is? If everything was good, there would be no “good.” So without a “devil” there could be no God? I’m not a logician or theorist, so I can’t say for certain, but it seems if you believe in one, you must believe in the other. That is not an affirmation of God’s existence, just an apparent truth that – like the old song says – you can’t have one without the other.

…did he create us?

It seems to me that just because there is a god (if there is one) it doesn’t necessarily follow that he created us, and the zebras, and light, and mosquitoes, and all the flora and fauna. Or that he didn’t. Personally, I find no inconsistencies between Darwinism and Creationism – when considered rationally. Certainly an omniscient, all-powerful God could create a universe any way he wanted to: in 5,235 years or 5 trillion years. He could grab a handful of mud and make a living man, or he could set up a system in such a way that evolution would eventually produce one. Why do the creationists limit the power of God? Scientists who believe in God have made a significant leap of faith; can’t the creationists make a similar one – to the other side?

…what’s his purpose?

Why would a God make man, anyway? The only similar act I can think of is a child making toys – objects of amusement. I learned in Catholic schools that we were made to love, honor and obey God. Why, for heavens’ sake? Why would he create a bunch of human ants? Is he so narcissistic that he had to create a realm of vastly inferior creatures in hopes that they would love him?

That sounds sick to me. Are we simply the equivalent of house pets? I’m quite sure I’ve bored people on earth into unconsciousness. What in the frick am I going to say to God that he finds interesting for the next trillion years or so?

…where did he come from?

I know “God is now, always has been, and always will be” is the standard answer, but to me it’s just a dopey escape hatch because we can’t explain God any other way. Things have to have a beginning. And if they have a beginning they must have an end. Which is why, of course, those who believe in God must believe and protest that God “always has been.” It’s a similar answer in my under-educated opinion to the one the scientists give about the beginning of the universe.

The big bang theory, as I understand it, was an explosion that sent matter flying through space. The matter, still in motion, is the universe as we know it today. Of course, the theory has a few niggling problems, such as “What exploded?” and “Why did it explode?” and “Where did ‘space’ come from?” Certainly I believe the possibility of concepts beyond the present scope of the human mind.

Do I believe it is possible for something to exist with no beginning and no end? Not exactly. I do not believe it is impossible. Though I have trouble even spelling space-time-continuum, much less understanding it, I can dimly perceive that – if time is a closed infinity – something could exist in it “forever.” In fact it would have to, since time itself would have no beginning and no end.

…why doesn’t he/she show him/herself any more?

I’m puzzled by all the leaps of faith we have to make to accommodate the god in the bible. Not because of the miracles, or the creation of the universe, or any of those “unbelievable” things, because if he’s god, after all, no problem. I just don’t understand how or why his persona changes so dramatically with the passage of time. He starts off by creating man and woman, putting them into a perfect universe, and giving them a test they must pass in order to stay there – a test he knows they’ll fail.

What’s his point? Is it simply a test of his own ability to make things? If they pass, he pats himself on the back? If they fail, does he try again? Not on this earth, anyway. All through the old testament he’s pretty consistent – an eye for an eye, etc.

Then along comes his son Jesus to absolve man of his original sin (the one god set man up for) proclaiming that love is the only way. Instead of eye for an eye we have turn the other cheek. What prompted that change? And if Jesus really was the son of God, that’s the only solid evidence we’ve had of His existence in over 2,000 years. Yet he was popping in and out of people’s lives in person all through the old testament. Where has he gone? Why doesn’t he (or obviously she) show him/herself anymore? And if he did really show himself with such abandon in the early days, how in the world did anyone not believe in him? Do you believe in god? Heck, yes, I just saw him over there by the fishpond.

…what does he mean by “sin?”

I really don’t understand all this business about sin being so bad. After all, god created it. He was the one who set Adam and Eve up to commit the first sin – setting them down in paradise, telling them only one thing was forbidden, then siccing the serpent on them. Of course the bible doesn’t say exactly what “sin” they committed other than being disobedient. (I explained that to my own satisfaction in the “Genesis” chapters.) In the old testament god defines sin very specifically for us. In the new testament everything gets hazy again.

Jesus basically tells us to treat others as we would want to be treated, which also seems fraught with problems because it assumes a society in which there are no aberrant individuals. For example, if Hitler believed so strongly that Jews should be eliminated in order to purify the Aryan race that he would have freely entered the gas chambers had he been Jewish, then according to Jesus he committed no sin by murdering millions of human beings. Surely there’s a flaw in that logic; I just haven’t been able to uncover it yet.

Also, what constitutes sin in one society is completely acceptable in another. Cannibalism is an obvious example. Jesus speaks the words “sin” and “sinner” often in the new testament, but never defines them.

…is he “our” God? Or everything’s?

Is he the god of Mars, and Alpha Centauri, and whatever else is out there in the trillions and trillions of hunks of rock and metal and gas scooting around the universe? It seems we’re pretty solipsistic in our view of him. Of course that’s the way we view pretty much everything, except for all those nutty exogenists, Trekkies, and other eccentrics. It’s “our” universe, after all. Irrelevantly, I wonder how all of us who rely on going to heaven are going to feel about sharing “god” with Vulcans, Tribbles, Ferengi, and whatever else is out there. If, of course, anything is.

…did we invent him/her/them/it?

Inexplicable things happen in life. One caveman rounds a corner and is eaten by a sabretooth tiger. Another rounds a different corner and finds a wild pig (or whatever its equivalent was a million years ago) trapped in a quagmire, so he kills it and brings it home for dinner. Was one just luckier than the other? Or was there a “god” responsible?

Every day the sun comes up and goes down, as does the moon. Is there a “god” making it happen? Or… wait a minute – maybe those big round things in the sky really are gods. Someone (I’m too lazy to look up the quotation) said “If God didn’t exist we would have to invent Him.” I think there’s a very good case for just that happening. How else could we explain all the eccentricities of the world?

Of course back in those days (when god was invented) they didn’t have the same problems we have now. The gods themselves were eccentric, sometimes charitable, sometimes malevolent, often quirky, just like life itself. Today it’s more difficult, because god is supposed to be more dependable – a loving, caring, much more predictable god.

Which means we have to compensate somehow. With the devil, with good and bad luck, whatever. After all, how could a loving, compassionate god let “bad things happen to good people?” Or, for that matter, good things happen to bad people.

Here’s the thing. All through the existence of man there have been really, really good reasons for people to believe in the existence of God.

• It explained all those things we can’t explain any other way.
• It gave us a power outside ourselves (We are weak, but He is strong).
• It provided an excuse for many of our actions.
• With the invention of heaven, or the happy hunting ground, or nirvana, or whatever, it gave us something to look forward to after we’d slaved our lives away on this mortal coil. In other words, it gave us hope when there was none.
• It gave us a moral code, and a reason to follow it. “Do what God tells you to do, or you’ll go to hell.”
• Then, with the introduction of Jesus, it gave us the example of a perfect being after whom we could try to pattern our lives.

…is He omniscient?

Does He know everything there is to know? About everything? Past, present and future? I’m sorry, Sister Ruth; I don’t remember my catechism very well. But I seem to recall things like “God always has been, is now, and ever shall be,” and “God is all powerful,” “God is all knowing,” and so forth.

I guess that kind of statement doesn’t bother you if you don’t think about it too deeply, or if you’ve taken the leap of faith. Of course if you’ve taken that leap, you can accept anything. I’m not criticizing, or trying to put anyone down – just stating an obvious fact. Which means we can dismiss as biased all books written about religion by those who believe. “The Case for Christ” is a pertinent example. I started it as part of the “what do I believe” process and quickly found the author relying on circular logic. If you’re preaching to the choir you can say just about anything and they’ll sing “amen.”

So how do the concepts of “free will” and an “omniscient, all-powerful God” mesh? Certainly can’t figure it out myself, but as I said, I’m no theologian – or philosopher, for that matter. If I have free will, I can do what I want, but God already knows what I’m going to do. Hmmm. Well, it’s not a big problem for me; let the pedants hack that one out. I’m much more interested in the “is now, always was, and always will be” part.

I seem to remember my catechism saying we were made in the image and likeness of God, and that we were put here to love, honor and obey Him. I also remember the feeling, if not the words, that God needed something to love Him, so he made a bunch of inferior beings and sat around hoping they’d love, honor and obey Him. Not much of a God for a kid to have faith in.

…is there some of Him in everyone?

Certainly, as we said a little while ago, the concept of a “good” God, and Heaven, and so on, was extraordinarily constructive, because it gave us a reason to behave ourselves. But nowadays, since we’re relying more and more on our “consciences,” we’ve kind of kicked God out the window. “Act according to your conscience” is a pretty dangerous mantra, letting Hitler, and Attila the Hun, Stalin, Mao, and just about everyone else into the good guy fold.

A few more questions to ponder in the future

• Why would he want to have a son
• Why would he care about us
• Is he all-powerful
• Does he know what we’re thinking
• Can he make us do things
• Can he talk to us
• Can we talk to him
• Is he a god of earth or of the universe
• Why would he want a bunch of human ants with him in heaven
• Is there a heaven
• Is there a hell
• Why would he require me to believe in him
• Why would he require me to believe in his son
• Why would he let his son be crucified
• Why would he help one person against another
• Would he require us to go to church
• Is he bible really talking about god, or about what we should do to be healthy people
• Why would he destroy the world
• Why would he let awful things happen
• Is he so petty that he gives us free will, then sends us to hell when we use it
• Is he just our desire to be immortal

All pretty good questions, for more understanding, for curiosity’s sake, for your next Bible discussion group, for theologians to stroke their beards and ponder. Too deep for me, but I figure as we go along I’ll tackle one or two of them. Over to you.