Yesterday in Nigeria, a god's church collapsed killing 160 of the faithful. If you are a church elder, cleric or spokesman for the religion, how do you turn it into a positive religious/spiritual experience with the deity?
Do you (a few suggestions):
Figure out what pissed off the god and blame yourselves for not noticing it earlier
Promise to be a better devotee
Heap more praise on the god
Offer sacrifices to appease
Encourage people to be thrilled their departed loved ones are with the god
Blame the anti god or demon
Blame mankind for all their wickedness
Blame the other religions
Say the god works in mysterious ways
Celebrate with a huge wake party
(Dec 13, 2016 07:54 PM)Zinjanthropos Wrote: I know what I'd do..... Ask for money
You know they will...
I'd try figure out what pissed off the god. No one likes to be micromanaged, right?
"The man who prays is the one who thinks that god has arranged matters all wrong, but who also thinks that he can instruct god how to put them right."—Hitchens
Syne is a believer. He has an odd little version of panentheism.
You know...God is greater than the universe and includes and interpenetrates it.
I think it’s a guy thing. Sounds like it, doesn't it?
I have no problem with beliefs until they morph into fact. And you can say anything on the internet.
What do we have there? Primary belief - God. Secondary beliefs - greater than universe, includes universe, interpenetrates universe. That's one busy god, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
Regardless, the people who had the house of worship fall in on them probably didn't see that coming. Hardly seemed fair.
(Dec 14, 2016 03:54 AM)Zinjanthropos Wrote: Regardless, the people who had the house of worship fall in on them probably didn't see that coming. Hardly seemed fair.
I don’t know. I would have been a little leery. I mean it is a trap, isn’t it?
It's f***ing terrible. As if crushing 160 people is OK when a god lets it happen or is personally responsible. The Haj is another one....how many more trampled pilgrims will it cost? Yet, hardly an accusing finger pointed towards the Almighty.
My mom stopped taking me to church out of embarrassment when I started questioning the illogic of Biblical passage during sermons. Here's me, a little friggin' kid standing up and asking the questions every adult should've been asking. Is that still the practice in there, shut up and listen? If I knew of one church in my area where questioning the pulpit was commonplace, I'd be there every Holy day.
(Dec 14, 2016 04:36 AM)Zinjanthropos Wrote: It's f***ing terrible. As if crushing 160 people is OK when a god lets it happen or is personally responsible. The Haj is another one....how many more trampled pilgrims will it cost? Yet, hardly an accusing finger pointed towards the Almighty.
That reminds me of a poem that Ali Esfahani wrote after the devastating earthquake in Bam.
Keep On Saying, "My God is Kind"
As the ceilings tumbled
and dust filled the eyes and mouths
struts and beams landed on heads and necks
and hands and legs ready to stir
stopped still under heaps of soil,
as moans and shrieks ascended the sky,
we were not there to see all this suffering
and speak not a word of it,
but God, after all, was there.
Did he not see babies sucking on their mothers’ breasts?
Did he not see shy new brides climbing into
their nuptial beds?
Did he not see flocks of faithful in nocturnal
prayers?
Did he not see feverish bodies dreaming of
good health?
Did he not see? Did he not? Did he?
Did he not know that no mother would be left
to put balm on the wounds of thousands of
bleeding children?
Did he not know that surviving mothers and
fathers
having lost their children, would have no desire for life?
Did he not know that those who were away
from home
would have no kinsmen left to cry on their
shoulder?
Did he not know? Did he not?
Would you keep on saying, “my God is kind”?
Would you, for the sake of your kind God,
define kindness for me!
(Dec 14, 2016 04:36 AM)Zinjanthropos Wrote: It's f***ing terrible. As if crushing 160 people is OK when a god lets it happen or is personally responsible. The Haj is another one....how many more trampled pilgrims will it cost? Yet, hardly an accusing finger pointed towards the Almighty.
That reminds me of a poem that Ali Esfahani wrote after the devastating earthquake in Bam.
Keep On Saying, "My God is Kind"
I think it is very, very obvious that if you are a believer then the gods DO NOT value life as much as we do. That must mean there is something much more important to believe in but unfortunately you have no way on knowing what that could be. I think it would be prudent for believers to recognize this and stop worrying about what their gods expect from them. You can be responsible for millions of deaths yet it means nothing to a god that places little or no value on life. We have to take care of life because IMHO the gods don't see it worth much. Build better churches and put the responsible inferior builder in chains or worse, shouldn't matter to gods that don't care if anybody lives or dies.
Dec 13, 2016 07:54 PM
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