Sunday Musings – October
Learning to be numb to self and human needs
Earlier today I was thinking about the fact that it is Sunday and how I leaned, as a child, that there was a god who had nothing better to do that to keep a close eye on me and everyone else in the world. God was, in essence, a very anthropomorphized being, with apparently zillions of eyes which were designed to search out any signs of sinful behavior. This god was particularly concerned about signs of enjoyment of sexual behavior and was focused on eternal life when one would, if one endured the hardships and injustice of this world, be rewarded in someplace paved with gold – made to outdo the most lavish of mansion decorators on this earth. This god also demanded absolute obedience and like any parent who while beating their child proclaimed that “This hurts me more than it hurts you.”
This was, in many respects, the same religious construct which Karl Marx declared was “the opium of the masses”. (For a detailed discussion of what Marx meant google “learningreligion.com” and search for an article by Austin Cline entitled “Religion as opium of the masses.” (updated April 27, 2019).
Despite the fact that by the time I was a young adult there was a translation of the Christian Bible entitled “The Good News” the Southern Baptist church I attended still seem focused on the same “peeping tom”, angry, punishing god who was unconcerned about poverty, war, and other symptoms of injustice here on earth. Although many of the churches I attended did some “good works” for the poor, these deed were often done with an attitude of pity and judgement. After all, if one was a good person god would also reward you here on earth. Good people would prosper financially. If one were a good soldier and did the work of god while denying oneself one might also be acknowledged by the church community.
At the very same time, one was exposed to the teachings of that Jesus fellow who seemed to be unconditionally loving and not big on punishment or one having to earn one’s way to the love of god. This fellow Jesus did not seem to be pleased with those who took advantage of the poor or differently abled. It was difficult reconciling this god with the punishing god who seems very displeased with the human creation.
Later I would be introduced to churches and clergy such as those at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D. C. (best known because of the movie, “A man called Peter”). The people at this church were concerned with the world which humans were inhabiting now. They were concerned about poverty, war and all forms of social injustice. They did not seem concerned about what one was doing sexually or the general fact that was human. I began to think that this Jesus fellow might have been on to something. Perhaps it was okay to celebrate who we are as humans and to believe that we need to be concerned about how well we share the resources here on earth. Perhaps we d0 not need to numb ourselves to who we were – to compartmentalize parts of ourselves and our lived life. Perhaps there was a different concept of justice.
Well, it seems as if we are still positing a God who thinks that good people are rewarded here on earth (and in heaven), that poor people are poor because they are undeserving and unwilling to work, that punishment is an effective teacher and that it is moral to numb ourselves with money, disassociated sex, power, alcohol, other drugs, food and bullying behavior.
Perhaps Carlton Pearson, former “adopted son of Oral Roberts” and now minister at the Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma was accurate when he said we have been teaching or positing a god who is a monster. Perhaps it is time we quit using a god in organized religion or a god in the sacred workshop of capitalism for capitalism sake to be the opium of the masses as we ignore social injustice. Perhaps!
Written October 6, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
Learning to be numb to self and human needs
Earlier today I was thinking about the fact that it is Sunday and how I leaned, as a child, that there was a god who had nothing better to do that to keep a close eye on me and everyone else in the world. God was, in essence, a very anthropomorphized being, with apparently zillions of eyes which were designed to search out any signs of sinful behavior. This god was particularly concerned about signs of enjoyment of sexual behavior and was focused on eternal life when one would, if one endured the hardships and injustice of this world, be rewarded in someplace paved with gold – made to outdo the most lavish of mansion decorators on this earth. This god also demanded absolute obedience and like any parent who while beating their child proclaimed that “This hurts me more than it hurts you.”
This was, in many respects, the same religious construct which Karl Marx declared was “the opium of the masses”. (For a detailed discussion of what Marx meant google “learningreligion.com” and search for an article by Austin Cline entitled “Religion as opium of the masses.” (updated April 27, 2019).
Despite the fact that by the time I was a young adult there was a translation of the Christian Bible entitled “The Good News” the Southern Baptist church I attended still seem focused on the same “peeping tom”, angry, punishing god who was unconcerned about poverty, war, and other symptoms of injustice here on earth. Although many of the churches I attended did some “good works” for the poor, these deed were often done with an attitude of pity and judgement. After all, if one was a good person god would also reward you here on earth. Good people would prosper financially. If one were a good soldier and did the work of god while denying oneself one might also be acknowledged by the church community.
At the very same time, one was exposed to the teachings of that Jesus fellow who seemed to be unconditionally loving and not big on punishment or one having to earn one’s way to the love of god. This fellow Jesus did not seem to be pleased with those who took advantage of the poor or differently abled. It was difficult reconciling this god with the punishing god who seems very displeased with the human creation.
Later I would be introduced to churches and clergy such as those at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D. C. (best known because of the movie, “A man called Peter”). The people at this church were concerned with the world which humans were inhabiting now. They were concerned about poverty, war and all forms of social injustice. They did not seem concerned about what one was doing sexually or the general fact that was human. I began to think that this Jesus fellow might have been on to something. Perhaps it was okay to celebrate who we are as humans and to believe that we need to be concerned about how well we share the resources here on earth. Perhaps we d0 not need to numb ourselves to who we were – to compartmentalize parts of ourselves and our lived life. Perhaps there was a different concept of justice.
Well, it seems as if we are still positing a God who thinks that good people are rewarded here on earth (and in heaven), that poor people are poor because they are undeserving and unwilling to work, that punishment is an effective teacher and that it is moral to numb ourselves with money, disassociated sex, power, alcohol, other drugs, food and bullying behavior.
Perhaps Carlton Pearson, former “adopted son of Oral Roberts” and now minister at the Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma was accurate when he said we have been teaching or positing a god who is a monster. Perhaps it is time we quit using a god in organized religion or a god in the sacred workshop of capitalism for capitalism sake to be the opium of the masses as we ignore social injustice. Perhaps!
Written October 6, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
RSS Feed