June 9, 2024
I used to write the “g” in god in a capital letter — when I feared god. But like so many others (many of whom hypocritically proselytize that we should all fear god’s wrath and the second coming of his son) — I no longer fear god to pay him/her/It reverence by using a Big “G.”
Don’t get me wrong. I do believe there is a god.
But being brought up in the Lutheran tradition we were served both the vengeful Jewish god AND the forgiving Christian god (who turned out to be a lot meaner than I was initially led to believe). And as my Readers know — I believe these two gods are actually the same entity.
Assisted by John Lennon — that unnecessary moral compass provided by the church was redirected. (More on this in a moment.)
Though I’m sure that other religions were intolerant of non-Believers — take Islam for instance — I don’t think these religions went out purposefully to conquer new lands and convert the indigenous peoples to Christianity under pain of death. The Spanish seemed particularly adept at this practice. Anyone who knows their Californian and South American history knows the atrocities committed by those “Christian” soldiers.
Perhaps this is why Dostoevsky set The Grand Inquisitor in Spain?
And my Readers have also heard me quote the Graham Nash lyrics (probably more than once) about so many people lying and dying in the name of Christ. Which gets me sequeing to the Evangelicals — that group of alleged Christians who support Trump through all-of-his anti-Christian behaviors and rants! The Orange Messiah’s behavior seems to absolve the Evangelicals (and many others) of their sins…
No fear of god in these parties.
For my own salvation, I go with the Native American version of god known as The Great Spirit: Wakan Tanka (in the Lakota Sioux vernacular). A kinder, gentler god.
The Great Spirit has a karmic feel to It. By this I intimate that the energy we put out into the universe comes back to us (positively or negatively) like a boomerang.
So when you hear US saying “In god We Trust” — we must remind ourselves that it is all just lip-service for the men (and women) who wish to dominate others by using the fear of god to accomplish this objective.
The “one nation under god” that we started every school day off with was/is the preliminary conditioning (er, brainwashing) to get the little ‘uns fearing god from the get go! And it used to work so well!
I remember working for a clever businessman who would always suggest that “god was watching” should anyone challenge his modus operandi.
And so we find ourselves where we are — an allegedly god-fearing nation that doesn’t fear god in the slightest. And while many attempt to invoke the bible (whenever they can) — thinking that a biblical invocation legitimates lifestyles and demands of others — they have no clue what chapter or verse from the bible is purportedly supporting them.
I doubt very much that they read anything from the bible (particularly the Old Testament/Torah/Koran). Besides, the bible really isn’t a fun read — except for John’s hallucinatory Revelations. That’s a fun read! Comparable to some of the great acid authors.
I doubt very much that god minds fewer and fewer people being fearful of him/her/It.
After all, we were alerted way back in 1882 by Nietzsche, that god is dead…no need to fear the dead…