God is Not in the Business of Doling Out Disease or Having People Killed!
It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant grown people, adults, are with respect to God and their religion in 2009:
On June 6, 2009, or thereabouts, Susan Lisovicz, a CNN correspondent, in honor of Memorial Day, spoke lovingly of her 91 year-old Uncle Lenny's bravery and his storming of Omaha Beach during World War II. She said her uncle still, and always, thinks of his radio man who perished there during that war. Ms. Lisovicz reported, "...God chose not to take my uncle but God took his radio man...."
I can see older people interpreting life's events in this childlike, fatuous, manner because that's how believers were steeped in their various religions in the past, but Ms. Lisovicz appeared young. I question whether religion just wasn't taught properly, fitly, in the past or if we didn't hear it properly. I think some of both is true; although, I lean more toward it wasn't taught correctly, or adequately. I don't know if much has changed. (For example, in the Catholic religion of the not-too-distant-past, it was a mortal sin to eat meat on Friday, as opposed to a venial sin; murder was, and is, a mortal sin. And if you die with a mortal sin on your soul, you will go directly to hell! Millions of Catholics - including vulnerable youth, children - were, for years, decades, sorrowfully feeling guilt, and contritely confessing in confession their horrendous mortal sin of eating meat on Friday; AND, SUDDENLY, after all of that mental anguish and torture, lo and behold, it's perfectly ok to eat meat on Friday, becaaause the Pope says so, "Oops, sorry about all that guilt, discomfort, mental anguish, and browbeating you felt all these years!")
[I remember eagerly, and innocently, raising my hand, and when called upon, asking the question in the religion class of my youth, "You say we should pray. If God knows all that has happened, all that is happening, and all that will happen, why should we pray then or what good is it to pray then?"
I was taken aback, and shamed, when the teacher quipped, "Be careful! That's the sign of an atheist! Sit down!" Whaaat!? More guilt! I'm pretty certain that I never again raised my hand with a question after THAT!
The same religion teacher was the art teacher, and it may have been in religion class that she demonstrated on the blackboard what will happen to our lips if we wear lipstick - all of these vignettes occurred in high school, during those impressionable years! With chalk she drew a straight line on the blackboard, and then another line atop that one, and another atop that one, and on, and on, and on, until the line became quite wide, implying that, and scaring us into believing that, our lips would become huge, fat, if we applied and wore lipstick - and my parents paid big bucks to send me to this private academy. (No need for botox injections then!)
I remember being at school on a Saturday for detention because I had broken the rule, I chewed gum in class (I think I suffered from the youthful worry about, or preoccupation with, having halitosis.) That afternoon, I innocently, and naively, walked down the caliginous hallway alongside a different teacher, a real tall one, and imbibed, absorbed, her encouraging, uplifting, words, "Oooh, God even gets the worst of you!" Gulp!
There were two types of blouses (the school's own) that we were allowed to wear under our jackets, cotton, or linen (which can be somewhat seen through). Jackets were not permitted to be removed even in excruciating heat if a student had donned a linen blouse unless a full slip was worn underneath. There was evidently something unseemly, indecent, about the outline of a brazziere being visible through a blouse (to other girls). If a student innocently took off her jacket and the blouse she had on was linen and no slip was in sight, the student received a quick tap on the shoulder, perhaps even with a ruler. These examples make one wonder how much time was devoted to actual education!?]
Not too long ago, a couple of weeks, perhaps, Farrah Fawcett, or her good friend, Alana Stewart, ex-wife of George Hamilton and Rod Stewart, said on television, "...Since God gave Farrah (the disease of) cancer, she wants to make a documentary of her experience to help people...," or something to that effect.
God is not in the business of doing bad things to good people, or to bad people. God did not kill Uncle Lenny's radio man, nor did God give Farrah the cancer! God is not in the business of doling out disease, nor is God in the business of killing people or having people killed. God will help Farrah get through her turmoil but God did not give it to her. God will help Uncle Lenny deal with the death of his friend but God did not kill his friend or have someone else kill him.
I believe that human beings make up such absurdities as a killing God, and a disease-dispensing God, because it's too scary for us to think that life is just random!
Due to a shortage of time, awhile ago, I only skimmed the book, "Why Bad Things Happen To Good People," by Rabbi Harold S. Kushner from Massachusetts in which he attempts to answer that phenomenonal question. The Rabbi wrote the book years after his three year-old son was diagnosed with a degenerative disease which would only allow him to live until his early teens. What I ascertained from this book, which I admit I skimmed (so I might not be accurate), is that there is God and there is nature! There are two entities.
On June 6, 2009, or thereabouts, Susan Lisovicz, a CNN correspondent, in honor of Memorial Day, spoke lovingly of her 91 year-old Uncle Lenny's bravery and his storming of Omaha Beach during World War II. She said her uncle still, and always, thinks of his radio man who perished there during that war. Ms. Lisovicz reported, "...God chose not to take my uncle but God took his radio man...."
I can see older people interpreting life's events in this childlike, fatuous, manner because that's how believers were steeped in their various religions in the past, but Ms. Lisovicz appeared young. I question whether religion just wasn't taught properly, fitly, in the past or if we didn't hear it properly. I think some of both is true; although, I lean more toward it wasn't taught correctly, or adequately. I don't know if much has changed. (For example, in the Catholic religion of the not-too-distant-past, it was a mortal sin to eat meat on Friday, as opposed to a venial sin; murder was, and is, a mortal sin. And if you die with a mortal sin on your soul, you will go directly to hell! Millions of Catholics - including vulnerable youth, children - were, for years, decades, sorrowfully feeling guilt, and contritely confessing in confession their horrendous mortal sin of eating meat on Friday; AND, SUDDENLY, after all of that mental anguish and torture, lo and behold, it's perfectly ok to eat meat on Friday, becaaause the Pope says so, "Oops, sorry about all that guilt, discomfort, mental anguish, and browbeating you felt all these years!")
[I remember eagerly, and innocently, raising my hand, and when called upon, asking the question in the religion class of my youth, "You say we should pray. If God knows all that has happened, all that is happening, and all that will happen, why should we pray then or what good is it to pray then?"
I was taken aback, and shamed, when the teacher quipped, "Be careful! That's the sign of an atheist! Sit down!" Whaaat!? More guilt! I'm pretty certain that I never again raised my hand with a question after THAT!
The same religion teacher was the art teacher, and it may have been in religion class that she demonstrated on the blackboard what will happen to our lips if we wear lipstick - all of these vignettes occurred in high school, during those impressionable years! With chalk she drew a straight line on the blackboard, and then another line atop that one, and another atop that one, and on, and on, and on, until the line became quite wide, implying that, and scaring us into believing that, our lips would become huge, fat, if we applied and wore lipstick - and my parents paid big bucks to send me to this private academy. (No need for botox injections then!)
I remember being at school on a Saturday for detention because I had broken the rule, I chewed gum in class (I think I suffered from the youthful worry about, or preoccupation with, having halitosis.) That afternoon, I innocently, and naively, walked down the caliginous hallway alongside a different teacher, a real tall one, and imbibed, absorbed, her encouraging, uplifting, words, "Oooh, God even gets the worst of you!" Gulp!
There were two types of blouses (the school's own) that we were allowed to wear under our jackets, cotton, or linen (which can be somewhat seen through). Jackets were not permitted to be removed even in excruciating heat if a student had donned a linen blouse unless a full slip was worn underneath. There was evidently something unseemly, indecent, about the outline of a brazziere being visible through a blouse (to other girls). If a student innocently took off her jacket and the blouse she had on was linen and no slip was in sight, the student received a quick tap on the shoulder, perhaps even with a ruler. These examples make one wonder how much time was devoted to actual education!?]
Not too long ago, a couple of weeks, perhaps, Farrah Fawcett, or her good friend, Alana Stewart, ex-wife of George Hamilton and Rod Stewart, said on television, "...Since God gave Farrah (the disease of) cancer, she wants to make a documentary of her experience to help people...," or something to that effect.
God is not in the business of doing bad things to good people, or to bad people. God did not kill Uncle Lenny's radio man, nor did God give Farrah the cancer! God is not in the business of doling out disease, nor is God in the business of killing people or having people killed. God will help Farrah get through her turmoil but God did not give it to her. God will help Uncle Lenny deal with the death of his friend but God did not kill his friend or have someone else kill him.
I believe that human beings make up such absurdities as a killing God, and a disease-dispensing God, because it's too scary for us to think that life is just random!
Due to a shortage of time, awhile ago, I only skimmed the book, "Why Bad Things Happen To Good People," by Rabbi Harold S. Kushner from Massachusetts in which he attempts to answer that phenomenonal question. The Rabbi wrote the book years after his three year-old son was diagnosed with a degenerative disease which would only allow him to live until his early teens. What I ascertained from this book, which I admit I skimmed (so I might not be accurate), is that there is God and there is nature! There are two entities.
Posted by Caleigh Brooks at 6/16/2009 11:15 PM 
Categories: Religion
Tags: memorial day God cnn farrah fawcett rod stewart omaha beach rabbi harold s kushner cancer george hamilton world war II susan lisovicz religion massachusetts catholic church alana stewart
Categories: Religion
Tags: memorial day God cnn farrah fawcett rod stewart omaha beach rabbi harold s kushner cancer george hamilton world war II susan lisovicz religion massachusetts catholic church alana stewart
Religion is both a touchy and a tricky topic of discussion. I grew up Catholic, but as I got older and began to form my own opinions, I became intrigued by the different religions and the contradictions among all of them. I am not a fan of organized religion, but I do believe in God. I find some truth in many religions, if that makes sense...
xo from
http://annabellasepiphanies.wordpress.com/
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I appreciate your thoughts thank you for being you
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