I was watching the “Xena” episode “Altered State” (instead of studying for my property exam) and it made me think of the story it is CLEARLY based on, that of Abraham and Isaac. For those of you lucky enough to avoid having to go to church (or, like most, have completely forgotten the story) Wikipedia has a pretty good run-down of it. The short version runs as follows:
God: I’m bored. Huh, I bet I know what would liven things up; I’ll be a giant jackass and test the faith of one of my most faithful. I’ve already split the family up, what with the whole Hagar/ Sarah thing, let’s see what I can do. Yo, Abraham?
Abraham: Yes my lord? I live to serve the. Though normally hearing voices would be a sign that I’m clinically deranged, it is surely that I am holy and God has chosen me.
God: Go and kill your kid on top of a mountain.
Abraham: Yes sir. *clicks heels* Come on kid.
Isaac: What was with the whole “sacrificing kid” thing? We didn’t bring a goat, or a lamb or anything.
Abraham: I’m sure something’ll turn up. *Ties Isaac to rock*
Angel: Yo, God, how far are you going to take this joke?
God:….oh yeah, tell him to stop would you? I would, but my show just started.
Angel: Stop killing your kid. Here’s a wild Ox, god likes those too.
Abraham: If you’re sure. *kills and burns ox*
Isaac: Um, yay god?
Now, the lesson you’re supposed to take from this is that you should always have faith; if god says jump, you say “how high?” and don’t ask any other question. My question from this is: what kind of fucked-up, psychopathic god, says “kill your kid” even (and maybe especially) as a test of faith? I have a running theory that the god of the Bible is more akin to an abusive spouse, than any kind of benevolent being. This is an example of that; this is like an abusive spouse asking the other to get rid of a pet because “you love it more than me” and then pouting until you do, and then saying s/he was “just kidding”. This story is one of the many, many stories that are supposed to be inspiring, but are really just insane in primitive. Even if there was any evidence that god existed, this would be a damned good reason not to worship it. Just as a general rule of thumb: if the voices in your head say “Kill” don’t listen to them.
This story was particularly sticking in my head in light of this; the atheist sign in Washington put up to the Nativity Scene. The sign said “”At this season of the Winter Solstice, may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.” Hubby was mad when he read this sign, because as a still-vaguely religious person with fond memories of his church, he disagrees that religion “hardens hearts and enslaves minds”. I, of course disagree. Paul the Spud over at Shakesville disagrees with the sign as well, saying:
GAH. Thanks SO much for handing Bill O’Reilly and his like-minded knuckleheads more ammo. I’m seriously beginning to wonder if these War-on-Christmasers and You’re-telling-us-we’re-going-to-hell atheists are profiting together off of this bullshit.
Not surprisingly, I disagree with both of them. Yeah, I think Freedom From Religion is at best insanely naïve if they didn’t expect people to be pissed by this sign, and at worst disingenuous. And yeah, this sign is probably not the best in way of being persuasive.
But you know something? FFR is right. Religion has been used for many good things over the years, and inspired (or at least paid for) some of the best art work in the world. But, it does harden your heart and enslave your mind. If one of the “role models” in the Bible was willing to kill his own kid because he thought god said so, that’s what I call a hard heart and an enslaved mind. If religion teaches you to do what god says, and never to question it, (and god amazingly always sound like the leader) than you have a hard heart an enslaved mind.
And Bill O’Reilly and the like don’t need ammunition; they’d make it up if they didn’t have this. And just like I won’t be cowed when someone says “if you feminists just ask for it NICER, you’d get more rights” and “if you gay people would just stop being so AFFECTIONATE in public, people would accept you more” I find it completely unpersuasive to tell atheists not to get their message out as often as possible, or to say it nicer if they want to be taken seriously. Atheist organizations have every right to say this where everyone else is allowed to say their beliefs. No one has convinced anyone of anything by staying silent and hidden.
So, good for FFR. I hope either Christian organizations will take this as a lesson to stop using government property for their beliefs, if they don’t want them contradicted.
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