Molly Ivins' legacy has not entirely deserted us. Witness this piece of brilliant writing by Nancy Greggs, which I post in its entirety because I got it in an email and it brought tears to my eyes (best part, IMHO:
My God is not a product to be sold to the highest bidder, nor a fictional character to be endowed with the characteristics I deem to be suited to my purpose. My enemies are not His enemies, to be exploited, maimed, orphaned or killed at my pleasure. My friends are not His friends because they belong to my church, my country club, my income bracket, my political party. ... My God knows I believe in Him. My task is to do something that gives Him reason to believe in me.
Online here:
Why I Don't Believe in the GOP's God
By Nancy Greggs
It is the favorite taunt of the right-wing: As a Liberal
and a Democrat, I am a godless heathen who does not accept the word of God. And they are right.
It's not that I don't believe in God, my Republican friends. It is just that I don't believe in your god, the one you have created in your own image and likeness.
My God is the creator of all things; the universe and all of its wonders were his gift to mankind. But your god doesn't care if you destroy what he has created through pollution and lack of stewardship. Your god only cares about the corporate bottom line.
My God is the creator of all people, and they are equally His children. But your god is only interested in white Christians. Your god doesn't hear the prayers of Muslims, he only hears yours.
My God set down the laws to be followed in His name. But your god attaches signing statements to the Ten Commandments, and continually alters their meaning when you deem it politically expedient to do so.
My God is all-powerful. But your god's abilities are limited to what you can comprehend. He could not have created man through evolution, choosing the moment of divine intervention. He could only have worked his miracles in a way that you can understand.
My God is all-seeing, and measures a man's worth by what is in his heart. Your god is content that a man be able to quote chapter and verse, and does not expect one's actions to reflect his word.
My God is all-loving, and bids us to do unto others what we would have done to ourselves. Your god sanctions torture, war without purpose, and the meting out of death without conscience.
My God endowed us with free will, and encourages us to think, to choose, to strive for the betterment of all mankind. Your god demands that you follow those who have appointed themselves to speak in his name, without question or dissent, no matter how contrary to God's law their intentions might be.
My God invites a personal relationship, a oneness with his Being. Your god demands a middle-man, who will speak for you when and if he so chooses, and only when your financial contribution to his coffers are considered to be sufficient.
My God is constant in His sense of what is right, what is fair, what is just. Your god is fickle, and right and wrong are determined by your interpretation of fairness and justice at any given moment.
My God expects me to be my brother's keeper, to help the sick, the hungry, the friendless and the homeless. Your god only wants you to look out for yourself; he expects you to ignore anyone who is less fortunate, less monied, or anyone who worships him in a way different than your own.
My God values every life he has created equally, without regard to religion, country, or ethic origin. Your god only values American lives, Christian lives; all the rest are expendable.
My God is not a product to be sold to the highest bidder, nor a fictional character to be endowed with the characteristics I deem to be suited to my purpose. My enemies are not His enemies, to be exploited, maimed, orphaned or killed at my pleasure. My friends are not His friends because they belong to my church, my country club, my income bracket, my political party.
My God knows that I believe in Him. He needs no financial contribution to prove my faith, no political persuasion to prove my loyalty, no mouthing of words without a true appreciation of their meaning to demonstrate that I understand my obligations to my fellow man.
My God knows that my responsibility lies in doing what I can in this life -- no matter how small or seemingly insignificant it may be -- to improve, protect, and make more meaningful the lives of all of His children, with whom I share the bounty of His earth.
My God doesn't judge me on the basis of how I vote, but on the basis of how I live my life. He does not see me as better than others because I am an American; he watches to see what I am willing to do to make America a better nation for the sake of my fellow citizens.
My God did, in many ways, bless America . But He did not bless my country to the exclusion of all others; He blesses every nation that embraces brotherhood, justice, and a commitment to the betterment of all of its inhabitants, not just those who hold power, wealth, or political influence.
My God knows I believe in Him. My task is to do something that gives Him reason to believe in me.
- Sarah's blog
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wonderful!
excellent! thanks!
’You don’t have an
'You don't have an imaginary friend like I do.' This is a taunt for whom, a four-year old? The above is just disputatious baby talk that dignifies magical thinking along with all the authoritarian uses of 'revealed knowledge.' Sentimental poesy aside, the appropriate rhetorical response to lame sectarian taunts is, 'There's no god, grow up.'
reply
hello! i m here 2 reply 2 ur message.
"ther is no god, grow up" wher's ur proof that ther is no god? i believe that god created me and that jesus died 4 me. my evidence is: firstly, healing in the name of christ. secondly, i hear him speak 2 me every nite. every time im going thru a difficult time in my life, he has given me a bible verse relevant to that stage in my life. quote: "wen i pray, coincidences happen. wen i don't, coincidences dont happen"
give me feedback, im really interested 2 hear ur views! :D
Maybe so ...
You're right, the correct argument is, "there is no god, grow up". but when you're dealing with these people, it's better to fool them into thinking that you're talking the same language. It is possible to make people realise that religion is not supposed to be a pissing match.
re: "’You don’t have an"
’You don’t have an imaginary friend like I do.’ This is a taunt for whom, a four-year old?...
Why so bitter? Oh, I know. No 'imaginary friend' would have you, huh?
There’s no god, grow
There’s no god, grow up.’
How about you "lighten up"?
You sound like an arrogant teenager.
You've managed to miss the point of this post entirely.
beautiful. i love the
beautiful. i love the simplicity and truth. as a non believer i wish that more believers truly felt this way....the world would be far better for it.
That's the funniest ignorant garbage I've read all day.
You have to wonder what latent spongiform encephalitis is currently tangling this individual's neurons.
Does this represent prion- or meme-induced paranoia? Who can say? Who would care, except to attempt to avoid the restaurants and social circles this Righteous denizen inhabits?
Cthulhu be with you, and doubtless sooner than you'd expect, hater of atheists and Jews, since He seems to be the one you worship.
Oh: and though I believe in nothing, the empty void being a measurable quantity, this is truely a beautiful post Sarah. Sorry to have to sully it with the trollspray.
No Hell below us
Above us, only sky
No Hell below us
Above us, only sky
occidental idiotics
Universalism is just stupid
That's not what the early Christians believed. The first major theological seminaries of early Christianity including Antioch, Alexandria, Cesarea and Edessa were all adherents of Universalism (the idea that all people will be spared Hell's eternal damnation). Roman Carthage on the other hand professed eternal damnation for the so-annointed "unsaved". Of course "Rome fell", per noted in the excitable spittle-pickled ravings of one ignorant accidental holywar pimple above. Maybe, "Jihad for the Occident" (aka: some truckling Christian Identity loooon from Idaho) can help us all understand Dual Seedline theory as well? Ooo, wouldn't that be a pickled treat!
*
Midianite Volcano Deity Update
“Atheism is just Kosher goyishe belief.”
We're all wearing the blue yarmulke now.
+++
And speaking of "pickled treats"
put your coffee down....
No authoritarians were tortured in the writing of this post.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi