BLOG 252 - Playing God

“Contrary to what you've been hearing, historically science and religion have not been at odds. They've been partners in understanding God and His creation”  Stephen Crosby Author: Overcoming Performance-Based Religion

Is there anything more annoying than when someone chooses to put meaning to your words that you certainly never meant – plus they use what you’ve once said out of context to manipulate others ?

Happens far too often huh?

But nowhere does it happen as often as it does where people practice religion.  Give mankind a promise of life eternal after death and we start making everyone’s life miserable by demonising otherwise innocent activities and practises.

I just wonder sometimes if just 10% of the effort made by those who pose to be religious (and by this I mean ALL the religions not just Christian) were focused on the core tenets, if the world would be a better place. After all I can not see any one of the world’s great religions promoting anything other than spiritual enlightenment.

Somehow once in a religion we seem lose touch of the big picture and add a bunch of rules to our deity’s words that they didn't put there. So proud are we of following all our little rules better than anyone else we actually start thinking we are the holiest.

I am unfamiliar with the day to day ridiculousness of other religions that lose their way- but I am sure they are equally as bad so forgive me as I focus on just one.

I do know Christianity, and I often come across fellow Christians who feel they are earning God's favour by what they do or don't do, and in the process nullify the gospel and make it look like Christ died for nothing because they can get there on their own by being super great at following the little rules better than anyone else.

I find it abhorrent that a religion based on faith working through love, can so often totally misrepresented by people wishing to approve or condemn others and play at being God. But let’s face fact all the major religions seem to have attracted folk who totally ignore the heart of their faith and concentrate solely upon the discipline of adherence to various rigorous and restrictive practices.

People who pose as Christian but ignore the tenet “A new commandment I give unto you, is to love one another as I have loved you” shock me daily.  Instead of ensuring that the blessings of a nice life be paid forward to others less fortunate – they spend their time and funds promoting prohibitions against theatre, movies, dancing, playing cards, interracial or same sex marriage or mixed bathing or trying to get the figurative or allegorical references in the bible to replace scientific teachings in schools.  

Why? you may ask. Because it's easier to sit in judgement of other peoples lives than be the judge of your own. Because it is easier to take a short cut... to have the tick box exercise . So what if its bending the rules by not focusing on living with compassion and open heartedness and focusing instead on fish on friday or sexual purity.

I am sure that the path to God’s favour is not smoothed by such additions to God’s word.  I am sure being super great and super proud of your own ability to manipulate others to follow man prohibitions by misquoting out of context the Bible does little more than turn a would be Christian into a Pharisee, Sadducee, Scribe, Judaiser,  or Nicolaitan.  And for those readers who aren’t Christian… those sects were more obsessed with their take on things than their Gods.

Which is the point of this piece. No religion has at its heart rules about making everyone’s life miserable by demonising each other for not maintaining the best list of adhered to practices. At their core each is about making our journeys through this life deeply meaningful.

We all – no matter which religion - need to get back to basics and stop it with the playing God.

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