Some Christians draw a great deal of ghoulish delight from the idea that all those who deny their beliefs are "true" will one day find everlasting proof in the fiery pit of hell. Just ask Padre Pio or Phil Robertson. That such sadism undermines the very notions of charity, mercy, and forgiveness that so many Christians claim their religion represents, is obvious to everyone but Christians. Nor does it occur to such Christians that their desire to see their enemies roasted for all eternity is not proof of their spiritual purity, but of their spiritual cruelty, and evidence of just how sadistic their pathological addiction to religion can become.
Christians will deny that hell is only proof of their spiritual superiority complex, but this should not be surprising. After all, Christians also overlook the fact that the mere existence of hell, if it in fact exists at all (as they so often claim), only proves how truly sadistic their God really is. For if God is the creator of all life, and the creator of everything else as well, including Hell, then the existence of Hell only proves that God creates life that he knows fully well will end up in Hell. But what kind of a sadistic psychopath creates life he knows fully well is destined for an eternal pizza oven?
The existence of hell would likewise demonstrate that God can do all things, but create a human species where each human being has free will, yet not a single one of us would ever do anything deserving of hell. I can think of no greater proof of a "father" who is hopelessly sadistic than one who creates a baby room filled with all of the horrors of this world, the inhabitants of whom all dangle like the sword of Damocles over an eternal spiritual hell, and argues that such horrors are simply the unavoidable consequence of the "gift" of free will. And when the atheist then points out that such a "gift" is like giving a child a basket of fruit teeming with scorpions and vipers, the Christian insists that the atheist is simply "focusing on the wrong thing." Instead, such Christians choose to focus on God's mercy, and goodness (which apparently comes in the form of either suffering or abundance, or both, depending on who you ask).
By focusing on the half of the glass that is not a boiling cauldron of lava, Christians like Joel Osteen convert the wayward sinner by selling their "prosperity gospel," which is basically a way of packaging their beliefs as an Amway style "get rich with God" type ponzi scheme. And by supplanting the ethos of Wall Street for the true "will of God," Christians like Osteen assure their flock that God wants all of his children to enjoy a utopian heaven on Earth (and these guys blame socialists for trying to build a utopian society?!). If people give to the church, in other words, they can expect to find spiritual health and possibly even financial success and prosperity; if it be God's will.
Ironically, if people want at least some of their tax dollars to be spent on a system of national healthcare instead of making international war, however, the Christian Right decries "socialism" and "communism." Hence, if a sick person cannot afford the cost of private medical insurance for a cure, the Christian Right would have them donate what meager funds they may have to the Church instead, in the hope of obtaining a miracle. And if no miracle is forthcoming from God, then it is simply God's will that such a person should die.
Their "donation" to the church should not be thought to be in vain, however. For at the very least, it has helped prepare that person's soul to meet their maker, by helping such pastors as Randy White, Kenneth Copeland, and Joel Osteen fuel their ministry by fueling their private jets. And if the person should end up in hell nevertheless, well at least they have done their part for Christianity by supporting the needs of capitalism.
Comments
Post a Comment