Free of the Biblical God

Blessed are the Atheists, Agnostics, Deists, Mystics, Humanists, Free
Thinkers, Taoist, Buddhist and all others who do not have an archaic, primitive
God in their mind/brains.
Blessed are they for they do not believe that a God is on their side.

Blessed are they for they do not participate in holy wars, Jihads or
Crusades.

Blessed are they for they would never be martyrs for the “Glory
of God”.

Blessed are they for they do not condemn others as heretics or infidels.

Blessed are they for they do not conduct inquisitions nor slaughter
millions of women as “witches”.

Blessed are they who do not participate in sectarian violence, nor
harass little Catholic school girls walking through their neighborhood.

Blessed are they who do not twist biblical words to condemn homosexuality
as a sin, nor to condemn a woman’s right to choose.

Blessed are they who would never say that a terrorist act is God’s
punishment against those who do not believe or think as they do.

Blessed are they who know that the only hell that exists is right here
on earth created by man. And that it is in man’s hands alone to create
a heaven here on earth through intelligence, empathy and love.
To clear the cobwebs of a biblical God out of the human brain is no
easy task. It means cleaning out all of the brainwashing. indoctrination,
and ministerial cliches and giving your head, mind and spirit a fresh start.
A recent book review of “A Spiritual Response to the Attack on America”
brought out the fact that most of the essays were the usual cliche filled
pablum … like, you know, God gives us free will … and God was there
“loving” the survivors and all of that theological ministerial mush
and gobble-de-gook. Only one essay got to the heart of the issue. An essay
by Episcopalian Bishop John Shelby Spong on “The Theistic God is Dead”
calling for a new concept of something we call “God”. This is the
subject that I have chosen for my lectures for the last ten years, including
my recent one in Santa Barbara.
The “God” being presented to us is a mish-mash of meaningless
images. A God who loves the families left behind … a God who was on the
last thoughts of the murderers as they drove their planes into the buildings
…. a God for America who now demands ‘justice’ and wants to help us bomb
them back into the stone age.
“God Bless America” is a song that has been played, and still
is, on almost every radio station ad nauseam.
Are you aware of the fact that the song is a prayer for only orthodox
Jews and orthodox Christians? This nation has close to a hundred million
citizens that are neither Jews nor Christians and who do not believe that
there is a God “out there” to “bless America”.
For writing like this I have been called an “atheist”. Few other
words in religion are used so irresponsibly. Throughout history, going
back to the days of Athens and Rome until the present day in 2001, that
word has been tossed at anyone who did not share the orthodox beliefs of
the common man or woman about God, Gods and Goddesses.
Those using the word as a derogatory charge always fantasize that they
alone have the truth with a capitol “T”, and all other beliefs are false
and “atheistic”.
So the Romans of the first three centuries called the members of the
new Christian cult atheists. The Christians said “no” … you Romans
are the atheists. And so it went. The Hebrews called the Egyptians atheists,
while the Egyptians called the Hebrews atheists with their false Gods.
And so it went.
The ignorance of those who call others atheists is embarrassing to anyone
with a sophomoric exposure to the history of religions.
Theodore Roosevelt was a religiously ignorant man. He kept calling Thomas
Paine “that filthy little atheist”. Paine was not even remotely
an atheist. In all of his writings he celebrated Deism.  Deists are
not atheists as anyone with a religious I.Q. above 3 knows.
The centuries are sick with a God made in man’s image and imagination
who shares the same nationalistic pride and arrogance whether it be the
countries of Islam, or Israel or America.
My opening paragraph was “Blessed are the atheists, agnostics, deists,
mystics and so forth.” There is no primitive God “out there”
in any of these perspectives and yet many of them stand in awe before the
incomprehensible mystery that saturates the entire cosmos, even as do I.
“Standing in wonder before this Mystery” said Einstein, “is
the source of all true art and true science”.