The Gospel Truth

It is hard for me as a preacher’s son to even estimate how many hours, how many years I spent in church, Sunday school, adult classes, summer church camps, etc., etc.  I learned wonderful stories: Adam and Eve, Joseph, Moses, Noah, the burning bush, the parting of the Rad Sea, Jacob, David, Solomon, the birth of Jesus, his early visit to the temple, John the Baptist, recruiting apostles, water to wine, walking on water, nets full of fish, fish and bread feeding 5,000, the death and the resurrection, etc., etc.  Wonderful stories.  Stories that enriched my faith.  Those stories were all there in the Bible.  My picture was that the Bible was really epistles of love, grace, forgiveness, acceptance, the omnipotence of God and the sacrifice of His Son to save us mere mortals.  All good things.  All great things.  All the gospel truth.

Seems I have only recently had to confront the other side; the dark side of the Bible.  Included in this new found knowledge is a host of discoveries that have rocked me deeply.

The earth was not made in 6 days but over millions and millions of years.  The earth is not flat.  Evolution is real and has never been disproved.  The historical evidence outside the Bible for Moses, Abraham and Jesus is sketchy at best.  There is no evidence that the Jews were ever slaves in Egypt.  There is no evidence that Caesar demanded a census at the time Jesus was born.  So what is going on?

The Bible was written by men, not God.  I do not think God dictated to men who wrote it all down.  Inspired, perhaps, but not dictated.  In fact, it was men who decided what would be included in the Bible.  Around 150 years after Christ the New Testament had pretty much come together, at the Council of Trent in 400 AD it appeared to be finalized, but the current version with 66 books was not finalized until the 1500’s.  In other words, at best, we have conflicting oral and written history of the New Testament that lasted for a 150 years, and at worst 1500 years.  In finalizing the 21 books of the New Testament over 3,000 books were considered.  Three thousand?  The Old Testament took shape around 600 years BC, but was not finalized until 200 BC.  For each testament that is a huge amount of time.  Not knowing exactly what was in the Bible took longer than the United States has even existed.

And there is stuff in the Bible that horrifies me.  Slavery is totally condoned in both the old and new testaments.  Jesus even advised both slave owners and slaves on how to support each other.  It is very clear that wives should submit to their husbands.  Yes, husbands have a duty to their wives as well, but the Bible says men are the boss.  Tell that to my wife.  In fact, the Bible supports polygamy.  A man could have as many wives as he wished.  Death by stoning was prescribed for a host of behaviors.  Adultery got you stoned.  A new bride who was not a virgin got her stoned.  Divorce could get you stoned.   Lust for another could get you stoned.  Worshipping other gods.  Working on the Sabbath.  Children who disobey parents.  Interacting with wizards and witches.  Being a homosexual.  And being critical of the king (somebody better tell Fox News).  All these behaviors could result in being stoned to death.  I do not support slavery, I do not support polygamy, and I do not support stoning to death.  In fact, the Old Testament is tougher on divorce than it is on homosexuals, and it says virtually nothing about abortion though many try to say so via the transitive property.  We surely do not hear the battle cry against divorce and for polygamy from the fundamentalists who are anti-homosexual and anti-abortion.  If those folks had credibility they should stand up for all of that.

It would be easy if we could just write off the Old Testament.  Let’s just say that Jesus brought a new covenant and all the old is swept away.  He did save the prostitute from stoning by telling the crowd that anyone who is without sin can throw a stone.  He did say he was here to fulfill the Old Testament prophecy.  But dad gum it, He also confirmed and endorsed the rules found in the Old Testament.  What are we do to with that?

If I outlined the same problems listed above with Muslims and the Quran, we would all say, “See, it is a bunch of mixed up, mythological hooey and cannot be the real, true religious belief."  If I cannot believe the Bible, in what is my faith grounded?  If the Bible has lied, misconstrued, and supported current illegal acts, how shall I support such Biblical statements?  If you lie to me once, all that you have said is now subject to doubt.  If the Bible is not the Gospel truth, then is it all mythology?  And if I cannot turn to the Bible to confirm that it is not a myth, then where shall I go?  Surely not to witches or wizards.

About my Blogs

I write and post to three blogs: 

http://one-eyedbob.blogspot.com/

One-Eyed Bob is my home base where I discuss education and politics.  I am proud that I have won multiple awards from AASA for OEB and have a far-ranging audience.  I even occasionally review a movie or sound off on some current event so it is not just education talk.

http://one-eyedbobongod.blogspot.com/

One-eyed Bob on God is brand spanking new.  My faith has been shaky recently and I have been looking at what the theists, atheists, and the anti-theists have to say. I will put all that in one new blog.

http://tardybelle.blogspot.com/

My oldest blog and the one I have been most proud to write is Tardy Belle.  Yes, I am the author of Tardy Belle under the pseudonym Eileen Good.  The picture of Eileen on the blog is actually of my mother.  I began Tardy Belle as a public school superintendent.  If I had something that I felt really needed to be said and knew that it was not safe for me as a school superintendent to say, I wrote as Eileen and posted on Tardy Belle.  In this neck of Texas most folks are ultra conservative and have never even talked to a progressive.  While I was a superintendent all my progressive rants were posted by Eileen Good on Tardy Belle.  If you have read or followed Tardy Belle and feel deceived or betrayed I am truly sorry.  Admittedly I wrote on Tardy Belle out of fear of reprisal.  No more.  All such entries now appear on one-eyed bob and I do not intend to post to Tardy Belle again, unless of course circumstances demand it.  I will begin to move some of “Eileen’s” posts to one-eyed bob as the spirit moves me.  I will leave all the posts on Tardy Belle there for your perusal now that I have “come out.”  Eileen Good had a wonderful voice for me to assume and I shall miss her:

Thank you one and all for reading my blogs.  I love to write them and love your feedback.

The Samaritan Extinction

From one-eyedbob.blogspot.com on Wednesday, November 18, 2015

The war in Syria rages.  Out of that war IS emerges as a large, organized terrorist operation.  They believe that anyone who is not with them must die so they have no reluctance taking human non-Sunni lives.  They just did so in Paris.

But the Paris attacks, as awful and horrendous and inhumane as they were, demonstrates clearly why so many are leaving their homes in Syria and Iraq and elsewhere close by and are fleeing wherever they can go to be safe.

27 Governors in the US have now announced that their states will not allow any Syrian refugees to flee to them.  More than half our states.  I am so deeply sad that my state is one of the 27.  Of the 27 governors, only one is a Democrat.

It is my hunch that these governors campaigned on family values, Christianity in particular.  None of these governors claimed to be atheists or Muslim.   And I wonder if those most fundamental of Christians have in fact read the New Testament and understood the big picture.

If states are fools, do we not have a county or a city who will stand and say let them come unto us and we will give them peace?  We will not sort by religion.  We will not sort by ethnicity.  If we follow the notion of only allowing people succor who are “good”, who will ever qualify for admission? 

There are candidates for the Presidency who would rather bomb IS knowing they will kill innocent people.  There are candidates who would send American troops to the region, or at least Iraq.  Have we learned nothing from Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, and Afghanistan?  Are we not yet beyond an eye for an eye and international bullying?  No air strike will return the dead in Paris.  Will we ever be able to turn the other cheek and respond rationally?

My Christian heritage taught me it is the Samaritan who is blessed.  The enemy who responds to another human who is suffering and in need is the model to emulate. 

Have we no more Samaritans?  Are they now extinct?  Do we have a new interpretation of the New Testament that requires service to self and safety first and no obligation to our fellow humans?

I find that cowardly and blasphemous.

Easter Eve

From one-eyedbob.blospot.com on 4/19/2014

Despite the cantatas, the hymns, the sermons and prayers this is the time of year I reflect on my faith.  Do I really believe there is a God, a supreme being who created all things, knows all things and yet seems to step back and watch shit happen?  Do I really believe Jesus was the son of such a God?  Do I really believe he was perfect?  Do I really believe he was conceived by a holy spirit?  Do I really believe he rose from the dead and yet lives?  Or, is all of this pre-medieval superstition, the opiate of the people.  I was raised to believe, so it is difficult to reflect on this topic.  If I choose not to believe, then I dishonor my father who devoted his life to preaching this belief.  And yet, it all seems pretty bizarre.  I will keep all this to myself as I sit in services where sometimes I feel like a spy. 

Negligent Homicide

From one-eyedbob.blogspot.com on 3/24/2015

I am reading about crash of German Wings flight 4U9525 in a mountainous region of France with up to 150 people on board.  So sad.  As with so many tragedies due to human error, mechanical failure or natural events I have no doubt that those who were about to die called on God to save them and those who wait safely for loved ones pray to God for the safety and return of those held dear.  Yet, the crash happened.  People died.  Those waiting are in shock and pain.

Negligent homicide is a serious felony.  Such a charge includes two elements.  The first is that the defendant knew there was risk of death for the victim(s).  The second is that the defendant failed to act to help save the life of the victim(s).

So, does God hear prayers?  If your answer is yes, then God was aware of the soon to happen tragedy of this airline crash.

Can God intervene and can God work miracles?  If your answer is yes, then God failed to act to help save the victims.

Prima facie:  God is guilty of negligent homicide and is therefore a felon.  Or, he/she does not hear prayer or he/she cannot perform miracles, or he/she hears prayers and chooses not to act.  That seems evil. 

Regardless, faith falters.

OMG!

Ra, Isis, Brahma, Shiva, Odin, Loki, Thor, Zeus, Hera, Jupiter, Juno, the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Ghost), and on and on.  Humans it appears have always worshiped deities, though from culture to culture these gods are distinctly different.  A complete list of all the gods humans have worshipped would include thousands of names.  Each of these gods explained early beginnings, explained natural events that were not understood, defined appropriate behavior, and seemed to work mischief of one sort or another.

It occurs to me that I am an atheist when it comes to 11 of the 12 listed here.  I do not believe those first 11 ever actually existed.  I think they are myths.  Were I to run into a Zeus worshiper today I would be amazed and shocked to discover that someone actually believes in and worships Zeus.  I think I might actually chuckle.  The same is true for the other 11 on this list, or any of the other thousands I did not list.  On the other hand, if I were visited by the personage of Zeus who asked me why I persecuted him I would be forced to rethink all I believe and know.It further occurs to me that when atheists talk to me they are amazed to discover I believe in any gods.  Atheists are just like me and the first 11 on my list, they believe all such gods do not exist and are myths. Atheists go one more than I do to include the Christian God.  That makes me pretty uncomfortable.

Worse, if I look at the god I was taught to worship in light of the other gods that are or have been out there, I see similarities.  My God created everything.  My God got mad and destroyed everything.  My God played games with some of his followers (poor Job).  My God is jealous of the other gods, and interestingly, He did not deny their existence but told us we were not to have any of those other gods before Him.  My God sometimes answers prayers, sometimes doesn’t.  He has a will that we do not understand.  He tends to always be portrayed as a male, but I think that is unreasonable and is a sign of the predominant culture at the time most books of the Bible were supposedly written.  (We believe the Holy Spirit is a male as he impregnated Mary and we know Jesus was a male, so it has always made more sense to me to think of God as God the Mother, not God the Father, but that is just me.  Jesus called Him our Father who art in heaven.  Am I the only one bothered by the fact that our trinity has no female representation?)  He promises love, forgiveness and grace but threatens to send us to eternal punishment if we do not behave.  That does not sound like love and forgiveness to me.  It sounds mean as hell.  Like all the other gods, He is invisible.  He is everywhere, but we cannot identify Him with any of our instruments.  He promises a heaven or a hell, and we cannot find out where those places are either.  We do not have the GPS coordinates for heaven or hell though we can even detect dark matter and dark energy millions of light years from earth.  If He is in another dimension then by the laws of quantum mechanics any contact with that dimension would end time.  

So, who is He and where is He?

Or, like every other god on this list is all of this simple mythology?  There is evidence outside the Bible to confirm the existence of Jesus as a man and the followers who believed in him, but those reports are all second hand, a.k.a. hearsay.  And the Bible was written by men, not God.  Even Moses and Abraham were probably fictitious characters made up just like we made up Paul Bunyan, the tooth fairy and Santa Claus.  There is no evidence that the Jews were ever captive slaves in Egypt, nor is there any record that a Caesar required a census to be taken around the time of Jesus’ birth.  Sadly, given all the errors and misleading’s in the Bible, it is the evidence from the sources that were hostile to Jesus that holds the most credence for me.  And none of those sources were eye-witnesses to the miracles or resurrection or ascension, etc.

I want there to be a god.  I would love knowing that there was a supernatural being who knows all things, is the great creator, worker of miracles and savior who can provide eternal life.  I want to believe that if I call on the Lord, He will hear my prayers.  If there is truth in that belief then I am very concerned that this god does not seem to answer prayer.  When he appears to, we give Him all the credit.  Even NFL players look skyward after touchdowns, though I find that blasphemous.  (If there is no god, is there blasphemy?) When He appears to ignore our pleas we simply say that is His will and we cannot fathom that will.  Really?  God wills such pain?  Why?  Where is the love and grace?  Where is the forgiveness?  Are we really more important to God than sparrows?  I want there to be burning bushes, columns of fire, storms ripping the veil in the temple, water into wine, the parting of seas or at least walking on them, a fish feeding hundreds and the blind made to see.  I can do without the 40 days and nights of rain and turning people into salt because they looked over their shoulder.  But I do not see any of these things.  A really cool and obvious miracle would be most helpful to all of us at this point.  Something on the order of at least The Day the Earth Stood Still or Independence Day.  A chariot in the sky would settle a lot of things.

Is the burden of proof on the atheists or on the believers?  I think it is on the believers.  Convince me of your god, show me he is real, and prove he exists.  There is no way to prove god does not exist as one cannot prove a negative.  (How could I prove I was not having an affair when I am not having an affair?  The burden of proof lies with the proclaimer.)  Do not tell me the earth is flat, the earth is the center of the solar system, the earth is 6,000 years old, or that evolution does not exist.  We know all that to be false.  Just show me he is real without quoting a book that is spurious at its best.  And I am deeply concerned about the sanity of those who believe the Bible is inerrant, is 100% truthful and accurate.  Really?  How much evidence do they need to see the error in that thinking?

It further occurs to me that if our history were delayed 2,000 years Jesus would have been captured in social media.  There would be cell phone pictures of shepherds in the field and angels in the sky, wise men would have arrived more timely and collected frequent flyer miles, miracles would have been recorded and analyzed, and the resurrection broadcast worldwide on Instagram and YouTube.  He came at just the right time before any of our technology was capable of recording the event.  He came to a group of illiterate Bronze Age men and women.  Hence, it is all a matter of belief and faith, word of mouth, the Pope declared what books were divinely inspired in 382, almost 400 years after Jesus, and then a group of men at the Council of Trent in the 1500’s who decided what goes in the Bible and what does not.  That is 1,500 years after the supposed date of the birth of Jesus.  Incredible.    

As more and more deaths are attributed to religious conflict on this planet one wonders what the hell is going on.  Are the gods fighting?  If so, my faith falters and my belief wobbles.  If there are not gods then why do we commit such atrocities in the name of faith?  Why do both Christians and Muslims want a theocratic state that supports their beliefs?  Why do so many belief systems anticipate the end of humanity in a way that is almost celebratory?  Even if humans disappear in a rapture, are we so arrogant as to believe the universe will cease to exist when humans are extinct?  I do not understand.  One cannot say that my lack of understanding of all this is proof that God must exist.  That only He has a master plan and understands all things and knows all things.  If that were true we should all be subservient to such a god and seek nothing, seek to understand nothing, and accomplish nothing.  We should simply remain in the Bronze Age.

All of this yields a great fear, a great uneasiness in my guts.  I grow more and more uncomfortable reciting the Apostle’s Creed and participating in the sacraments.  Have I been worshipping myths?  OMG!