Forgiving Evangelicals

I confess to feeling a lot of anger and a lot of frustration with the American Christian right-wing, whether we call them evangelicals or fundamentalists or some other less flattering term.  This group of folks has me totally stymied and dumbfounded.  Claiming to be the most Christian of the Christians they act in ways that defy both logic and belief.

For now, let’s set aside their stringent commitment to falsehoods, beliefs that are totally contradicted by fact, knowledge and reason.  Among those set-asides are the beliefs that the earth is around 6,000 years old, humans and dinosaurs walked the planet together, the earth is flat, it was created in 6 days, there really was a Noah and an Ark and a flood, and evolution is not a fact.  There are more, but just looking at the belief structure that is in such denial of reality might be enough to get most of them certified and committed.  But, for now, let’s set that aside.

Let’s not set aside the primary tenets of Christianity as defined in the New Testament.  Whether you are a Christian, a Muslim, an atheist or a Hindu the core teachings are pretty obvious even to the most superficial reader:  Love your neighbor as you love yourself.  Have no hatred for your brother.  If anyone has worldly goods and sees his neighbor in need he does not have God’s love in him.  Honor everyone.  It is more difficult for the rich to enter heaven.  Love your enemies.  Everyone is a child of God. 

So, for 8 years this group attacked the President.  They claimed he was not born in America.  He was.  They claimed he was a Muslim.  He is not.  They claimed he would come and take their guns away.  He did not.  What he did was save our economy from destruction due to the conservative policies of the previous years, he enacted health insurance for the poor and needy, he improved our international relations with other nations, he took great steps in ending the conflicts in the middle east, and he worked on protecting the climate.  There was no hint of scandal or corruption, and yet the Christian right continued their assault.

Now, we have a President who is a known adulterer, a known sex offender, a bigot, a misogynist, a racist, a person who unleashes verbal assault on anyone who dares question him, a person who consistently lies and misrepresents reality, and a person who prides himself on his wealth.  And yet, the Christian right not only ignores those attributes, they defend him fervently.  There are even some who believe that God chose this man to become our President when it is growing more and more clear the Russians chose this man to become our President.  What am I missing? 

If we lay the basic tenets of Christianity down and attempt to align Trump’s programs we have a total mismatch.  Accusing immigrants of being criminals is anti-Christian.  Building a wall to keep people out is anti-Christian.  Dismantling a health care system for the poor and for children is anti-Christian.  Placing oneself above all others is anti-Christian.  Using women as sex objects is anti-Christian.  Blaming the victims of poverty as villains is anti-Christian.  Having great wealth and not sharing it with the neediest is anti-Christian.  And on and on.  This man is clearly the most anti-Christian President we have ever had and yet he enjoys the support of the Christian right-wing more than any other President.

I can reach only several possible conclusions.  Those who call themselves Christian are liars and charlatans.  Or, those who call themselves Christian really rely less on the tenets of their beliefs than they do their own fear and prejudice and greed.  Or, Christians are just stupid sheep.  I can find no way to salute their stand.

Unless, their position is that we should forgive our neighbors.  But, if that was the basis of their support, why did they attack the previous President so much?  No, it cannot be that.

Those of us who struggle with our beliefs, who wonder if there really is a God and if Jesus really existed and was His son, are rocked to our core watching those who claim to be Christian.  I do not understand why so-called Christians are not rising up and offering both forgiveness of Trump and a demand for his impeachment.

Unlike those so-called Christians, I am at least attempting to forgive the evangelicals for the harm they are doing to our country.  I am not there yet.  But I am trying.

The Eyes Don’t Have It

I have recently encountered faith-based arguments that claim that the complexity and functionality of the human eye is evidence of a divine designer, a creator.  And I had to laugh.  If this is the best design a creator can come up with then it is a pretty dumb creator. 

Every human eye has a blind spot.  The blind spot exists because the optic nerve enters the eye at the rear in one single pipe.  Other animals do not have such a blind spot.  The octopus, for example, has the optic nerves entering from a variety of sources so that there is no blind spot.  In humans, this is a design flaw.

The human eye eventually will have a detached retina.  Other animals do not experience that as they age.  In humans, this is a design flaw.

Other animals perceive a much wider range of light.  Humans perceive a narrow little zone.  (See below.)  In humans, this is a design flaw. 

So, if the complexity of the human eye is evidence that a god designed it we must question the actual design.  Richard Dawkins says that if a modern day engineer were handed the human eye design he would send it back for revision.

But not even that is the most compelling argument against creative design, or intelligent design, or whatever the faith-based people call it.  If the hypothesis is that such complexity in our bodies and in our universe can only be accomplished and explained by a supernatural creator, then clearly the question must be answered, who designed the supernatural creator if complexity requires a creator?

The human eye has evolved as have all the other eyes on the planet.  It is a remarkable organ, but we can trace its development over time as we can with other animals.  The eyes have complexity, but they lack proof of a creator.  If one accepts that the eye is proof of a creator, then one accepts an imperfect creator.  The eyes don’t have proof.

Making Excuses for God

This morning I received no less than 4 requests to pray for people.  These requests were not sent to me as a personal request, they were posted to a group.  Each request dealt with some kind of illness or ailment or sadness.  And I remain dumbfounded. 

John 14:13-14  NLT New Living Translation

¹³ You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴ Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

Anything?

In context this passage reflects Jesus response to his insecure disciples.  They are all concerned about where Jesus is going, how they will get there themselves, etc.  Jesus’ big pitch is that God is in him and he is with God.  Know Jesus, know God.  So when Jesus says ask for anything and He will do it He said He would do it to glorify God.

Right.  So, why do we need prayer warriors, prayer circles, prayer chains, etc., etc.  Seems pretty straight forward:  Ask for something in Jesus name and Jesus will make it happen.

Problem is, of course, that those requests do not happen or tend not to happen.  How can we explain that?  Biblical scholars have been making excuses for God and Jesus ever since Jesus reportedly said these words. 

Some scholars say Jesus/God will make it happen only if one is truly on the path as a faithful follower.  If you are not a truly faithful follower you do not get your request answered.  Therefore, if you ask and nothing happens, time to get right with God.  This is a pretty transparent excuse.  Jesus will grant you anything if you are faithful to Jesus.  If you ask and do not receive you are wasting His time because you are not an all-star follower, just a bench warming follower.   Such a crock.  If I ask and do not receive and I conclude I am not a true follower why would I ever ask again?  On the other hand, if I am an all-star follower and get every request answered, why not advertise?  I know of no one who makes such a claim so I suppose there really is no one who is an all-star follower.

Others say Jesus/God will only make it happen if it is part of His plan.  In other words, you can ask for anything, but you will only get what God wants you to get because it must be aligned with what He wants for you.  Another flimsy excuse for God.  If we only get what he plans on us getting anyway, why ask?  Why not simply ask that He reveal His plan for us?  Of course that won’t happen.  And it won’t happen because no doubt you are not an all-star follower.

Bottom line, there is no point in forming a group to pray.  If any member of the group is an all-star and then what the group prays for will happen as along as it is God’s plan.  If a prayer group ever prays to heal someone dying of a terminal disease and they die, then the group should disband.  Or, wise up and stop praying.

Enough excuses.  If there is a God/Jesus and He says I will do anything you ask if you ask it in my name, so you ask and it is clear that it does not happen then the promise in John is a crock.  Or, if we can grant such excuses to God for an error in understanding when the text is very clear, why not do that with everything He said or everything in the Bible?  Is it the truth?  Is it literal?  If not and we can make excuses for God then why don’t we just pick the passages we do not like and ignore them by making other excuses.  If we can do that, then none of what is in the Bible is binding or believable.

God should not need excuses when He fails to keep His word.  Unless, the Bible is wrong, Jesus is not true His word, or it doesn’t matter what we ask for because we are going to get what He wants us to get, or it is all made up malarkey.

Jesus will not do “anything.”   That is clear.  I’m leaning toward malarkey.