A Danger to God Himself

A blog about living a great life without God—because, really, isn’t that where we all find ourselves? What does it even mean to “have” God in your life?

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Does God speak through scripture? Yes and no

December 10, 2015 By John Draper 3 Comments

scripture

All religions have scripture, the word of God funneled through specific men. Which, when you think about it, it’s an admission that God doesn’t speak to the mass of us. That is, we yearn and yearn to hear what God wants from us—but He’s silent and invisible. He says nothing. So, desperate, we cast about for someone human to give us revelation—an Oracle.

Consider the early Christians. They had no scripture, as such, just stories passed around the campfire about Jesus, which was fine. Really, there was no need for parsing theological niceties. The world was about to end. Just make sure you’re wearing clean underwear.

But, as it turns out, the world didn’t end. Jesus didn’t return—which was an embarrassment, frankly. Once they explained this all away, the early Christians set about looking for scripture. They needed the silent God to speak.

What they had were letters Paul had written to various churches, letters that are full of contradictions and half-formed theology. So they called them scripture eventually. And then the gospels were written, all influenced by the theology of Paul and each composed by and for a different Jesus community. The most popular of these gospels became scripture. Survival of the Fittest.

Ergo scripture.

But we’re no better off than we were without scripture. It’s not like scripture really solves the whole problem of Knowing God’s Will. The Bible’s often vague and confusing. Want to start a fight? Go to your local bar, expound loudly about your assuredness of What Scripture Says and watch the fur fly.

But what makes us think that the God Who Hides would suddenly open Himself up to the various authors of scripture? If He could do that, why not just reveal revelation to everyone? Why the intermediary of scripture? Just talk to us. But He doesn’t. He hides.

Ergo scripture.

And it’s all about how to please God—not really stuff we need. If God can reveal Himself to men and women, why not reveal the cure for cancer? Lord, just reveal it to one scientist! Doesn’t haven’t to be everyone. Just one guy, like when you told Paul the secrets of the Godhead. Is it really that crucial that we have correct doctrine—that we have a correct understanding of God? Is God even understandable?

Why is that so important?

We just accept the fact that God has given us doctors and scientists to ferret out the mysteries of life and death, but correct doctrine, correct doctrine is so important that He’s going to circumvent all this and speak specifically to select men and women—mostly men—who will write down what they hear and hand it off to the rest of us hapless boobs. But, ironically, scripture doesn’t solve anything, as I’ve already said. People piss and fight over correct doctrine endlessly, each citing verses, often the very same verses.

So what’s my point? Go ahead and read your scripture. But pick and choose what you’ll attend to. Use your brain. Focus more on reason than revelation. All holy books are full of gems. But you’re just as likely to encounter profound truth over a beer with a buddy—or by reading The Brothers Karamazov. Or having really good sex. Or getting high—it will be legal everywhere pretty soon. (I recommend edibles) Truth is everywhere waiting to be discovered.

 

Photo: Syrian refugees, one of them holding copy of the Koran, shout Islamic slogans against Assad at Boynuyogun refugee camp in Hatay province in Turkey. Syrian border March 16, 2012 by Freedom House CC BY 2.0

*****

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So you had a spiritual experience

November 23, 2015 By John Draper 4 Comments

When I was researching my book A Danger to God Himself, I spent a lot of time at a website called Mormonthink.com. (The novel’s about a Mormon missionary who goes insane on his mission.) I probably read everything on the website at least three times. people who put this website together care deeply about the truth. It’s a goldmine.

There are many gems on this website. Here’s a particularly brilliant one:

The following nine quotes are each from an Atheist or Buddhist or Catholic or Hindu or Muslim or Mormon or New Ager or Protestant or Universal Unitarian. Try to guess which quote comes from which religion. The language is standardized (changes indicated by brackets), so that differences in terminology between religions will not tip you off (thus, mosque, temple and church all become a [church]; the Bible and all other religious texts become a [text] or [sacred text]).

Try to match these 9 religions to the following 9 quotes. The answer key is below:

Atheist

Buddhist

Catholic

Hindu

Islam

Mormon

New Age

Protestant

Universal Unitarian

  1. “[Even as a child], without understanding much about the complex [doctrine] . . . he was attracted to [church]. There he often felt a strong feeling of peace flowing through his body.”
  2. “I was praying . . . when I felt a burning shaft of . . . love come through my head and into my heart.”
  3. “I truly wanted to know [the truth]. After a few weeks, I stumbled onto [texts] which . . . answered my questions in a way that I had not heard of before. I read everything . . .and I even tried the experiment of asking [God] for . . . his divine love. After about 6 weeks, I felt a burning in my chest and a sensation that was unlike anything I had ever felt. It was pure happiness and peace. I knew then that [God] had sent His love to me.”
  4. “A feeling of peace and certitude would tell me when I had found the answers and often after people would help me by pointing in the right direction.”
  5. “We gave up a lot of things. What did I get in return? I received a feeling of peace, hope and security. I no longer lay awake at night worrying. I stopped cussing. I became much more honest in all aspects of my life. [God] has changed my heart and my life. My husband’s heart is changing also. We pray all the time and really feel [God’s] presence in our marriage. My perspective has changed. My view of life has changed about what is truly important.”
  6. “Every time I am there [at the church building], a feeling of peace overcomes me.”
  7. “Every time I was with the [church members], I felt this warm feeling, a feeling of peace and for the first time in my life since my church-going days, I wanted to follow [God] . . . .”
  8. “About 10 years ago, when Jenny and I decided to start a family, we began looking for a spiritual community for our kids. During my first service at [the church]. . . I was hooked. I recall the feeling of peace that I felt when I was attending [services].”

9.”I recently spent an afternoon on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, atop the mount where Jesus is believed to have preached his most famous sermon. . . . As I sat and gazed upon the surrounding hills gently sloping to an inland sea, a feeling of peace came over me. It soon grew to a blissful stillness that silenced my thoughts. In an instant, the sense of being a separate self—an ‘I’ or a ‘me’—vanished. . . . The experience lasted just a few moments, but returned many times as I gazed out over the land where Jesus is believed to have walked, gathered his apostles, and worked many of his miracles.”

Answers: 1. Hindu, 2. Catholic, 3. New Age, 4. Islam, 5. Protestant, 6. Buddhist, 7. Mormon, 8. Universal Unitarian, 9. Atheist.

What’s the point? The point is that most religious people think they have a direct line to God, unlike the people in all the other (wrong) religions—however, the way they validate their religion is uniform across all faiths. Anyone can have a “spiritual experience.” That doesn’t necessarily mean they are invalid—just that they’re common. There are many paths to God. Jesus was wrong when he said, “No one comes to the Father but through me.” God is generous with his “presence” – or at least incautious. He lets people from any religion have a “spiritual experience.”

 

*****

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