Poor God

Before I start this, let me say that I am going to be speaking in very general terms in this entry. I’m not pointing fingers and any specific people, but as a huge group of people.

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Have you ever noticed how many churches there are in this country (America)? I’ve noticed this many times before but today, after recalling a bit of a conversation I had with my bud Allie, I was actually looking for them as I was driving. It’s really crazy.

It seems to me that with the amount of churches in this country that things should be vastly different. My thinking is that churches wouldn’t stay in business and keep springing up if people weren’t going to them. So that means that there are at least enough people going to them to keep them afloat.

The thing I can’t grasp is how, with so many people going to these churches, that it’s so hard to tell the “Christians” from the “heathen.” Why so many things are the way they are, even though if this was really a Christian country things wouldn’t be that way.

If the church (all churches combined, not talking of any individual churches here) actually did it’s job (according to what the Bible says it is), then there would be huge changes in the lives of the churchgoers, or the churchgoers would get pissed and leave because they’d say “Who are they to tell me how to live?” No more would people go to church and put on their church face and then go home and do things that they know aren’t right and console themselves by quoting Romans where it says “…all have sinned…” and use it as an excuse. So I have to conclude that the church isn’t doing its job (and yet it’s prospering…now who could be behind that?).

Do you know what many churches today use in order to draw people in through their doors? They use entertainment. Loud upbeat music that everyone can clap along to, big video screens that make people feel like they’re at a concert, groups upon groups to join and be a part of so that people can make friends, etc.

I think the vast majority of people in churches these days go solely to pacify their consciences. They don’t truly believe in God (I’ll give my definition of “believe” in a second), but there is this nagging “What if he’s real?” that hangs in the back of their mind. They want to live their life the way they want, but they want to cover all the bases so they go to church, or Bible study, or even pray at home when no one else is around because they think that will make them cool with God.

Isn’t it funny how everyone seems to go to God because they want something from him? Like he’s a big cosmic vending machine that you can go to, pop in a prayer or something, and then go to heaven or get a blessing. How much of a God would he be if God was really like that?

Anywhose, my definition of belief. I don’t think that belief is just a mental acknowledgement of God’s existence or even “knowing” that there is a God and that the Bible is his word and all that. I think true belief in God (and yes, I’m referring to the God of Christianity here because that’s my subject) is a total, life-altering experience. I think that if people really BELIEVED that God hates sin as much as the Bible says he does, that there is no way that they would make excuses for their sins (“Who doesn’t sin?” “We all fall short” “No one’s perfect” “God will forgive me” etc). If people truly believed that God is as good as they say he is, they would gladly live their lives in obedience to him out of pure gratitude, not out of obligation or fear of the consequences of screwing up. If people really believed that hell was as bad as the Bible says, if people had any compassion at all they would be doing much more than “letting Christ shine through their lives,” they would be earnestly asking God for the best way to keep people out of such a horrible place.

So that’s the short version of my definition of belief. I think that those who truly believe in God never have to say so because their lives will be proof of it.

That’s part of the reason that I stopped lying and saying I was a Christian. I WANTED to believe like that. I wanted there to be a God and to believe like that, and to know him and everything, but I couldn’t fake it forever. I had to be honest and admit that despite wanting to, I don’t even believe he’s real.

Anton LaVey once said in his “bible” that humans have a need for religious ceremony and such, and I think the modern American churches have proved him right (if you don’t know who Anton LaVay is, go to Amazon.com and do an author search on him and see what “bible” he wrote).

You know though, I could honestly go on and on for hours about the flaws of the church and it’s inhabitants, but I’m getting tired of typing and want to eat. It’s kinda scary cause I’m almost sounding like a preacher.

But yeah, I think churches are a waste of space.

It really is a shame that things have to be this way. I wonder how many people would look with wonder if they actually looked at the church and saw something real? If there really is a God, I honestly feel sorry for him. He has to be THE most misunderstood and misrepresented being in the universe.

Poor God.

“I’ve so much to think of
when push comes to shove
cause I know now that it’s easier to hate
than love.” –Circle of Dust