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spook-olympics: choosing a god
Published January 7, 2009Views: 241
When it comes to your eternal salvation, or where you’ll spend that eternity, how do you go about choosing the right spook…uh…god to worship? Which one is best? Which one is right? Which one is real? Which one is the strongest? With the THOUSANDS of gods available, one would assume it would be a daunting task. But incredibly, that is not the case. In fact, people spend way more time deciding on whether to super-size their McDonald’s meal than they do thinking about which god to worship. Truth be known, rarely is any time put into it at all. For the most part, it’s automatic.
There are literally thousands of gods to choose from. Amon-Ra, Thor, Apollo, Vishnu, Allah, Jehovah, Jesus (Jehovah Jr.), etc. are some of the more well known. Some gods are ancient, and have been mostly forgotten. Some, like Vishnu, Jehovah (known usually as God), and Jesus, had much better public relations managers and remain quite popular today.
How popular is your god? Check this site:
You would think that people would spend a great deal of time choosing the best god to worship. Let’s face it, some gods are better than others. Some of the Olympic gods might ignore you, might smite you, or might even chase you down to have sex with you. But on the plus side, as long as you’re basically good, you get to go to the Elysian fields in the afterlife. Jehovah, or God, is very strict and if you mess up you’ll be burned and tortured forever. And God did knock up a mortal once, just like Zeus, but I think it’s out of his system now. Gods like Vishnu look at life like shampoo. Lather, rinse, repeat, until you get it right. So you would think someone would be crazy to pick a god like Jehovah when they could pick a much easier going god, that’s less sadistic on the torture thing. Yet Jehovah (i.e. God) is one of the favorite choices. Why? Again, it’s automatic. There really is no choosing going on.
Up to this point I’ve been speaking of gods as if they are real. Of course the gods are not real. We all know that gods are fictional creations of man, to explain the unknown or provide comfort (like a placebo effect). We know this because we know the history of mankind. Each culture came up with its own gods and religions, or borrowed from their neighbors. That’s why there are so many gods, because it was man creating them. The bottom line is that the god you worship (if you decline to accept the reality that gods are imaginary) is based upon geography and culture. Historically speaking, time is a factor too (i.e. time has erased the memory of some gods for the choosing).
So, if you were born in the United States, the odds favor you “choosing” Jehovah/God and God Jr. (i.e. Jesus). In the Middle East, it would be Allah. In India the odds are on Vishnu. On the islands of the Pacific it might be Pele, the volcano god. The god you worship is most often based on where you are born (i.e. live). That actually goes a long way in providing proof that gods are man-made creations.
Next time we’ll discuss WHY you believe in a particular god, or any god at all.
Filed under: Religion
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It really is that simple. You are an organic life form that has evolved to think about things a little too deeply. You are not important enough to have a "why" for your existance other than to your family and yourself. Similarly there is no reason at all to think there is a "hereafter" however much some might think themselves so important to wish it so.
GOLO member since March 27, 2009
January 28, 2009 2:10 p.m.
GOLO member since March 27, 2009
January 28, 2009 1:55 p.m.
Once a person reaches a high level of comfort with a belief in god, they will go to almost any lengths to rationalize the inconsistencies and contradictions between the god they worship, and the real world.
One of the first contradictions they rationalize away is their atheism towards all the other gods. Why don't they believe in Zeus...in Vishnu...in Krishna? The answer is universal:
"Those gods are false....only MY god is REAL."
GOLO member since March 18, 2008
January 8, 2009 9:40 a.m.
Exactly. But what really gets me is that they only want to use faith for their particular god, but when it comes to other gods they want to use logic and deny their existence.
GOLO member since August 16, 2007
January 8, 2009 9:23 a.m.
Imagine if you did that in other parts of your life? Would you just write checks for all your bills without actually checking to see that you have money in your checking account, based on faith that money is there? Would you just drive though intersections without stopping or looking, based on faith that you won't get hit? Would you not use contraception when having relations before marriage based on faith that you won't have a child?
No, you apply logic to these situations and take actions to bring about your desired outcome.
Is the idea of an all powerful God any less important (if not far more important)? People are willing to believe in a God just because they are told that he exists, w/o even a shred of proof. Yet, no one living has ever seen a shred of proof of His existance.
GOLO member since July 5, 2007
January 8, 2009 9:04 a.m.
Interesting, but I bet it’s nothing new. We’ll see. I’m actually more interested in your reasons why Vishnu is NOT real.
GOLO member since August 16, 2007
January 8, 2009 8:30 a.m.
GOLO member since August 16, 2007
January 8, 2009 8:27 a.m.
I understand. So, do you believe in the multi-armed god Vishnu, or do you lack the “mystic faith”?
“You will never get the proof you yearn for. Never. You either believe in God or you don't.” - IfByWhiskey
Why? Proof was given all the time in the bible. King Hezekiah got proof. So did others. What makes 2009 different from bible times?
“Unless you REALLY DO in fact care what others believe. Which you do...” – IfByWhiskey
Never said I didn’t care. Your question was WHY do I care. :) Which I’ve explained more than once.
GOLO member since August 16, 2007
January 8, 2009 8:25 a.m.
GOLO member since February 23, 2009
January 8, 2009 8:09 a.m.
Mystic faith, by it's very nature, requires no proof. Since we will never get past that point with you, I fail to see the thrust of your argument. The spirit realm, where God resides, cannot be studied within the scope of science. I am not willing to give up my faith because of that. You have and that's fine. It really is no more complicated than that. You will never get the proof you yearn for. Never. You either believe in God or you don't. I do, you don't. Cloaking this in some kind of intellectual exercise is pointless. Unless you REALLY DO in fact care what others believe. Which you do, so thanks for proving my point, thanks.
GOLO member since February 23, 2009
January 7, 2009 8:11 p.m.
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