Thunder River Theatre’s current production of “Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday” expressed many poignant and touching ideas on deity, aging and the afterlife that inspired some deep thoughts on my part.
A lifelong atheist, I’m giving second thoughts to the Native American concept of a Great Spirit or Creator. It’s not something that’s visible or tangible, but a ubiquitous entity that somewhat directs seemingly random events in the universe.
And, it certainly doesn’t look or act like a big naked ape. That’s just one of the many arrogant attributes many believers assign to their deity. Another is that mankind is too important to just die.
“Buddy, when you’re dead, you’re a dead peckerhead,” was John Prine’s father’s advice to his son. John said he hopes to prove him wrong, but I choose not to fear the hereafter. Even if I did, I have learned to confront fears rather than hiding from them by believing in a magic kingdom in the sky overseen by some benevolent ruler.
Besides, if I’m wrong and there’s a God, Heaven and Hell, a just God would send me to Heaven even though I’m not a believer. I’ve led a good life, loved my brothers and “served the least of thy brethren.” The reason I’m an atheist is I’m a skeptic. I need proof. God would understand that and forgive it. Besides, I can’t see God the Father burning his beloved children.
What really gripes me about religion is its divisiveness. Those who feel they know the one true way look down on ones who have other beliefs. Inevitably, the two sides decide it’s alright to kill each other.
Muslims and Jews are killing each other in droves in the Middle East, and Americans, many Christian nationalists, have jumped in. Buddhists are killing Rohingya in Myanmar. Hindus are killing Muslims in Kashmir.
The individual sects inside the five major religions don’t get along and are prone to violence. The Sunnis and the Shiites hate each other. Hindus persecute the Sikh separatists. And, of course, the Catholics and the Protestants have been going at it since the Reformation.
All of this has a long history. The Catholic Church decided it should prevail in the Holy Land instead of the Ottomans, so the Crusades began in the 11th century. The 17th century Thirty Years War, pitting the Holy Roman Empire against the Lutherans, wiped out as many as 12 million people and an eighth of the German population. The Taiping Rebellion in 19th century China, where someone claiming to be Jesus Christ’s brother attempted to overthrow the Qing Dynasty, cost 20 to 30 million.
Raised in the Bible Belt, political strategist Corbin Trent wrote, “Religion isn’t a mission to improve people’s lives through effort and sacrifice, but a way to sort people. To rank them. To separate. To justify who had what and why.”
Karl Marx’s famous statement, “Religion is the opiate of the masses,” is taken out of historical context. In the late 19th century, opiates were just about the only painkillers there were and their full addictive and destructive power wasn’t fully understood. Marx could’ve been inferring the masses experience a lot of agony and religion helped them relieve that.
Or, as John Lennon put it, “Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV.” Religion is just another form of government with the objective of controlling the masses.
Of the five major religions, Buddhism and Hinduism are primarily about love while Islam and Judaism preach a lot of hate. Christianity is a mix.
As for Christians, Mohandas Gandhi was a Hindu who read passages from the New Testament every day. When asked if he ever contemplated converting, the Mahatma said, “Yes, and then I met one.” The problem isn’t Christianity. It’s Christians. They’re such terrible hypocrites.
A classic example is Donald Trump’s marathon “America Reads the Bible” event in April. Previously, when asked what his favorite passage from the Bible was, Trump came up with bupkis. Not the Lord’s Prayer. Not the 23rd Psalm. Not even “In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth.” He’s obviously never read the Bible, the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. Trump watches TV.
I quit believing in God the same time I outed Santa Claus and for the same reason. I figured they were both imaginary figures my parents dreamed up to make me be good. If I was bad, Santa would put a lump of coal in my stocking and God would send me to Hell. Of the two, the coal seemed worse. With a short-term consequence horizon, why should a 6-year-old fear Hell?
Obviously, the Bible doesn’t always convict. I’ve read the Bible cover to cover and am absolutely guided by it. I took a course in college titled “The Literature of the Bible.” It approached the scriptures, not as a holy book, but as a literary record of human experience. I learned it’s a magnificent text containing fascinating stories with object lessons and words to live by that can guide your life.
I’m not an agnostic. There’s no doubt in my mind. The Judeo-Christian God doesn’t make sense to me. I see no role for Him in the Cosmos. It’s easy to say God’s responsible for everything. The scientific method is a tougher row to hoe.
My grandmother, who I lived with for four years in the ‘70s, was the finest Christian I’ve ever known. She lived her life like Christ. Not the least bit judgmental or evangelical. When I told her of my atheism, she responded, “Oh, that’s interesting.”
We proceeded to have a dispassionate discussion of the foundations of her faith and the reasons for my lack thereof. My grandmother led by example. She put her character, compassion, courage, capacity for love, serenity and wisdom on display. The unspoken message was if you admire these qualities, follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. It was a powerful temptation.