The Gods Must be Crazy
Look not above, there is no answer there
Pray not, for no one listens to your prayer
Near is as near to God as any Far
And here is just the same deceit as there.
- Omar Khayyam.
After the tsunami that hit Asia, it amazed me that so many of those who managed to survive were thanking god they were spared by his/her? supposedly infinite compassion, grace, mercy, what have you, while all around them tens of thousand lay dead. Many even pointed to the fact that "some" temples, mosques, & churches still remained standing, Solid foundations? (im not talking about the spiritual foundations either) while everything else was washed away, therefore being a sign from god.
Now religious leaders are saying that the tsunami occurred due to the sins of the people. This argument is also very strange cause it always seems that time n again its the worlds poor who suffer most from such events, whether it is cyclones in Bangladesh, earthquakes in turkey or just about every disaster you can think of in Africa. Interestingly Aceh, the worst hit place is also by far Indonesia's most conservative muslim province. Instead of punishing the poor n innocent, one may ask why god doesnt send a massive tsunami heading towards dens of "vice and decadence" like Ibiza or Monaco or the great satan Amrika.
If there does exist a god, it seems its a impersonal being who signed a build, operate and then transfer contract. People pray all the time for world peace, will it ever happen? So what makes people think that god will answer their other more selfish prayers. I believe deep down most such people know this, but are hedging their bets just in case a benevolent god does somehow show up and come to their aid.
This benevolent god is essentially the Santa Claus for grown ups, keeping tabs on whose been naughty and nice. But while for some it might be comforting to know there's a higher power watching over us in heaven, to me it is somewhat like the case of the little child who is told not to do bad things and in turn is promised rewards if he behaves himself, which might be fine. But when he grows up and understands himself fully and still you reward him for the good things he has done, you are actually insulting him.
As someone who has a inkling that when one dies, thats it, the end, nothing happens and you go nowhere, kinda of like that state of affairs before one is born, even going to hell is a bonus.
Besides who wants to go to heaven with all those goodie two shoes anyways. wouldn't hell be so much more exciting, having extra hot cups of chai, discussing religion and politics with the likes of Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Mohammed, various Popes etc.
Pray not, for no one listens to your prayer
Near is as near to God as any Far
And here is just the same deceit as there.
- Omar Khayyam.
After the tsunami that hit Asia, it amazed me that so many of those who managed to survive were thanking god they were spared by his/her? supposedly infinite compassion, grace, mercy, what have you, while all around them tens of thousand lay dead. Many even pointed to the fact that "some" temples, mosques, & churches still remained standing, Solid foundations? (im not talking about the spiritual foundations either) while everything else was washed away, therefore being a sign from god.
Now religious leaders are saying that the tsunami occurred due to the sins of the people. This argument is also very strange cause it always seems that time n again its the worlds poor who suffer most from such events, whether it is cyclones in Bangladesh, earthquakes in turkey or just about every disaster you can think of in Africa. Interestingly Aceh, the worst hit place is also by far Indonesia's most conservative muslim province. Instead of punishing the poor n innocent, one may ask why god doesnt send a massive tsunami heading towards dens of "vice and decadence" like Ibiza or Monaco or the great satan Amrika.
If there does exist a god, it seems its a impersonal being who signed a build, operate and then transfer contract. People pray all the time for world peace, will it ever happen? So what makes people think that god will answer their other more selfish prayers. I believe deep down most such people know this, but are hedging their bets just in case a benevolent god does somehow show up and come to their aid.
This benevolent god is essentially the Santa Claus for grown ups, keeping tabs on whose been naughty and nice. But while for some it might be comforting to know there's a higher power watching over us in heaven, to me it is somewhat like the case of the little child who is told not to do bad things and in turn is promised rewards if he behaves himself, which might be fine. But when he grows up and understands himself fully and still you reward him for the good things he has done, you are actually insulting him.
As someone who has a inkling that when one dies, thats it, the end, nothing happens and you go nowhere, kinda of like that state of affairs before one is born, even going to hell is a bonus.
Besides who wants to go to heaven with all those goodie two shoes anyways. wouldn't hell be so much more exciting, having extra hot cups of chai, discussing religion and politics with the likes of Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Mohammed, various Popes etc.
posted by Indaus at
5:59 AM
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