The position you espouse is not enviable, JW, nor is it realistic.
May I assume you are writing on your modern technological wonder known as a computer in relative comfort in a location of your choice?
May I also assume you are at least moderately well clothed and well fed?
As you do not reference the Bible, nor do you quote one Scripture, may I inquire as to your frame of reference at either the Catholic or Baptist church... Surely, you did not learn about the God you reject solely by word of mouth or your own subjective, i.e., personal experience?
Personally, I find the refrain of "It's all God's fault." to be a cop-out, as you assume no responsibility whatsoever for your inability to find any beauty, joy or satisfaction in anything under the sun.
In this still free country, where you are able to find a Bible in almost any bookstore, or one free at the Salvation Army, if at sometime during your tedious existence, you had availed yourself of the Word of God, and read the book, beginning with Genesis, you might be better positioned to condemn God wholesale, for "His Creation, His initial plan for humanity, man's rebellion. God's subsequent plan for our redemption, His prophetic unveiling of the conditions we may expect in the future, and what the final outcome will be have all been made clear.
God has spelled it all out, with few surprises. He has also given us options. We were not created to be puppets. We have choices to make in life, of which some will be beneficial to us, others not so much.
I see that it is only the rest of mankind who are to keep their "personal belief's private," while you exercise your freedom to post yours here on the internet where, theoretically, the entire world can view them.
This "standard of open-mindedness" you believe you are displaying and which you demand of the rest of us requires further clarification
It is precisely a matter of personal conviction that leads to any degree of belief, i.e. reaching
a conclusion in any matter.
The "mere difference in point of view, or of information possessed, or of transient uncertainties" you list as
alternatives to conviction in reaching conclusions are variables dealt with every day in every individual's life.
Our point of view on a matter, for instance, our world view, adjusts to any input of new information, and is temporarily suspended only until we acquire answers that resolve our "transient uncertainties."
As the only reality you name in your past life is Christianity, you might examine the fact that there are millions of Christians in the United States, and it is possible their members possess an understanding you have lost, as their loyalty would presumably be short lived were they not being mentally, emotionally and/or spiritually rewarded.
My own profound faith in the Triune Creator God of Israel, God the Father, God the Son - Jesus Christ, and God, the Holy Spirit has never been shaken, for throughout a lifetime that has never been easy, God has never forsaken me.
"Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)
This does not mean God will allow you to win the Lottery, or provide you a chauffeured Limousine, but
he will listen. He is God. We are not. God is not running a democracy.
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it."(Isaiah 1:18-20)
Being sincere availeth a man little, if sincerely wrong.
You can continue to rail against God, or you can make your peace with Him though Jesus Christ, our advocate with God the Father.
JW wrote:
I was born Catholic, raised Baptist and grew up devoutly religious; saved, born again, and a frequent leader of the Sunday evening service at our church. Today, I am agnostic.
Former church-mates of mine are quite certain that I could not have been sincere if I am truly agnostic today. I have assured them, and now you, that I was as sincere then as I am now and I am as sincere as I can possibly be.
There may be a God, I don’t know, but the characterizations of God currently celebrated on planet Earth are pure fiction in my view.
Why do I say such a thing? Firstly, if God can truly do anything, why would He design a universe that cannibalizes itself at every level. Why would any omnipotent being create a system in which His greatest creations can only exist by destroying His other creations? The sadism in that design says nothing positive about a universal creator.
Secondly, if God is truly omniscient, knows all, past, present, future, He would have known from the very beginning of the pain and terror felt by every prey species and every mistreated child throughout the history of His Creations. Once again, the sadism in that behavior says nothing positive about such a universal creator.
Thirdly, if God really is omnipresent as advertised, He is an ever-present witness to all of the pain and agony, torture and death, loss and grief that He has designed into His creations. Finally, the sadism in that voyeuristic proposition says nothing positive about such a universal creator.
I do not object to anyone’s personal beliefs so long as they remain personal. I do not discourage any from their beliefs. I don’t know if it is possible to exist as a society without some omnipotent father figure somewhere in the mix. The current devaluation of the strong father archetype is having some very unfortunate and profound impacts on our ability to maintain and operate a civilized society. That is another of what I view as failures in the design.
It is not my goal here to attack or promote any belief. It is my intention to present an argument for open-mindedness. I know that is a difficult standard to maintain. It requires a constant review of one’s own feelings and information bases. It is not always a matter of conviction that leads us to separate conclusions. Sometimes it is merely a difference in point of view, or of information possessed, or of transient uncertainties.
I was born Catholic, raised Baptist and grew up de... (
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