However, potentially demonstrating a predilection towards cognitive masochism (which I shall now refer to as PtCM), I decided to check out Swank’s blog. It was pretty much what I expected; elegant illogic and superstition with a large dose of melodrama... banners denouncing the ACLU and Islam (and Google? Is Google ungodly?)... all to be expected and not really anything worth writing about. But then (drum-roll)... the quotes at the end of each of his blog posts grabbed my attention:
ALLAH: “Fight, slay Unbelievers wherever ye find them.Seize them, beleaguer them, lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war.”
Qur’an, Sura 9:5
CHRIST: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
- from Mr. Swank’s blog
(blinks)
Yes, Islam can be a terrible, violent religion. However, we are claiming that Christianity is a peaceful, loving one? Here, let me try again, but with some other quotes from those same books:
Surely (as for) those who believe and do good deeds for them will Allah bring about love.
Qur’an, Shakir, 019.096
You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
Deuteronomy 7:16
- obviously, not from Mr. Swank’s blog
I have a good friend who likes to insist everyone from Ann Coulter to Pat Robertson to George Bush (2) aren’t “real Christians” because of their tendencies towards meanness (and stupidity), intolerance (and stupidity), and warmongering (and stupidity). Real Christians, she insists, are nice and good and kind... as she is (and indeed she is). She insists these other sorts are misinterpreting Christianity. My response is that there is enough Bible for everyone to pick and chose his or her own favorite quotes to support pretty much whatever deed or misdeed he or she wishes to promote. While I have a higher degree of social tolerance for my friend’s variety of “nice” Christianity than I do Coulter’s brand of the same faith, declaring this is the “real” Christianity is ignoring 83.245%* of the Bible.
So, according to the Bible, what sort of creature is this Christian god?
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
- 1 Corinthians 14:33
Sounds nice. And organized. There are few things equal to a nice, organized deity.
The LORD is a warrior
- Exodus 15:3
Well, perhaps a little less peaceful, but I suppose he could be a peaceful warrior… right?
I will smash them one against the other, fathers and sons alike, declares the LORD. I will allow no pity or mercy or compassion to keep me from destroying them.'
- Jeremiah 13:14
(blinks)
Well, maybe not. That definitely does not sound peaceful.
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
- James 5:11
The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
- Psalm 145:9
(blinks again)
Wait! You said NO compassion and NO mercy above. I mean, it’s not that I want you to be violent... but aren’t you sending mixed signals here?
... you have kindled my anger, and it will burn forever.
- Jeremiah 17:4
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
- Psalm 30:5
(shrugs) Well, perhaps to god, forever is only a moment.
(At this point, I stopped. I’d compile a list of all of the MULTITUDE of violent and/or contradictory quotes from the bible, but, hey, it’s already been done several times, and I’d rather spend the next few years of my life eating, sleeping, and breathing rather than constantly typing.)
Oh, whatever. So god is seemingly severely bipolar. What is this to me, an atheist who reveres the Bible less than her daily cup of coffee? Nothing, if it remains a private affair between the Christian, his or her god, and possibly god’s therapist. However, as soon as the Bible becomes the basis of any sort of law (i.e. as grounds to oppose same-sex marriage or promote public prayer in schools), I’d argue Christians need to consider all of the book they are holding up as the irrefutable word of god, rather than just the passages that make the prettiest footers on blog posts.
So, Christian majority, I respect that many (most?) of the Christians in this country practice a generally “nice” form of Christianity and are peaceful, compassionate people. I know and love many of these peaceful, compassionate Christians and have watched them do many peaceful, compassionate things. I just sometimes want to scream when you explain to me how you know your god disapproves of the “homosexual lifestyle” because of his clear stance on the issue in the Bible. This and other gems from this book are the grounds for your moral compass, while you entirely ignore so many other passages from the exact same book.
I suppose that’s your choice. You can interpret the Bible however you want and it’s really not my business. However, I still think it’s arbitrary. So, please, just don’t make me and the other “others” of this nation play by your rules. Your faith with your god becomes my issue only when you make it my issue, when edicts from this highly contradictory, often downright discriminatory book are pushed into my life in the form of public policy.
* Yes, yes, an entirely fabricated number. However, it was a lot more colorful than using the bland, half, three-quarters or whatever, right? Either way, but, 53.2% of statistics are made up on the spot. I’m just being trendy.
