Good Friday – Good Grief!

I was raised Roman Catholic. Many things about the church puzzled me, Good Friday perhaps being the most puzzling of Holy Days.   On the lighter side, the kids at Catholic school insisted that it always rained on Good Friday, usually in the afternoon while Jesus was dying on the cross.  Whenever it did rain this was seen as proof of something important.  When it didn’t rain on Good Friday, that lack of rain was merely an exception to the rule.

Throughout my life, I’ve found that Catholics are very skeptical about religious beliefs . . . well, as long as it isn’t their own beliefs that they are questioning.   Growing up Catholic, I always heard about those “bizarre” beliefs of other types of religions.  “How could anyone ever believe such silly things?” Catholics would often ask.  For reasons I still don’t understand, I found myself asking these same skeptical questions about my own church (and everyone else’s church).  I started asking these questions even as a young child.    Good Friday has always been the focus for many of my questions, for at least three reasons:

I.  False Suspense. 

The Good Friday church services were always dreary.  Tears were shed, incense was burned, and sad songs were sung.  Those attending the services went away from them thinking that all bordering on hopelessness, as though this might be the year that Jesus didn’t rise from the dead.  This was puzzling to me, given that Easter was already marked on everyone’s calendars.  The …

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The Fourth Person in God: The Free Market

Based on several conversations I’ve recently had with some religious/social conservatives, God is no longer a Trinity.  Whether I raise pressing issues about oil, housing or education I hear the same answer:  “The free market will take care of it.” They seem to repeat this free market mantra as their…

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Proposed Amended Ten Commandments

I hereby propose a new version of the Ten Commandments.   

1    Choose and follow a version of the golden rule.  Note in your heart that golden rules have appeared in the writings of many cultures, including Jewish, Buddhist, Confucian and Ancient Egyptian.
 
2.   Never publicly advocate that one’s own version of a supernatural God is truer than the Gods of others; always apply the same degree of skepticism one uses regarding the Gods and sacred writings of others to one’s own God(s) and sacred writings.  Don’t build expensive or ostentatious worship places in honor of your God. Never scare any child with stories of great suffering in order to cause that child to believe in the existence of any particular supernatural being.   Thou shalt not blasphemy the unfolding mysteries of the universe by claiming to know the thoughts or plans of any God.  Thou shalt always approach the mysteries of life with humility, awe and unbridled curiosity.
 
3.  Do not honor any God who you believe prohibits you from honoring any other God or who, in your opinion, threatens to eternally torture any person or animal for any reason.  Constantly remind yourself that you have a serious obligation to take good care of all of the children of the world, not just your own children. Regularly breathe deeply and remember to keep a sense of humor, especially when considering spirituality, sex and death. Whenever you speak of God, don’t get that look like you’re about to be smacked with a …

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On Asking a Very Smart God to Change His Ways

Why Pray?  Perhaps my previous post sounded a bit harsh.  Why “mock” those who call upon their Creator for a bit of help in a time of need? Skeptics have obvious reasons for doubting the power of prayer, but it seems to me that Believers should have even stronger reasons…

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Unnecessary Study: Praying Doesn’t Heal Heart Patients

Researchers have just spent a whole lot of money determining that prayer does not seem to work.  In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that having people pray for heart bypass surgery patients had no effect on their recovery. In fact, patients who knew they were being prayed…

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