I Don't Hate Christians

I feel like I need to explicitly state this again because this blog can come off very very critical of Christians. Let me be clear: it is not Christians I hate, it's Christianity. It's the Bible. It's the ignorance of holding to dangerous and abusive attitudes and misconceptions and worldviews that I hate, and the damage these things can cause.

I don't apologize for anything I've written here. I meant it all. I have many reasons to detest the Bible on whole, yet there are certain parts of it I like which are very beautiful and even wise. And I do always try to qualify my statements with words like "some" when I talk about vile attitudes and behaviors I've dealt with from certain Christians.

Despite the problems with this faith, I do know many Christians who are kind, sincere, reasonable people on the whole. Some of my best friends are Christians. In fact, I'm married to a Catholic and I certainly don't hate him! We connect in many ways. We just don't connect on this.

The Bible is intolerant on whole, but some Christians are more tolerant than others. The Bible is hate-filled, but I've known many loving and patient people who claim to love it. I've seen Christians do good deeds, help people in need, go out of their way to be decent and good and charitable. There are Christians whom I am immensely grateful to, Christians who sacrificed a lot to be loyal and supportive friends to me even in my worst times. I know good Christians exist and I do love my Christian friends.

Additionally, I really do understand. Religion is a powerful temptation. I am angry at myself for the way I was in the past, as a devout Christian extremist. I WAS very ignorant, hateful, judgmental and self-righteous. And I think part of the reason I got that way was my own character. I have a tendency to become zealous, and it's something I need to dial down a notch or two. But there were so many people like me in certain religious groups, that way of thinking became hard to escape. And I know that many religious people aren't like that and are just looking for hope.

I'm not sorry for stating my beliefs and viewpoints. I've suffered long and hard for the tenets of Christianity, and it's caused me immense suffering that I never needed to go through. I'm not sorry for making fun of or outright condemning some religious texts for being cruel, irrational, prejudiced or ridiculous. Many passages are, and I think this is important information to share.

I'm not sorry for responding with disgust and anger at those who tell me I am evil because I don't believe Jehovah is a god. I am not sorry for responding with outrage when people tell me that I and people like me deserve to exist in endless torment because we don't agree with your view on god. Look at it from my perspective for a moment. Would you like to be told you are going to a hell for something you can't change? I can't believe in something that rings very false to me. And, although I don't believe in hell, I think the fact that you think I will go there is very rude.

I don't know if there is a god at all. I think it's highly unlikely and not necessary, but I also think it's a very complicated topic. I don't know all the answers and I don't claim to. But I do know this: I've rejected the story of Jehovah and his ilk. I don't owe him one single damn thing, and I don't respect him.

But if you are a good person, I do respect you even though we may sorely disagree on this matter. I certainly don't think that ALL Christians think deeply on what it is they actually believe about hell, or that they mean to treat me or anyone else unkindly.

I won't tell you how to live. While I don't believe in being "born again" I do believe in conversions. When people take it into their heads to change and try to improve their lives, they often succeed and I applaud that. If joining a church is your way of saying you are making positive changes in your life, your way of reaching out to other people in love, then I am not going to stop you. I just want you to think about what you say and do, why you say and do it, and what the consequences may be. Because I excluded and judged and really emotionally hurt people when I was a Christian, and seeing now how wrong I am, I'm disgusted with myself.

I won't tell you that you will die or burn if you don't believe like me. I will give you more courtesy than that and I certainly don't believe that. I won't insist upon anything other than that you use your own basic reason and compassion to form opinions and make decisions, as most people do when it really comes down to it. I ask that you look to science and logic, that you don't jump to conclusions about curses or miracles, that you respect and thank medical professionals and treat ALL people as valuable, not just those who believe and worship exactly the way you do. I know I can't change the way you think, but I can be an influence about that.

I do wish more people were Agnostic or Atheist because I believe we could get more done in the world, as we are doing, with huge medical and political advances, among other things. I would rather live here and now, in this country, than in Jehovah's "stone everyone to death" society any day of the week. I don't think anyone deserves that and I will continue to rail against that line of thinking.

I hate the Bible on whole. Despite a few interesting stories and histories, and a few words of wisdom here and there, it's a very dangerous and wrong-headed book. I'm not going to pick up and nuzzle a book that tells people to kill their own children. It is vile.

But I don't hate Christians. I understand. I tried VERY HARD for many years to justify all the wrong in the Bible, so as to continue loving my idea of a god. But my idea of a loving, kind, merciful god simply did not match up with the Biblical portrait of Jehovah. I understand that feeling of "knowing god" of being "close to god" of seeing the world in terms of right and wrong, good and evil, of seeing people as inherently worthwhile. I took a few good things from that faith, and there are things I miss. But the god I thought I knew then, wouldn't do the things that the Jehovah did, and I would not worship Jehovah.

But I do care about my Christian family and friends. I do agree with many of your morals and I will sometimes even be supportive of religious things you share which are wise or uplifting. We are all people, trying to do our best, not one of us better than another. I wish you all the best.

Who Would You Send to Hell?

In reference to the supposed great flood, you can't blame God for getting rid of the wicked people, or so I've been told. But if you're going by the Bible, you have to admit that God doesn't only kill "bad people" and he doesn't only send "bad people" to hell. Furthermore, he often turns a blind eye to truly evil behavior and calls that person "righteous."

If you were God, who would you send to hell? I personally wouldn't send anyone as I believe that falls under cruel and unusual punishment, but let's pretend for a moment that the very concept of hell is ever justifiable. When would it be justifiable? When someone murders children? When someone abuses children? When someone kills an entire tribe of people for no good reason? I think most of us can agree that those are the types of acts that might deserve hell if it were real.

But the God of the Bible doesn't see it that way. He personally murdered innocent babies and children and ordered the brutal deaths of a very long list of other oh-so-evil and dangerous folks such as fortune tellers, disobedient children, followers of other religions, homosexuals, atheists, people who have consensual premarital sex (something tells me this means a lot of you), people who work on the Sabbath, people who take the Lord's name in vain, people who are caught grumbling about their food, people who touch the tabernacle, and the list goes on and on. Not to mention, the Bible says exactly zilch against child abuse. In fact many child abusers have used Bible verses such as Proverbs 20:30 to justify their vile behavior. Additionally, child slavery was allowed and only lightly regulated in the Bible. (See: Exodus 21:7). Again, please don't preach to me about a God you don't understand with a book you haven't even read. Read it.

But that's the old testament, so we can pretend it doesn't matter even though it gives you a very good picture of who God really is. But the new testament makes it clear that salvation is by faith, and that it's only those who don't believe in the story of Jesus and his "holy sacrifice" who are supposed to go to hell.

What does this mean? It means that there would be many child killers and rapists in heaven. It means that someone could cheat on their wife, beat their children to death, have a little change of heart, say a special prayer, and spend all eternity in heaven along with slaveowners and vile men like Lot. While decent people like me and some of my Atheist friends will fry forever in hell. Sound fair to you?

I think that religious people often separate themselves from non-believers (when they aren't busy literally burning them at the stake, that is) because they don't want anyone to question their deeply held beliefs. In their minds they are the good ones and we are all evil. They have Jehovah's favor and forgiveness and love (kinda like an accomplice with codependent tendencies). It takes some really big mental gymnastic leaps to think that your atheist friends are so bad that they deserve to BURN FOR ALL ETERNITY in hell. So they try to convert us and when that doesn't work they often ignore us, avoid us, unfriend us, forget about us, attack our character to justify their own lies. It's rather heartless really.

Because to them the ultimate evil is a lack of faith in someone no one can even prove exists. Not cruelty. Not murder. Not rape. Not child abuse. The ONLY evil worthy of hell, to a Christian, is not believing in their God. If you are sorry for your "evil" deeds but don't believe in their idea of a god, that's not enough. If you are the worst person who ever lived but say a special prayer on your death bed and have a moment's conscience for your actions, well welcome to heaven! Does this sound good to you?

Why does this matter? Because the Bible has been used to marginalize and oppress already frequently targeted groups over the years. It has been used to justify slavery, spousal abuse, prejudice against immigrants (although there are in fact many pro-immigrant verses), and most notably prejudice against homosexuals. It is used to tear families apart and keep people living in guilt, shame, and fear. It is used to deny people proper treatment for their "vices" such as drug addiction, which, it turns out, can't be prayed away. It is used to strip people of rights and shut down productive conversations. And it's got to stop.

But I am relentlessly optimistic about this. I see that many people are waking up to the lies the Bible peddles. Acceptance of other lifestyles is growing. People are increasingly against corporal punishment and the death penalty. We are waking up, and we're evolving past these old ignorant ways of doing things in favor of proven results through science. We're starting to learn the factors which lead people to commit heinous criminal acts, and we have real hope of being able to prevent it in many cases. 

But let's get back to the flood for a second. Close your eyes and imagine what that might have looked like. We're meant to buy that it was a way for God to cleanse the world of people whose "thoughts were only evil all of the time" but in reality, the way the story actually goes, no one was saved except Noah and his immediate family. That means there were babies and children in that flood. That means there were parents desperately scrambling to save their little ones while God made the waters rise, people trying to save themselves while Noah told them to go to hell. Now open your eyes, and this image will no longer trouble you because it never happened. 

And tell me to go to hell if you wish. I'm not all that offended because your big bad boogeyman has long since lost the ability to scare me. I will tell you to go to the purple unicorn dimension because both are equally as likely to exist.

Make Heaven Now

Everyone said I would be "born again" as a Christian, and though I tried very hard for many years, it never happened. Some things in my life changed but I did not. I felt the same inside. I had the same struggles. But something is happening now. I've learned to appreciate the moment as if it were all I have...because it might be.

We can't wait for heaven, and we can't spend our days fearing hell. Mainly because there's no proof that either exist, and the gods of the major religions are so frightening that any place ruled by them is suspect. But there is another, vitally important reason. Because life is happening right now, and if we're not careful, we'll miss it. Because we don't have eternity with the ones we love. We have today.

To me, life is beautiful overall. It really is. I think that the idea of eternal life takes away from that. What if there was no thought of eternal life? Then there would be no talk of postponing justice, of hoping to make things right in the afterlife. Death would be seen as the utter tragedy it is and we would worker harder to prevent it. Poverty would be seen as the injustice it is and we wouldn't placate people with talk of golden streets in the afterlife.

There are no angels to take me when I die. The angels and devils here on Earth are enough to concern me.

There is a terrible joke that goes something like, "kill them all and let God sort them out" and though I hope that is not used often to justify violence, it gives me pause because it reflects an attitude that is troubling and false...the idea that the world is not in our hands. But it is. We could do so much if we only understood that and acted upon that understanding. But we don't have more time. We have today.

And I say we should fight for today. Make it count. Man your fights now. Fund your causes now. Love your friends and family now. If there is injustice anywhere, sort it out now. Say what you need to say. Fight evil now. If there is evil in this world, it is rooted from a lack of compassion and understanding and education. If there is unfairness and injustice in this world, we can't wait for angels or prayers. The angels have had their chance.

Make heaven now. Fill your life with wonders. Love like every moment matters...because it does. Strive to create a full life, a life well-lived and lived so hard and so thoroughly that death is no longer frightening because there is nothing left that you want to do anyway. Go out and try things. Take hold of your happiness and protect it, and don't let anyone take it from you.

Don't get me wrong, I think we should all plan and watch our health and save our money as though we were going to live very long lives, but no one can promise that. So spend time with your kids today. Do that project you want to do. Take that trip. Read that book. Create change. Make your lists of things that drive you, and go out and complete that list. The goal is to be able to look back with satisfaction on a life you can be proud of. It gets hard sometimes but there is always beauty to be found if you look hard enough, and a way to make little moments of heaven right here and now.

Once you realize that, even though it's hard sometimes, life only gets more beautiful.

Hope & Meaning Without Faith

Some people say religion is good and necessary because it gives people hope. I have not found religion to be necessary for this. Maybe you don't need as much reassurance as you think you do. Maybe you can find hope in this world, without seeking another.

People lean on religion to help them cope with life, but maybe you don't need a crutch at all. Maybe if you try standing up, you'll realize that your legs were stronger than you imagined.

Two of the most difficult things people face in life is their own mortality, and the loss of loved ones. This is often where people look to religion for meaning. The problem with this is, it usually isn't enough. I've seen a lot of people try to "keep their eyes on heaven" and force themselves to smile through their losses. But grief hurts in the here and now. There are several steps to grief, several stages one must move through in order to sort out and mentally organize all the feelings and thoughts involved in this process. It all takes time.

It's okay to feel angry. It's okay to feel sad. It doesn't mean you don't have any faith. But I think that faith isn't an important thing in these times (or really ever). I think the support of your friends and family is the most important thing, and perhaps just as important, is taking care of yourself.

My biggest fear as a mother is the loss of a child. I have been through pregnancy losses in the past and it was not easy. I coped with it in my own way at the time, by drawing closer to my family. I've often seen parents who've lost children putting their grief to work by taking up a cause in the name of their deceased child. Some of these people have done great things towards preventing illness and violence. They couldn't save their child, but they go on to save many others because of their search for meaning.

Eventually we will all face death. We're mortal, and we have the capacity both to know this and to cope with it. We don't have to live forever. We aren't meant to live forever. We have to go and make room for new life. We are meant to enjoy today, look back fondly on the past, try to make the best of the future. We are meant to try our best to live healthy, good lives. We can find hope and meaning in how we lived our lives, in the people we've touched and the things we've changed for the better along the way. We can take joy in the memories and moments we've experienced and the people we've loved. Life's meaning is what you make of it.

They say Atheism doesn't offer anyone comfort, particularly towards the end. But I think there is comfort to be found in banding together, in taking pride in your accomplishments. I think there is hope to be found in people who carry you with them after you go, and whose lives are changed because of you.

Because this is where my meaning is found. I don't rely on an afterlife for meaning or hope. I rely on the here and now, in trying to do things to make meaning and ease suffering now, to educate and share funny and happy times with people in my life here and now. I'm not waiting on a deity to settle the score or bring someone blessings. I believe in being a blessing and working to solve problems through reason and logic. I'm not perfect at this. I just have personally found that it's a satisfying way to live.

So I don't fear death nearly as much as I did when I was religious. Then my faith was always plagued by nagging doubts. Now I know that I have tangible reason to feel good about the life I've lead, to appreciate it as it happens. The fact that it isn't forever, doesn't mean it isn't any good. Now when I think of my death, I think about how lucky I've been to have had all the days and years and moments that I've had. I think about the people who have thanked me for advice. I think about my children and how hard I've worked to teach them how to be kind and honest and to care about things. Even if I were to die tonight, I'd be proud and happy with the life that I've had. I don't need forever.

A Note To Christian "Apologists"

Tell me something, do you have all the time in the world? Wow, what a coincidence! Neither do I! I type 70 words a minute without error. This blog takes me less than an hour and a half per week.

Atheists and agnostics are a very small percentage of the U.S. population. Christians are a huuuge percentage in comparison. I don't have a problem sharing my world with you. I see you everywhere I go, every day of my life. My husband is a Christian. My mom is a Christian. My brother is a Christian. Many of my friends are still Christians. You're kind of hard to avoid. And it's not that I dislike you personally...we cool.

The problem is that everywhere I go, there you are. So when I talk about my views you've got to open your mouths and give me yours (usually indignantly, condescendingly and in long, drawn out prose). I just don't have the time.

We can all get along. I truly believe that. People say "God bless you" to me all the time and I don't burst into flames or foam at the mouth. I have people telling me that Jesus loves me quite often and I refuse to tell them they are soft in the head. In fact, I thank them because I think their intentions are basically good and I don't need to bring up my views at every single opportunity. You know, the way some people do...

But here's the thing. Sometimes I do like to talk about various things. Sometimes, I even like to write about things. Like my life and my experiences in and out of religion. Like you, I like to share my ideas and conclusions.

Like many of you, I like to blog. Do you do that to get a reaction or start a debate every time? Wow, we really *do* have a lot in common! Neither do I!

And the thing that might seem really weird to you is that I don't want to spend a bunch of time talking about me getting "saved." Yet I know that's super important to you because you believe the Boogeyman In The Sky is going to fry my soul forever and boil me in oil like a drumstick at KFC unless he saves me from himself. I know you think it's a loving, super awesome deed for you to go ahead and learn me sumpthin about your Bible so that I don't spend my life in darkness, misery, debauchery and ignorance and then fry up Colonel Sanders style in the afterlife.

But you know what's funny about that? I'm not a particularly miserable person and I actually don't spend every waking moment looking for life's selfish pleasures. I have kids to raise and work to do.

Plus you know what's great about no longer believing in the Boogeyman? I'm no longer afraid of his Boogeyman Pit.

So the thing is I don't want to debate about your Bible because I've already read it. I've already debated it. Again. And again. And again. There are always plenty of Christians willing to discuss it. At one point I was going to 3 Bible studies a week and "seeking" with an open heart because I truly wanted to believe. There aren't many Christians who know the Bible better than me and that's not even bragging. That's an honest (and rather pathetic) truth.

I don't want to debate about your God because in the end, it will get neither of us anywhere. I will go away unconvinced because you have no actual evidence. You will go away convinced because you believe exactly what you want to believe. Because you want the Boogeyman In The Sky to be on your side and fry up somebody else. That's cool. I'm okay with you thinking I'm going to fry because that means about as much to  me as my kid telling me his imaginary friend isn't speaking to me anymore. IE: it doesn't mean anything at all.

Have you looked into Agnosticism or Atheism as hard as I've looked into your religion? I've asked tons of questions and studied up hard, which is how I got my Agnosticism in the first place. TADA!

So if I'm okay with you thinking I'm "frying in the afterlife" and am willing to accept that extremely remote possibility, can I just hereby absolve you of guilt and obligation to "change my heart"? Pray for me if you like, but she who has seen the man behind the mask can no longer be fooled into thinking he's the great King of Oz.

You Can't Pray Away Mental Illness

One of the biggest beefs I have with religion is what it has done to the mentally ill. In the past, churches have burned people with anxiety disorders and schizophrenia at the stake. They have killed and injured them in exorcisms, trying to expel demons that don't exist. This one is still happening.

And what you'll see a lot nowadays in Christian circles is the idea that God can fill that "hole in your heart." 

You know what's weird about that? I don't have a hole in my heart. I love my life. I love my family. I love my plans and goals for the future. I love my freedom. I see wonder and beauty all around me. But it wasn't always this way.

Because once, I was lonely and sad. Once, I suffered from major depression. And this went on for years, WHILE I was a Christian. The promises of a new life, a new heart, a new hope, of God coming to fill that hole in my heart, were promises I took seriously and wanted desperately. But it didn't happen.

The thing about church is that it, being a social gathering, can have some tangible psychological benefits. Having somewhere to go and feel like you belong can be a positive thing for someone who is a bit isolated. Having people to turn to with your troubles, even if just in a prayer meeting, fulfills a deep need for human connection and support. And that alone can sometimes make mental illness a little bit better. 

The problem is that some people think the Bible is "sufficient" and has the answer to everything. The problem is that many Christians think psychiatry a useless and "ungodly" field. You won't find much Biblical evidence for any of the tenets of psychology. Because the Bible isn't a science book. It's a book that tells people to pray and have hope and believe. That's great for normal folks.

But when you have a serious mental illness, these things aren't enough. When you have a serious mental illness, you have a hole in your heart that just doesn't go away.

So you ask yourself, "Am I just not praying right? Am I not close enough to God?"

People ask you if there is some sin in your life that is dragging you down. They tell you that as a Christian you have every reason to be happy, and no business contemplating suicide. They bless your house, drop holy water on your head, "lift you up in prayer." It's nice that they try. But nothing changes. The pain doesn't go away. The fears don't go away. And then they get frustrated with you. And then they get mad.

If I had a nickel for every time someone told me that God doesn't want me to worry, I'd have a bag of nickels to smack someone with. Which I'd almost be tempted to do. Because someone with depression and anxiety can't just stop worrying. It doesn't work that way. It isn't a choice. It's a chemical imbalance in your brain that makes you feel bad, and your body and mood follow along.

But no one guilts you out of taking your psychiatric meds like a Christian can. God can heal you! God can take all your sorrows away! Just believe! Just have more faith! I'm so sorry you're sad, let me pray for you! You need to spend less time praying and more time in counseling with a trained professional. You need to spend less time reading your Bible for answers and more time taking your Zoloft. 

If you want to fill that "hole in your heart" don't get right with "God". Get your brain chemistry right. Get out of the house. Set small, reasonable goals. Make friends. Go to a support group. 

I saw an ad for counseling services online once that had probably a thousand comments from Christians saying that "Only Jesus can fill that emptiness inside!" Nope. If you feel empty inside, there is a good chance you have a psychiatric problem or personality disorder. There's no shame in that, and no shame in getting help.

One of the worst things I've seen is mentally ill Christians struggling day after day, year after year with symptoms that could significantly subside in as little as a week or two on the proper medications. It's truly amazing and heartbreaking to me how much stigma is inflicted on people who seek help for their mental health. Christians are typically smart enough to realize that you can't pray your physical ailments away, which is why they get their butts to the doctor when they're sick. But they don't seem to see mental illness as a real illness but rather a "spiritual sickness". 

Here's a little exercise in logic I like to try. Take the spirituality out of it and see what's left. What can you treat and how can you treat it? In doing so, I have not once found spirituality to be necessary in treating anything. But I have found help and healing.

God Is Not Love

Since religious people just loooove to accuse Atheists and Agnostics of not knowing their Bible, I'm going to do a little study, just like I used to do when I was a Christian. Except with a whole lot less cherry-picking and a lot more honesty.

This is such a pretty Bible passage. I just love to quote it, even still:

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails...

Great thoughts. Whoever wrote this had the right idea, don't you think? I really do. 

Weird though, that the Bible would say that God is love. By this definition, God is far from being love.

"Love is patient, love is kind."
Interesting. Yet the Biblical God didn't have much patience or kindness in the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve disobeyed him ONE TIME and he booted them out of there, cursing them multiple times and bringing thousands upon thousands of years of sin and evil upon the world. I don't know about you, but that doesn't strike me as particularly patient. I have yet to toss my lil rascals out of the house for any of their misdeeds.

Was God patient and kind to Uzzah when he struck him dead for touching the ark to try to steady it? I mean, after all, it's not like the guy had bad motives. He was trying to steady the ark to keep it from tipping or falling. Striking people dead doesn't seem all that kind to me either but what do I know. I've never struck anyone dead for any reason. It's not my thing.

"It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud"

Yet the God of the Bible does little else but envy and boast.  In fact, in Exodus, he declares that his NAME is jealous. He spends a whole heck of a lot of the old testament boasting about how holy, mighty and great he is, and even more time ordering the slaughter of nations who don't give him the honor and praise he seems to need. If you don't think God is proud, read Job. It's really a story about God showing off.

"It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking"

I'm just going to leave that as is because if you've actually read the Bible and you remember how God behaves in the old testament, this is a hoot and a half. I can't imagine anyone MORE self-seeking. He demands constant adoration and is jealous and angry when he doesn't get it. "Coincidentally" narcissists behave the same way.

It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Oh man. I wish I were more like God and could keep my temper when people around me start complaining. Oh wait. He DOESN'T. He burns them to death with fire. 

Numbers 11:1 - Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.

If you want a good laugh, try getting a "Bible person" to discuss this with you. Their justifications are heaps of fun. Gosh, imagine how mad God was that after all the miracles he'd performed for the Israelites, they had the nerve to complain! Was performing miracles hard for God? Did it tire him out? Was he as tired as someone who'd been traveling through the desert all day? Poor God! No wonder he lost his temper! Now, if someone disrespects you, is it okay to kill them with fire? If they are ungrateful enough, is it okay? Is that love? If it's for their own good in the after-life, is it okay? Hmm...

Now what kind of hardships were these people experiencing? A stubbed toe? The wrong brand of shampoo, perhaps? Umm, no. They had been traveling through the desert with nothing but manna to eat, which the Bible describes as tasting "like something made with olive oil." How would you feel about eating the same thing day after day, for every single meal, and nothing else while wandering in the hot desert sun all day? My kids can't even stand to eat the same dinner 2 nights in a row! I put up with my kids' complaining when I feed them a 3 course meal that they haven't eaten before. Am I more patient and slower to anger than God??

And as for keeping no record of wrongs...gosh. I guess you don't need to when you immediately kill the people you feel have wronged you. It doesn't take much record-keeping for that.

"Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth."

Psalms 137:8O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, How blessed will be the one who repays you With the recompense with which you have repaid us. 9How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock.

Wow, sounds a lot like rejoicing in evil to me! I can't think of a more apt example of rejoicing in evil than that, folks!

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

God didn't protect the Israelites as soon as they got a little grumpy. He didn't protect anyone except Noah and his family in the times of the flood. He didn't protect Tamar from being raped by her brother and living the rest of her life as a "desolate woman" even though she hadn't done anything wrong. He didn't protect Dinah either. He didn't give Uzzah a 2nd chance. He didn't hope for the people in Noah's day to change their ways. He drowned them. God didn't protect the nations he sent people to destroy - nope - not even the children, babies, or pregnant women. Perserverence is a difficult concept for a God that gets people-torching mad over a bit of grumbling. 

My oh my. The mental gymnastics it takes to be an apologist!

Oh well, I guess I'm just judging this based on my "limited human knowledge". But do you know what smells exactly like hypocrisy? A god who tells us to forgive and then fails to forgive again and again and again.

Maybe God's love and mercy isn't so wondrous after all. Because yanno, just maybe, it doesn't even exist.