A Random Thought About God

Posted byKindra M. AustinPosted inLet's Talk About Me, Writing

God asked a man to kill his own son on an altar. Yeah, yeah, I know the outcome. God was so fucking happy to see that Abraham was obedient that he stopped the sacrifice before Isaac’s blood was shed. And Abraham was like, “Thank you, Lord. I will serve you more fervently now, because you are good. Thanks for sparing my son.”

Excuse me??? I’m sorry not sorry that I’m about to offend: If God said, “Kindra, this is Me speaking. I want you to take Nicole up the mountain, tie her down, and cut off her fucking beautiful head.” I’d be like, “Send me straight to hell, motherfucker. And fuck you for asking me to do such a thing, you needy, sadistic bitch.”

I dare any parent to tell me they wouldn’t do what I would do. Envision your child, defenseless against you. Do it…

For real. This is the shit people defend with their lives. Abraham is the sort of man we should admire–because of his devotion. Devotion to what?

What?

 

 

 

Published by Kindra M. Austin

Author of fiction, poetry, and very sweary social commentary. Editor, and co-founder of Indie Blu(e) Publishing. Co-founder of Blood Into Ink, and Heretics, Lovers, and Madmen.

62 thoughts on “A Random Thought About God”

  3. Well you seemed to please some people with that post. Sorry, I’m not one of them.But it’s ok, because I’m just one of those motherfuckers that happen to believe in God and I’m not afraid or ashamed to admit it. So y’all go ahead and slam religion with all the fucking F words you can think of. And for anyone who wants so debate this with me, fuck off. Oh, and I’m not sorry that it bothers you that so many of us do rely on God and Jesus to save us. How fucking ignorant and bothersome we are to bother you. Unfuckingbelieveable.

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    1. I know some atheists who have gone through the same kind of scrutiny. I truly am a person who believes in freedom, and religious freedom is one of the most important. I may not believe the same as you do, but I would, and do defend a person’s right to praise their god.

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        1. I think the issue with you may be that you don’t know me as well you thought. That’s the bitch about internet relationships.

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          2. That doesn’t mean I want to toss out a friendship. Though, I would understand if you did, and would still have respect for you, and wish you nothing but happiness.

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          4. Honestly, there is nothing to forgive, In fact, I am glad you spoke up. Your voice is just as important as mine. I respect open dialogue, and I encourage it. Through dialogue, we learn. I never want to stop learning.

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  5. There are a lot of killings like that, particularly of firstborn sons. As a firstborn son, I’ll pass. I don’t have much use for these shenanigans. Shouldn’t an omniscient god (OG) know whether a follower is devout or not? In fact, shouldn’t an OG have created everything just as that OG wanted it? This seems as silly if I were to fix pancakes for breakfast, and then I punished the pancakes for not proving their devotion to me by making coffee.

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  7. And another thing… LOL! Thanks to this post I’ve had this song stuck in my head:

    Oh God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son”
    Abe says, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on”
    God say, “No.” Abe say, “What?”
    God say, “You can do what you want Abe, but
    The next time you see me comin’ you better run”
    Well Abe says, “Where do you want this killin’ done?”
    God says, “Out on Highway 61”

    https://bobdylan.com/songs/highway-61-revisited/

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  8. The problem with this story is that far too many people take it as literally true and have lost the original context. It was not uncommon in the ancient Mid-East for parents to sacrifice children to appease their god(s) (This can be seen by the large number of times the Hebrew Bible (especially in Leviticus) speaks out against “giving one’s seed to Moloch”). This story was meant, at the time, to illustrate that the followers of Yahweh do not do such things and its not because they don’t love their god as much as Moloch worshipers do, its because their god doesn’t ask such things.
    However, when you lose that context and take the story as literally true, both Abraham and God come off looking far less than admirable (though I’ve read some creative interpretations that try to salvage that). If Abraham thought for a second to kill his child then he is insane. If God asked him to do so as part of a “test” then he is an asshole (though all things considered, its better than what he did to Job to prove a point and win a bet with Satan).

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      1. The thing about the Book of Job (Which is a great literary work and tackles a lot of tough theological issues) is that in the end we get a speech from God about how can mere mortals understand His ways, which is a fair argument except that we just read at the beginning of the book how all of Job’s suffering was due to God and Satan (HaShatan, The Advesary) basically settling a bet on wether Job was only pious because his life was good. Which, again, doesn’t make God look so good.

        Interesting fact, which was pointed out to me by a Religious Studies professor: The movie Trading Places, with Dan Ackroyd and Eddie Murphy, is basically a retelling of the story of Job.

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  10. interesting too is that Old Testament God and New Testament God while the same according to Dogma, are referenced as different according to Christians. also Christ-ian is One who practices the teachings of Christ -that’s a short list that many who claim to, don’t obediently portray. apologies this was off-topic, I felt it apropos.

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  11. I remember the first time I heard that story as a child and thinking, “Nah. That can’t be right.” After a while I worked up the courage to ask my father (who had considered the priesthood as a young man and taught religion at a Catholic school before I was born) if he would have done what Abraham had done. He said, “No. I would have seen a psychiatrist.”

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  12. Wow, I couldn’t agree with you more. There’s no way I’d do that. I’d shout a big, “Fuck you, God,” right back at him. If such a thing as hell exists, I’d rather go there for protecting my son (or anyone else I care about) over a faith. On one hand, god is merciful if things are good or positive, but when things go wrong, he works in mysterious ways. Bullshit. If god wanted me to suffer so damn much as a child, and wouldn’t intervene if it was the devil’s work, then I don’t need him to save me.

    Sorry for the long rant. I’ve always looked to other, tangible forms of spiritually, because those have no bearings on fate or what happens to you. It’s just you and the universe. I find much more peace in that than anything else.

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    1. Growing up in such a mishmash of religious views, it took a lot of years for me to figure what I believed in. For a long time, I feared going to hell. I feared death. I don’t fear death anymore. Energy cannot be destroyed. And we are made up of energy. Anyway, yeah. I mean what I said. I know me. Especially the ME that is a mother. I don’t give a fuck about the situation, I would never end my life. My life being my daughter, just like you wouldn’t your beautiful son. ❤

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      1. Very true.instillnfear death because of the unknown. I always wonder if we’ll still be conscious, living on in some other realm like a heaven or hell, or perhaps even as ghosts. But if that doesn’t happen, what becomes of us after death?

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        1. I wonder that, obsessively. Because I know about ghosts. I’ve been followed my whole life. I could write about some crazy shit. I believe there are energies stuck in limbo. I don’t want to be one of those stuck.

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          2. Both my sister and I can testify to ghosts following us our whole lives. Well, at least since we conscience of such things. And now, my girl talks of experiences. Makes me wonder about the connection.

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    3. Could not agree more, Sarah. This basic issue was what drove me away from organized religion. If God is all powerful and merciful he wouldn’t allow bad things to happen to good/innocent people. If he cannot stop these things from happening, he’s not omnipotent.

      It bothers me a great deal when I see people relying on “Jesus” or “God” to “save” them when they have the power within themselves to make thier lives better. They take the blame for all the bad that happens to them (even when its not thier fault), but give all the credit for the good in thier lives to god & I don’t see that as healthy or helpful.

      I am reminded of something the Buddha taught that is recorded in the Dhammapada:

      “By oneself is evil done; by oneself is one defiled. By oneself is evil left undone; by oneself is one made pure. Purity and impurity depended on oneself; no one can purify another.”

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      2. Your words ring true to me, my friend. A god worthy of devotion shouldn’t leave us to suffer when there may be a way to stop it. And I, too, have heard a great many people talk about how god will give them “what they can handle” and then when things go well, he is good and blah blah. Why not just accept bad things happen, and rather than sit idly by for god to bestow some kind of miracle, take some action yourself and take that responsibility away from an entity that is there to make us believe we can be complacent and still find good fortune.

        From what I understand, religion was started to ease the minds of people who fear the “unknown” — things like death. This fear is eased when they can believe in the power of something beyond themselves. But you’re very right about one thing, it’s not healthy to follow this mindset. It’s what brings people to war. To fight and kill in the name of religion.

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        1. Yeah, we as a species like things to make sense.. the first religions/belief systems/philosophies were created by people trying to make sense of the world, which is admirable, but often the results aren’t the best, in my opinion. And that largely depends on the religion, there is a lot of diversity in religious beliefs.

          I think more of the unhealthy psychology involved in takeing all the blame for bad shit that happens to you because you’re a “sinner” but taking none of the credit for what does go right in your life… Its why I think I’ve been more drawn to teachers like The Buddha, who devised a system to try and teach people how to alieviate thier own suffering.. or Philosophies lile Stoicism (and other Hellenic schools) whose goal was to teach one how to lead a good life & emphasized how this was within our own control. They acknowledged that bad things happen, things that are often beyond our control. What’s important is how we choose to react to these things. This is, obviously a simplification of a large philsophy, but it is, to me, much more practical and healthy. In fact, there are some psychological therapies (like Cogantibe Behavioral Therapy) that are partially based on philosophies like Stoicism.

          But thats probably more than you wanted to know, I could go on for hours if nobody stops me 😉

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          1. I learned a lot when I was researching for that Religion article I was working on for The Bridge magazine. I wish it had come fruition. Religious studies and Philosophy are both topics that have always been of interest to me. I know that is because at an early age, I had taken issue with religion, namely Jehovah’s Witnesses. I believe in religious freedom, though I do scoff at monotheism. And I can’t take it when I’m told to pray to God to heal me, or to heal my sick child, etc. I understand it helps some people to “give it up to God,” but it is not practical way to live. Religion, to me, does not breed self-reliance and accountability for one’s actions/behaviors/lifestyle.

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          2. You mean that article I was supposed to do an interview for and never did? 😦 Sorry…

            Yeah, those are unfortunate effects of some religions for sure (Especially ones that claim that someone else can clense you of your “sins.” They also tend to teach people what to think and to not question anything, least of all thier beliefs. One of my ultimate role models is Socrates, who questioned *everything* & to me everything should be questioned. Asking questions is the only way we learn. And just because something has been held as fact for a long time (Be it religion, science, philosophy, or whatever) doesn’t mean its true. It may have been the best idea around when it was concieved, but as our knowledge and understanding evolves so must our beliefs. Even the Dalai Lama has said that if Science ever disproved as aspect of Buddhism then it is Buddhism that must change, not science.

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          5. Thank you, John. I do appreciate that. Honestly, I have been thinking of ways to expand my blog beyond fiction, poetry and rants. Something for real educational purposes, etc. I will keep you in mind. ❤

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          7. very cool. I’ve has a strong inclination toward Buddhism for many years, though I’ve never considered myself Buddhist. I do have several Buddhist friends (And I can honestly say I’m friends with a female Buddhist monk on Facebook!). The Dhammapada is one of my favorite books and I read from parts of it on a regular basis alongside Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations & Epictetus’ Discourses.

            Again, stop me at any time, I could ramble on for days

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          8. The Dhammapada is one of the books I bought for her! Studying Buddhism has really helped my daughter with her generalized anxiety disorder.

            How can I stop you when I find this topic so fascinating?? 🙂

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          9. Might I suggest a book that has helped me with anxiety & she might find similar to Buddhism in many ways. Its “Stoicism and the Art of Happiness” by Donald Robertson. Its a practical guide and introduction to Stoic Philosophy. Donald is a psychologist and moderator of a huge Stoicism group on Facebook. I’ve actually taken a couple on-line courses from him on Stoic practices. I’ve read it two or three times over the past few years myself. It offers an intro to the philosophy, how to implement it into your life and he gives practical excercises to help do so.

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          10. Oh, John, thank you for the suggestion! Nicole is a brilliant, open-minded, and open-hearted girl. One of her fears is having to rely on medication for the rest of her life. Funny, being that she is a pharmacy technician. 🙂 I will definitely look into the book, and speak to Nicole about it. Honestly, thank you. ❤

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          11. Anytime! If she ends up reading it and liking it, let me know and I can make some primary source recommendations.

            I’m the same way, meds helped me out for a while, but never felt “right”. Things like Stoicism and Buddhism have helped me cope without them.

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