If you watch the news, the Republicans blame the Democrats, Obama blames Bush, and BP blames the contractors; the contractors blame the well drillers. The finger pointing is epidemic - and for the big guys, they pay their image consultant and lawyers to make it go away.
We live in a Culture of Blame!
Folks play a lot of emotional games trying to get the upper hand in life. HERE's a book full of them. The Blame Game is the worst. It squary tries to put all the responsibility on any other party or object that was within a few miles of the incident.
HERE | V2 is a story of an infant named Laurentiu who was drowned during baptism. That's right, Fr. Valentin immersed the child three times and it was game over for the 6-week-old baby in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
If you read the comments on either story, you'll see that people enjoy assigning blame - this incident is no different.
So here's the ballot with some sample responses:
Religion:
Mccoinseric "Religion never fails to amuse me."
Tucci "Another reason to ban religion. THERE IS NO GOD. Stop these nonsensical rituals. THEY ARE POINTLESS. Kyrie: You are extremely ignorant, like most religious fools."
God:
TheRighteous "It had to be God's will... there's no other explanation."
Humanity:
Betmatrho "Baptism is a pagan ritual and should be banned across the globe immediately."
Fate:
cackim444 "The baby is with GOD now. Everything happens for a reason."
Stupidity:
Livinginterribletimes "OMG ....are you serious? How did he not know to hold the nose? I know these parents are regretting not waiting till the child was older."
The Parents:
PresidentBizzarro "I blame the parents. I don't see how people could put their children through this sadistic ritual."
It Never Should Have Happened The Religious Version:
Adrian Wayne "The kid is not old enough to believe, so the baptism is pointless.. Heathens.."
The Baby:
newsflash12 "The bradycardic response prevents this from happening as described in the article. Unless this LINK is totally wrong, there is no reason that a 6-week old baby would attempt to breathe underwater."
The Church:
nobigdeal "It was in a church, shouldn't there have been a lifeGod on duty?"
ImissNY "OM FREAKING G! I would sue the church and the stupid priest!"
The Priest:
Rod J "Father Valentine is a murderer who deserves a swift execution. In the name of Jesus, of course. "
Here is my take. Isn't that why you read my blog?
Folks blame religion all the time. Some people that call themselves Christians are not. Everyone does stupid things, even born again Christians. One can "usually" tell by the consistent fruit of someone's life if they are a Christian. (Galatians 5:19-22)
But folks like to blame - they're still talking about the Crusades.
For those that blame humanity we get into the "no one is perfect" and who is a "good person" debate and that's a load of bologna. People are sinful - some more than others. No one is perfect, and at some point, we all fall short. We can't depend on humanity. (Romans 3:23)
Blaming God - yeah, this is an easy one. For if he loved us he'd give us an easy life: prosperity, an HDTV in every home, defenseless folks would never be the casualty of stupidity, lust, anger, deceit, murder - and we'd always win the lottery. And if we don't, God is somehow evil. Are you looking for a life with no pain and no sickness - you'll have to wait until you get to Heaven.
Let's put the blame where it belongs: Adam and Eve. Well, and Satan who had free will like you and me. What if God had forced the devil to make the right choices?
My question is this: Why does all this have to be blamed on someone other than the idiot priest. Can we get him to say "I'm a freakin' fool?" "It was me, I did it." "I was wrong." "I deserve to die." Even, a "I had no idea that would happen."
The real tragedy is that his priest didn't do the same to him all those years ago when he was an infant. Where the heck is Darwin when you need him?
5 comments:
Wanna know the truth? I first read your post 'cuz I saw the title and was hoping to find some tactics I could use in daily life!
Seriously, I so relate to your feelings here. When I was in my 20s I struggled with issues of "fairness", why do the innocent suffer, etc. a lot. But then I grew up.
I stopped expecting "fairness" and chose to rejoice in those times I get way better in life than I deserve; which is almost always. The longer I live the more convinced I become of the depravity that can live in my own heart if I do not choose to seek after God, continually renew my mind in His Word, and let the Holy Spirit work in my life. The more I choose to do something about the injustices that I can do something about while leaving those, and everything else, in God's hands.
David,
I rather suspect that quite a few of those comments are at least partially tongue in cheek.
"Blaming God - yeah, this is an easy one. For if he loved us he'd give us an easy life: prosperity, an HDTV in every home, defenseless folks would never be the casualty of stupidity, lust, anger, deceit, murder - and we'd always win the lottery. And if we don't, God is somehow evil."
Well, yeah, almost. Why shouldn't we blame god? We're talking about an omni-max deity here. Is there anything that happens in this world that is not part of his design? If so, then he's not omni-max. IOW, it's a contradiction to claim that an omni-max god could have something happen that is contrary to plan.
What does this mean? god intended for Adam and Eve to "sin." He caused it. He also intends for people to go to hell. He caused that too (and continues to do so). When he created the universe, he did it with the full knowledge that it would entail lots of suffering and that he would be putting people in hell for eternity, and he went ahead and did it anyway with that knowledge.
So, yeah, we can blame god. We can blame god for everything. And, that's where it gets worse.
This necessitates that the universe is wholly determined. The sins you commit, you commit because you have no choice. It was pre-determined for you at the time of the creation of the universe. If that weren't the case, then god would not be omni-max. You would, therefore, not even be in control - you have no free will (this is the logical conclusion of a universe created by an omni-max entity). So, not only do you not have control to not sin, you can be punished for something completely out of your control.
So, all those souls in heaven were determined to be there, and judged as unworthy for doing exactly what they were programmed to do by god. Is there any doubt that such an entity would be a monster if it existed? Luckily for us, it seems as though this god most likely does not exist.
I put myself in the parents shoes and felt like I personally wanted to kill the priest. I know that sounds bad. But it's just how I feel about the situation.
nicodemusatnite.blogspot.com
@GCT - I agree - was just making a list of excuses people use. I don't thin I missed any. Blame is a way of redirecting the focus from ourselves and our personal responsibility.
Regarding Omni-Max: you are saying God should control everything? I am not saying that he can't, I am just asking if it feasible to have robot people that do all the good little God things? You'd be forced to love, for to be straight, forced to be sober, forced to work, forced to feed the poor, for to take care of widows, forced to visit those in jail, forced to not gamble - etc. And you be forced to feel good about it. How could that ever work?
If there is no God, no biblical principals, then how come we haven't evolved into a civilized, loving society that all gets along?
There have always been tyrants, and wars, and it is worse now than before. We are not evolving to something better. People are still childish, greedy and self-centered.
I am confused, what is it that you don't get about free will? You have it, I have it, and so did Adam and Eve. So does Satan.
God has not scripted everything. That is where you you need to check it out. Men have free will, they do what they want, and God in his wisdom has orchestrated all that so that in the end, there will be humans that love Him, and CHOOSE to be with with Him.
Yes, He intervenes, but not in a scripted manner. Men and woman have prayed, or ignored Him and He's has changed things. Read Jonah for instance.
He doesn't control only those that want to be.
And you are spot on. I can't control my own sin because I have free will. God has made a sacrifice for that sin - all sin - for those that choose it.
Everyone is invited to the party. Matthew 22:1-14 You me, your entire family.
Everyone has a choice to make - just one. It is called faith.
Lots of folks are like, "well if I could see God, I'd believe." Well, Jesus came, it was chronicled, and still may do not believe.
This isn't hard, it takes a small step of faith, and very little intellect. I find that most folks will put more effort into being right, that asking God to show on His terms in a simple prayer for 90 days. They won't read the whole Bible, they just want to believe, that what they believe is right.
Well, I need to get back to work - more if I get chance.
David,
"Regarding Omni-Max: you are saying God should control everything?"
I'm saying that if god is omni-max, then he does control everything by definition.
"I am not saying that he can't, I am just asking if it feasible to have robot people that do all the good little God things?"
If free will does exist, it's a false dichotomy to assert that we are either 100% free or we are robots that are 100% not free. It doesn't matter though, as free will can not exist with an omni-max deity.
"If there is no God, no biblical principals, then how come we haven't evolved into a civilized, loving society that all gets along?"
We do get along to some extent, otherwise our societies would cease to function. And, let's not forget the divisive role that religion has historically played and continues to play today.
"There have always been tyrants, and wars, and it is worse now than before."
That's news to me. Just a couple hundred years ago, just about everyone was under the control of some tyrant that claimed divine right. Look at Europe during the Dark Ages. Now, we have democratic systems where people are much more free.
"We are not evolving to something better."
Evolution does not always imply "better" from your standpoint.
"I am confused, what is it that you don't get about free will? You have it, I have it, and so did Adam and Eve. So does Satan."
The whole point is that if god is as you describe (omni-max) then no one has free will as the universe would be wholly determined.
"Yes, He intervenes, but not in a scripted manner."
This is incompatible with a god that is omni-max. He would already know when he would intervene (and when he wouldn't) from before the universe was created. That's the very definition of scripted - unless you mean that we can't predict when he will or won't intervene, but our limitations aren't the point here.
"He doesn't control only those that want to be."
If you read your Bible, you'll know that this is false (Exodus and Pharaoh, for instance). But, I find this to be troubling. The thing we should all strive for isn't freedom, but to be worshipful slaves of some deity?
"And you are spot on. I can't control my own sin because I have free will."
If so, then why have free will if it doesn't play a part in sin? Or, if it does cause us to sin, then why include it in our design? That's like a computer programmer intentionally putting bugs into her program.
"Everyone is invited to the party. Matthew 22:1-14 You me, your entire family."
No, that is incorrect. Don't you also hold that god has to touch our hearts (or something like that) in order for us to truly believe?
"Everyone has a choice to make - just one. It is called faith."
If faith is a choice, can you choose to believe in Zeus for a day?
"Lots of folks are like, "well if I could see God, I'd believe." Well, Jesus came, it was chronicled, and still may do not believe."
Mohammed came, it was chronicled and you're not Muslim (or insert any other religious figure and religion). Actually, we have better proof for the existence of Mohammed than Jesus.
Besides, shouldn't god know what we all need to believe (omni-max and all that)? If I need X to happen and god doesn't do that, even though it's no cost to him to perform X, then why is it solely my fault?
"This isn't hard, it takes a small step of faith, and very little intellect."
From where I sit, it seems like you're arguing that intellect is a bad thing - which puts you in accord with the writers of Genesis at least.
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